Retail workers to demonstrate outside of York Regional Council meeting
TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Unifor members working in the retail sector will be demonstrating outside the York Regional Council meeting on Thursday, December 14, protesting the recent council vote to allow area grocery stores to open on statutory holidays.
The move will effectively take away eight out of nine statutory holidays for retail workers, including New Year's Day and Family Day.
"Some of our members are single parents and instead of being at home with their children, they would have to leave them with someone on holidays," said Unifor Local 414 President Gord Currie. "Our members need time off the job ? and that means stat holidays. Even though working on a holiday would technically be voluntary, we know that workers face indirect discipline or other repercussions when they say no."
WHO: Retail workers
WHERE: York Regional Council, 17250 Yonge Street, just north of Eagle Street in New Market
WHEN: Thursday, December 14 at 9 a.m.
WHAT: Protesting the holiday shopping bylaw, which was changed in a snap vote on November 16.
Unifor Local 414 has joined the Toronto York Region Labour Council campaign calling on York Regional Councillors to reverse their decision, reopen the debate and undertake a region-wide consultation process. No public consultations took place prior to the change, and no retail workers were consulted.
Union members have also been active in gathering petitions among local residents, opposing the change and calling for a reversal. Find out more about the campaign at yorkregionspeaksout.ca.
Unifor represents 20,000 retail workers. Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
SOURCE Unifor
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