The current enforcement model of employment standards in Ontario does little to deter violations of the law: the system is understaffed, depends on workers who have experienced violations to confront their bosses, and rarely imposes penalties on employers beyond what they already should have paid. Good enforcement should make it cost – not pay – to break the law. Read today’s article, ‘Ontario employers get slap on wrist for mistreating employees’, the last in this four-part series.

The Ontario government has launched a review of the Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act in Ontario. This is an important opportunity for changing the laws to better protect workers. The Toronto Star has done a four-part series on some of the key issues facing workers in precarious and low-wage jobs in the province. The series features interviews with workers talking about the ways in which the law doesn’t do enough to protect them – either because the law has not kept up with the changing nature of work, or because it has been hollowed out and is not adequately enforced.

These are the reasons that the Fight for $15 & Fairness is so important – because now is the time to bring fairness to Ontario workplaces and create decent jobs for workers.

Every Monday in May, you’ve read the stories and heard the voices of workers who are demanding change, who are saying that it’s time for decent work now. What can you do?

With the government’s labour law review already underway, now is your chance to tell your story – get your name on the list to appear at one of the public consultations taking place in June, July and September, or submit your thoughts in writing.

Start a conversation in your community about what decent jobs would look like, or join an event organized by the Fight for $15 & Fairness near you. 

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