(TORONTO) -- The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and its affiliates added its voices to the Colour of Poverty Campaign’s open letter to Stephen Harper to call off the attack on the Federal Employment Equity Program by members of his Cabinet.

(TORONTO) -- Ontario Federation of Labour president Sid Ryan has concerns that Finance Minister Dwight Duncan’s plan to freeze public sector wages is more about asking low- and modest-income Ontarians to subsidize the corporate bottom line than it is about improving the economy or protecting public services. Ryan made these remarks after participating in a meeting with Minister Duncan and Ontario labour leaders to discuss the government’s plan to balance the provincial budget.

(TORONTO) -- Sid Ryan President, of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), has scheduled a caucus meeting with union leaders just prior to meeting with Ontario's Finance Minister today.

(TORONTO) -- During the G20 Summit in Toronto on June 26 and 27, more than $1 billion was spent on a reported 20,000 police and security officers, a 5 metre fence, and new weapons designed to stifle dissent and silence public opposition.

(TORONTO) -- Last Saturday, over 30,000 people—much higher than media estimates—from across Ontario joined the People First rally in Toronto during the G20 Summit. Our message was clear: we told world leaders—including our own Prime Minister Stephen Harper—to put the needs of human beings and the environment ahead of all other considerations as they deliberated over the weekend.

(TORONTO) -- The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is urging all working people to participate in Aboriginal Solidarity Day. Aboriginal Solidarity Day—otherwise known as National Aboriginal Day—was proclaimed by the federal government in 1996 after years of lobbying by the Assembly of First Nations (formerly the National Indian Brotherhood). Fourteen years ago, June 21 was designated as a day for celebration, reflection and solidarity with the Aboriginal peoples of Canada.

(TORONTO) - The President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) stands by his call for assurance that police and other private security personnel contracted to provide security during the G20 summit will not use agents-provocateurs during the G20 protests planned for next week, including the labour-led rally and march on June 26.

(TORONTO) -- The organizers of the June 26 “People First!” rally say their reason for organizing what's likely to be the biggest public protest during the G20 Summit was to give ordinary working people a chance to speak out in a place that's safe and free from the overblown security presence that's become so commonplace during meetings of the world's most powerful heads of state.

(TORONTO) -- Sid Ryan will be speaking today at 3:30 pm at a Niagara-area CAW meeting in St. Catharines.

(Toronto) -- More than two‐thirds of small business owners believe good pensions are good for business says a poll released today by the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).

(TORONTO) -- It is with great sadness and shock that the Ontario Federation of Labour has learned of the untimely and tragic death of Shannen Koostachin. Shannen was just 16 years old when she passed away, but had already established herself among first nations, social justice and trade union activists as a powerful young fighter for truth and justice.

(TORONTO) -- June 2nd marks the anniversary of Theresa Vince’s death – a woman murdered at work by her boss after years of unrelenting sexual harassment in 1996. Nine years later, on November 12, 2005, Lori Dupont, a nurse at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor was murdered at work by her ex-boyfriend. These tragedies were the catalyst for the call for legislative reform and creation of a public education campaign identifying workplace violence as a hazard.

(TORONTO) -- A twenty-six year old construction worker was killed yesterday in Whitby when a concrete retaining wall collapsed on him. The young worker is the latest of more than 400 work-related fatalities that have occurred since 2004.

(STATEMENT) -- May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia. It is a day of action, awareness and affirmation of the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transidentified (LGBT) people and their families to live their lives “Out and Proud.”

(TORONTO) -- Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, will participate in today’s event to demonstrate the labour movement’s disgust at attempts to overturn women’s access to abortion in Canada and its refusal to include safe abortions in its international maternal health initiatives.

(TORONTO) -- Today’s Labour Ministry media conference announcing the results of the 90-day inspection blitz of construction sites demonstrates the urgent need for much tougher measures.

(TORONTO) -- The Ontario Federation of Labour is calling for swift defeat of Private Members’ Bill 54 that purports to be a solution to the pension crisis encountered by millions of Ontarians.

(TORONTO) -- In view of the ongoing concerns expressed by the residents of Trinity Bellwoods, the Ontario Federation of Labour, the Canadian Labour Congress and our partners in the June 26 rally have agreed to move the event to Queen’s Park.

The G8 & G20 Summits taking place in Ontario from June 25-27 offer Canadians a rare opportunity to speak out on priorities that the world’s most wealthy and powerful nations should adopt on economic recovery, environment, human rights, decent jobs, and social justice. Decisions taken by the G8 & G20 governments impact on millions of lives in Canada and around the world.

It was extremely disturbing to open today’s Star and find no story of the labour movement’s Day of Mourning commemoration of the thousands of workers killed and injured at work. Click here to view the PDF document.

(TORONTO) -- Tomorrow, April 28 marks the labour movement’s most solemn day, the National Day of Mourning with events taking place in cities and towns across the province and nationally.

(TORONTO) -- Hundreds of workers, friends and families of those killed and injured on the job will gather at 12 noon, Wednesday, April 28, at Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, to commemorate the labour movement’s most solemn occasion - the annual Day of Mourning, and to call for the vigorous use of the Criminal Code of Canada provision that enables prosecution of corporate executives, directors and managers who act wrongfully or negligently.

Click here to view the facebook link.

(TORONTO) -- As one of Ontario’s largest health care sector unions actively weighs in to fight for lower generic drugs prices, the OFL is calling on independent pharmacies to distance themselves from Shoppers Drug Mart and the generic drug industry.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT AT THE REQUEST OF
THE UNITED STEELWORKERS (USW)
THE CANADIAN LABOUR CONGRESS HAS ENDORSED
A NATIONAL CONSUMER BOYCOTT
AGAINST SKLAR PEPPLER FURNITURE PRODUCTS.

(TORONTO) -- OFL’s NEW FACEBOOK SITE: Your views on Shoppers Drug Mart’s attempt to prevent public access to lower cost generic drugs:

The Ontario Federation of Labour today issued an Open Letter to Shoppers Drug Mart blasting its lead role in undermining a government initiative to lower the cost of generic drugs by 50 per cent for the people of Ontario; threatening its workforce, and using patients and customers as pawns in its battle with the Health and Long Term Care Ministry.

As President of Canada’s largest labour federation representing one million workers, I am calling on you to immediately cease using your customers and those who need access to medicine as pawns in your fight with the Ontario government as it attempts to lower generic drug costs by 50 per cent; to immediately restore hours in London, Ontario and eliminate your newly-imposed costs for deliveries.

(TORONTO) -- The Ontario Federation of Labour, representing one million Ontario workers, is demanding that Shoppers Drug Mart stop holding the public to ransom.

(TORONTO) -- Today’s Health Ministry announcement is welcome news for workers and retirees with drug benefit plans, the public, and for people who rely on Ontario’s Drug Benefit Program, all of whom have been squeezed for too long by the scandalous costs of drugs.

(TORONTO) -- The Canadian Labour Congress and the Ontario Federation of Labour will convene a one-day pension summit in Toronto on Saturday, March 27 to hold an open debate on solutions to the pension crisis in Canada

(TORONTO) -- Today’s provincial government budget has incorporated numerous demands advanced by the Ontario Federation of Labour in its pre-budget meetings with Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.

(TORONTO) -- Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, will be available for comment tomorrow at the conclusion of budget lock-up.

(TORONTO) -- Busloads of supporters will head to Sudbury on Monday, March 22 to join a rally for miners and smelter workers at mining giant Vale Inco.

(TORONTO) -- The Ontario and Federal governments must take substantial and immediate action to address the problems of peoples of colour, says OFL Executive Vice-President Terry Downey.

(TORONTO) -- OFL president Sid Ryan welcomed today’s announcement of panel members who will conduct a comprehensive review of Ontario’s occupational health and safety prevention and enforcement system.

(TORONTO) -- In 1960, the horrific deaths of five Italian immigrant workers who died while constructing a tunnel produced such public outrage, mobilizations in the Italian community, and massive union organizing that health and safety laws were forever changed.

(TORONTO) -- Ontario Federation of Labour president Sid Ryan is calling for a criminal investigation into yet another worker death.