With union flags waving high, Local 1000A members, activists and staff marched through the streets of downtown Toronto on March 5, 2016 as part of a series of events leading up to International Women’s Day.
They are among the millions of women and men around the world who will be celebrating International Women’s Day, which falls officially on March 8, 2016.
The weekend event started with a rally at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, after which the participants marched down Bloor and Yonge Streets to Ryerson University.
“The solidarity, enthusiasm and participation of Local 1000A members and activists for International Women's Day is outstanding,” said Local 1000A President Pearl Sawyer. “Thank you to our sisters for their leadership and our brothers for their support — your dedication and service to building a better world is what the union movement is all about.”The history of International Women’s day goes back to 1977 when the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed a day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. The UN notes that “it is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.”
A key issue discussed at the weekend event was the gender pay gap that exists in Ontario with women making 31.5% less than men.
“The labour movement continues to be at the forefront, advocating for the elimination of the gender pay gap,” Sawyer said. “Part of the solution of eliminating this pay gap is making it easier for workers to achieve union representation in this province. That is the type of action that will strengthen our families, our communities and our workplaces today and into the future.”
Diana O’Brien, coordinator of Local 1000A’s Women’s Issues Network, was among those who marched at the event.
“International Women’s Day is about reflecting on the past and the struggles we as women have faced,” she said. “We remember so we can continue to empower women and build our solidarity as sisters and brothers within our union.”
Local 1000A’s Recorder Glacier Samuel came to the march and rally with her young children.
“I brought my daughters here today to teach them more about the strength, solidarity and sisterhood we share in the labour movement,” she said. “Today is about rising up and fighting for a more equal and fair world for all.”
Local 1000A activist Lisa Van Altena-Walsh, a member of the Women’s Issues Network, was proud to march with her union at the weekend event.
“For me, International Women's Day is a celebration of the struggles we, as women, have overcome,” she said. “It's also a reminder of the ones we have yet to win. I will continue to fight until men and women are truly equal.”
Posted by UFCW1000A on Saturday, March 5, 2016
