What CUPE Local 79 does

CUPE Local 79 is a labour union local founded in 1941 and headquartered at 34 St Patrick Street in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest municipal union local in Toronto and represents more than 30,000 full-time and part-time workers across 60-plus divisions of the City of Toronto, as well as employees of Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, and Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation. Its affiliated parent is the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Canada's largest union with over 628,000 members nationally. The local operates as a democratically governed, member-controlled organization with elected executive committee members serving three-year terms elected by mail-in ballot.

The union's core activities are collective bargaining on behalf of its members, grievance handling, workplace health and safety advocacy, member representation, and political and solidarity organizing aligned with progressive labour causes. It does not sell commercial products or technology platforms; its offerings are membership-based representation and advocacy services. Members include nurses, child care workers, planners, clerks, social service employees, cleaners, court services staff, ambulance dispatchers, recreation workers, long-term care staff, and housing maintenance personnel, among others. Recent activity includes the March 2025 ratification of a four-year collective agreement with the City of Toronto delivering a minimum 15.47% wage increase and the elimination of minimum-wage jobs, ongoing bargaining campaigns at Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital and Toronto Community Housing, and public advocacy around City of Toronto policy proposals.

Revenue is generated exclusively through recurring monthly membership dues paid by its 30,000+ members, with no external investment or commercial revenue streams. The union employs approximately 88 staff to deliver representation, communications, organizing, health and safety, and benefits support, and maintains a digital presence through a website, a member portal, and active social media channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Name

CUPE Local 79

Legal name

CUPE Local 79

Website

https://cupelocal79.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CUPE Local 79 is a Toronto-based labour union local representing more than 30,000 full-time and part-time municipal, healthcare, and housing workers, delivering collective bargaining, grievance representation, and advocacy as an affiliate of CUPE Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: CUPE Local 79 generates revenue through monthly membership dues paid by its 30,000+ members. These dues fund union operations, collective bargaining activities, member representation, and advocacy work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CUPE Local 79 is a labor union local that provides collective bargaining, workplace advocacy, and member representation services to approximately 30,000 full-time and part-time municipal workers across City of Toronto departments and partner agencies including Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, and Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation. Core services include negotiating wages and benefits, grievance handling, workplace health and safety representation, and political/social advocacy on behalf of members.

Product overview

CUPE Local 79 is a labor union, not a product company. It does not offer a commercial product, software platform, or technology service. Its core offering is collective bargaining representation, member advocacy, workplace health and safety support, and labor relations services for approximately 30,000 full-time and part-time City of Toronto workers across more than 60 divisions. Services include member portals for communications and updates, collective agreement administration, grievance handling, and organizing campaigns. No named commercial products or technology modules exist.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collective Bargaining Representation Negotiation of wages, benefits, and working conditions on behalf of approximately 30,000 full-time and part-time members across City of Toronto divisions, Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, and Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation.
• Member Advocacy and Grievance Handling Workplace representation, grievance handling, and individual member support services for union members facing workplace issues across all represented bargaining units.
• Workplace Health and Safety Representation Workplace health and safety advocacy and representation for members across all represented employers, supported by dedicated Health and Safety representatives.
• Members' Portal Online member portal at memberzone.cupelocal79.org providing members with access to communications, updates, and member resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminated minimum-wage jobs at the City through collective bargaining
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core, minor and solidarity.

• NDP (New Democratic Party)strategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 February 2026CUPE Local 79's Board unanimously endorsed Avi Lewis for Leader of Canada's New Democratic Party, reflecting the union's political engagement and advocacy for progressive policies.
• CUPE-OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2025Joint statement on proposed demonstrations by-law with CUPE-Ontario and OCHU-CUPE standing firmly opposed to the City's proposed by-law restricting protests and picketing.
• OCHU-CUPEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2025Joint statement with CUPE Local 79 and CUPE-Ontario opposing the City's proposed demonstrations by-law. OCHU-CUPE represents thousands of healthcare workers in Toronto.
• CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUPE is Canada's largest union with over 628,000 members. CUPE Local 79 is an established local of CUPE, operating under CUPE's democratic structure. CUPE provides resources, political support, and solidarity for collective bargaining and labor actions. CUPE Local 79 participates in CUPE Ontario and CUPE National activities.
• Toronto Office of Partnerships (TOP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned in context of managing the corporate United Way program. TOP concluded that for every dollar spent, $1.33 was secured from external partners, a 33% return on investment.
• Grassy Narrows First NationsolidarityGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal 79 members marched alongside Grassy Narrows First Nation to demand mercury justice. The union engages in solidarity actions with Indigenous communities on social justice issues.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU): Major Ontario public sector union representing approximately 180,000 members across government, healthcare, and community services. OPSEU is a direct comparable peer to CUPE Local 79 in representing public sector workers in Ontario with overlapping employer relationships at provincial agencies and healthcare institutions.
• CUPE Ontario: Provincial division of CUPE representing Ontario members and coordinating collective bargaining, political action, and member services across the province. CUPE Ontario is the intermediate body through which Local 79 engages in provincial advocacy and is the most direct operational peer in terms of geography and structure.
• CUPE Local 416 (formerly Toronto Civic Employees): Toronto-based CUPE local representing outside municipal workers, historically the counterpart inside-City bargaining unit for CUPE Local 79. The two locals have parallel bargaining structures with the City of Toronto and have engaged in joint actions, making Local 416 the closest operational peer for Local 79.

Regional players

• Toronto & York Region Labour Council: Regional labour council coordinating approximately 200,000 union members across the Toronto area. The Labour Council is a peer in the broader Toronto labor movement ecosystem, coordinating solidarity actions, political campaigns, and community organizing where Local 79 is a key affiliate.
• Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL): Provincial labor body representing over 54 unions and one million Ontario workers. The OFL is comparable to CUPE Local 79 in representing organized labor's political voice in Ontario and coordinates the broader labor movement in which Local 79 participates.

Others

• Canadian Labour Congress (CLC): National labor body representing over 3 million Canadian union members across affiliated unions. CLC is comparable to CUPE Local 79 as the apex national labor organization that Local 79 affiliates with through CUPE, setting broader labor policy and coordinating cross-union solidarity.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW): National union representing Canada Post and postal workers, with a comparable structure of collective bargaining, member advocacy, and political action. CUPW provides a peer reference point for large Canadian public-sector-adjacent unions with significant bargaining leverage and national scope.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Canada: Canadian division of the SEIU, representing healthcare, building services, and public sector workers across Canada. SEIU Healthcare is a comparable union in healthcare bargaining in Ontario and competes with CUPE for member representation in hospitals and long-term care facilities where both operate.
• Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC): Canada's largest federal public sector union representing over 230,000 workers across federal agencies, crown corporations, and some provincial bodies. PSAC is comparable to CUPE Local 79 in operating as a large membership-based public sector union with collective bargaining as the primary service offering.
• CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees): National parent union of CUPE Local 79, representing 628,000+ members across Canada in public sector, healthcare, and municipal services. CUPE provides the umbrella structure, political coordination, and resource support that Local 79 operates within; comparing Local 79 to CUPE illustrates the local-vs-national union hierarchy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cupelocal79
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/cupelocal79
• Facebookfacebook.com/cupe79
• Instagraminstagram.com/cupelocal79
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cupe-local-79

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CUPE Local 79