Workers, unions, politicians out at Toronto Labour Day parade

In a year filled with negotiations and strike action, workers, unions and politicians from around the GTA were in downtown Toronto Monday to celebrate Labour Day.

Workers and union members from around the city gathered at Nathan Phillips Square outside city hall, giving speeches and chanting and showing support for organized labour and workers' rights.

Amelia DeGroot, a construction worker with Local 675 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, said the day was about "being proud of the work that we do." She said much of that work was on display where she was marching.

"It's amazing to look around in the city and see things that I helped build," she said.

Other union members weren't out celebrating, but were continuing to push for fair wages and working conditions during ongoing negotiations.

That includes Toronto actors, like Amy Matysio. Her union, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) Toronto, has been locked out of work on commercials by the Institute of Canadian Agencies for 860 days. They're currently negotiating their national commercial agreement.

She says thousands of actors are now facing an "existential crisis" as they're unable to find ad work. As the strike stretches on into its second year, she says it's been "devastating financially" for the union and its members.

"People are selling their homes. People are moving out of the city. People are leaving the business," Matysio said.

But participating in the Labour Day parade, she said, is "a great reminder that when we show up for others, others will show up for us."

Jan Simpson, national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which is also in collective bargaining right now, said solidarity among workers is the reason for the holiday.

"That's what Labour Day is all about," she said. "Leaving nobody behind."

Province, city leaders out to support workers

Some local politicians were also on hand at Monday's festivities.

Labour Minister David Piccini said he was out to support workers, noting that the provincial government has been investing in union training and trades through its skills development fund.

"Organized labour's done so much for Ontario," he said. "Stood up for workers at difficult times."

Piccini and the provincial government dealt with that first hand this summer during a two-week strike by LCBO workers who voiced concerns about the expansion of alcohol sales in Ontario.

That happened a few months after Ontario courts struck down a bill introduced by the Doug Ford government that capped public sector wage increases, deeming it unconstitutional.

Mayor Olivia Chow was also out Monday. Under her leadership, the city avoided a transit strike at the last hour in June.

"If a city's workers can't afford to live in the city, that doesn't work," she said. "We're here to appreciate them, recognize them and later on, to bargain."