City’s plans to contract out 1000 cleaning jobs should be stopped, say Hulchanski and other Toronto academics

On Feb 16, 2012 David Hulchanski and Grace-Edward Galabuzi presented an Open Letter asking Council to stop contracting out cleaning jobs. The letter has been signed by 100 leading academics from the University of Toronto, Ryerson and York University. Citing the alarming growth of poverty and precarious, low-paying jobs in Toronto, the letter urges Council to protect good jobs instead of allowing City Management to make short-sighted decisions that will harm the working poor and already hurting communities.

On Feb 8, 2012, City Management awarded one of the first contracts to Impact cleaning, a company notorious for violating the City’s Fair Wage Policy and underpaying immigrant workers and undocumented workers. The open letter states that the decision to contract out hundreds of good jobs will have detrimental long-term consequences, deepening the current job crisis and affecting immigrants and women the most.

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