Ontario workers do not have the legislated right to paid sick days since the Ford government scrapped this basic protection. Nurses, cleaners, paramedics, garbage workers, grocery store workers, and so many more CANNOT AFFORD TO STAY HOME without pay, even when they have symptoms. 

On May 21, demand 21 paid sick days with us: 7 paid sick days on a permanent basis and additional 14 days during public health outbreaks.

HERE'S HOW:

• Share your paid sick day story.
  Use the hashtag #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives to post on social media why you support this crucial right for all. We'll be following the conversation on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram throughout the day to amplify your voice.
  

Click to share on Facebook - on Twitter 

• Sidewalk chalk your support.
  Outside your house, local grocery store, or the office of your Member of Provincial Parliament, chalk the sidewalks with your creative messages in support of paid sick days. Snap a photo and post online using the hashtag #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives.
  
  
• Download & display our poster (or make your own)!
  Choose from one of the many colourful letter-sized posters that celebrate frontline workers by demanding paid sick days for all: www.15andfairness.org/resources Post them up in your neighbourhood (or make your own!) and snap a selfie to tell everyone about the need for this urgent protection.
  
  
• Cheer for paid sick days for ALL!
  Bring your family members, friends, neighbours into the Day of Action by cheering for paid sick days from your window, porch, balcony, yard... Don't forget to film yourself in action and share it online with the hashtag #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives.

On May 21st, wherever you are, whenever you can - speak out for paid sick days. We'll be sharing the actions of $15 & Fairness supporters like yourself throughout the day on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so follow and post with the hashtag #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives to be a part of this important conversation. Not on social media? Reply to this email with your photo or video so we can post it for you.

Let's make sure politicians hear our voices, on the streets and online, to bring back this crucial protection without anymore delay. If you haven't yet, please take a moment now to sign the petition which gets electronically sent to your local provincial leader and Prime Minister Trudeau.

Together we can protect our communities!
Fight for $15 & Fairness Team

Politicians are looking the other way while more workers die from COVID-19 every week. We must come together to pressure them to put our health ahead of business profits.

Register now to join the May 21 Day of Action to pressure Premier Ford to bring back Paid Sick Days (click here)

While many businesses in Ontario (including retail stores with street-front entrances and all construction sites) will be allowed to open their doors as of Tuesday, Premier Ford offered no real assurances for keeping workers safe -- other than telling us to stay home if we’re sick.

The reality is, far too many workers cannot afford to follow this basic advice. Let’s not forget that it was the Ford government that cancelled the very legislation that had given every Ontario worker 2 paid sick days per year. The pandemic has proven how deadly it can be when workers living paycheck to paycheck cannot take time off when ill. We need paid sick days for ALL so everyone can stay home today if they have symptoms, instead of having to forego income for 14 days to be eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

Paid sick leave saves lives! We need at least 7 paid sick days on a permanent basis and an additional 14 during public health outbreaks to protect our communities -- especially while more people are getting called back to their workplaces.

• Register to join the May 21 Day of Action for 21 paid sick days for ALL, sign up here. On Thursday May 21, we will be speaking out online and offline to demand this essential protection for all workers, visit our website to learn how you can participate.
  
  
• Invite friends and co-workers to join us on May 21: Share the event on Facebook (click here) to invite others to join you. Or print May 21 posters to hang in your local grocery store or leaflets to slip in your neighbours' mailboxes (download them here).
  
  
• Show your support for paid sick days: Choose from several posters celebrating our superhero frontline workers to show your support for paid sick days for ALL -- print and post them everywhere you can! www.15andfairness.org/resources

Join our next online organizing meeting on Tuesday, May 26 (sign up here) to be a part of the solution. And if you have any questions about the right to refuse unsafe work or accessing income supports during the pandemic, tune into our online workshop on Thursday, May 28 (register here).

Thanks for your ongoing support! If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a donation (click here) to help us organize more online meetings, phonebanks and workshops to keep fighting for these important rights.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a bold pronouncement:

"... if you are risking your health to keep this country moving and you're still making minimum wage, you deserve a raise." 

We couldn't agree more.

But if the Prime Minister truly believes this, he should lead by example to permanently raise the federal minimum wage and implement an adequate number of paid sick days for all federally-regulated workers. 

Unfortunately, none of the provinces have agreed to raise the minimum wage. Right now, hundreds of thousands of minimum wage workers are earning sub-poverty wages while risking their health and safety to provide the goods and services the rest of us depend on.

We welcome the long-overdue wage increases for Ontario's health, long-term care sectors, and social services, AND we believe everyone deserves decent wages - now and forever. 

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the intolerable wages and working conditions of the workers we need most: cleaners, educators, delivery workers, farm workers, child care workers, security guards, garbage collectors, drivers, health providers, grocery store workers, and more. We can't wait until after the crisis to demand better for the workers who need protection now. 

Organize NOW for a decent work future

We are excited to announce a special organizing meeting co-sponsored by the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Fight for $15 and Fairness next Tuesday. Let's continue to bring union and non-union workers together! 

Organize now for a decent work future
Tuesday, May 12, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
Click here to register here to emailed zoom link
Click here to share the event on Facebook

Paid sick days for all!

If New York State can do it - so can we! 

Last month, the state of New York adopted legislation providing up to 8 paid sick days annually - and permanently - for employees across the state. These days are ON TOP of the 14 days of paid sick days already implemented to address the COVID-19 crisis.

Studies in the United States shows paid sick/emergency leave policies dramatically reduce the spread of contagious illnesses and save millions in health care costs and productivity losses.

Every province and the federal government should make 7 or more paid sick days a matter of law. And in times of outbreaks, all workers - union and non-union alike - should get an additional 14 paid days. Refusing to act now puts every one of us at risk and increases health care costs. 

May 21 - Day of Action for 21 Paid Emergency Leave Days! 

We need at least 7 paid days permanently and an additional 14 during a pandemic. That means workers need 21 paid days right now!

Our April 21 Day of Action to demand paid emergency leave for all was a big success. (Click here to to see a great video put together by Chelsea, an Ottawa-based $15 and Fairness fighter.) 

At our most recent $15 & Fairness online organizing meeting in April, we agreed to build on this momentum by taking action again on May 21 to demand an adequate number of paid sick leave days be enshrined in law. It should be a basic protection for all of us. 

Day of Action for 21 Paid Emergency Leave Days 
Thursday, May 21st, All day
Click here to RSVP
Click here to share on Facebook

For even more inspiration, artist and $15 and Fairness activist Michael DeForge designed some beautiful posters - in colour and in black and white. Visit our resources page here to download them. 

We can use these designs to promote our May 21 actions:

• Make your own poster promoting a group or neighbourhood action,
• Print them as is and post them in your neighbourhood or around your transit routes, or
• Use them for your profile pic, for selfies, and more. 

Special Webinar: Workplace rights during COVID-19

We continue to work with the Workers' Action Centre to host free, online info sessions about workplace rights, access to income supports, and other workplace issues. But we are excited to announce Progress Toronto is co-sponsoring our next session!

Workplace Rights during COVID-19
Thursday, May 14 at 7:00 pm 
Click here to register to be emailed login info
Click here to share the event on Facebook

Got an issue? Call the Workers' Action Centre 

Remember, you can call the Workers' Action Centre any time for free, confidential advice on a workplace issue, or for questions navigating government programs. 

Support is available regardless of immigration status and in any language. Please mention which language you need when you leave a message.

• Calls from within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA): 416-531-0778
• Calls from outside the GTA are Toll-free: 1-855-531-0778

-- the Fight for $15 & Fairness Team

Are you ready to make some noise on Tuesday evening, April 21, to win 21 paid sick days for ALL workers? Sign up now to add your support (click here)!

The biggest thanks we can give frontline workers is to make sure they have protections and decent pay. Every day, between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm communities clap and bang pots to thank essential workers. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we need your help to speak out for 21 paid emergency days: at least 7 paid emergency leave days and an additional 14 days whenever there is an outbreak. Are you in? Sign up here!

HOW TO GET IN ON THE ACTION:

From your window, front porch, balcony or social media account, join us between 7 and 8 PM on Tuesday to demand essential protections for all workers. Here are some tips:

- Print our sign or make your own! Click here to download the "All workers need PAID sick leave" sign, then post it in your window or on your door!
- Chant to have your voice heard. Here's a little inspiration: "Time to rest, time to heal, we all deserve a better deal!" "7, 14, 21 - Paid sick days let's get 'em done!" "What do we want? Paid sick days! When do we want them? NOW!" 
- Call the Premier at 416-325-1941 to demand Doug Ford take action now so every worker has the ability to stay home when they are sick. If you need TTY (TeleTypewriting), dial: 1-800-387-5559.
- Chalk your neighbourhood. Get some chalk and hit the sidewalks, courtyards, or cement walls around your apartment or neighbourhood. 

POST ONLINE: SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!

- Take a selfie or video, and post online! Use the hashtags #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives #COVID19Canada #15andFairness so we can all help share them! We'll be monitoring Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to amplify your photos / videos. Not on any social media? Email us your photos, we'll post them for you!
- Ask your friends and neighbours to join our campaign! They can sign up and sign the petition at www.15andFairness.org
- Spread the word! Share the graphic below to invite your network to join you in taking action between 7:00 and 8:00 pm on Tuesday, April 21 (they can sign up here.)

Share on Facebook - Share on Twitter - Share on Instagram

Thank you for your support! Let's make sure that security guards, grocery store workers, child care workers, taxi and Uber drivers, delivery workers, cleaners, and personal support workers are NOT alone!

Together, we can win these essential protections for ALL. 

Both Premier Ford and Prime Minister Trudeau love calling frontline workers superheroes. But when it comes to protecting them by providing paid sick days, we get radio silence.

Too many workers who keep us clean, fed and healthy, have NO paid sick days or health benefits. Nurses, cleaners, paramedics, garbage and grocery store workers put their lives on the line every day, with no financial ability to stay home if they have symptoms.

Make some noise for frontline workers:
Take action on April 21 to demand paid sick days for ALL! (Sign up here)

We're stepping up our demands: time for 21 days of paid emergency leave! We've long called for at least 7 paid sick days as a basic, permanent right for all workers (federal and provincial). But it's crystal clear now that during outbreaks -- which are becoming increasingly common -- workers need an additional 14 paid days to be able to follow the advice of health professionals.

Sign up to take action (click here) -- Spread the word on Facebook (click here)

On April 21, help us amplify the demand for 21 paid emergency leave days as an essential part of the government's response to the COVID-19 crisis. Here's how:

1. Help spread the word that on April 21, we are calling for 21 paid emergency leave days for everyone. Click here to sign up or click here to spread the word on Facebook.
2. Sign and share this petition at 15andFairness.org to win paid emergency leave and decent work for everyone.
3. Make some noise in the evening of April 21 along with your neighbours! Download this window sign (click here) or make your own! Snap a selfie or video to capture your support - then share them on social media using the hashtags #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives #COVID19Canada #15andFairness

Every evening across Canada, communities clap, drum, sing, and bang pots and pans to show their appreciation for frontline staff, from health workers to garbage collectors, and from grocery store employees to delivery workers. These are the people making it possible for others to stay home.

Isn't it time for them - for all of us - to count on an adequate number of paid emergency leave days each and every year? 

Ask your Qs: Weekly Workers' Rights Webinars 

Just a reminder that we have partnered with the Workers' Action Centre to provide weekly workers' rights webinars every Thursday evening at 7:00 pm (you can join online or dial-in).

The next webinar will take place on April 23 at 7:00 pm, click here to register now. You can also share the event on Facebook here to invite friends, family, and co-workers, or forward this email to them.

We're organizing #online 

Missed our first $15 and Fairness online organizing meeting last week? Don't worry! We're meeting every two weeks on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. And the great news is that you can join online or by phone.

Register for the next meeting on Tuesday, April 28: (Click here to sign up right now). You can also spread the word on Facebook. 

For your calendar: Following $15 and Fairness organizing meetings are scheduled at 7:00 pm for May 12 and May 26.

In response to today's news about 1 million job losses across Canada during March, we are more determined than ever to grow our grassroots power to protect our communities during these devastating times.

Read on to learn how you can take action against the health and economic consequences of COVID-19.

Join our $15 & Fairness #online organizing meeting!

We're taking our organizing meetings online, join us every other Tuesday, starting April 14, at 7:00 PM to share what we've learned so far, and strategize about the road ahead. (Click here to register now). 

In Ontario and across Canada the Fight for $15 and Fairness has been central in winning -- and improving -- the emergency income supports we all need to survive. But we know there is much more to be done!

Register by clicking here to receive the webinar log-in details (you can join online or dial in). Please add the upcoming meeting dates to your calendar: April 28, May 12 and May 26 and invite friends on Facebook (click here).

Join us on Tuesday, April 14 - 7 PM: Sign up now!

Our virtual organizing meeting will be an excellent opportunity to connect with other $15 & Fairness supporters from across the province, and re-establish the regular meeting routine that was happening locally. 

Weekly workshops: Workplace rights during COVID-19

Do you have questions about the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)? Are you feeling scared to go to work?

Because so many workers are desperately needing accessible, accurate information about our rights during this crisis, we've committed to holding online Know Your Rights workshops every week together with the Workers' Action Centre. Our workshops focus on workers' rights in Ontario and take place on Thursdays at 7:00 pm -- sign up for tonight (register here for April 9) or reserve your spot for next week (register here for April 16) to have your questions answered!

After signing up on our website, you will immediately receive the log-in details for the workshop with options to join online or dial in! Help us spread the word by inviting your co-workers and friends: click here to share on Facebook or forward this email.

If you miss the webinar, but have a problem at work or questions about accessing CERB, call the Workers' Action Centre's confidential help line for advice. Here are the numbers:

• Toll free outside the Greater Toronto Area 1-855-531-0778
• Greater Toronto Area: (416) 531-0778.

Keep fighting for $500 in weekly support for everyone! 

We really need to keep calling federal politicians to ensure everyone is treated fairly. Right now, the new emergency benefit requires workers to be without income for 14 consecutive days. Workers who may still be required to work a few hours per week but who have lost most of their income, cannot qualify for CERB. And we still need to ensure workers without a valid Social Insurance Number are also able to access these crucial income supports. Immigration status should not be a barrier!

Help demand fairness for ALL. Please call cabinet now (click here)

Paid emergency leave: If not now, when?

Click here to listen to the eye-opening CBC interview with Deena Ladd of the Workers' Action Centre, where she explains exactly how weaknesses in labour protections continue to put workers in danger. 

Indeed, it is absolutely shocking to learn just how many workers who are keeping us clean, fed, and cared for have NO paid sick days, even though they are putting themselves in harm's way to protect us all.

Whether it's cleaners ensuring the spaces we use are clean and sanitized, long-term care workers tending to seniors, transportation workers keeping our supply chains moving, grocery store workers keeping shelves stocked, or nurses on the frontlines delivering health care, this situation cannot continue. Everyone needs at least 7 days of paid sick leave on a permanent basis and an additional 14 days during outbreaks. Click here to send an email right now to demand essential protections for our essential workers.

To read the full list of permanent and emergency measures necessary to protect workers click here for English and click here for French.

-- the Fight for $15 & Fairness Team

Know your rights: Webinar back by popular demand!

Last week we had our first COVID-19 Know Your Rights at Work online workshop together with the Workers' Action Centre and it was a real success! In fact, in response to the overwhelming demand we'll be running it again. Register now (click here), to join us on Thursday, April 2 at 7:00 pm.

After signing up on our website, you will immediately receive the log-in details for Thursday's webinar. If you have friends and coworkers who may be interested, please invite them on Facebook or share this page with them.

Help everyone get at least $500 in weekly support! 

Collective action works: the fact we even have an emergency fund is a testament to your effort!

As we learned last week, the federal government is simplifying the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to make it available to more people -- in response to public pressure. 

This is progress, but we can't stop mobilizing now. Call cabinet now (click here) to demand these supports for ALL!

There are still two big problems that must be addressed: 

Click to share on Facebook -- Click to share on Twitter

Will you talk to 2 more people? 

If you have called already, would you help us get 2 more people to make the call? Share this link: 15andfairness.org/covid19_callcabinet

By reaching out personally to 2 other friends, family members or co-workers and asking them to make a phone call, you could expand our reach dramatically. And since you have already made the call, you'll be in a good position to explain how to do it and to walk them through process.

In addition, if you haven't done so already, take a moment to call your member of parliament to deliver the same message. Click here to find your MP. 

We have every reason to believe we can win an EI top up and supports for other vulnerable workers who are currently excluded from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

But it won't happen unless many more of us speak up.

Call cabinet now (click here)! This phoning tool we've set up with the Migrant Rights Network will directly connect you to the voicemail of a Federal Minister so you can easily leave a message.

The Fight for $15 and Fairness continues to call for 21 paid emergency leave days for all workers (7 paid days permanently and an additional 14 paid days during pandemics) and for a dramatic improvement in access to -- and the amount of support provided by -- Employment Insurance. The full list of permanent and emergency measures necessary to protect workers can be accessed here in English and accessed here in French.

-- the Fight for $15 & Fairness Team

Thanks to many people like yourself speaking out, the federal government announced the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) on Wednesday. At $2,000 for a month ($500 per week), this income support for COVID-19 is better than what was previously announced and will have a much simpler application process. 

Click to share on Facebook -- Click to share on Twitter

While this is a positive step, critical improvements are still needed to make sure everyone can access this minimum support. Too many of us who are already receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits get much less than $500 per week and it's not at all clear whether those of us who've been forced to work cash jobs will have any access to these supports. 

Fortunately, it's not too late for our elected representatives to extend these protections to all: Click here now to phone them.

The federal ministers who make up the Cabinet are currently deciding who will be eligible for these minimum income supports. If we act immediately, we can influence the program design. Please take a moment right now to speak to a member of the cabinet, to make sure everyone who needs it receives at least $500 in weekly benefits ($2,000 per month).

Together with our friends at the Migrant Rights Network, we've created a tool that will allow you to phone a member of the Cabinet with just one-click. Simply type in your phone number, and the system will dial and connect you directly to the voicemail of a Federal Minister. Visit our website now to take action: www.15andfairness.org/covid19_callcabinet As you complete the action, you will be given some example speaking points to support you.

During this pandemic we know that we can’t protect anyone without protecting everyone. Make your call now! Join us in urging the Cabinet to ensure this income support is available to ALL regardless of immigration or past employment status.

To read our full response to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit announced on Wednesday, click here. 

The Fight for $15 and Fairness continues to call for 21 paid emergency leave days for all workers (7 paid days permanently and an additional 14 paid days during pandemics) and for a dramatic improvement in access to -- and the amount of support provided by -- Employment Insurance. The full list of permanent and emergency measures necessary to protect workers can be accessed here in English and accessed here in French.

-- the Fight for $15 & Fairness Team

We are calling for immediate Health Emergency Labour Protections to cope with the devastating impacts of COVID-19, click here to sign our Canada-wide petition. These supports are the only way all of us will be able to follow the public health advice to contain the spread of coronavirus.

But most provincial and federal leaders are failing us.

Not a single provincial government has moved to ensure that employers provide 21 paid emergency leave days for all workers -- 7 paid days as a permanent measure and an additional 14 paid days during pandemics like COVID-19. Without paid leave days, too many of us are forced to choose between losing pay and going to work sick. In ordinary times, this is a terrible situation. But during COVID-19, it is a public health disaster. 

Click to share on Facebook - on Twitter - on Instagram

That’s why we’re demanding H.E.L.P.:   

• 21 paid emergency leave days
• An immediate, non-repayable emergency fund 
• Greater access to Employment Insurance
• No worker left behind

Sign our petition now, click here. Your email will be sent to Prime Minister Trudeau and your local provincial or territorial leader. 

Remember, those of us who are least likely to have paid leave also prepare and deliver food. We work in malls and grocery stores. We clean offices and public buildings. And we care for seniors as personal support workers and in long-term care homes. We care for children as education workers, early childhood educators, and as live-in care workers without full citizenship status.

Those of us who are federally-regulated, staff airports, drive buses and handle money at banks.

We all need protection!

Too many of us have neither paid leave nor EI. Ordering closures without income supports when we lose hours -- or our jobs -- will turn the current health emergency into an economic crisis. The Quebec government showed real leadership by announcing a living allowance of $573 for workers who need to self isolate. The federal government must also step up now to create a non-repayable emergency fund for workers who are directly or indirectly impacted by COVID-19 and to enhance Employment Insurance.

As we heard from Canada’s Chief Medical Officer, the window for containing the virus is closing. Every hour we delay in making it possible for all of us to stay home when sick, or practice social distancing, is an hour in which COVID-19 will spread. To read our full set of Health Emergency Labour Protections, click here.

We need to work together to get H.E.L.P. Send the email now. There’s not a second to lose.

Three crucial struggles need our urgent solidarity. In each case, what we do over the next few days will shape the legacy we leave for future generations.

Support Ontario educators - Feb 21!

On Friday, February 21, 200,000 educators across Ontario will be taking strike action to defend quality public education AND decent jobs in our communities.

This is historic - with all four educators' unions taking action on the same day. 

Having exhausted all other options to protect public education, these dedicated people have no choice but to withhold their services. There can be no business as usual when our kids' education is on the line. The bigger the turnout on Friday, February 21 the better the chances we have of pushing back against the Conservative government's attacks on public services and workplace protections. 

What you can do:

1. Visit an educators' picket line or action in your local community. On Friday, if you're in Toronto, join the Community Solidarity Rally at Queen's Park, which begins at 11:00 AM (click here for more details). Download and print this placard to bring with you.
2. Call or email your local Member of Provincial Parliament. Let them know you support educators and demand the government reverse the cuts.
3. Show your support on social media. Follow #OntEdStrike and #CutsHurtKids. (If you also include #15andFairness it will be easier for us to retweet you!)

Solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en

Solidarity actions are continuing across Canada over the next few days. In Toronto, there will be an Indigenous-led round dance at Queen's Park on Saturday, February 22 at 12:00 noon. To RSVP and share on Facebook, click here. 

To find solidarity actions in your community, this Facebook link is currently the best link we have (click here). Please note: the Feb. 16 date in this link is actually a start date, and solidarity is ongoing, so don't be confused. Once you've clicked the link, be sure to scroll down to find your town or area. If you don't see something in your area, ask around. Organizers are scrambling to centralize information, so be patient if an event is not yet listed. 

Mainstream media reports the RCMP has announced they will be withdrawing from Wet'suwet'en territory. While this may seem like concession, as CBC reports, the RCMP's offer is only a partial withdrawal and it is contingent on the Wet'suwet'en allowing some access to Coastal Gas Link (CGL). It will be up to the Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs to respond, but the crucial issue for allies is to keep building solidarity. The only reason the RCMP are even making this gesture is due to the determination of the Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs, frontline Land Defenders, and all those rising in solidarity across Canada. 

Let's be clear: there can be no nation-to-nation talks with the Canadian government so long as the Wet'suwet'en are under any threat of violence from either the RCMP or the Canadian military.

Wet'suwet'en territories are unceded. This means Indigenous title has never been extinguished and Canada has no legal or moral authority on Wet'suwet'en territory. Non-Indigenous allies have an obligation to stop Canada from illegally invading Wet'suwet'en soveriegn territory. To learn more, click here.

Get on a bus Feb. 22! The People vs Conservative Cuts

Buses are departing from across Ontario this Saturday morning for a demonstration in Niagara Falls at 10:30 am.

This demonstration - led by the Ontario Federation of Labour - coincides with the Conservative Party convention. We must send a strong message to this government that Ontario says NO to the cuts to our public services and NO to the rollbacks of our workplace rights. Click here to find a bus leaving from your community. Please follow the instructions on the page to RSVP for your local bus to secure a seat. 

Thank you all so much for your incredible support for educators, for decent jobs, for public services, for climate justice, and for Indigenous sovereignty.

We especially thank you for understanding that we will never win decent work for all of us if we don't link our struggles for justice in the here and now. 

See you in the streets!