Students and Workers United Against Precarious Work (Live on Facebook)

Watch Online:

We will be streaming the conversation live through the CESAR Facebook: www.facebook.ca/ryecesar/live

Please note that you can watch a live video without having a facebook account. Ask questions through Facebook Live or send an email to vp.equity@tmaps.ca.

Speakers:

Amber Grant

Amber Grant is a PhD Candidate in Environmental Applied Science and Management at Ryerson University. Her research focuses on examining environmental justice in urban forest management and community tree-planting practice. Beyond her research work, she is also the CUPE 3904 Unit 3 Chief Steward representing TA/GAs, lab monitors, and invigilators at Ryerson University. She is also the Vice President of Education and Research for the Ryerson Graduate Students’ Union. Amber is a progressive leader on campus, and is a strong advocate for creating meaningful graduate student work experiences and research opportunities.

You can support the work Amber and the Ryerson Graduate Students Union are doing to support their members by visiting their website, www.rsugrad.ca, follow them on social media @RGSU, and find out more information about the work folks at CUPE 3904 are doing by visiting their website www.cupe3904.ca and by following them on social media @CUPE3904

Sarom Rho

Sarom Rho is an organizer with Migrant Workers Alliance for Change and Migrant Students United. Sarom Rho is an organizer with Migrant Workers Alliance for Change and Migrant Students United. Migrant Students United is current and former international students who are organizing for decent jobs, open work permits, access to social supports & healthcare, and full immigration status for all. Over 12,000 have signed their petition calling for Covid-19 crisis supports specific to international students’ needs: https://migrantrights.ca/migrantstudents/

Support the work that Sarom, the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, and Migrant Students United are doing by visiting their website at www.migrantworkersalliance.org, and you can follow them on social media @MigrantStudentsUnited.

Jared Ong

Jared Ong is a caseworker and community organizer with the Workers Action Centre. As part of the Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign, he’s been working on empowering communities in the GTA to push for decent work legislation such as raising the minimum wage, fair schedules and paid sick days. With CERB ending and workplaces still not open or safe, Jared’s recently focused on advocating for an overhaul of Employment Insurance that is accessible for all and enough to live on.

You can support the work that Jared and the Workers Action Centre are doing by visiting their website www.workersactioncentre.org, and the work that Fight for $15 and Fairness are doing by visiting their website www.15andfairness.org and by following them on social media @fairwagesnow.

David Simao

David Simao (he/him) is the Chair of CUPE Ontario’s University sector, where he speaks on behalf of over 30,000 support workers and contract academic workers across 16 campuses. He has been involved with the labour movement since a young age, often attending meetings and protests with his mother, a leader at the time in the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Since joining the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in 2009, David has held a number of leadership positions within CUPE and, in addition to being Sector Chair, is the current Vice-President of CUPE 1281, and the Ontario representative to the CUPE National Post-Secondary Task Force. In addition to his political roles within CUPE, he is also a staff member at CUPE 3902, representing contract academic workers at the University of Toronto. David is an advocate for workers with disabilities and LGBTTQI workers and identifies as an intersectional equity seeker.

You can support the work that David and CUPE Ontario are doing by visiting their website cupe.on.ca and following them on social media @cupeon, and the work that CUPE 1281 is doing by visiting their website at www.1281.cupe.ca, following them on social media @cupe1281.

Accessibility:

Collaborators:

• Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson | www.mycesar.ca
• Ryerson Graduate Students’ Union | www.fb.com/RSUGrad
• Ryerson Faculty Association | www.rfanet.ca
• The Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario | www.cfs-fcee.ca

Action Points:

Support campus unions at UofT and sign their petition calling on UofT to move most courses online until they put together a sound reopening plan in consultation with workers and students! Sign the petition here: http://chng.it/ss4JQyCPkz

Support CUPE 3913, representing contract academic workers at the University of Guelph, by signing on to their demand for a fair deal from their Employer. Find out more here: https://cupe.on.ca/supportcupe3913/ 

Over 12,000 have signed this petition from Migrant Students United calling for Covid-19 crisis supports specific to international students’ needs, add your name here: www.migrantrights.ca/migrantstudents/

The CFS-ON is calling on the Provincial Government to immediately reduce tuition fees for all students, issue more grants (not loans), and to provide free education for all. Tell Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano and your MPP to act now to improve access to post-secondary education with this simple email tool: https://cfsontario.ca/ed4all/

Come to the Status for All rally on August 23rd: https://www.facebook.com/events/294840171604587/