News

We are going to have a hybrid version of our Day of Mourning ceremony this year. City Hall is still not available to host an event the scale of our traditional Day of Mourning ceremony. As such, we are again working with Cable 14 to produce a broadcast which will be shown several times on April 28th and during the week after.

On April 28th, the Day of Mourning, the broadcast will be shown at 11 a.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.. You can watch the broadcast on your television, if you have cable, on channel 14. If you do not have cable, you can watch the broadcast live at these times at THIS LINK.

DATE POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE 28th!

Order tickets now for our Labour Activist Awards on JUNE 28th!

Contact Gillian at [email protected] 

Ticket information for this event will be posted SOON!

All of the information below can be downloaded as a PDF HERE.

The aims of the Hamilton and District Labour Council, as stated in its constitution, include:

• Advancing the economic and social welfare of workers
• Extending mutual assistance and collective bargaining
• Promoting the cause of peace and freedom in the world 
• Protecting and strengthening democracy and human rights within the labour movement and within the political life of our city, province and country.

The Labour Council wants to recognize members of our movement and its allies who demonstrate a high level commitment to our aims through their activities in unions, the labour movement, and the community.

We want to recognize people who, regardless of an elected or appointed position, have had a meaningful positive impact on our community. 

Awards are presented in the following categories: Lifetime, Sister, Friend, Political/Community Activist, Young Workers, WHSC Health and Safety.

MENSTRUAL PRODUCT DRIVE 
hosted by Hamilton & District Labour Council 
Drop off Date: March 30^th       Location: 51 Adair Ave. South 
To make other arrangements, contact Gillian at [email protected] 

WHAT WE KNOW: 

• Almost one quarter of Canadian women say they have struggled to afford menstrual products for themselves or their children. 
• Almost 60% of community organizations say they are asked for free menstrual products and more than 80% of community agencies do not have a budget to buy them. 
• When people don’t have access to menstrual products, they miss school, work and other opportunities to contribute to their community. 

Hamilton and District Labour Council Scholarship 2022

The intention of the creation of these scholarships is to support the families of unionized members who spend many years saving funds necessary so that they or their children can have the opportunity to pursue a post-secondary education. Annually, HDLC will offer 2 scholarships valued at $1,000 each to students from union families within the HDLC affiliates.

Download a PDF of all the information on this page HERE.

Labour Day 2021 is COMING SOON to a Drive-In Theatre NEAR YOU!

Last minute updates (see below for basic information)...

Just a few updates for the Labour Day Tailgate...

• Only ONE vehicle is allowed in between the pole markers at the drive-in. During non-pandemic times, they squeeze in two.
• The snack bar will be open but, due to COVID, will only take debit, credit cards, or pre-arranged coupons. Please NO CASH!
• Enter the snack bar at the North End and exit at the South End.
• You must be masked to enter the snack bar!
• We will have a few speeches starting at 12:15 p.m.. We will have a speaker playing the speeches live near the snack bar, but everyone will be able to listen to the them on the Starlite's Screen ONE FM frequency. Make sure you check the frequency when you come in. It's posted around the venue.
• Drive-in washrooms will be open.
• General announcements will also be made over the FM frequency.
• We will have a Labour Council tent set up near the snack bar. If there are any questions during the event, please pop by.

AND an added Caravan Update...

• If we exceed the parking in the lower parking lot of City Hall, we have confirmed access to the upper parking lot behind City Hall for overflow. If we really exceed our numbers, a second over flow lot will be the lot behind Central Public School (across the street from the back of City Hall).
• WE WILL HAVE A CHARTERED HSR BUS from the City Hall to the Drive-In. It will leave City Hall at the end of the Caravan and return to City Hall for 2 p.m.. If you are coming on the bus, it is advisable to bring a folding lawn chair as there is limited seating outside of vehicles at the drive-in.

9 June 2021

Hamilton & District Labour Council joins the growing call for Trustee Carole Paikin-Miller to resign and calls for the HWDSB to defend employees who call out racism.

At its May general meeting representatives from dozens of unions covering thousands of workers in the Hamilton area voted to call for the resignation of Paikin-Miller and called on the school board to stop the intimidation of those calling out racism.

Trustee Paikin-Miller made a complaint that Hamilton and District Labour Council President Anthony Marco, who is also a school board employee, was harassing her by calling out her racist behaviour on Labour Council social media sites. The complaint, like a similar prior anonymous one, was found to have no merit and President Marco was cleared of any wrongdoing. However, an independent investigation found that Paikin-Miller herself engaged in racist behavior, both towards a student trustee and at a school board meeting in June 2020.

HDLC has a proud track record of fighting against racism and has never shied away from calling out those in power for racism. That a Trustee would try and silence a Labour Council president from speaking out is very troubling.

That the school board wasted time and resources to investigate this speaks to the hollowness of HWDSB’s commitment to “calling out racism and oppression.” As an employer Paikin-Miller has shown that she is prepared to abuse avenues designed to support and help workers facing harassment against school board employees and those who stand up to racism. Such actions can only have a chilling effect on any board employee who stands up to racism at work.

On behalf of its members, the executive of the Hamilton District Labour Council unanimously calls for Carole Paikin-Miller to resign her position. We are one of many Hamilton organisations committed to racial justice calling for her resignation. There is no room for elected officials and employers to engage in racist behaviour or to attempt to silence those who speak out.

The executive also expresses its profound disappointment that the HWDSB would initiate an investigation of an employee for actions taken in their capacity as the President of the HDLC. We are also profoundly disappointed that the HWDSB would entertain the idea that calling out racism is a form of “harassment”.

We ask that the HWDSB publicly reaffirm its policy of supporting employees who call out racist behaviour by their employer.

For media inquiries, please contact Ritch Whyman, Executive Member-At-Large, at [email protected]

The Hamilton and District Labour Council is moving forward with a digital organizing strategy to help candidates who pledge to end poverty and eliminate systemic racism and oppression in our city, with a focus on all three levels of government. We will be advocating for good jobs with (at least) a living wage, benefits, pensions, and better working conditions for all.

We need your help to positively impact our city as much as possible. It's time we united to Elect Change for the better!

GO TO www.electchange.ca now and join us!