Labour Solidarity is:
Political Action - Your Labour Council has consistently spoken out on issues of concern to Canadian workers, from free trade to NAFTA and the MAI (Multi-lateral Agreement on Investment), contracting out, deregulation and cuts to public services. Together local union members take action to support each other. We lobby our municipal, provincial and federal representatives on issues of concern to working people.
Municipal Affairs - Your Labour Council is active and involved in issues pertaining to our community, the city of Ottawa. From presentations to city council standing committees to participation on City of Ottawa Advisory committees to appointments on various City of Ottawa Task Force’s your Labour Council is there.
Strike Support - Through your Labour Council unions maintain strong strike support to locals. The ODLC's role is to organize support pickets, rallies, lobbying and representation to aid workers on strike or locked out. In recent years teachers, security guards and social service workers, for example, have all benefited from the work of the Labour Council -- fighting employer attacks on workers and protecting workers rights is our job!
Education - An active education programme of the ODLC promotes cross union education offering courses in stewards' training, law, arbitration, health & safety to name only a few. We promote the issues of the labour movement in the community so that the public and young people will understand our goals. We provide working people with assistance through Labour Community Services offering the Union Counselling programme to locals to aid their members seeking social services.
Community - The Labour Council is responsible for appointing workers to community organizations to represent the interests of working people. Some of these include appointing individuals to the United Way of Ottawa and the Employment Insurance Board of Referees.
The ODLC continues to build the solidarity of workers in Ottawa.
Ottawa & District
Labour Council
About the Labour Council
In 1872 it was against the law for workers to form unions and strike!
Workers fought and won the right to form unions and since then, a local labour central has represented the interests and needs of workers in the Ottawa area. We have fought for living wages and equity, we struggled for shorter work hours and social and health services. Together we have won political and legal rights for workers.
Today, as in 1872, we continue to demand safe and healthy workplaces. Ottawa union members have been in the forefront of Canada's labour struggles. We elected the first independent labour candidate, Council President Daniel O'Donoghue, to political office in 1874 only months after workers gained the right to vote. In 1991, federal public employees won the right to political rights enjoyed by other Canadians and the ODLC was part of that struggle. The gains of the past will only remain ours through labour solidarity. This is the ongoing role of your Labour Council.
The Ottawa and District Labour Council (ODLC) currently represents 90 locals comprising nearly 45,000 union members from 21 CLC affiliated unions. As the municipal central labour body the ODLC provides a valuable opportunity for delegates from affiliated locals to gather and exchange information and extend mutual support. It is the role of the council to represent the interests of workering men and women in the community.
Daniel O'Donoghue
