Mississauga passes motion protecting ODTA members’ rights, working conditions

Mississauga City Council on Wednesday passed a motion unanimously to protect rights and working conditions of Ontario Dump Truck Association (ODTA) members, according to a press release. Introduced by councilor Carolyn Parrish and seconded by councilor Dipika Damerla, the motion requests city staff explore how to broaden the scope of their sustainable procurement policy to address labor rights and working conditions, while directing staff to review the procurement process to ensure contractors and sub-contractors are complying with fair labor practices. Brampton City Council passed a motion last week requesting staff to ensure that the ODTA basic agreement is considered before allowing companies to bid on city infrastructure projects.

"As municipal leaders, we have to stand up for the rights of vulnerable workers who literally build our infrastructure and are essential to the construction industry - especially when taxpayer dollars are involved," Parrish said. "Today's motion sends a strong message that the City of Mississauga means business when it comes to ensuring workers are treated with respect and dignity."

Bob Punia, ODTA's senior advisor said, "Mississauga City Council is standing up for the rights of our members who are asking for fairness and respect in the workplace." Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie said, "Mississauga is a city that stands up for workers and I am incredibly proud that council is united in its support of ODTA members. We are also fully committed at the City of Mississauga to finding ways to strengthen our own procurement processes to ensure any company we do business with is fully respecting the rights of workers."

"So many ODTA members are new Canadians who have been treated unfairly due to bad labor practices," Damerla added. "Those workers deserve better - they deserve strong labor standards and fair wages - like everyone else in our community." ODTA members have been engaging in job actions to advocate for respect for their labor rights, fair wages and compensation, and to highlight safety issues for over the past three weeks. They are asking for a collective agreement to be implemented to protect workers and provide a framework to address labor issues.

"We are calling on other municipalities and others such as developers and contractors who employ dump trucks on their job sites, to sign our collective agreement so we can bring long-term stability and fairness to our industry," added Punia.