The city’s housing and seniors’ support workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate, citing unsafe working conditions and chronic understaffing at Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation (TSHC).
CUPE Local 79 announced that 98 per cent of TCHC workers and 94 per cent of TSHC workers supported strike authorization following a series of meetings and votes held this week. The union has also filed for a “no-board” report with the Ontario Minister of Labour, triggering a countdown toward possible job action.
Once the report is issued, a legal strike or lockout could begin in 17 days.
Union president Nas Yadollahi said workers are demanding immediate action to address escalating violence and staffing shortages.
“There is significant money that is allocated for Toronto Community Housing and Toronto Senior Housing. Perhaps it’s more of a question of how they are allocating those funds?” said Yadollahi. “It’s a management-heavy organization, which doesn’t help frontline workers, so maybe more of those investments need to be in frontline workers, filling vacancies, so that they can do their work and service the members that they deeply care about.”
“We hope that the filing for the no-board sends a clear message that we’re not taking this lightly. The workers are ready to take action should they need to.”
“We have been at the bargaining table since early September and will continue to be there for however long it takes,” Toronto Community Housing said in a statement:
Staff have raised repeated concerns about dangerous workplace conditions, including offices without reinforced windows or functioning security cameras, faulty panic buttons, inadequate emergency response, and rising incidents of assaults, threats, and harassment. Workers also say heavy workloads have made it increasingly difficult to adequately serve tenants and seniors.
Mayor Olivia Chow said her office will look into any instances of violence against workers.
Toronto Community Housing manages more than 58,000 units, and Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation manages 83 seniors-buildings across the city.