See more about the new campaign

By Sarah Mojtehedzadeh and Brendan Kennedy

The death of a temporary worker last week at a loading dock in North York has some opposition MPPs questioning the Ford government’s commitment to workplace safety.

The Ministry of Labour is investigating the death of the worker — a man in his 40s — who was pinned between a truck and loading dock near Keele Street and Steeles Avenue on Thursday night.

He was working for Upper Crust, a company affiliated with Toronto-based commercial bakery Fiera Foods, which has been investigated for three previous workplace deaths.

At Queen’s Park on Monday, Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser accused Premier Doug Ford of putting workers’ lives in jeopardy by repealing most of the previous Liberal government’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act (Bill 148) through the introduction of Bill 47, which decreases fines for companies that break labour laws.

Learn more about Bill 47

Proactive workplace inspections by the Ministry of Labour have also been scaled back by the Ford government.

For Fraser it adds up to more protections for companies, and less for their employees.

“When somebody goes to work, their family expect them to come home,” Fraser said. “The protections that were put forward in Bill 148 … are key to promoting worker safety, and key to keeping people alive while they’re at work. The government is going backwards …they are not making Ontario’s workplaces safer.

“It’s not every workplace that needs a proactive inspection, but there are certainly some that do,” he added. “So the government shouldn’t be rolling these back, they should be fulfilling these commitments that were made in legislation to ensure that workers are safe.”

Bill 47 would also repeal equal pay for equal work protections for temporary workers. Labour advocates say the legislation leaves employees, especially temporary workers, vulnerable.

“Part of us fighting to try and improve basic protections was Bill 148…now what we are seeing (is) the Ford government introduce Bill 47 to take away all those protections,” said Deena Ladd, executive director of Workers Action Centre.

“Another shocking part of Bill 47 is the government is reducing penalties for companies that break the law and freezing the amount of employment standard officers to do those proactive inspections.

“I think that is going to send a huge message to companies who are routine violators … that it doesn’t really matter if you break the law, the penalties won’t be that much. I just find that absolutely shocking.”

Fiera Foods linked to other workplace deaths

NDP MPP for Spadina-Fort York, Chris Glover, believes the recent workplace death, the fourth linked to Fiera Foods, is a red flag that can’t be ignored.

“Obviously, with what happened — the fourth death at that company — there is a strong indication that we need stronger worker protections at that company,” he said. “We need more inspectors to go in and make sure that that workplace is safe, that this isn’t going to happen again.”

Fiera Foods was fined $300,000 in September 2017 after the death of a temporary worker whose hijab became entangled in a conveyor belt.

In 2011, a 69-year-old man was struck by a car and later dragged by a tractor-trailer in the parking lot of another Fiera affiliated company.

And back in 2002, Fiera was fined $150,000 following in the death of a 17-year-old temporary worker who was crushed while cleaning machinery.

Upper Crust’s President Carmela Serebryany released a statement to CityNews stating they will continue to cooperate with the police, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Labour as they investigate.

“Last week, the Upper Crust bakery family tragically lost one of our team members in an accident at the outdoor loading dock area of our property in North York.  We are deeply and profoundly saddened by this sudden loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and loved ones. We will continue to work in full cooperation with police, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Ministry of Labour as they investigate the issue and speak with all relevant parties. Upper Crust bakery supports measures to ensure a safe workplace and fairness for workers. While we hope to add our voice to a constructive debate about ways to make workplaces safer in due course, we are at present observing respect for the deceased.”

Glover puts some of the onus on the government to assure workplaces are safe for all employees.

“Right now, there’s a family who is absolutely devastated, who has lost a loved one, and they are going through that grieving process and it’s the fourth time it has happened at that company,” he added. “So the government really needs to step up, get their inspectors in there, find out what’s happening, and make sure something like this never happens again.”

Minister of Labour Laurie Scott said the latest death was being investigated, and acknowledged Fiera Food’s history, but said she couldn’t comment beyond that.

“I know there’s the history there (with Fiera Foods), but the Ministry of Labour is investigating and I can’t comment on investigations.”

Watch the City News full story

Low paid work might be good for the bottom line, but it doesn’t let families invest in the lives of their children and in the economy of our communities

By Ann Marie Elpa

U of T under fire for membership in anti-Bill 148 lobby group

Premier Doug Ford’s government introduced legislation on October 23 to repeal parts of Bill 148 — the law that raised Ontario’s minimum wage from $11.25 to $14 an hour and strengthened workplace laws related to paid sick leave, equal pay for equal work, and other workers’ rights.

The University of Toronto has come under fire from local labour unions for its membership in the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), an independent, non-partisan business lobby group that has been a vocal supporter of repealing the bill. As a corporate member, U of T does not have voting rights but it can still influence the policy agenda.

Bill 148, titled the “Fairer Workplaces, Better Jobs Act 2017,” was introduced by the previous Liberal government in November 2017. The bill was set to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour in January 2019, but Ford’s government has capped minimum wage at the current $14 an hour.

The OCC has taken a strong stance against the bill. The group cites claims of unintended price inflation on goods and services, as well as cutbacks on staffing and benefits by small businesses, among its grievances.

“In the months following its introduction, the Fair Jobs, Better Workplaces Act has had a visible impact on the Consumer Price Index, resulting in price increases for everyday consumer goods and services for every family in Ontario,” read an OCC press release from October 23.

Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the OCC, said in a statement that “as Ontario’s business advocate, our position has always been clear: Bill 148 was too much, too fast. The compounding labour reforms and unintended consequences came at too high a cost to Ontario’s economy.”

Labour unions respond

The Ford government’s plans to repeal parts of Bill 148 have been met with strong pushback. On October 23, Ontario Labour Minister Laurie Scott’s office was broken into and vandalized, and the words “Attack Workers We Fight Back $15” were spraypainted on the walls outside her office.

Labour unions have been especially vocal in their opposition to the seemingly imminent repeal of Bill 148. Emergency rallies were held across Ontario over the past week in response to Ford’s plans.

One rally was held in downtown Toronto on October 24 in front of the offices of the Ministry of Labour. Local labour groups, including the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and UFCW Local 175 and 633 were out in force. Groups held signs with messages of “$15 and fairness,” and cheers included “Hey Ford — Stop your hypocrisy! Fairness means democracy!”

The Varsity spoke to two U of T labour unions, CUPE 3261 and CUPE 3902, regarding the university’s position on the repeal of Bill 148. CUPE 3261 represents service workers, and CUPE 3902 represents sessional lecturers and teaching assistants.

“We are so very glad we were able to negotiate $15 an hour rate effective October 1, 2017 with the University of Toronto,” wrote Allan James, President of CUPE 3261, in an email. “We need a living wage, but $15 was a start. We don’t understand how anyone can afford to work in Toronto at this rate of pay.”

“It looks like [Ford] is listening to the Chamber of Commerce instead of trying to protect working people in Ontario,” James continued. “University of Toronto is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and should be advocating for equal pay for equal work.”

Members of CUPE 3902 also criticized the university’s membership in the OCC.

“As a [member] of the Chamber of Commerce, The University of Toronto is partially responsible for the lobbying of Big Business which led to this repeal,” read an email statement from Jess Taylor, Chair of CUPE 3902.

“As a leader in research, The University of Toronto should know gains for workers improve the economy, the city, and its culture. As an employer, The University of Toronto should protect its workers and should treat the people who are educating students with respect and dignity.”

“This is a grave disappointment,” Taylor said.

The university’s next steps

U of T increased its minimum wage to $15 in January to coincide with the anticipated raise mandated by Bill 148.

“Earlier this year, the University took a leadership role on this issue and increased the minimum rate of pay for most non-union casual employees to $15 an hour,” said Elizabeth Church, a U of T spokesperson. “The $15-an-hour wage is consistent with the rates of our unionized casual staff.”

The university has no plans to cap its minimum rate of pay.

Read the Varsity full story

(TORONTO, ON) -- Leaders of the $15 and Fairness movement, including a family physician, a mother who lost her 2-year old son to influenza and a former temp agency worker, will be speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 2:00 pm in the Queen’s Park media studio.

Last week Doug Ford government tabled Bill 47, seeking to repeal almost all of the new workplace protections that were adopted a year ago, which aimed to ensure safety and well being on the job.

If passed, Bill 47 will:

• eliminate 2 paid sick days and reduce access to personal emergency leave
• lower penalties assigned to employers for violating workplace laws
• make it easier to deny workers any employment standards protections -- including EI, CPP and WSIB -- by misclassifying them as self-employed contractors, instead of employees
• make it easier for employers to fire workers who decline last-minute shifts
• impose a real dollar wage cut for Ontario’s lowest paid workers by delaying a $15 minimum wage in Ontario to 2025
• allow employers to pay part-time and temporary agency workers a lower wage than their full-time or directly-hired counterparts, which will lead to an increase in precarious jobs with no benefits

When: Press Conference on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Where: Queen’s Park Media Studio
Speakers: Dr. Danyaal Raza, a family physician and member of Decent Work & Health Network, Jill Promoli, mother of Jude who died at the age of two due to influenza, Navi Aujla, former temp agency worker and Deena Ladd, Workers’ Action Centre.

For more information: 
Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator, Fight for $15 and Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

By Allan Benner

Dozens picket outside economic summit during Ford speech

As business and political leaders celebrated the repeal of the former Liberal government's Fair Workplaces Better Jobs Act during the final day of the Ontario Economic Summit on Friday, dozens of Niagara residents gathered to protest the impact the slashed legislation is having on workers.

Carrying Fight for $15 and Fairness picket signs and flags identifying several labour groups, the protesters chanted slogans like "workers united will never be defeated" as the Ontario Chamber of Commerce event drew to a close at the White Oaks conference centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Kyle Hoskin, a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1287, said he hastily organized the protest to coincide with a visit from Premier Doug Ford, after the Progressive Conservative government repealed the legislation earlier this week — scrapping the $15 an hour minimum wage that was to come into effect on Jan. 1, while also eliminating other benefits for workers.

Hoskin said the repeal of Bill 148 is the most recent in a series of cuts that have hurt the most vulnerable in the province.

"He (Ford) took away the minimum income project. This was a project that was proving to be turning the tide in the province. It was reducing poverty, getting people to where they truly needed to be. He took away $100 million in school funding for school repairs. Now our kids are sitting in schools that are no longer in shape," he said. "Is that for the people? Who are they representing?"

Niagara Workers Activist Group chair Lisa Britton listed numerous changes that will adversely impact workers, in addition to the lost wage increase — such as the loss of a minimum of three hours of pay for being on-call, the elimination of 10 emergency leave days, and the loss of a provision that prevented employers from requiring a medical note from sick workers.

Unifor Local 199 president Greg Brady said the cuts "just kicks the low income and middle-class right in the teeth."

"It's terrible," he added.

Kit Andres joined the protesters, speaking for the migrant workers that spend most of the year in Canada, primarily working in local agriculture industry.

Many of them, she said, are paid piecework for their efforts, often resulting in paychecks that fall short of even $14 an hour.

"As part of their contract, piecework is supposed to equal minimum wage if not higher, but we've been seeing that often it's lower. It's not across the board, but it is happening," Andres said.

Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch, who joined the protest along with MPP Wayne Gates from Niagara Falls, said "people who can barely make ends meet were counting on a little bit of fairness in their wages and a couple of emergency leave days."

"This government, in addition to all the other things they've done like cancelling mental health spending and cancelling the basic income pilot project, to add insult to injury now they've decided to not go ahead with a very basic minimum wage increase," the NDP representative said.

Gates said if you want to say you're open for business, "you have to include everybody."

"You have to include workers, you have to include the families, you have to include the communities. That's not what's happening today."

He said when 20 per cent of Ontario's children "are going to be hungry tonight," the best way to help them is to ensure their parents are paid enough money to sustain them.

Meanwhile, Gates said the loss of two paid sick days can be "a health and safety issue."

"Do you want your cook or your server to be forced to come to work because they can't afford to take a day off?" he asked.

NDP Official Opposition leader Andrea Horwath discussed her concerns about the repeal of Bill 148 while addressing business leaders from across the province, at the Ontario Economic Summit, Thursday.

Although the NDP's support for the legislation may have put her political party at odds with business leaders, Horwath said the changes were needed to address years of inaction by previous governments.

And told reporters that she suspects "there will be a lot of dialogue in communities around the province about how to try to convince the Ford government that they've gone too far with the wholesale repeal of Bill 148."

Referring to smashed windows at Labour Minister Laurie Scott's constituency office in Lindsay, Horwath urged people to refrain from that kind of activity.

"There's no doubt, and it's understandable, that people are feeling hurt by this. The people are angry, frustrated and worried, but that does not mean that resorting to violence, resorting to breaking the law is something we condone," she said. "There's no cause for that kind of activity."

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network issued a statement earlier this week in response to the provincial government decision, saying a recent study showed that nearly half of Niagara's workers face employment precarity and uncertainty.

"Precarious employment is on the rise in Ontario, and a recent study done in Niagara showed that nearly 1 in 2 workers faces employment precarity and uncertainty," said the organization's chair Glen Walker.

"The loss of key elements, including two paid sick days and equal pay for equal work, means that workers will continue to struggle to make ends meet and to maintain their health. As well, keeping minimum wage at $14/hour until 2020 means that workers will not be able to keep up with inflation and meet their cost of living needs."

The organization has advocated for a living wage to be provided by Niagara employers, calculated at $17.57 per hour in the region.

Read The St. Catharines Standard full story

On Tuesday, October 23, the Doug Ford government introduced Bill 47. This legislation seeks to impose a real dollar cut in the minimum wage and eliminate most of our new workplace rights, including paid sick days, equal pay for equal work, and more. If passed, this outrageous legislation will force millions into poverty, while putting workers' health and safety at risk. Click here to read our briefing note on the bill.

That's why, across the province, the reaction to Bill 47 was swift. Emergency actions sprang up in over 15 cities, including in: Oakville, Ottawa, Whitby, North Bay, London, Waterloo, Peel, Scarborough, Newmarket, Kingston, Aurora, Sudbury, Etobicoke, Niagara, Toronto, and more.

In Toronto, the Fight for $15 & Fairness along with the Ontario Federation of Labour, organized a well-attended media conference at Queen's Park the very same day the the regressive legislation was tabled. The following day, an emergency rally outside the Ministry of Labour drew 500 people who marched to the legislature, calling on the government to reverse course. 

In all corners of the province there is an incredible determination to push back against Bill 47 and more actions are unfolding almost every day.

Click to join an upcoming action to defend our rights
(or scroll below for event listing) 

Sadly, on Friday, we learned the tragic news that a 4th temp agency worker was killed at a Fiera Foods related bakery in Toronto. This is the same food processing company where 3 temp agency workers previously lost their lives, prompting an undercover investigation by Toronto Star's Sara Mojtehedzadeh. We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of the deceased.  

In light of the tragedy, we held an emergency vigil that same night (click here to see the live-stream). Another community vigil is taking place this Monday at 5:30 PM at Keele Street & York Boulevard (main entrance of York University), which is very close to the location of the plant where this worker was killed. Please let us know if you can make it (click here), and bring candles and flowers with you if possible. 

Click to share on Facebook  - Click to share on Twitter

We know this heartbreaking death is not an isolated event (click here to read our backgrounder on the Fiera Food deaths). It is what happens - and what will happen in the future - if workers are treated as disposable and if the laws meant to protect us are weakened, or not enforced at all. Premier Doug Ford must immediately withdraw Bill 47 and strengthen the enforcement of our existing labour laws. This means resuming the proactive inspections done by the Ministry of Labour (halted since September) and hiring the 100 new employment standards officers that were planned before the Ford government imposed a hiring freeze.

Please speak out by joining an event near you
(or scroll below for event listing) 

Let's be clear about the serious implications of Bill 47:

• When the government says freeze the minimum wage for 33 months, it means a real dollar cut in earnings for the lowest-paid workers in the province. After that wage cut, the minimum wage would only be adjusted in accordance with the previous year's price increases (Consumer Price Index). It could be 2025 by the time the minimum wage reaches $15, and by then, a $15 wage will, once again, fall below the poverty line. This government wants to reimpose poverty on millions of workers in this province.

• When the government says it wants to cut paid sick days, it is saying it has no problem forcing workers to work while they are sick or injured. It is saying they have no problem with parents having to send their sick child to school where they might spread illness to other children and education workers. It says this government has a complete disregard for the health and well-being of the people who keep this province functioning.

• When the government says it wants to re-impose a requirement for Doctors' notes, it is saying it has no problem forcing sick workers into hospital waiting rooms and risk spreading disease to others. It has no problem clogging up our health care system for visits that the Ontario Medical Association has said are unnecessary, wasteful, and costly. It says this government has no problem imposing red tape on workers and health providers. 

• When this government reduces penalties for employers who openly disregard the law - as Bill 47 seeks to do - this government is telling Ontario's most unscrupulous employers that it is open season on the most vulnerable workers in this province. Especially those who work in temp agencies.  

We need your help to deliver a message to Premier Doug Ford and his government: Fair labour laws, save lives. Bill 47 has not been passed, and it needs to be withdrawn immediately. Our elected officials must ensure our safety and well-being on the job, not jeopardize it.

Join us at an upcoming action to tell the government: #WithdrawBill147! More events are coming online every day. Visit the campaign website to see the most up-to-date listing. 

MONDAY, October 29:

TORONTO, Community vigil
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM. Intersection of Keele St & York Blvd (Main entrance of York University)
Let's honour the 4th temp agency worker who was killed at a Fiera Foods related company last week. Please bring candles and flowers if possible.
Click here to RSVP and here to share on Facebook

HAMILTON, Emergency meeting
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Workers Arts & Heritage Centre, 51 Stuart St
Join this emergency meeting to discuss how we can mobilize against the planned repeal of our decent work laws.
Click here to RSVP and here to share on Facebook

RICHMOND HILL, Outreach outside MPP office
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM. Outside PC MPP's Michael Parsa's office, 13291 Yonge St
Join us outside Richmond Hill PC MPP Michael Parsa's office to deliver the message: Withdraw Bill 47. We will have posters and leaflets to talk to our neighbours too.
Click here to RSVP and share on Facebook

TUESDAY, October 30:

BRANTFORD, Emergency action
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM. Victoria Park, 65 Market St
We'll be meeting at 1:30 PM at Victoria Park by the middle statue before heading over to local MPP Will Bouma's office to do petitioning and postering outreach. 
Click here to RSVP and here to share on Facebook

NORTH BAY, Outreach outside North Bay Chamber
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM. Outside North Bay Chamber of Commerce, 205 Main St E
Help us counter the misinformation campaign of the corporate mouthpiece, Chamber of Commerce. Come and join us talk to local residents.
Click here to RSVP and here to share on Facebook

WEDNESDAY, October 31:

OTTAWA, Halloween action on Carleton Campus
11:00 AM - 1:30 PM. Carleton University campus, outside OPIRG office (326 UC)
Join us to petition across Carleton campus to get signatures on our petition in support of $15 minimum wage and fair labour laws for all. Dress in halloween costume if you can!
Click here to RSVP and here to share on Facebook

TORONTO, Halloween action outside Ontario Chamber of Commerce
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM. Outside Ontario Chamber of Commerce, 180 Dundas St West
Come trick-or-treating with us on Halloween at the Chamber of Commerce. Let's get the word out that the Chamber is spinning lies about the impact of decent work on the economy to justify their call for the full repeal of our newly won rights.
Click here to RSVP and here to share on Facebook

FRIDAY, November 2:

OTTAWA, Campus action outside the office of Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Outside Minister Fullerton's office, 240 Michael Cowpland Dr, Kanata
Join us outside Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Merrilee Fullerton's office. We will be calling on Minister Fullerton to stand with students, staff and faculty and reject the repeal of decent work laws. 
Click here to RSVP and here to share on Facebook

TORONTO, Emergency Phonebanking
2:00 PM - 7:00 PM. 720 Spadina Ave, Suite 223
On Friday, help us call our supporters to get them to leave messages with their own Members of Provincial Parliament, to deliver the message: #WithdrawBill47 immediately! No previous experience is needed, we have scripts and snacks to help you get going.
Click here to RSVP and share the event with your network

By Frazer Snowdon

Nearly fifty people gathered in front of a Tim Horton's Thursday, speaking out against sweeping changes to bill 148. This includes freezing minimum wage and scrapping a number of provisions meant to help workers.

Nearly 50 people gathered at a Tim Horton’s in Kingston to speak out against the Ford government’s announcement of sweeping changes to the labour reform bill.

The protest was one of many happening across the province.

In Kingston, representatives from a number of labour unions showed up in support of those affected by the proposed changes.

On Tuesday, the Ford government announced an action to repeal several measures in the Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs Act, including freezing the minimum wage at $14 an hour. It had been slated to increase to $15 an hour by 2019.

“We need to keep changing minds until common sense says $15 an hour needs to happen now, not later,” says Lesley Jamieson of Kingston and District Labour Council.

On Tuesday, the Ford government introduced a new bill with a slew of changes that will scrap labour reforms put into place by former premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government.

The new bill will see the bulk of the Liberals’ changes scrapped. Since the implementation of Bill 148, Jamieson says workers were seeing improvement in employment conditions.

“They are seeing personal emergency days for the first time,” Jamieson says. “There is a sense that their work is appreciated and valued in the workplace.”

But with the repeal, several reforms will be changed — like two paid sick days — and freezing the minimum wage at $14 an hour until 2020.

The legislation brought in by the Liberals also required employees to be paid for three hours if their shift is cancelled within 48 hours of its start, and giving them 10 emergency leave days per year, two of them paid. Jamieson says repealing the bill and replacing it with one that takes away everything gained to make workplaces better is a step backward.

“We’re going to see less money staying in Kingston, more money leaving and going into the pockets of those who don’t need it.”

Kingston resident Doug Nesbitt helped start the “Fight for 15 and Fairness” campaign in the region. Nesbitt has worked in a variety of minimum wage jobs throughout his life and says the decision to repeal is not for the people.

“I think it’s kind of a cruel decision by the government to do this,” Nesbitt says. “I think they are listening to the business lobbying.”

Watch the Global News full story

By Will Sloan

What happens when you’ve planned an event, and then the premise of the event falls apart the night before?

Consider the 8th Ryerson Social Justice Week, where a panel called “We Need a Raise!: The Fight for $15 and Fairness in Today’s Political Climate” was scheduled for October 24. The discussion would have focused on the long campaign waged by grassroots activists that would have raised the Ontario minimum wage to $15 in 2019, while also anticipating how gains could be defended against a potentially hostile new government.

But on October 23, the Ontario provincial government introduced the Making Ontario Open for Business Act. The bill, which passed first reading, will freeze or rollback many parts of the Liberals’ Bill 148, which passed in 2017 and began to take effect this year.

The panel was originally to have featured veteran labour organizers Deena Ladd and Pam Franche. Both were now busy at emergency meetings. In their place was Jared Ong, an organizer with the $15 and Fairness campaign, who did his best to lay out what the new legislation means.

“I’m an older millennial, and none of my friends work full-time, permanent, unionized work,” said Ong. “A lot of them are scrounging by on part-time work. A lot of them are pursuing their dreams, and they have to do part-time and contract work to pay the bills. … Disproportionately immigrants, racialized communities, people with disabilities, and First Nations communities work low-wage or minimum-wage jobs with no job security and without protections.”

Why $15? Ong noted, “We spoke to a lot of workers across Ontario. It’s a number that inspired a lot of people to work for, but it’s not a pie-in-the-sky number.”

So, what have the labour activists won and kept? January 1, 2018, the adult general minimum wage increased from $11.60 to $14. The new Ontario government has announced a freeze at $14 until 2020, after which the minimum wage will increase at the rate of inflation (reaching $15 by about 2024)—so, not a rollback. Workers are guaranteed three weeks’ paid vacation after five years with the same employer, and are entitled to domestic violence leave. In addition, employers can no longer ask for a doctor’s note. Employers will also still be required to maintain gender equality in their payments.

On the other hand: where Bill 148 allowed workers up to 10 days of job-protected emergency leave, two of them paid, the new legislation allows eight unpaid days off—three for sickness, two for bereavement, three for family responsibilities.

Employees will no longer receive three hours pay when they are on-call but not called in to work. They won’t receive three hours pay if their shift is cancelled with less than two days’ notice. Employers will not be required to pay part-time staff the same rate as full-time staff doing the same work. Workers will no longer have the right to refuse a shift without penalty if scheduled under four days’ notice.

New protections against job misclassification have also been removed. If an employer misclassifies a worker as an independent contractor, Bill 148 would have placed the burden of proof on the employer to prove that the employee was correctly classified in the event of a legal challenge. In the new legislation, this is reversed. The new legislation also removes some protections for union organizing, including contract-flipping.

With the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, MP Jim Wilson has said that the government is simply ending the “job killing” parts of Bill 148. Labour minister Laurie Scott says the reforms “will simplify, harmonize and reduce the regulatory burden for anyone willing to create jobs in Ontario.” For their part, activists cite figures that six months after the minimum wage increase, Canada’s jobless rate dropped to an 18-year low, external link.

To the claim that a minimum wage hike would hurt small businesses, Ong countered, “A majority of small businesses actually pay above the minimum wage. … If you’re a small business, you’re relying on a few staff who you train over a period of time, and you want them to have a good relationship with you, dignity at work, and a good relationship with customers.”

Ong added, “If a business model requires their workers working poverty wages for a business to succeed, that business should adapt and change the business model.”

Read the Ryerson Today full story

We are just learning news that a worker has been killed at Upper Crust bakery in Toronto. This is the 4^th workplace death at a Fiera Foods-related company. The previous three workers who were killed, were all hired through temporary agencies. Fiera Foods was the subject of an undercover investigation by Toronto Star's Sara Mojtehedzadeh. 

We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of the deceased. And in light of the tragedy, we are calling an emergency vigil tonight at 6:00 PM outside Queen's Park (Toronto). Please let us know if you can make it, and bring candles and flowers with you if possible. 

The tragic death that took place last night, is not an isolated event! This a real life consequence of what happens when laws fail to protect us. 

Click to share on Facebook  - Click to share on Twitter

By tabling Bill 47 this week and threatening to rollback our new laws, the Conservative government has declared war on the most vulnerable workers in the province. If passed, Bill 47, would:

• reduce penalties assigned to employers for violating workplace laws
• make it easier to deny workers any employment standards protections -- including EI, CPP and WSIB -- by misclassifying them as self-employed contractors, instead of employees
• make it easier for employers to fire workers who decline last-minute shifts
• eliminate paid sick days and reduce access to personal emergency leave
• impose a real dollar wage cut for Ontario’s lowest paid workers
• allow employers to pay part-time and temporary agency workers less than their full-time or directly-hired counterparts

Unfortunately, the attack on workers doesn't end there. Yesterday we learned from a leaked government memo that proactive inspections done by the Ministry of Labour have been halted since September, despite being proven as an effective method for catching bad bosses. In other words, corrupt employers are getting the green light to continue breaking the law.

Also since introducing Bill 47 on Tuesday, several Conservative MPPs, Premier Doug Ford included, has been engaged in a smear campaign to paint our grassroots movement for decent work, as fringe, as vandals, as radicals following a break-in that took place at Labour Minister Laurie Scott's constituency office. 

Let us not be distracted from the real threat coming from Queen's Park. This is why, across the province, faith groups, health organizations, community agencies, labour activists, students, teachers, and workers continue to organize actions (you can see upcoming events by clicking here).

News of this devastating death just makes it crystal clear that the protections we are seeking are crucial for the safety and well-being of our communities. The government must WITHDRAW BILL 47. Failure to do so will mean forcing millions of workers into poverty and make their lives even more unsafe and uncertain. 

If you can -- please join us tonight at 6:00 PM outside Queen's Park for the emergency vigil. If you cannot come in person, please help us by:

- Inviting your friends to the vigil on Facebook - click here to spread the word
- Emailing Premier Ford and telling him to withdraw Bill 47 - click here to add your voice
- Tuning into the live-stream of the candlelight vigil at 6:00 PM via the campaign Facebook page
- Donating to the campaign, to help us have a fighting chance against the greedy corporations that are spearheading the campaign to roll back our new labour laws - make a donation now

By Chris Dawson

'We are out here in emergency response to the tabled law that the Ford government put out Tuesday afternoon'

A group of concerned citizens was making noise along Lakeshore Drive during rush hour on Wednesday afternoon.

They were out along the overpass near Lakeshore and Judge with signs showing their anger over the provincial government's recent move to freeze the minimum wage at $14 an hour for the next two years and eliminate two paid sick days.   

Jared Hunt from "Nipissing Decent Work" organized the Wednesday event.  

“We are out here in emergency response to the tabled law that the Ford government put out Tuesday afternoon,” said Hunt.  

“We are making some noise and if it is not Vic Fedeli who is going to represent the low wage workers in our community, you know that’s our MPP, our elected official, then who will,” Hunt questioned.

Hunt, who was joined by a group of union workers and concerned citizens for the protest, says this event is part of a series of events they will be holding to protest the minimum wage freeze, which comes only a few months before the federal government moves the minimum wage to $15.   

“As we speak to more people they start to realize what they have and what is about to be taken away - steamrolled, completely steamrolled - without any consultation whatsoever. Then they are going to start to ask more questions,” said Hunt.

Hunt believes this rollback legislation takes away some of the most basic protections from workers.   

“This is an attack on low-income workers, women, people of colour and newcomers who are disproportionately represented in precarious jobs,” said Hunt.  

Meanwhile, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli says the Ontario Government is acting to help create and protect jobs in Ontario by reducing the regulatory burden on Ontario businesses and workers. 

“Businesses told us that the previous government created a regulatory burden that chased businesses and jobs out of Ontario and we can’t afford to ignore the problem any longer,” said Fedeli. 

“This legislation is great for job creators and great for any person looking to find work in Ontario. By reducing the red-tape burden we are once again making Ontario one of the best places in the world to invest, and create jobs.  And we believe that anybody who is prepared to work hard deserves a shot at a better job.”

The Making Ontario Open for Business Act will, if passed by Ontario’s Legislature, replace the previous minimum wage scheme with one that remains at $14 per hour until 2020, at which point it will rise with inflation. 

 The Act will also replace Personal Emergency Leave rules to allow workers to take up to three days for personal illness, two for bereavement and three for family responsibilities while maintaining leave provisions for victims of domestic or sexual violence. 

Read the Bay Today full story

The Ford government announced earlier this week it will cap the minimum wage at $14 an hour until 2020

The Ford government is scrapping Bill 148, and a rally was held in Waterloo to voice opposition to the move.

Those who were in attendance on Wednesday afternoon say they aren't just worried about the province freezing the minimum wage.

One of those at the rally was Steve Dick, OPSEU Local 258 president, who says there are more reasons than the freeze to keep Bill 148.

"I think minimum wage is one of the smallest. I think the personal entitlement leave days is a huge thing for people ... people that need time off for family, for being sick, for childcare ... they now can't take it and if they do they are going to get penalized." Dick told 570 NEWS.

Jim Stewart with the Waterloo Region Health Coalition, who was also at the rally, says we can expect to see louder and more frequent rallies in the future.

KitchenerToday.com has also learned over 150 people from the area attended Wednesday's rally at Queen's Park in Toronto.

Ontario will cap the province's minimum wage at $14 an hour until 2020 as part of a rollback of labour reforms introduced by the previous Liberal government.

The Progressive Conservatives say businesses were hurt by the changes brought in by the previous regime.

Ontario's minimum wage increased from $11.60 to $14 an hour on January 1, and was set to rise to $15 an hour next year as a result of the Liberal law.

with files from Ben Eppel and The Canadian Press

Read the Kitchener Today full story

By Ryan Tse

Fight for $15 and Fairness has been voicing opposition to the provincial government’s plan to scrap Bill 148

On Oct. 23, the provincial government officially scrapped Bill 148, which had called for a rise in minimum wage to $15 in 2019, in addition to a number of protections for workers. Premier Doug Ford claims that Bill 148 was “too much, too fast” and a “job killer.”

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has opposed the labour reforms and further minimum wage hikes, arguing that the recently instituted higher minimum wage has hurt small businesses and the overall economy. However, the government did say that the minimum wage will stay at $14 an hour for 33 months.

Fight for $15 and Fairness, a prominent province-wide labour rights advocacy group, has strongly opposed this announcement. The organization’s McMaster chapter has been active in raising awareness about the current situation.

Fight for $15 and Fairness McMaster organizer Chloe Rockarts said that having a relatively high minimum wage has been beneficial both for students and for university workers such as food staff.

Rockarts also stressed that if the bill is scrapped, there will be more consequences beyond just affecting minimum wage workers, citing the “equal pay for equal work” principle and paid sick day provisions as examples.

“For those that are not necessarily in those workplaces where people are getting paid minimum wage do not see it directly affecting them, but what we would like to do is focus less on the ‘15’ aspect and more on the fairness,” said Rockarts.

McMaster labour studies professor Stephanie Ross echoed many of the same concerns, adding that the minimum wage increase has resulted in an improved economy.

“We see job growth in those provinces that increased their minimum wage,” said Ross. “The negative effects of repealing Bill 148 will be serious for Mac students, as people most likely to work in minimum wage jobs and who are struggling to make and save money for tuition and living expenses.”

To push back against the minimum wage freeze, Fight for 15 McMaster held a rally at Jackson Square as part of a province-wide “day of action” to support Bill 148 and the scheduled wage increase. The next day, they held a bake sale to promote discussion on the topic.

“We are just trying to raise awareness around all of these things right now,” said Rockarts. “Generally, a lot of the campaign work that we do is focused on outreach.”

Beyond outreach, they are planning on contacting local MPPs to urge them to support the bill.  

The bill was planned to be fully implemented in 2019. In January 2019, certain scheduling protections for employees along with the minimum wage increase were scheduled to come into effect.

Despite the sealed fate of Bill 148, Rockarts is feeling optimistic about Fight for 15 McMaster’s campaign this year so far.

“This is our third year and we are only getting bigger and doing more,” said Rockarts, who notes that the group has seen increased engagement since the implementation of Bill 148 and the election of Doug Ford.

“Because it has been in the news so much, and because people are being directly affected at work, people are way more interested and way more willing to engage,” said Rockarts.

While the provincial government goes forward with their plan to cut Bill 148, it remains increasingly clear that they face immense opposition.  

Read The Silhouette full story

By Namish Modi

Following the Ontario government’s repeal of Bill 148 on Tuesday, Oct. 23, the Waterloo Regional Labour Council organized a quick rally to protest the dramatic changes to worker's rights. 

And on a frigid Wednesday afternoon at Waterloo Town Square, members of the union along with concerned citizens gathered at Waterloo Square sending the message: “Hands off workers rights.”

Kelly Dick, who works at the Waterloo Regional Labour Council, organized the rally, which was one of many across Ontario on Wednesday as citizens fight for “$15 and fairness.”

“It’ a direct attack on working people in this province,” said Dick, passionately.

Dick, who also works at Loblaws, rallied the 35 to 40 supporters in attendance with a speech in front of the shops at Waterloo Town Square and was “elated” with the turnout.

“This affects every single person, in this community, in this province, everywhere, everywhere, everybody,” said Dick, following the rally. "I don’t care how much you make, I don’t care where you live, this affects every single person in this province, and everybody needs to get involved in this. We need to stop this from happening, it is absolutely an atrocity.”

Among the changes to the bill include freezing wages at $14, as opposed to the planned increase to $15, as well as other changes to the Liberal government’s Fair Workplaces and Betters Jobs Act.

Dick, who has a “very vested” interest in the bill, also is a part of the Ontario Federation of Labour, and the Canadian Labour Congress.

There will also be changes to the personal-leave rule for workplaces instituted by former premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals. The current rules, workers are allowed to take 10 days while two of them are paid. Under Doug Ford’s plan, workers would receive eight emergency days; two for bereavement, three for family responsibilities, and three for illness.

“(He’s) not only telling you now, as workers in Ontario, you can have eight days. But he’s dictated what you can use those days for,” said Dick. “Disgusting. Why should anyone be allowed to tell us what we’re using our personal emergency leave days for?”

“Doug’s campaign slogan was for the people, I’m not sure what people he’s for. I can tell you one thing, it’s not certainly the people standing here today, it’s certainly not your average Ontarian, it’s certainly not anybody whose not making a six or seven-figure income, it’s certainly is not somebody that does not own a company or a business. I don’t understand why one government thinks that it needs to rip and shred everything that another government did, it just didn’t make any sense to me. It’s a waste of money, it blows money, and not everything that the other government did was bad, honestly.”

Catherine Campbell, a mother of four in K-W specifically asked to be on record, was a passionate advocate against the PC government’s repeal.

“I kept saying to myself before I left my house, Doug Ford is evil, even though I already told it to myself,  I just said he’s an evil, he’s an evil man, how dare he do this to all these people,” said Campbell, who is also belongs Fair Votes Canada, a nonprofit citizen movement for electoral reform.

Campbell says her daughter, who works in a restaurant, sees plenty of her co-workers come into work ill, and this will only increase due to Ford’s cutbacks.

A representative from Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife’s office was present at the rally while incoming Ward 5 Coun. Jen Vasic also attended.

Dick explained that if the petition in present at the rally gets 50 signed petition sheets, it will be taken to the local PC MPP's, who can read it out in the Ontario legislature. 

Read the Waterloo Chronicle full story

By Vito Pilieci

About 50 people gathered in front of the downtown offices of the Ottawa Board of Trade over the noon hour Wednesday to rally against the province’s repeal of parts of Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act.

The group consisted primarily of activists and labour union representative, including the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Unifor and the United Steelworkers, among others.

They carried signs demanding “$15 an hour now, no more poverty wages” and joined in chants demanding better rights for low-wage workers in response to proposed labour law, introduced by the Progressive Conservative government on Tuesday afternoon, that freezes the minimum wage at $14 an hour until 2020 as part of a repeal of labour reforms passed into law by the previous Liberal government shortly before the spring election.

The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act (Bill 148) introduced changes to the minimum wage bringing it up to $14 per hour with an increase later to $15 an hour, vacation entitlements, ensured employers were offering two paid sick days annually, enforced equal pay for part-time and full-time employees and changed rules for shift workers and on-call workers to give more notice before schedules could be altered.

The changes, which have been panned by many businesses across the province as being too costly or difficult to implement, have been touted as a victory by low-income and blue-collar workers in Ontario, according to Karen Cocq, who is with the lobby group Fight for $15 and Fairness and was one of the organizers of Wednesday’s protest.

She said the government’s actions are not supported by average Ontarians.

“This is the opposite of what the (Doug) Ford government said it was going to do,” said Cocq, while reminding the crowd of the premier’s election promise to put more money in the pockets of Ontarians. “They want to roll back all of the gains we have made through the years against low wages and precarious work.”

The group chose to hold its protest in front of the Ottawa Board of Trade at 328 Somerset St. West because those in attendance believe that an agenda set by “business elites” has helped to push the government to target minimum wage and worker legislation.

Cocq called out several members of the newly elected PC government, including Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Lisa MacLeod and Ottawa-West MPP Jeremy Roberts for playing a role in rolling back the legislation.

“We have one job. It is to make the Conservative government pay for what it has done,” Cocq said Wednesday. “We have to make sure they pay a political price. They’ve chose the side of business elites.”

The downtown gathering Wednesday was only the first of many rallies, which are being called “Emergency Action” protests, that are being planned across the province in the coming days. Several labour activists and lobby groups plan to hold their own demonstrations to oppose the Conservative government’s plan to roll back parts of Bill 148.

Government House Leader Todd Smith said the incidents — including death threats against Ford — were an attempt to bully and intimidate the government and would not be tolerated.

“What we want is to see … some of these other radical groups acknowledge the fact that a line has been crossed here,” Smith said. “I believe in democratic and peaceful protest and debate but we will not tolerate vandalism, intimidation or bullying. … We don’t know who did this, we are just saying everyone should say that that’s not acceptable.”

Read the Otawa Citizen full story

By Miranda Anthistle

Hundreds gathered outside the Ministry of Labour to protest the government's decision to freeze the minimum wage at $14 an hour.

Watch the CTV News full story

By Gord Young

Workers’ rights advocates demonstrated in North Bay Wednesday against the Progressive Conservative government’s plan to roll back labour reforms.

Armed with placards, about a dozen people rallied at the base of the Lakeshore Drive overpass near Judge Street, calling on the Doug Ford government to nix legislation tabled this week that will freeze Ontario’s minimum wage at $14 for another two years and do away with many of the other labour reforms introduced by the previous Liberal government.

“It really makes me pretty upset and incredibly disappointed in our elected MPP Vic Fedeli,” said organizer Jared Hunt, of the government’s Making Ontario Open for Business Act. “People believe he is the kind of person that will truly stand up for the people in our riding and people in need.”

Hunt said there are many people in Ontario and Nipissing who work low-wage jobs. And he asked who will fight to protect their rights from being “steamrolled” if it’s not Fedeli, who is Ontario’s finance minister.

He said there’s a disproportionate number of newcomers, women, seniors and those with disabilities who hold low-wage jobs.

“That’s the real impact on the community,” said Hunt, noting such employment is no longer reserved mostly for students or those wanting entry-level or part-time work.

He said that’s evident at places like Home Depot and Tim Hortons where there are employees are from all walks of life. Hunt said many low-income earners also have more than one part-time job because full-time work is harder to come by.

“That’s what Bill 148 (the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act) was trying to help with,” he said, noting the labour reforms introduced by the former Liberal government were intended to make life better for those workers.

He said measures such as fair scheduling and sick days were aimed at bringing more balance to the lives of low-income earners who are often consumed on a day-to-day basis by work and the sovereignty of employers.

“We’re going to continue to apply pressure,” said Hunt, noting the Nipissing Decent Work group and other advocates will be looking to leverage public support and plan to step up their efforts through events and lobbying.

The Progressive Conservatives say businesses were hurt by the changes brought in by the previous regime and that it plans to link future increases to minimum wage to the rate of inflation.

“The previous government brought in a tsunami of new burdens and regulations that have imposed significant unnecessary costs on businesses and stifled economic growth,” said Economic Development Minister Jim Wilson as the government detailed its proposed labour legislation.

Minimum wage increased from $11.60 to $14 an hour on Jan. 1, and was set to rise to $15 an hour next year as a result of the Liberal law. Under the government’s new legislation, it will remain at $14 until October 2020.

The government’s labour bill, if passed, will also cut two paid personal leave days for workers, bringing their total to eight – three for personal illness, two for bereavement leave and three for family responsibilities.

The legislation keeps provisions brought in by the Liberals that granted workers up to 10 days of leave if they or their child experiences domestic or sexual violence. It will also maintain regulations that grant Ontario workers three weeks of paid vacation after five years of service.

But a number of scheduling provisions will be scrapped under the Tory bill, including a minimum of three hours pay in the event a shift is cancelled 48 hours or less before it was scheduled to begin.

The North Bay & District Chamber of Commerce and its provincial counterpart applauded the move Tuesday, maintaining that former Liberal government’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act was “too much, too fast.”

“The compounding labour reforms and unintended consequences came at too high a cost to Ontario’s economy,” stated a release, which also welcomed the dissolution of the Ontario College of Trades and improvements to the journeyperson-to-apprentice ratio.

The college “has become overly focused on enforcement and regulation, limiting its ability to serve the public interest by attracting and training new tradespeople,” said the release.

Read the North Bay Nugget full story

(TORONTO, ON) -- In response to Ford Government’s Bill 47, which was tabled yesterday and seeks to freeze the minimum wage and repeal the most basic protections for workers, emergency actions will be held by community and labour groups across Ontario starting today, announced leaders in the $15 and Fairness movement including the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Workers’ Action Center.

The bill, if passed, will mean a real-dollar wage cut for minimum wage employees, the elimination of two paid sick days, fairer scheduling rules and the right to equal pay for equal work.

“Big corporations will get all the benefit of these changes, not Ontarians. Not the people who are struggling to make ends meet on two or three or four jobs,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President, Chris Buckley.

“Millions of workers voted for Ford because they believed him when he said he would stand up for the little guy,” said Pam Frache, coordinator of the Fight for $15 & Fairness campaign. “By attacking our new labour laws, Ford has betrayed the voters of Ontario and they will not forget.”

Emergency actions will include a rally outside the Ministry of Labour in Toronto today at 5:00 PM as well as other protests being organized across Ontario. To see the most up to date listing of events, visit http://15andfairness.org/events

Wednesday, October 24

OAKVILLE
Oakville Emergency Action
Wednesday, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM, Oakville GO Bus station, 214 Cross Ave.
https://www.15andfairness.org/oakville_oct24

OTTAWA
Ottawa Emergency Action
Wednesday, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM - Ottawa Board of Trade, 328 Somerset St. West 
https://www.15andfairness.org/ottawa_oct24

NORTH BAY
North Bay Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:00 PM – Intersection of Judge Street and Lakeshore Street 
www.facebook.com/events/179445379603992/ 

WATERLOO
Waterloo Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 PM - Waterloo Square, 75 King St South
https://www.facebook.com/events/1956765354401727/

LONDON
London Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM - London Chamber of Commerce, 244 Pall Mall St.
https://www.15andfairness.org/london_oct24 

WHITBY
Durham Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM - MPP Lorne Coe Office, 114 Dundas St. East
https://www.15andfairness.org/whitby_oct24

TORONTO
Toronto Emergency Rally at the Ministry of Labour
Wednesday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM – Ministry of Labour, 400 University Ave.
https://www.15andfairness.org/toronto_oct24rally

Thursday, October 25

PEEL
Peel Emergency Rally
Thursday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM, Corner of Hurontario St. and Steeles Ave., Brampton
https://www.15andfairness.org/brampton_oct25rally

KINGSTON
Kingston Emergency Rally
Thursday, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Tim Hortons, 681 Princess St.
https://www.15andfairness.org/kingston_oct25

SCARBOROUGH
Scarborough Emergency Action
Thursday, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, ACCES Employment (temp agency), 2100 Ellesmere Road, Suite 250 -- (Markham Rd. and Ellesmere Rd. intersection)
https://www.15andfairness.org/scarborough_oct25

Monday, October 29

HAMILTON
Hamilton Emergency Meeting
Monday, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Workers Arts & Heritage Centre, 51 Stuart St.
www.15andfairness.org/hamilton_oct29

To arrange interviews or for further information, please contact:

Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator,
Fight for $15 & Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

The Doug Ford government broke their promise to the people of Ontario today by standing with the corporate lobbyists and announcing significant rollbacks to our new labour laws.

JOIN AN EMERGENCY ACTION 
click to find one near you

Just a few hours ago the Conservative government introduced legislation to:
 - freeze the minimum wage at $14 for the next 2 years, and cancel the scheduled January 1 increase to $15 
 - eliminate two paid sick days for all workers
 - cancel fair scheduling rules
 - take away the right to equal pay for equal work
and so much more.

Millions believed Doug Ford when he promised to govern FOR THE PEOPLE. Today, his lies have been exposed. Clearly, he is more interested in looking out for his deep pocketed CEO friends, than the needs of Ontario workers. 

Let's be clear, this rollback legislation seeks to take away the MOST BASIC protections from workers who need them desperately. This is an attack on low-income workers, women, people of color and newcomers who are disproportionately represented in precarious jobs.

We need your help to send a clear message to the Doug Ford government that their betrayal to millions of workers in Ontario will not go unnoticed. We must respond swiftly.

Starting tomorrow we are rolling out emergency actions across Ontario. Can we count on your participation? Scroll below to find an action near you, and keep checking www.15andfairness.org/events to see new events that are being announced.

Don't see an event near you? Please spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends and co-workers. If you haven't already, take a moment right now to email Premier Ford by clicking here.

Thanks to your support, last week we organized the decade's largest coordinated day of action on workers' rights in Ontario. From faith leaders to teachers, health providers to labour activists, anti-poverty groups to low-wage workers -- our movement represents the majority of Ontarians, the 66% who support decent work. Let's continue organizing this majority to let elected officials know there will be real consequences to attacking our communities.

Wednesday, October 24

LONDON
London Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM - London Chamber of Commerce, 244 Pall Mall St
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

NORTH BAY
North Bay Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:00 PM – Intersection of Judge Street and Lakeshore Street 
Please share on Facebook 

OAKVILLE
Oakville Emergency Action
Wednesday, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM, Oakville GO Bus station, 214 Cross Ave
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

OTTAWA
Ottawa Emergency Action
Wednesday, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM - Ottawa Board of Trade, 328 Somerset St
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

TORONTO
Toronto Emergency Action at the Ministry of Labour
Wednesday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM – Ministry of Labour, 400 University Ave
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

WATERLOO
Waterloo Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 PM - Waterloo Square, 75 King St South
Please share on Facebook

WHITBY
Durham Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM - MPP Lorne Coe Office, 114 Dundas St E
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

Thursday, October 25

PEEL
Peel Emergency Rally
Thursday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM, Corner of Hurontario St and Steeles Ave
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

KINGSTON
Kingston Emergency Rally
Thursday, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Tim Hortons, 681 Princess St
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

SCARBOROUGH
Scarborough Emergency Action
Thursday, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, ACCES Employment (Temp agency), 2100 Ellesmere Road, Suite 250 -- (Markham Rd. and Ellesmere Rd. intersection)
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

Monday, October 29

HAMILTON
Hamilton Emergency Meeting
Monday, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Workers Arts & Heritage Centre, 51 Stuart St
Please RSVP or share on Facebook

(TORONTO, ON) -- Leaders of the $15 and Fairness movement, including the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Workers’ Action Centre, will be speaking at a press conference on Tuesday October 23, 2018 at 2:00 pm in the Queen’s Park media studio.

With only ten weeks to go before 1.7 million Ontario workers get their long-awaited $15 minimum wage, the Minister of Labour announced today that the government will be taking steps to repeal Bill 148. In addition to cutting the minimum wage, the government is also planning to repeal two meager paid sick days, right to equal pay for equal work as well as fairer scheduling rules. By taking away these basic protections that put more money in the pockets of low wage workers, the government will hurt women, workers of colour, and newcomers the most.

When: Press Conference on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Where: Queen’s Park Media Studio
Speakers: Chris Buckley, President, Ontario Federation of Labour; Pam Frache, Fight for $15 & Fairness Campaign; Dr. Jesse McLaren, emergency physician; Gilleen Pearce, small business owner and coordinator, Better Way Alliance, and other community leaders to be announced.

For more information, please contact:

Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator,
Fight for $15 & Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

By David Lea 

A group of residents concerned about the future of worker’s rights in this province took to the streets of Oakville to make their voices heard on Monday, Oct. 15.

Around 20 people participated in a late afternoon protest on the Trafalgar Road QEW overpass in defence of Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act.

The act, which was put in place by the previous Liberal government, would introduce a $15 minimum wage starting Jan. 1.

Other features of the act included requirements that employers:

• provide employees with two paid sick days per year;

• provide three weeks of paid vacation after five years of service;

•pay part-time, casual, temporary and seasonal employees the same rate as regular employees when they perform substantially the same work.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has pledged to scrap the bill and freeze the minimum wage at $14-an-hour.

Ford has argued the labour reforms hurt business and kill jobs.

At the Oakville protest residents waved signs reading “$15 is fair” and “Sick Days.”

One larger banner protesters waved at passing vehicles said “Doug Ford hands off $15 min. wage & decent work.”

The group also hung a banner from the overpass stating they were proud to support a $15 minimum wage and decent work for all.

Oakville resident Pat Robinson said she was participating in the protest because Ford scrapping the bill would impact the students at the adult education centre she teaches at.

She said the students need those paid sick days so they can take time off when they are sick without financial hardship.

She also pointed out that some of these people have jobs as food handlers and as such are not really people one wants coming to work when they are sick.

“Those other parts of the bill beyond the minimum wage increase are basic human rights,” said Robinson.

The Oakville teacher also disputed Ford’s claims that Bill 148 is a job killer noting that her husband is a small-business owner who pays his employees $15-an-hour.

“Your business model should be able to afford to do that,” she said.

Maureen Weinberger, president of the Oakville & District Labour Council also participated in the protest.

She said the group is there because it believes in a $15 minimum wage and decent work for everyone.

“We’re fortunate our affiliated groups belong to unions and we have unions to bargain for us and get us decent wages and benefits, but there are lots of people out there, our daughters and sons, our families, our friends, the people in the community, who don’t have that and we think that’s wrong,” said Weinberger.

“Everyone should have the right to decent work, decent pay and a decent life. That supports all of us. We spend our money in our communities and that creates jobs and gets our economy working well in our communities.”

Weinberger said her daughter runs a small business and pays her employees well above minimum wage.

“I think you create a business plan. That means you can have a good life and the people who help you earn that good life also can have a good life,” said Weinberger.

“I don’t see how that is a problem.”

The Oakville protest was part of a larger day of action, which saw demonstrations organized by the Ontario Federation of Labour in more than 20 Ontario municipalities.

Read the Inside Halton full story

(TORONTO, ON) -- Over 50 actions are expected on Monday, October 15, when communities across Ontario mobilize in defense of new workers’ rights brought in by Bill 148: Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, including the $15 minimum wage that is scheduled for January 1.

What stands to be the largest coordinated day of action for Ontario workers in the past decade will target ridings of Conservative MPPs, after Premier Doug Ford revealed the government is considering the full repeal of Bill 148, cancelling Ontario’s decent work laws.

“It is not too late for Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet to do the right thing and help Ontario workers,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “This October 15, wherever Conservative MPPs look across the province, they’ll find workers who want, need and deserve decent work laws, including the $15 minimum wage.”

“The law is the law, and as it stands, nearly 2 million workers are scheduled to get a raise in 11 weeks,” says Pam Frache, Coordinator of Fight for $15 & Fairness Campaign. “Every single day we encounter people who tell us they voted for Premier Ford because they thought his promise to be ‘for the people’ meant standing up to corporate elites, like Galen Weston and Rocco Rossi. Repealing Bill 148 now would be a slap in the face of many workers who voted for Premier Ford,” she added.

Rocco Rossi is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which has repeatedly called for a full repeal of Bill 148. That same bill brought in modest reforms like 10 days of job-protected emergency leave (the first two days paid), equal pay for equal work, and making it easier to join and keep a union (read more here).

Actions across the province range from public rallies, visits to the offices of Conservative MPPs, workplace actions in support of $15 & Fairness, campus actions at universities and colleges as well as neighbourhood outreach blitzes.

The day of action is coordinated by the Fight for $15 and Fairness and the Ontario Federation of Labour as well as community, student, teacher, faculty, faith, health, labour and non-profit associations across the province.

Scroll below for October 15 Actions, more details are coming, including actions at Ontario’s 24 colleges. To see the latest listing of events, visit www.15andFairness.org or www.oflevents.ca.

AJAX

MPP Rod Phillips’ Office
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM — 1 Rossland Road W, Suite 209
https://www.facebook.com/events/1890033274377097/

ALLISTON 

MPP Jim Wilson’s Office
4:15 PM to 6:15 PM — 180 Parsons Rd, Unit 28
https://www.facebook.com/events/1105764262908474/

AURORA

Outreach Blitz
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM — 15900 Bayview Avenue
https://www.facebook.com/events/2278584029054493/

BRAMPTON

Outreach Blitz
5:00 PM to 6:30 PM — Brampton City Hall, 2 Wellington Street West
https://www.facebook.com/events/1109860432517237/

BRANTFORD

MPP Will Bouma’s Office
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM -- Assemble at Laurier Brantford (student centre), then visit the MPP’s office at 96 Nelson Street (Suite 101)
https://www.facebook.com/events/1925329787772168/

COBOURG 

MPP David Piccini’s Office
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM — 513 Division Street
https://www.facebook.com/events/2239650782774692/

ETOBICOKE 

Outreach Blitz
12:00 PM to 2:00 PM — Corner of Dixon and Islington
https://www.facebook.com/events/273361209972051/

GUELPH

Outreach Blitz and Banner Action
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM -- University Centre and Guelph City Hall
https://www.facebook.com/events/2051966904867912/

HAMILTON

Mohawk College
12:00 Noon to 1:00 pm — Fennel Campus (135 Fennel Avenue West)
https://www.facebook.com/events/660954794289049/

Rally
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM — Jackson Square (James North and King Street)
https://www.facebook.com/events/2126481291013219/

KINGSTON

Outreach Blitz - Queen’s University
12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM (University Avenue & Union Street West)

Outreach Blitz - St. Lawrence College
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (main entrance, transit stop)

Outreach Blitz - Cataraqui Town Centre
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm (location TBA)
https://www.facebook.com/events/163504867919883/

LONDON 

Fanshawe College
10 AM to 3 PM — F Building at Fanshawe College
https://www.facebook.com/events/548694465559530/

Chamber of Commerce Action
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM — London Chamber of Commerce, 244 Pall Mall St
https://www.facebook.com/events/240792906594680/

MISSISSAUGA

Outreach Blitz
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM -- Westwood Mall, (7205 Goreway Drive), at the bus shelter
https://www.facebook.com/events/314623869120414/

Outreach Blitz
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM — Mississauga Celebration Square (300 City Centre Dr)
https://www.facebook.com/events/343116039596400/

NEWMARKET 

Action Against Corporate Bullies
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM — Real Canadian Superstore, 18120 Yonge St
https://www.facebook.com/events/550068845448883/

NORTH BAY

15 Workplace Actions
9:00 AM to 9:00 PM — Across the city
https://www.facebook.com/events/991736950987724/

OAKVILLE 

Banner Drop
4:30 PM to 6:00 PM — Trafalgar Road exit – South-West QEW off-Ramp
https://www.facebook.com/events/1800350026749723/

OTTAWA 

Outreach Blitz
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM — in front of Loblaws, 363 Rideau St (corner of Nelson St)
https://www.facebook.com/events/681597172211532/

PETERBOROUGH 

Outreach Blitz
4:30 PM to 6:00 PM — South East corner of George St North & Simcoe St
https://www.facebook.com/events/543791412738650/

SCARBOROUGH 

Centennial College, Progress Campus
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM — Progress Campus, the Bridge
https://www.facebook.com/events/243984089622188/?event_time_id=243984096288854

Scarborough Centre
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM — Intersection of Warden Ave and Lawrence Ave East
https://www.facebook.com/events/550380335403347/

Scarborough Agincourt
12:30 PM to 2:00 PM — Sheppard Ave East and Kennedy Road Intersection
https://www.facebook.com/events/336959493705534/

Scarborough Rouge Park
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM — Morningside Avenue and Milner Avenue Intersection
https://www.facebook.com/events/1083895695111500/

ST. CATHARINES 

Rally
12:00 PM to 2:00 PM — Outside the Ministry of Transportation, 289 St Paul St
https://www.facebook.com/events/2143198219048121/

TORONTO

Morning Outreach Blitz
7:30 AM to 8:45 AM — Dufferin & Sherbourne TTC stations
https://www.facebook.com/events/338555650239079/

York University Outreach Blitz
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM — Vari Hall, York University at 198 York Blvd
https://www.facebook.com/events/2149680478582507/

University of Toronto Outreach Blitz
11:00 AM to 1:30 PM — Sid Smith (East Side)
https://www.facebook.com/events/2186536938264706/

Rally outside Ministry of Labour
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM – 400 University Ave
https://www.facebook.com/events/251715398866409/

Educators at Lawrence West
3:15 PM to 5:00 PM — Lawrence West Subway Station
https://www.facebook.com/events/475332019618614/

WATERLOO 

MPP Mike Harris’ Office
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM — 63 Arthur St South Unit 3&4
https://www.facebook.com/events/1109742122517576/

For more information:

Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator
Fight for $15 & Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

By Alison Brownlee

MUSKOKA — Demonstrators clutched their signs and stood in front of Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller’s office in Bracebridge despite rain on Monday.

Diana McConnell, organizer of Parry Sound-Muskoka Decent Work in support of Fight for $15 and Fairness, said the demonstrators wanted to build momentum in the region for a $15 minimum wage and better laws to protect workers, despite the PC government’s plans to repeal Bill 148.

The bill, brought into law by the previous provincial government, would have raised the minimum wage to $15 by January 2019, while also providing personal emergency days for workers, more financial fairness for part-time, temporary, casual and contract workers, additional health and safety oversight, and more.

“It’s important here in Muskoka and Parry Sound,” said McConnell. “We want to keep Bill 148. It’s the law.”

Demonstrators argued anyone working full-time should have access to a living wage, while noting low wages often disproportionately affected women, many of whom fill minimum wage roles, especially in the service industry.

Petitions that called on the provincial government to honour and enforce Bill 148, “to ensure no worker is left without protection,” were available at The Hub, 1 Crescent Rd., Huntsville, and YWCA Muskoka, 440 Ecclestone Dr., Bracebridge.

Find Parry Sound-Muskoka Decent Work on Facebook for more information.

Read the Muskoka Region full story

Organized labour rallies around the bill that would see minimum wage increase to 15 dollars per hour. Brent Lale reports.

Watch the CTV London full story

By Michael O'Byrne

Worker call for return to Ont. Government plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, CTV's Michael O'Byrne reports.

Watch the CTV News Ottawa full story

By Janice Goldin

The new provincial government's changes are not sitting well with everyone. 

Watch the CTV News full story

By Angelica Haggert

It’s been one year since the province-wide college faculty strike left students and professors out of the classroom for more than a month.

To commemorate the day, front-line college workers across Ontario are participating in a “Day of Action”.

They’re also fighting for the recently cancelled $15/hr minimum wage increase.

“Equal pay for equal work is the law,” said OPSEU President Warren Thomas. “It needs to stay that way.”

There will be events at all college campuses, ranging from information tables to picket lines. According to an OPSEU release, some college campuses were trying to suppress Day of Action events.

“I am deeply concerned,” said OPSEU College Faculty Division Chair RM Kennedy in response. “Post-secondary institutions are important sites for inquiry and debate on matters of public concern.”

Thomas said despite the mess left by the strike, it wasn’t all bad.

“It was a historic strike in the sense that we made major gains on academic freedom, on precarious work,” said Thomas. “Even though it was a nasty five-week strike, there was still some good to come out of the bad.”

Thomas said the union has added the “Fight for $15” into their Day of Action because of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s first 100 days in office. On his first day, Ford cancelled the College Task Force, ending the joint system review.

Thomas said Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs movement has already improved the lives of college system workers. He called cancelling the task force and the $15 an hour minimum wage “stupid.”

“It’s pure vengefulness, short-sighted,” said Thomas. “Either that or he doesn’t care what anyone thinks.”

The strike, which saw college faculty walk off the job on October 16, 2017, was focused on academic freedom and a more fair split between full time and part-time faculty.

Read the Black Burn news full story

By Sarah Mojtehedzadeh

Protesters rallied across the province Monday urging Premier Doug Ford not to scrap new worker protections after he pledged earlier this month to repeal the law giving Ontarians two paid sick days, equal pay for equal work and a minimum wage bump.

In Toronto, at least 200 protesters gathered outside the Ministry of Labour in support of a $15 minimum wage, currently scheduled to come into effect in January. Ford has pledged to freeze it at $14 and scrap the rest of Bill 148, which was enacted late last year to tackle the rise of precarious work.

By Allan Benner

Workers Activist Group protests threat of Bill 148 repeal

After years of fighting for a $15 minimum wage, members of Niagara Workers Activist Group are now fighting to keep the promised wage hike.

Nearly two years after Ontario's former Liberal government approved Bill 148 increasing the minimum wage to $15 on Jan. 1, 2019, members of the grassroots organization formed that was in 2015 to lobby for a fair wage for workers are resuming their "moral battle."

About two dozen Niagara Workers Activist Group members and labour organization representatives gathered in front of the Ministry of Transportation building on St. Paul Street Monday in one of more than 40 protests that took place across Ontario responding to plans announced earlier this month by Premier Doug Ford to repeal the $15 minimum wage, as well as other benefits such as 10 days of emergency leave, equal pay for part time and contract workers, and leaves of absence for victims of domestic violence.

NWAG co-chair Lisa Britton, who organized the local protest, said numerous people working in Niagara's low-paying service industry jobs will be hard hit if the province follows through with its plans.

She said the PC government "needs to understand that we need the $15 minimum wage — we need Bill 148."

Although cool, rainy weather and "short notice" about the protest was blamed for modest participation, NWAG member Salaeh Waziruddin said there is substantial support for the minimum wage increase.

"Everybody knows somebody who is trying to make it work, trying to make ends meet with minimum wage and it's not working," he said. "When we canvass, we are seeing a lot of support."

Waziruddin said rolling back Bill 148 will be terrible for workers.

"We can't let them do that. We have to organize," he told protesters. "We need to show them that if they take away our minimum wage, we're going to show our maximum rage."

NWAG member Julia Lucas said the provincial government is "threatening to do everything they can to make life harder for the working people."

"A third of the workers in this province are earning minimum wage, so there's a lot at stake. It's important for all of them to be able to pay for all the things that we take for granted," Lucas said. "This is a moral battle."

Kyle Hoskin from Candaian Union of Public Employees Local 1287, representing workers at Emterra Environmental, said there's more at stake than just the $15 minimum wage.

"This is going to impact every single person in this province," he said. "I think it's important that we protect this bill in its entirety with all of its provisions."

Although public-sector union representatives participated in the protest, Bruce Allen from Unifor Local 199 pointed out that most minimum wage earners work in the private sector.

"Right now I'm going to call on the private sector unions who aren't here — with the exception of me — and say, 'You guys have to step up,'" he said. "The private sector workforce has got to get behind this struggle."

Britton said the group has plans for additional protests, if needed.

She also invited people to get involved by emailing her at [email protected].

Read The St. Catharines Standard full story