Canadian Labour Congress, CUPE Local 79
Lily Chang began her career as a social services caseworker for the former municipality of Metropolitan Toronto in 1989. While there, she witnessed the impacts of inequality, racism, and poverty on the families she supported first-hand. She soon became a steward for her union, CUPE Local 79, mobilizing members to tackle the wage gap between caseworkers at the city and those working for the provincial government. She later took on the battle for wage harmonization and pay equity within the amalgamated City of Toronto.
In 2021, Lily was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress. She is the first worker of East Asian descent elected to office at CLC. She has also served on the Executive Board of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council and on the Board of Trustees for the United Way of Greater Toronto.