City Hall Staffers Fight for Union Rights

Political staffers at Toronto City Hall voted more than a year ago to join a union,

but the city and several counselors are set to fight that.

Decision and labor board hearing starting in May.

These workers who support the 26 elected officials want to team up with a public sector union called AMAPCEO

to get better protection and pay.

Earlier this month, a group of these staffers calling themselves the Alliance of Council Employees

launched a public push.

They're urging residents to email the mayor and counselors asking them to drop the legal challenges.

The staff points to issues like heavy workloads, low salaries starting around $32,000 a year,

and even harassment in some offices.

Meanwhile, the city argues that lumping all about 170 staff under one bargaining unit won't work.

They say each of the 26 counselors is a separate employer with their own office setup,

making it too messy for collective bargaining.

Counselors are split on this more than a dozen have signed up to intervene at the hearings,

worried it could cramp their hiring freedom and late-night work needs.

Others, like Alejandra Bravo, say they're staying out to respect staff rights

while some suggest fixes like HR training instead.

As these hearings approach, the staff campaign ramps up pressure for a fair count of those sealed votes,

hoping to end the year-long stall, and finally, build that stable workplace they voted for,

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