Announcement..

May 10, 2022

After over a week of talking to members in their workplaces and members reaching out to me, I thought I would share some of my experiences so far listening to the issues important to members and what I will do if elected: 

Transparency on leadership misconduct,  including thorough Audit 

Members want the leadership of CUPE Local 79to tell them more details around the issues of misconduct leading to the removal of First VP Jason Chan from the OMERS board, and leading the resignation of President Mitchell. Members have been left guessing, want assurance that there have been no other matters of financial misconduct. Members want more transparency and accountability on many matters.  If elected I will work with others to ensure a financial audit is both completed and shared with members, and rules of conflict of interest are put in place to ensure members can trust that this will not happen again.

Members want transparency on the union’s finances and other issues affecting them, improved and more frequent communications from CUPE Local 79.  I have the communications experience to do this. The current Local 79 communications system was built under my leadership, and I commit to more transparency and improved, more frequent communication on issues affecting you. 

Members across the City want improved services from CUPE Local 79, often not getting calls back, despite having extra people on union book-off. If elected I will lead union service improvement strategy to improve services, dispute resolution and grievance handing to achieve speedier and more just resolutions for members. The union needs to work for you. 

Members want their union leadership to be stronger, ready and willing to fight for them, more often taking a different position than our employers in the interest of members. There has been an increase in contracted out work, including contracting out if cleaning and increasing agency staff in Long Term care, with little or no push back from our union. Members want union leadership ready and willing to fight in workplace issues affecting them, like shift scheduling in many areas, very long-term temporary jobs, harassment, and many more issues. Members expressed concerns about reorganizations underway and pending privatization threat in some areas. Members want Local to 79 to begin preparations to push for increased wages given the rising cost of living, more full-time jobs, and job security. If elected, I’ll be back ready to continue fighting for you! See “Fighting for You” section showing my experience monitoring City Hall, fighting for your jobs, services and rights at City Hall, including opposing and stopping contracting out of cleaning.  

Vaccine mandate terminations, medical exemptions process taking too long to resolve, member deserve timely and just resolution Approximately 300 Local 79 members have been terminated, and many others awaiting accommodation approval for a medical exemption, due to the vaccine mandate applied the same across the board. Members have been waiting months awaiting grievances to proceed to arbitration or awaiting medical exemption approval. Meanwhile many other employers have backed off universal, one-size-fits all mandate, in part because there have been several arbitration decisions which outline the factors which determine in which situations a mandate is appropriate and which situations it is not. Some of these awards could be used to guide an earlier and more just resolution, rather than waiting months more, and the medical exemption process must be sped up. Members are disappointed Local 79 didn’t take a clear different position than employers on the mandate, our position did not need to be identical to the employers. The union can both support public health policies intended to slow the spread of Covid and fight to protect members rights under the one-size-fits-all vaccine mandate. If elected, I will take actions in an attempt to get a speedier and just resolution to the matters outstanding form the vaccine mandate. 

State of emergency end this week, but caution and worker health and safety protection still needed Mayor Tory formally ended the state of emergency this week, yet members are concerned the City has rushed many members back to work under “hybrid work” models with little consultation and say, after taking away the protection of health protocols of mandatory indoor masking and distancing protocols in many workplaces protecting them from the pandemic, leaving workers more vulnerable to catch covid.  I know Local 79 members who have been contracting covid. If elected, I will fight for your Health and Safety, Jobs, Services and Rights, Leadership Transparency and Integrity. 

Back Story to Recreation Youth Space, Importance of labour community coalition efforts at City Hall Finally, I wanted to share with you a very positive story about a program which resulted in large part from your union’s participation along with community partners to expanded recreation programming in as many community partners. Several years ago, under my leadership under our community engagement efforts, Local 79 convened a series of focus groups with members and communities across Toronto asking what kind of programs they would want if we could convince the City to expand programming. The highest priority was Youth Space, and over the course of a few years the City began implementing Youth Space in more and more centres, which I have been able to witness as I visiting many Rec facilities over the past several days. If feels incredible to know that an effort by your union to provide services for Toronto’s Youth and providing more work hours for Rec staff has been successful and having this lasting impact on the communities we serve. I also tell this story to highlight the importance of working in coalition with Community organizations, with fighting contracting out and service cuts, or service improvements such as Rec programming for youth, Shelters, Child care, Planning, and many other areas. Members jobs and services are always at the core of my work in these areas, even when in partnership with other labour and community organizations  If elected I will continue to fight for members jobs and rights and improved services for the communities we serve and care about.

I will continue visiting as many workplaces as possible across Toronto for the remainder of the election campaign.  Please follow my posts, send messages, ask questions. 

Watch for an email from Local 79 explaining the virtual voting procedures and be sure to vote Tuesday, May 24th. 

In Solidarity,

Tim (Fitz) Maguire

 April 21, 2022  

Dear Local 79 Member,   

Leadership misconduct violates members’ trust and public respect

Like many of you, I have been saddened and disheartened by recent news of leadership misconduct in Local 79. The news of misconduct in violation of OMERS Bylaws involving First VP Jason Chan and President Dave Mitchell, leading to his resignation, is disturbing.  It is also disturbing that there has been misconduct in the form of harassment, with the results of CUPE internal complaints processes reported to the online March 2022 General Membership meeting.  I know this is not who we are as a union, that we can do better and that the potential of our union to do great things representing members’ immediate concerns and fighting alongside the Labour movement and with allies for broader workers’ rights and social justice issues is so much bigger than the misconduct of a few individuals. 

Leading our union is a privilege based on members’ trust. Members’ trust has been violated and public respect damaged.  Local 79 members and the services we provide are left more vulnerable because of leadership misconduct.   I believe we can turn this around working together.

Decision to run in By-election for President after being urged by members to lead transparency and accountability and end misconduct

Several members, some active in union leadership roles, have contacted me in recent weeks very concerned about misconduct. They strongly urged me to run again for President in the upcoming by-election, using my over 15 years of leadership experience, including President of CUPE Local 79 for six years (2012-2017), over 30 years total serving members and reputation of integrity and respect to work in a team effort with others to bring back principled accountable leadership, and to re-earn the trust of not only members of the public, but most importantly, you as a member of our union.

 After carefully consideration for the last few weeks,  I have decided to re-run for President in the upcoming by-election. 

Leadership with Integrity to deal with misconduct, bring back accountability, respect for Local 79

My leadership is value-based; based in service to members and integrity, not personal gain. I believe that I have the experience and integrity needed to lead a team effort to re-earn your trust and public respect through transparency and accountability, end financial and harassment misconduct, and get the union back to focusing on the important work the union should be doing providing better services, better supporting members through current challenges, and prepare for upcoming challenges.  

I will urge those responsible for financial and other misconduct be held to account, urge an immediate and thorough financial audit to restore financial accountability and transparency, and work with CUPE National to ensure training in financial transparency and accountability, anti-bullying, anti-harassment and anti-racism, backed by enforcing stronger rules such as conflict-of-interest policies and codes of conduct to ensure this misconduct does not happen again. 

I commit to working with others in leadership roles, whether in Executive, workplace leadership roles as Stewards, general members, and CUPE National to accomplish this for members.

Supporting members through ongoing Pandemic challenges, preparing for upcoming potential challenges of cuts to jobs and services, attacks on our contracts

In addition to leading an effort to deal with misconduct, provide accountability and transparency, I will lead a team effort to improve supports for members through the ongoing challenges of the Pandemic. 

Local 79 Health and Safety reps have been working hard to support members' health and safety during the pandemic. The challenges of the pandemic for members is ongoing, re-rising health and safety issues as employers return many members to work, often in varied "hybrid" work models, with lessened health and safety protocols. The job impact from the vaccine mandate remains for many members with medical exemption accommodation unresolved for many. 

I will also lead an effort to prepare for foreseeable cuts to jobs and services, work reorganizations and potential attacks on our collective agreements as our employers seek to impose the costs of the pandemic on workers.  I have the experience of monitoring budgets and decision-making at the City of Toronto, TCHC and Bridgepoint to protect members jobs and services from cuts and contracting out.  I have been fighting for members rights, jobs and services for over 30 years, and can use this experience to continue fighting for members - always fighting for you.  

Fights I lead Local 79 to participate in were often in coalition with Labour and community allies. Members have always been at the core of these fights, even when working in coalition with other unions and other groups. It is important to work in coalition with unions and community allies fighting for a "just recovery," from the pandemic, which means better protecting workers' conditions, such as paid sick days for all, and protecting communities from cuts to public services. (see examples under "Fighting for You" of leading and/or working with other unions and community allies in fights for members jobs and community services at City Hall)  

Strategic Planning, Communications and Member Engagement

Under my leadership, Local 79's executive developed a series of strategic plans centered  in communications and engagement with members and the public we serve. We began an intense leadership team effort at member engagement, listened to and engaged with approximately 10,000 members over a few years in your workplaces across the range of services you provide , in an effort to understand the front-line workplace reality for members.  We need to return to listening to members and constant communication on issues impacting you.  In my roles as chief communicator, media spokesperson I was able to assert members' rights while  creating and maintaining a positive public image. Local 79 needs this now. 

I can use my experienced voice, communication skills to earn back member trust, public respect.  

To be Stronger Together, ALL Members must be Members in Good Standing ASAP! 

If our union is going to be prepared to work through this current crisis of leadership misconduct together, and prepare for challenges together, we must also work immediately to resolve the fact that over half of Local 79 members are not currently Members in Good Standing, through no fault of their own. 

I will be writing CUPE National urging one last extension of Members in Good Standing to all Local 79 Members in order that no member is denied the right to vote in the upcoming By-election for President, or in a potential by-election for First VP, depending on the outcome of processes regarding accused actions of First VP, now acting President, Jason Chan.  UPDATE: CUPE National has extended Member in Good Standing Status until June in order the all CUPE Local 79 members can vote in this election. Members who have not yet completed their Membership form will still be required to do so, as you will not be In Good Standing again after June.

I intend to then lead an effort working with others in an immediate campaign to bring all members of Local 79 into good standing so we can stand stronger together facing current and upcoming challenges to jobs, services, collective agreements. I intend to lead this effort so that we are really all in this together, no member left behind.

Asking for your support to help clean up misconduct, fight together for your jobs, services

We can get through this, be stronger together! I commit to working with other leaders and members interested in cleaning up the misconduct quickly and thoroughly, ensure transparency and accountability going forward, work as a team to address all of these issues and more, together! 

First step

Elect a President experienced in leadership with integrity who is ready to support you better, fight for your jobs and services, and health & safety for you and your family.   

I am asking for your support in the upcoming By-election for President of CUPE Local 79 in order to lead this fight to rid our union of misconduct, for transparency and accountability within our union, to better service and communication to members, prepare together for current and upcoming challenges.  

Sincerely and In Solidarity,  

Tim  

Tim (Fitz) Maguire, LLM 

Past President, and Current Candidate for President, CUPE Local 79