The Ministry of Labour’s much anticipated Interim Report of the Changing Workplaces Review was released on July 27 and as we mentioned previously, it is clear that all of our organizing across the province has made a big impact. In the report, the advisors state: “We believe that decency at work is a fundamental and principled commitment that Ontario should accept as a basis for enacting all its laws governing the workplace.” Most of our campaign demands have been included among the options outlined in the report.
This is excellent — and it would not have happened without your work. Now, what we do in the days and weeks ahead really matters.
Labour and community partners in the Fight for $15 and Fairness have called a mass rally at Queen’s Park on October 1 to demonstrate how many people are expecting their elected representatives to change the laws that will improve wages and working conditions for all of us.
Buses are being organized from across Ontario and we need YOU to make a commitment to come to the rally — and bring others along. You can RSVP and share the Facebook event here.
If you’d like to take a look at the Changing Workplaces Review interim report and read it for yourself, you can access it here. In the past weeks employers have launched a campaign to resist whatever progressive directions being considered in the report, which gives us all the more reason to increase the pressure on our elected officials to deliver on decent work legislation.
Let’s use every upcoming event in our community, campus and workplace as an opportunity to spread the word about the Fight for $15 and Fairness — and to build momentum for Decent Work Week from October 1 to 7.
To find an upcoming action or event near you, click on our Facebook page here, or scroll down.
August 20 – Ottawa
1:00 pm | Corner of Elgin Street and Albert Street
Join workers, community members, and students for this outreach blitz. Meet at the Oscar Peterson Statue.
To RSVP and share on Facebook, click here.
August 20 – West Toronto
12:00 noon to 2:00 pm | Corner of Queen Street West & Jameson Avenue
Our June and July canvasses at Dufferin station were a huge success (over 750 signatures on our petition!), so we’re doing it again. And, this time we’re taking the campaign to Parkdale. Come out and bring a friend! We’ll have petitions and leaflets ready to go, and together we’ll talk with passerbys about the fight for decent work for all.
To RSVP and share on Facebook, click here.
August 21 – Oshawa
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Steelworkers’ Hall – 115 Albert Street
“We are Oshawa” is a labour-community network that is building momentum for the Fight for $15 and Fairness. At this meeting, members of We are Oshawa are planning their upcoming actions and outreach blitzes.
To RSVP and share on Facebook, click here.
August 25 – Sudbury
5:00 pm to 6:00 pm | Sudbury Workers’ Education and Advocacy Centre – 109 Elm Street, Suite 209
Join workers, community members, and students to help plan Decent Work Week actitivites in Sudbury.
To RSVP and share on Facebook, click here.
August 28 – Toronto
12:30 pm to 5:30 pm | OPSEU Region 5 Office – 31 Wellesley Street East
The Toronto Fight for $15 & Fairness network is hosting a skills-sharing workshop. Would you like to share your success stories in getting new people plugged into the campaign in your community? Would you like to have a few more snappy answers to tricky questions about wages and the economy? Do you want to know more about using social media to build the campaign? Have you persuaded your MPP to read and submit petitions to the Ontario Legislative Assembly? Are you bursting with creative ideas for actions and outreach?If so, we need you!
To RSVP and share on Facebook, click here.
September 5 – Labour Day
Picnics and Parades! Join a Labour Council event in your community
Labour Day is a fantastic time to connect with unionized workers and their families to build momentum for the October 1 rally and to raise awareness about the Changing Workplaces Review. Together we can Fight for $15 and Fairness and to Make it Fair for everyone. To find a Labour Day event in your community, click here and scroll way, way down for Ontario listings.
In Toronto, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Region 5 is marching in the Labour Day Parade under the banner of the Fight for $15 and Fairness — and they have invited workers without unions to join the OPSEU contingent for Labour Day. Those who march in the Parade receive free admittance to the CNE, so if you plan to come, you must RSVP directly to: [email protected] so that we can make arrangements for you. More information is available on Facebook here.
September 6 – York University
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm | Student Centre Room 430
At this Fight for $15 and Fairness York University meeting, we will be planning for the upcoming day of action on October 1 and an on-campus workshop on September 28. We’ll also be organizing more general outreach throughout the months of September and October.
To RSVP and share on Facebook, click here.