After years of being forced to breathe in toxic fumes the workers at EasyPark are finally breathing a sigh of relief. The City of Vancouver owned and operated parking complex has been getting deep fryer smoke pumped into their workplace due to a badly designed ventilation system connected to a McDonalds Restaurant. Just this week it was announced that the city will be temporarily closing the parkade in order to do an investigation into the health effects. However this has come only after a very long and gruelling struggle for the employees to make their work environment tolerable. The following is an interview with Jim Mulally, a Fightback supporter and one of the leaders who led the fight for better working conditions. Jim and his fellow workers were able to make the city give in after being interviewed for the CBC program Go Public. Mulally was kind enough to give Fightback his story.
For someone not familiar with the issue, can you explain to them why something like deep fryer smoke would be such a contentious problem?
Mulally: Well it’s not just a bad odour, as the city officials were suggesting. The smoke, which is at times visibly wafting through the work place, is also a health hazard.
What sorts of health effects was the exhaust having on the employees?
Mulally: The side-effects included headaches, sinus pain, sore throat, drowsiness and itchy dry eyes. Some of the employees even got lung infections but it remains to be seen if any of the chronic illnesses can be attributed to the smoke. People endured this for years and would do whatever they could to try and avoid the fumes. But you couldn’t really escape, it was always with you.
What’s this I’ve read that the fumes may even be cancerous, is this true?
Mulally: Yes, Domenic Losito an official from Vancouver Coastal Health has suggested that the fumes may cause an increased risk of cancer. But again we can’t say for certain yet what harm the exhaust has caused us.
So what actions did you and your co-workers initially do to resolve the problem?
Mulally: There were a lot of complaints made to the management which essentially were ignored. The official response was “its just an odour” So the problem was pretty much falling on deaf ears. Eventually out of frustration a co-worker of mine Tony Dukes, contacted WorkSafe BC last year. They launched an investigation and declared the ventilation system was a health code infraction. WorkSafe ordered the city to fix the problem but the city appealed the order claiming that it was only a bad odour and not a real health problem. They also said that it was McDonald’s responsibility and not their problem.
Why did you decide to get personally involved and what steps did you take?
Mulally: After speaking with my co-workers I decided that the complaints had again and again fallen on deaf ears and this had gone on way too long. So I thought I would take a different route and signed up as health and safety representative for my union CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees). In the joint health and safety meetings with the management of EasyPark and the union, I repeatedly brought up the members concerns about air quality. I again argued our case that the fumes were a health hazard but managements response was that it’s just an unpleasant odour, that it was out of their hands since the city was the landlord and for the employees to carry on and endure it. The union decided to launch an investigation but this would require collecting health reports from all the staff and would have been a very lengthy process.
When did you decide to go to the media for help with this cause?
Mulally: Shortly after the health and safety meetings I realized that this issue would never be solved. My co-workers had been complaining about this for many years by now. So I approached Ezna Udu who was a producer with the CBC program Go Public. This led to an interview with the shows reporter Kathy Tomlinson. The story broke out and was broadcast both on national television and radio.
And how did the city respond?
Mulally: He laughs. Within less than three hours the parking lot was closed down due to the pressure the show put on the city. Also people started flooding the Mayor’s Office with e-mails complaining about the city’s position, which I’m sure helped. Now city officials have announced an investigation team will be put in to test for air toxins. It’s a huge victory I think and my co-workers are enthusiastic that something is finally being done. However, I’m still concerned that the Union has not been invited to jointly investigate. The city and a private firm hired are fully in charge of this process.
What advice would you give to someone who might be in a similar situation fighting for better conditions at their workplace?
Mulally: For one it’s necessary to show bold leadership in order to break-thru all the obstacles in the way of a solution to the problem. I found that when encountering these bureaucratic obstacles you have to rely on the sympathies and support of your co-workers to get through them. It was definitely a struggle at times to maintain unity when facing a domineering employer like we were. I learned in order to maintain and build unity it’s necessary to be pointing out every step of the way that as working people our interests are the same.
As of the writing of this article the City of Vancouver seems to be living up to its obligations and has become much more cooperative. An investigation team has been conducting tests and is thus far communicating with the employees about the process. Of course, Fightback will continue to follow this story closely and ensure that the work environment these employees deserve is finally realised.
VIDEO: Kathy Tomlinson reports: McDonald’s exhaust making us sick, parkade workers say (Runs 3:07)
