30 Minutes to a General Strike with OPSEU SEFPO Executive Board Member Julius Arscott

30 Minutes to a General Strike with OPSEU SEFPO Executive Board Member Julius Arscott

We were 30 minutes away from a call for a general strike. 30 minutes. RankandFile leaked it, and militants with exec positions in large unions confirmed — at 10 a.m. on Monday, November the 7th, multiple large unions with the backing of the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress were going to announce a general strike. This is the story of how we got to that point. Hosts Emily and Daniel recount that events that led this labour movement to precipice of historic mass job action — the OSBCU strike, Bill 28, and OPSEU solidarity wildcat actions. They are joined by Julius Arscott, a three-term OPSEU SEFPO Executive Board Member and 2021 candidate for President of the Canadian Labour Congress, who shares what happened behind the scenes and why a general strike is closer than in a very long time.

Socialist Action Rallies with Thousands at Queen’s Park in Solidarity Support of CUPE Ontario

Opposition to the bully tactics of the Ontario Conservative government is growing.  Premier Ford's Bill 28, which not only bans a strike by 55,000 school support worker but imposes a wage settlement without arbitration or any further negotiation, is an outrage to millions, including most of the labour movement inside and outside Ontario.  On November 4, well over 10,000 people rallied at Queen's Park, and marched repeatedly around the provincial legislature in defiance of the Draconian law.  A wide range of unions and other working class organizations came to the defense of CUPE-Ontario and the right to strike.  This included LiUNA, which had endorsed Ford and the Tories in the June 2, 2022 provincial election, UNIFOR, the largest private sector union which is outside the CLC, and a host of other labour bodies.

Socialist Action Canada Ontario General Strike

Socialist Action Calls For an Ontario General Strike to Dump Thug Ford 

The democratic right to strike is at stake as confrontation escalates between 55,000 Ontario school support workers and the Conservative government of Doug Ford.  Rallies, protests, and walk-outs are the order of the day as provincial Tories use bully tactics to perpetuate poverty wages.  Socialist Action Canada and the Workers’ Action Movement urge everyone to gather at Queen’s Park in front of the Ontario Legislature on Friday, November 4, at 11 a.m. to defend the right to strike.

RBC CEO Dave McKay awarded Climate Villain of the Year Award at Recent Toronto Demonstration

RBC CEO Dave McKay given Climate Villain of the Year Award at Recent Toronto Demonstration

Knock knock, who's there? Climate villain of the year. On Thursday, climate activists from the University of Toronto, Banking on a Better Future, Climate Justice TO, and Stand.Earth participated in a demonstration to disrupt the Ivey Business School's presentation to RBC CEO Dave McKay with the 'Business Leader of the Year Award' Demonstrators presented McKay with an award of their own, the highly disdained 'Climate Villain of the Year Award,' which the RBC executive won in near won hands down. The Royal Bank of Canada has profited from climate chaos to the tune of more than $263 billion dollars in fossil fuel investment, including the Coastal GasLink pipeline project that is currently being constructed on the unseeded sacred Indigenous territory of the Wet'suwet'en people.

Municipal Socialist Alliance Canada

Municipal Socialist Alliance Candidates Earn More Than 14,000 Votes Combined Across Ontario in 2022 Elections

The fledgling Municipal Socialist Alliance exceeded most expectations by garnering 14,870 votes across Ontario, despite getting almost zero coverage in the commercial mass media, amid a very low voter turnout to boot (about 29 percent in Toronto). Official Municipal Socialist Alliance candidates ran for city council, school board, and, in one city, for the office of mayor.