The Ottawa and District Labour Council is this region’s “House of Labour”, or central labour body. Just as workers unite in a union to protect their rights, union locals unite in the Labour Council to further their aims and objectives.
Since it was founded in 1872, the Labour Council has served and represented workers in Ottawa.
The Labour Council’s 90 affiliated union locals reflect the whole spectrum of organized labour in Canada. Public and private sector, clerical, service and industrial workers join together through the Labour Council to give a voice to their concerns.
Directly chartered by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and affiliated to the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), the Council speaks out as labour’s voice on municipal, provincial and national issues and promotes the social and economic welfare of workers and all Canadians. It is this body that the CLC and OFL turn to in order to carry out their policies in the community.
The Labour Council is involved in a number of educational and service-oriented projects on an ongoing basis. They also appoint labour representatives to United Way East Ontario, the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the Ottawa Community Benefits Network (OCBN) to name a few.
The Ottawa and District Labour Council (ODLC) Executive Board is comprised of 12 members (5 officers plus 7 executive).
ODLC Standing Committees
Political Municipal Affairs Committee
Women’s Committee
Human Rights Committee
Health, Safety and the Environment
Education Committee
Another program sponsored by the ODLC include:
LABOUR COMMUNITY SERVICES was established in 1988 as a joint Labour Council/United Way venture. Labour Community Services trains unionists to be Labour Community Advocates providing peer-counselling and liaison services for workers requiring assistance from community social services. Labour Community Services is labour’s link to the social services and social justice movement in our region.
Each Union local/lodge votes to join the Labour Council, to which it pays a monthly dues allotment of $ .49 per member per month. Each local/lodge is entitled to send delegates to the monthly Labour Council meeting and to report on matters affecting their membership. You will also be made aware of issues affecting other locals/lodges within the community. There are approximately 50,000 members of the Labour Council in the Ottawa Region. Your support and participation in the Council will help strengthen the voice of labour in the region.
By-Laws of the Ottawa & District Labour Council/Conseil du travail d’Ottawa et du district
(CLC/CTC)
(Chartered by the Canadian Labour Congress)
Motions to amend passed – November 20, 2014
December 18, 2014
Approved by CLC Canadian Council – January 13, 2014