Instead of implementing life-saving legislation, Premier Ford had 8 people arrested last month. At the time, we were occupying Ford’s office in response to the 5th temp agency worker death at Fiera Foods, the notorious industrial bakery in Toronto.

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Ford’s Conservatives have been busy trying to change the channel on the death of Enrico Miranda, who was the 2nd temp worker to die at Fiera Foods under Ford’s watch.

We urgently need Premier Ford’s signature on Section 83(4) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act to stop companies like Fiera Foods from treating workers’ lives as disposable. This existing legislation, when enacted, will make companies financially responsible under WSIB for the death and injuries of temp workers -- a more deterrent penalty than the current one-off fines under the Occupational Health and Safety Act which Fiera seems to ignore.

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TO JOIN US AT AN UPCOMING ACTION

Now with the Ontario Legislature back in session, NDP MPPs (including Wayne Gates, Catherine Fife, Jessica Bell, Tom Rakocevic and Lisa Gretzky) have been demanding urgent action on a daily basis to protect temp agency workers. Shamefully, Premier Doug Ford and Labour Minister Monte MacNaughton have offered no response on why they are delaying.

With your help, we pressured Fiera Foods to show their workers some respect. Now let’s get Ford to do the same! When Enrico Miranda was killed, Fiera refused to stop production. But when we held a rally outside the factory to call for justice, they cancelled workers’ shifts without pay. Thanks to our public shaming campaign, the company has now paid workers for these shifts (a first), apologized to them for not stopping production (also a first) and even held a moment of silence. 

To ensure the safety of Fiera Foods workers, and every temp agency worker across Ontario, we must keep up the pressure! Temp workers are twice as likely to get injured on the job because of an ongoing loophole in our laws, which Ford can close with the stroke of a pen. Learn why Section 83(4) is so crucial by reading this excellent op-ed in Maclean’s by Deena Ladd, who is one of the 8 people who got arrested while demanding Ford’s signature.

Thanks for your ongoing support! Please join us at an upcoming action to keep building pressure! Can’t join in person? Call Premier Ford now 416-325-1941, to demand his signature on Section 83(4).

Thursday, November 14th
BEAMSVILLE, Communities not cuts rally
11 AM | 4961 King St
Click here to RSVP on Facebook

Thursday, November 14th
ETOBICOKE, Rally at Doug Ford's office
12 PM - 2 PM | Doug Ford's constituency office
Click here to RSVP on Facebook

Monday, November 18th
TORONTO, Flu Fighter Outreach in support of Paid Sick Days
12 PM - 1:30 PM | South-west corner of University Ave and College
Click here to register or share on Facebook

Tuesday, November 19th
TORONTO, Organizing Meeting
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM | 720 Spadina Ave Unit 223
Click here to register or share on Facebook

Tuesday, November 19th
OTTAWA, Organizing Meeting
6 PM - 7:30 PM | Centretown Community Health Centre
Click here to register or share on Facebook

Wednesday, November 20th
ETOBICOKE, Know Your Rights Workshop
6 PM - 8 PM | LAMP Community Center RM 301
Click here to register or share on Facebook

Thursday, November 21st
NORTH BAY, Know Your Rights Workshop
12 PM - 6 PM | 222 McIntyre St W,  Unit 105
Register by contacting 1-866-470-2173 or send an email to helpline@sudburyworkerscentre.ca. For more info click here.

Saturday, November 23rd
SCARBOROUGH, Know your Rights Workshop
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Scarborough Civic Centre. Committee Room 1
Click here to RSVP or share on Facebook

With the federal election wrapped and a new batch of MPs representing us in Ottawa, we now have even more opportunities to advance a decent work agenda federally. But of course, nothing is ever certain; if we want to take advantage of the new political terrain, we'll have to keep fighting for our rights and - crucially - for unity. To see why, it's worth taking stock of what we accomplished together during the past election.

New possibilities

Thanks to all of you, the majority of elected Members of Parliament support a $15 minimum wage – and by 2020 no less! A $15 federal minimum wage will be crucial for airport workers, bank workers and many others – especially in provinces where the minimum wage hovers around $11.00 an hour. We should move quickly to remind MPs of this promise. If implemented, a $15 federal minimum wage will make a big difference in the lives of federally-regulated workers and build the confidence of everyone fighting for a $15 minimum wage across Canada and the United States.  

Second, we won important improvements to the Canada Labour Code before the federal election – but not all of the changes have taken effect. Now, with some continuity in government, we can continue the fight to protect, implement, and strengthen these new provisions.

Third, we are still waiting on the report from the Expert Panel on Modern Federal Labour Standards. The report will make recommendations to further strengthen the Canada Labour Code. We don’t yet know what the recommendations will be, but we should be ready to respond as soon as the report is made public.

Challenging racism & xenophobia

Across Canada, we are united in our desire for decent work, universal public services, and justice for all. 

That’s why politicians and the corporate lobbyists try to divide us, by finding ways to get us to turn on each other. The foresight and intervention of the Migrant Rights Network continues to be a crucial part of the fight to challenge racism and strengthen our unity. All of you who worked so hard to bring the Unite Against Racism message to the federal election and who are doing the work of centring Indigenous leadership and building concrete solidarity, deserve a major shout out. This effort helped to push back against the xenophobia and open racism that pervaded the federal election and we should feel good that Maxime Bernier, leader of the far-right, anti-immigrant People’s Party of Canada, lost his seat.

Sign up to become a Migrant Rights champion:
Let's continue pushing back against racism and xenophobia

Mobilizing matters

There's no doubt the inspiring climate strikes across Canada on Sept. 27 were decisive in shifting the ground in a progressive direction. Hundreds of thousands mobilized in one of the largest week-day protests in decades!

In Ontario, $15 and Fairness supporters like you, brought the decent work lens to the conversation around climate. We also helped amplify the work of the Migrant Rights Network and built solidarity with Indigenous communities. We want to be sure that no worker is left behind as we retool the global economy to reduce carbon emissions, decrease toxic waste, and invest jobs that will heal and nurture people, plants and animals. Thanks to your work, “climate” became a top issue at the ballot box while concerns around “immigration” were cut in half. 

Minority government: More risk, not less

With a minority Liberal government, we can expect that Members of Parliament will be pushed and pulled between those who advocate for corporations and those who advocate for workers and the planet. Pitting us against each other is the go-to strategy of the super rich to keep their power. That's why it's still critical that you speak to your friends, and co-workers about income inequality, climate change, migrant rights, and racism. Sign up now to become a Migrant Justice Champion (click here) and educate your community! Once you sign up, the Migrant Rights Network will connect you with resources so you can lead conversations and facilitate workshops where you are.

Thanks for everything you do!
Together, we will win decent work for ALL.

8 people were arrested and removed from Premier Doug Ford's office last night. They had the courage to put their bodies on the line to prevent more temp agency workers from getting killed.

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What did Ford do?

Instead of signing existing legislation into effect to stop companies from hiring temp agency workers for the most dangerous jobs, he sent in armed officers to arrest peaceful demonstrators. This is the Premier of Ontario.

Ford promised to govern for the people, but clearly he won't even lift a finger to prevent further workplace deaths. About our occupation, Ford's press secretary said "the actions demonstrated today are never justified." If five temp agency worker deaths -- two under his watch -- are not sufficient justification for action, what is? 

We thank the occupiers for courageously taking action, to pressure Premier Ford to sign Section 83(4) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act into effect. We also thank the hundreds of people who came out to support the occupation at such short notice -- and the thousands who posted on social media to keep #OccupyFord trending the whole day.

If you haven't, please send an email to the Premier to voice your outrage (click here), and ask your friends to do the same. Better yet, call him right now: at 416-325-1941.

And, if you can spare a dollar, please make a contribution to the cost of the occupation by making a donation here. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Check out the occupation coverage here:
CP24
Toronto Star
insauga.com
Global News
CTV

As of 3 pm today we’ve begun an indefinite occupation of Premier Doug Ford’s office at 823 Albion Road in Etobicoke (Google map directions). If you’re able to, please come as soon as possible!

Click to share on Facebook

Enrico Miranda, the 57 year-old father of two, was killed on September 25 at Fiera Foods. Miranda was the 5th temporary agency worker to die on the job at Fiera, and the 2nd since Premier Ford took office.

Since then, thousands of you emailed Ford, demanding action. We issued an open letter, calling on him to sign section 83(4) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act to make sure companies like Fiera are held financially responsible under WSIB for the deaths and injuries of temp agency workers. There has been no response from the Premier.

We can’t sit around and wait for another death to happen. Because Ford’s Conservatives have refused to take action, now we have no other choice but to do this occupation. 

#OccupyFord
Get the latest updates on our action on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Community and labour allies have begun this occupation to demand Ford sign section 83(4). But to keep this momentum going, your presence is crucial.

If you are in Toronto, come as soon as possible.

We will hold a gathering at 5 pm, and a movie screening at 9 pm. If you can, come prepared to stay into the night with us. ROUTE by TTC:  The closest bus stop is a 2-minute walk from the office, Albion Rd At Calstock Dr. You can reach it by taking bus 73C from the Royal York subway station.

For our $15 & Fairness supporters across Ontario, you have an equally crucial role to play.

The premier needs to know that our communities are watching him, and he must do the right thing!

• Call Premier Ford NOW: 416-325-1941
• Use the hashtag #OccupyFord to spread the word. We’ll be making regular updates on social media, so stay connected and get ready to amplify us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
• Email the Premier now (click here), and if you have already emailed him, get your friends to do it.

The legislation to stop companies from treating temp agency workers’ lives as disposable already exists. We just need Ford to sign it into effect! Help us make him do it.

If you are in a position to make a donation to sustain this occupation, please make a contribution by clicking here. Every cent helps. Thank you!

Two weeks have passed since the death of Enrico Miranda, the 5th temp agency worker to be killed at Fiera Foods, but we've heard nothing from Premier Doug Ford. This is the second worker killed at Fiera Foods under Ford's watch. We need to make sure that it is the last.

Open letter: to Doug Ford

Today, we issued an open letter to the Premier, to demand that he immediately close the loophole that allow companies to put temp workers' lives at risk. Together with the Ontario Federation of Labour, Workers' Action Centre and Jane Finch Action Against Poverty, we've given Ford a deadline until Friday to make companies using temp agencies financially responsible under WSIB for workplace deaths and injuries. This law has already passed, it just needs Ford's signature to be implemented.

Click here to read our open letter to Ford

Call now to speak out for workers at Fiera Foods

While we pressure Ford's Conservatives to strengthen protections for us all, help us send a clear message to bad bosses by making a phone call.

Click here to share on Facebook
Click here to share on Twitter

When Enrico Miranda was killed at Fiera Foods, we know the company forced workers to finish their shifts instead of stopping production. But when we held a rally outside the factory, they cancelled their workers’ shifts (without pay!) to keep them away.

Fiera Foods cannot be allowed to operate this way! Call the company now. Dial 416-746-8579 to speak to Fiera’s General Counsel, David Gelbloom.
Let’s demand that they:

• Pay their workers for the cancelled shifts 
• Stop hiding behind temp agencies, and immediately hire the hundreds of temp workers as their direct employees

Organizing builds power: Join Thursday's Walk-in!

As heartbreaking as these injustices are, we know the only way to assert our rights and keep our communities safe is organizing!

55,000 CUPE education workers stood strong to defend quality public services and preserve decent jobs in our communities! But let's remember, it's not the end of the struggle in the education sector!

School walk-ins are still scheduled for this Thursday, October 10. Families, students and teachers across the province will be taking action outside of schools to show we are united against provincial education cuts! To find a school near you to join the walk-in, and other useful resources, click here.

First we want to thank everyone who joined us at the rally outside Fiera Foods yesterday, where a 5th temp agency worker died on the job September 25.

Click here to sign the petition:
We're demanding urgent action from the Ford government

With less than 48-hours notice, over a 100 people gathered to demand justice for workers at Fiera Foods, including community advocates, union members, and local residents.

To pay our respect to Enrico Miranda, the 57 year-old father of two who was the 5th victim of Fiera Foods, we started the rally with a minute of silence. We also collected over a $1,000 to help the family with funeral costs. Please donate here if you can; it's the fund set up by Enrico's friends.

When Enrico was killed last week, Fiera forced workers to finish their shifts instead of shutting down the factory. But when they learned of our rally to support workers, Fiera chose to cancel two shifts to prevent workers from seeing so much community support and learning more about their rights.

This move is even more despicable because these workers were not paid for these last-minute shift cancellations. This cruel act is only possible because the Ford government rolled back the laws that would have protected workers against such last-minute shift cancellations.

The government must act now to ensure the safety and well-being of workers at Fiera. Sign the petition now, click here. Help us pressure Premier Ford to close the loophole that allows companies to treat temp agency workers' lives as disposable. There is no time to lose.

We're demanding stronger legal protections for temp agency workers and a criminal investigation into Fiera Foods.

Click here to watch the CityNews coverage
Click here to see photos from the rally

Thank you for your ongoing support! Please stay tuned for details on upcoming actions against Fiera.

Last week a 5th temp agency worker was killed at Fiera Foods, a food processing plant in Toronto. We’re filled with heartbreak and rage, because we know this death could have been prevented.

Tell the Ford government to take immediate action:
Click here to sign the petition

Fiera hires 70% of its workforce through temporary staffing agencies in order to keep costs low. How? Because in Ontario, the cost of injuries to temp workers are applied to the temp agencies, NOT to the companies that hire them. For bad bosses like Fiera, the lives of temp agency workers are cheap. We need to: Make. This. End. Now. 

Raise your voice to demand the Ford Government act immediately to close this loophole and bring in workplace protections to ensure our safety on the job -- click here to add your name. The legislation to close this loophole already exists, but Ford’s Conservatives need to enact it. 

When Premier Ford rolled back the workplace protections we won previously, he gave bad bosses the green light to abuse our rights with impunity. There was no excuse for lowering fines for employers who break the law or allowing companies to pay temp agency workers less than their directly hired co-workers. Ford must reverse course now!

Click to sign up for the rally -- Click to share on Facebook

To send a clear message to the government, and put Fiera Foods on notice, we’re calling for a protest this Wednesday. Together with local community groups and labour unions, we will hold a public rally outside the factory where the 57 year-old father of two died. Please join us on Wednesday, October 2nd, at 3:00 PM at 50 Marmora Street to say workers at Fiera Foods are not alone. Click here to sign up for the rally!

Can’t join us at the rally? Please take a moment right now to sign the petition to the Conservative government (click here). We are demanding that they: 

1. Enact immediately the legislation (Section 83(4) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act) that make companies that use temp workers responsible for the cost of workplace injuries and death. Only then will companies begin to protect workers health and safety. 
   
   
2. Make it illegal for companies to rely on temp agency workers for the bulk of their workforce, by:
   - Ensuring temp agency workers become directly-hired workers of the client company after three (3) months of assignment;
   - Providing just cause protection for a temp agency worker if, at the end of the assignment, another temp worker is hired to do the work previously done by the terminated temp worker;
   - Placing a 20% cap on the number of temp agency workers used by a company at any given time;
   - Ending all penalties or fees when a client company directly hires workers
   
   
3. Restore the legal protections cancelled by the Ford government, including the right to equal pay for equal work for part-time, contract, and temp agency workers; paid sick days; fairer scheduling rules; $15 minimum wage; and more.

Finally, we must also demand that Fiera Foods be investigated for criminal negligence causing death under Canada’s Criminal Code. This is the 5th death at Fiera. It is a crime.

Friday is an historic day as millions around the world take to the streets to demand urgent and meaningful action to address climate change and environmental degradation. Inspired in part by 16 year old Greta Thunberg who launched #FridaysForFuture, young people around the world are calling for urgent action to stop climate disaster. September 20 is only the first day of a whole week of actions culminating on Friday, September 27 with mass actions in Ontario, Quebec, and elsewhere across Canada. 

To find an action in your community, visit the Climate Strike Canada website here. To find an action in Toronto, click here. 

To RSVP for any upcoming $15 and Fairness events in your community, visit our Facebook events page here.

We know we can only stop the climate crisis by transforming the economy and empowering workers to be part of the solution. That means migrant workers must have permanent resident status; existing low-paid workers in low-carbon jobs need higher wages, fairness, and respect; and better paid workers in high-carbon jobs need a fair transition to low-carbon jobs. 

Let's make sure no worker is left behind as we transition to a just and sustainable future. 

To do this, we need to stand strong against racism and xenophobia so that the global 99% can really unite to fight for the kind of world we need, want, and deserve. Afterall, there will be no climate justice without racial, social, and economic justice. 

• To download posters and placards for this week's Climate actions, click here.
• To download the $15 & Fairness Climate petition, click here. 
• To download leaflets promoting the September 27 Climate Rally at Queen's Park in Toronto, click here. 

Wherever you are across Ontario, find an action or join us on social media to help make decent work and fairness for ALL central to our vision for climate justice. 

If you use one or two of these hashtags it will be easier for everyone to amplify your posts: #ClimateStrike #UniteAgainstRacism #15andFairness #FridaysforFuture 

Don't forget to RSVP for -- and share -- any of our upcoming $15 and Fairness events in your community: click here to visit our Facebook events page.

See you in the streets!

Yesterday, well known anti-immigrant leader Maxime Bernier got an invitation to the Federal Leaders’ debate. Soon his racist views will be televised across the country. 

Take the #UniteAgainstRacism pledge by clicking here.

Right now, it's up to all of us to call out falsehoods during the federal election and reject the politics of division. We can't allow any politician to distract us from the real problems of low-wages and inadequate public services by blaming immigrants or using racist rhetoric. 

For the next 5 weeks, our friends at the Migrant Rights Network will be sending out Election Reality Check updates to keep us informed. Sign up for these updates by clicking here so you can cut through the lies and empty promises circulated by politicians.

To give you a sneak peak of the Election Reality Checks, we are sharing below the one from this morning. If you see a fact you wish your friends and family members also knew, make sure to share it on social media using the hashtag #UniteAgainstRacism, and to stay in the loop sign up for future Election Reality Checks here.

2. Canada doesn’t take its fair share of refugees: Of the over 70 million people globally forced out of their homes, Canada will let in less than 50,000 in 2019. That’s 0.07% of displaced people, despite Canada making up 1.36% of total global wealth (GDP). In Lebanon on the other hand, which has the world’s third highest debt,  1 in 4 people are refugees.

3. Canadian corporations profit from displacement: People are forced to move because of war, “development projects”, persecution and climate change. Canada ranks as one of the top 15 exporters of deadly weapons, hosts many of the worst mining companies and is home to the world’s worst industrial polluting projects – the oil sands. No conversation about refugees is possible without accounting Canadian complicity in displacement

Want to read on? Click here to visit the MigrantRights.Ca website to see the full version of this morning's Election Reality Check with all 9 facts.

The Labour Day weekend is upon us and we're excited to be bringing our Unite Against Racism message to thousands of workers across Ontario! To find a Labour Day event near you, click here and scroll down.

As workers across the province -- and indeed Canada -- we are united in our desire for an immediate $15 minimum wage; for decent work for all; for well-funded, universal public services; and justice for everyone. In fact, recent polling has shown that nearly 70% of Canadians, a strong majority, want the rich and the corporations to pay their fair share of taxes in order to fund anti-poverty programs*.

Without a doubt, the wealthy corporations are threatened by this kind of unity because they don't want to part with their mega-profits. So the 1% and the politicians who represent them, fuel racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric to divide us and make us fight each other for scraps.

But we won't let them get away with it. Even the disgusting billboards promoting Maxime Bernier's xenophobic Peoples' Party that attempted to scapegoat newcomers, were taken down in less than a week thanks to the public outrage**. That should build our confidence to take on bigotry wherever and whenever it appears.

To help us organize, we are proud to share some beautiful materials produced by the Migrant Rights Network. 

To download the posters, click here
To download the leaflet, click here

Please print these posters and display them in your neighbourhood, campus or workplace. And if you're planning to join your local Labour Day event, bring them with.

There is also a pledge sheet to invite every person to promise to unite against racism, click here to download the pledge sheet. By asking people to leave us their contact information, we can stay organized in the days ahead -- please send completed sheets to info@migrantworkersalliance.org. 

We hope you have a great weekend and happy Labour Day! We'd love to see how you mark the day. Please share your pictures by tagging us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. And use the hashtags: #UniteAgainstRacism #LabourDay2019 #15andFairness.

* To see the polling results by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, click here
** To see the news coverage of the xenophobic billboards that were taken down, click here