Politicians crossed the line in firing of York Region paramedic: CUPE Ontario

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CUPE Ontario is calling out City of Vaughan politicians for overreach in the firing of a long-serving York Region paramedic and for subjecting a dedicated employee to trial by social media.

Katherine Grzejszczak, a member of CUPE 4900, was fired last week for a comment she made on Facebook in support of an anti-war rally. CUPE Ontario was one of more than a dozen sponsors of the rally and Grzejszczak is an elected member of CUPE Ontario’s executive board.

In her own Facebook post, City of Vaughan councillor Gila Martow appears to take credit for the firing of Katherine Grzejszczak. Martow posted that on June 20, Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca contacted York Region Chair Eric Jolliffe. That same day, Grzejszczak was dismissed. Two days later, noted anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian media figure Dahlia Kurtz boasted “We did it” in a post celebrating Grzejszczak’s dismissal.

“This is a personnel issue; no elected official is ever supposed to intervene in personnel issues,” said Hahn. “Further, it’s ridiculous to characterize comments as hateful when they are about documented atrocities and oppose genocide and war.”

“This sequence of political and social media maneuvering is disturbing and a gross violation of workplace fairness and due process.”

He observed that while municipal politicians are usually “quick to say that bargaining matters do not fall within their purview, here they are weighing in on an individual’s employment.”

“Let us be perfectly clear,” Hahn continued. “No politician has the right to decide the employment fate of a municipal worker. That line appears to have been crossed in this instance. This should be a matter of deep concern to the residents of York Region.”

Krista Laing, chair of CUPE Ontario’s municipal workers’ committee, supported Hahn’s view, saying, “CUPE Ontario will always stand up against attempts to scapegoat or silence workers to score political points. As workers, we don’t hand over our conscience and free- speech rights at the door to our workplaces. Being in a union means we stand up for each other, not just at the bargaining table, but everywhere, whether it’s for Palestinians in Gaza, for Indigenous land defenders, or workers speaking truth to power. Our movement has always been rooted in justice.”

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