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For bike couriers, navigating the smog-filled concrete corridors of downtown T.O. is no easy ride. The hours are long, the pay is low, and the sweaty working conditions can literally be hazardous to your health.Tired of riding on the beaten path and after what they describe as years of government neglect of their health and safety concerns, smog chief among them, Toronto's 500-plus bike messengers are talking about joining thousands of others across the country in a unionizing drive.
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) national rep Valère Tremblay says the union, which is organizing couriers in 36 cities, hopes to "provide messengers with a grievance procedure" to address the government's neglect in the enforcement of employment standards in the industry.
How rough is the road out there for couriers? While some can make up to $150 a day, the majority earn $70 to $100. Most messengers routinely work more than nine hours a day, and aren't paid overtime or for vacations, statutory holidays or sick days.
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posted 29 August 2005 01:01 PM
