A Virtual Celebration of the 2020 Recipients of CIRA’s Canadian Freedom of Association Award: Deena Ladd and the Workers’ Action Centre (WAC)
Date and Time : 23 September 2021 16:00-17:00
All are welcome in this celebration of WAC and the Canadian Freedom of Association Award
To participate, follow this Zoom Link : https://umontreal.zoom.us/j/86242693246?pwd=aXVGUmw2eFUrMzVoY2dRUDJVYk9Wdz09
The joint winners of the 2020 Canadian Freedom of Association Award are the Workers’ Action Centre (WAC) and its executive director Ms. Deena Ladd.
The program for this award celebration will last approximately 60 minutes and provide insights into the work of WAC and the challenges for the freedom of association.
1. An Introductory Panel on the Work of the Workers’ Action Centre in Covid Times
Deena Ladd (WAC executive director)
Nadira Begum (WAC organizer)
Veronica Zaragora (WAC organizer)
Gregor Murray (Université de Montréal and CFoA Award Nominations Committee), moderator
2. The Canadian Freedom of Association Award: What is CIRA and the Canadian Freedom of Association Award?
Jason Foster (Athabasca University and President, Canadian Industrial Relations Association)
3. Why Deena Ladd and the Workers’ Action Centre?
Leah Vosko (York University)
4. Testimonies and Tributes to the Award Recipients
Carol Wall (Abolitionist, Social Justice Labour Educator)
Winnie Ng (Ryerson University)
Laurell Ritchie (Goods Jobs for All Coalition and retired UNIFOR (CAW) National Representative)
Andria Babbington (President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council)
Gregor Murray (on behalf of the CFoA Award Nominations Committee).
5. Closing remarks
Deena Ladd on behalf of the Workers’ Action Centre
The Canadian Freedom of Association Award Mandate
The Canadian Industrial Relations Association is the result of a generous donation by Roy J. Adams to the Canadian Industrial Relations Association to support an annual award to a person or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to promoting understanding of and compliance with international standards regarding the right to organize and bargain collectively as those standards apply to Canada. See: https://www.cira-acri.ca/en-awards#foaaward
The 2020 Canadian Freedom of Association Award Recipients
The joint winners of the 2020 Canadian Freedom of Association Award are the Workers’ Action Centre (WAC) and its executive director Ms. Deena Ladd.
Deena Ladd is the Executive Director of the Workers’ Action Centre (WAC). For over 20 years, she has been working to improve wages and working conditions primarily for racialized communities, women, low-wage workers and immigrant workers.
The Workers’ Action Centre (WAC) is a worker-based organization in Toronto committed to improving the lives and working conditions of people in low-wage and unstable employment. Thousands of working families are struggling to make ends meet, so the WAC organizes for decent work.
WAC's members are workers in precarious jobs. They are recent immigrants, workers of colour, women, men, and youth. Most do not belong to unions and often cannot exercise basic freedom of association rights because they work in small workplaces, are temporary workers, on contract, independent contractors or unemployed. In one month, they may be juggling 2 or 3 jobs, as has been readily apparent in the Covid-19 pandemic; in another month, they might not have any work or income. When they are able to find full-time work, there is often still little protection against unfair working conditions.
WAC members are actively involved in its campaigns and advocacy work to improve wages and working conditions for all workers. Through sharing experiences at work and mutual support, WAC members seek to build a stronger movement for change. The constant objective has been to expand the boundaries of freedom of association for the most precarious and often vulnerable persons at work.
In awarding the 2020 Canadian Freedom of Association award jointly to the Workers’ Action Centre and to Deena Ladd, we wish to give special recognition to their outstanding contribution in bringing freedom of association rights to workers who, most often, have to overcome huge obstacles to exercising their fundamental rights to associate freely to improve their lives at work.
How to support the work of the Workers’ Action Centre? Two ways to support the Workers’ Action Centre’s Fight for Decent Work!
WAC is proud to be an advocate for change and thus, under current legislation, cannot be a registered charity or issue tax receipts. You can directly support the organizing work by going to https://workersactioncentre.org/support-wac/
You can also support the OEERC Education and Leadership Fund for Workers in Precarious Employment. The Ontario Employment Education and Research Centre partners with WAC to develop valuable educational programming to support workers who need access to information in their first language, need support to deal with workplace problems and connects workers to leadership training programs. The OEERC is a charity and you will receive a tax receipt for your donation. Please indicate your support for WAC’s work and go to https://oeerc.org/support/
What is the Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA)? https://www.cira-acri.ca/home
CIRA is a bilingual association, also known as Association canadienne des relations industrielles (ACRI), which comprises a diverse network of people from across Canada and around the world interested in promoting research, discussion and education in the field of work, labour, employment and industrial relations. CIRA sponsors conferences, encourages high quality research and practice, and fosters the building of relationships between members. CIRA is open to any individual interested in industrial relations, work, labour and employment, including unionization, union-management relations, labour and employment law, and human resources management. Our association brings together specialists from labour, management, government and universities. The Canadian Industrial Relations Association is a great venue to learn more about the field of study and meet leading scholars and practitioners shaping the world of work.
L’Association canadienne des relations industrielles (ACRI) se veut un réseau de gens de partout au Canada et autour du monde intéressés par la promotion de la recherche, des discussions et de l’éducation dans les sphères du travail, de la main-d’œuvre, de l’emploi et des relations industrielles. L’ACRI parraine des conférences, appuie la recherche et les pratiques de haute qualité tout en soutenant la création de rapports entre les membres. L’ACRI s’ouvre à toute personne intéressée par les relations industrielles, le travail, la main-d’œuvre, l’emploi, y compris le syndicalisme, les rapports syndicat-employeur, le droit du travail et de l’emploi et la gestion des ressources humaines. Notre association réunit des spécialistes des domaines du travail, de la gestion, des gouvernements et des universités. L’Association canadienne des relations industrielles constitue un endroit idéal où on en apprend davantage sur le champ d’étude et où on rencontre des étudiants, des étudiantes, des praticiens et des praticiennes qui moulent le monde du travail.
Acknowledgement of support for this activity: the Workers’ Action Centre(https://workersactioncentre.org/), Roy J. Adams, the Canadian Industrial Relations Association, the Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalization and Work (CRIMT) www.crimt.net