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18 JUNE 2008 – News Conference to Show Support for Terminally-Ill Home Worker
TORONTO - A news conference by the Independent Workers Association Home Worker Section, a joint initiative by the United Steelworkers (USW) and Migrante Ontario, will focus on the plight of a terminally-ill woman who is being denied permanent residence in Canada under the Live-in Caregivers Program (LCP). Juana Tejada will be present, along with her lawyer, Rafael Fabregas, and Trinity-Spadina MP Olivia Chow on Friday (June 20) at 11 a.m. at the USW hall, 25 Cecil Street, Toronto. The Independent Workers Association-Home Worker Section was launched last week and offers representation to caregivers who are in Canada under the LCP, as well as those who are independent home workers and permanent residents. The group is working with the larger Filipino community to act on Tejada’s behalf. Live-in caregivers are prone to abuse and lack of access to services. Their immigration status is tied to one employer hence, losing an employer means losing essential services such as OHIP. The majority of these home workers are from the Philippines, as is Tejada. The USW is committed to finding ways to defend the interests of marginalized workers who do not have traditional bargaining relationships with employers. Mostly from new Canadian communities, these workers deserve to have their rights protected. Migrante-Ontario is a chapter of Migrante International, a global alliance of more than 100 overseas Filipino organizations in 22 countries. Migrante’s mission is to uphold and defend the rights and welfare of Filipino migrants and their families. Canada’s most diverse union, the USW represents more than 280,000 men and women working in every sector of Canada’s economy. -30- CONTACT: Peter Leibovitch (USW District 6), 416.243.8792; Marco Luciano (Migrante Ontario), 647.205.5908; Connie Sorio (IWA, Homeworkers Section), 647.200.2839 |
