Ahead of historic vote, employer threatens and intimidates couriers
For Immediate Release August 7, 2019
Ottawa – As Foodora couriers in Toronto prepare to vote on union certification with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) beginning this Friday, August 9, Foodora Canada is spreading lies and misinformation in order to scare couriers into voting “no.” In response, CUPW has filed an unfair labour practice complaint against Foodora Inc. with the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
Since CUPW filed an application for union certification of Foodora couriers with the Ontario Labour Relations Board last week, Foodora has attacked the union drive by threatening the income of its couriers through emails and directly messaging them on the app that they use for work.
“We will not stand for this type of intimidation from the employer – we will not back down,” says
Jan Simpson, CUPW National President. “Foodora couriers deserve to be treated with respect and we will negotiate better working conditions for them. Gig economy workers have been too vulnerable for too long. Their exploitation ends now.”
The Justice for Foodora Couriers campaign was launched in May 2019 and couriers have raised the profile of their working conditions and brought the international movement to fix the gig economy to Canada. This vote could create the country’s first certified bargaining unit of app-based workers.
Couriers intend to negotiate a better compensation model, health and safety protections, and recognition of some of their basic rights as workers — rights that are currently not recognized by Foodora, who misclassifies them as independent contractors.
“Foodora is our boss when it comes to scheduling, work rules, pay and other conditions, but they aren’t taking on the responsibilities that come with that,” says Ivan Ostos, a Foodora bike courier. “It’s only now that we’ve organized that they’ve taken any interest in us. We won’t fall for it. We have worked hard to create this union and we won’t be threatened out of it.”
Voting will be electronic, beginning Friday, August 9 and ending Tuesday, August 13.
For more information, please contact Emilie Tobin, CUPW Communications, at 613-882-2742 or at [email protected]. You can also visit www.foodstersunited.ca/.