Hip-hop video supports union campaign seeks to organize part-time workers at 24 Ontario Colleges
Same Job is the new music video launched by Mohammad Ali Aumeer, a part-time worker at the Community Action Centre (CAC) at George Brown College. The music video is launched to spread awareness about the SignUp OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) campaign which aims to win union recognition for part-time workers at 24 public colleges in Ontario.
This campaign is being organized by OPSEU which also represents full-time support staff at all colleges in Ontario and full-time permanent faculty at all colleges in Ontario.
“There is a big difference in terms of sick days, vacation days, discounted course fees for full timers and part timers and this campaign is trying to level the fields so that all the support that full timers get, part timers get as well,” said Ali.
The Student Association, which funds both the CAC where Ali works and The Dialog, as well as Chartwells, which provides food services at George Brown, do not fall within the scope of the union campaign.
In the past, Ali has done various music video campaigns to raise awareness about working class issues and several other human rights issues as well. But for this campaign he thought it was highly important to reach out to thousands students around different Ontario colleges which is not an easy task.
“By using music and video and social media platforms, I thought that putting the message in the form of art and bringing it online would be a good way to reach thousands of support staff all the way from Windsor to Ottawa to Toronto,” said Ali.
