Labour Day parade avoids CNE as a sign of solidarity
Stagehands union locked out since July
TORONTO — Marchers in Toronto’s annual Labour Day Parade broke tradition Monday, opting not to end the procession at Exhibition Place to show solidarity with stagehands who have been locked out of the venue.
“We’re not going to cross that picket line. We’re going to support the workers by not taking our members through that picket line and (not) having them go to the Ex like we normally do,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor’s regional director for Ontario.
Exhibition Place’s board of directors and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 58, which represents about 400 workers, said talks over the weekend broke down.
Both sides of the negotiations said they were unsuccessful after a 12-hour meeting Saturday that focused on the locked-out employees’ contract.
Negotiations will resume Tuesday — a day after the fair ends. The employees were locked out on July 20, and the union said the workers have been without a contract since December 2017.
Despite the dispute and change in parade route, officials with the Canadian National Exhibition struck an optimistic tone.
“Monday is a very big day for us. We attract audiences from across the spectrum,” said John Peco, chief officer, business development and innovation of the CNE association. “Traditionally, the Labour Day parade does terminate at the fairgrounds, so we’re quite optimistic that many of those people will return to the fair following the parade with their friends and family.”
But Rizvi said Unifor members have rented boats at the harbourfront, and other unions in the march will be hosting barbecues instead of going to the fair.
“We’re not crossing the picket line at the expense of another union’s workers who are trying to fight for their jobs,” she said.
Justin Antheunis, president of IATSE Local 58, said he’s thankful for the support from the Labour Day marchers.
“The solidarity that Local 58 has seen from the entire labour movement — not just in Toronto, but across the country — has been fantastic.”