We’ve told you about the case of Angel Reyes, who worked through a temp agency – United Staffing – at the same workplace – Canada Fibres Inc. – for 5 years at minimum wage. He spoke to the Toronto Star in May about his experiences as a temp agency worker, and days later was dismissed. As his case made the headlines, the Fair Wages Office of the City of Toronto opened an investigation into the case.

Why? Because the City of Toronto has a fair wage policy to ensure that contractors it hires pay their workers at least the prevailing wage in their sector. Canada Fibres Inc. has a large contract with the City of Toronto, and the Fair Wages Office is investigating whether, by hiring minimum wage temp agency workers, this policy has been violated. If found in violation, money can be witheld from Canada Fibres Inc.’s contract with the City to pay these workers what they are owed, the company will be listed publicly as having been found in violation of the policy, and could be prevented from bidding on future City contracts.

But this is not the kind of enforcement that the provincial government does, an issue that the Toronto Star also raised in an article last week. The ability to force employers to pay money owed to workers, real financial penalties for employers that violate the law, and making this information publicly available are essential tools in deterring violations in the first place, because they represent real costs to employers who would break the law. This is why the Fight for $15 & Fairness is demanding better enforcement of employment standards, so that workers can get real protection on the job.

Let the government know that we need better enforcement. Email Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn, or tweet him @OntMinLabour @MPPKevinFlynn. Tell him it’s #time4decentwork and #15andfairness in Ontario, and ask your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbours to do the same.

Events:

The public consultations for the Changing Workplaces Review have taken place in Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, and Guelph. Members of the Fight for $15 & Fairness have participated in all of them, and/or are preparing to speak at all upcoming consultations, including: the Ontario Federation of Labour, the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, United Steelworkers, Workers United, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, Unifor, Workers’ Action Centre, Parkdale Community Legal Services, the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, Peterborough Workers’ Action Centre, We are Oshawa, Poverty Free Thunder Bay, Sudbury Workers’ Education and Advocacy Centre, Young Communist League, Ryerson Social Justice Centre; and several local labour councils including: Lindsay, Oshawa, Peterborough, Sudbury, and North Bay. Several member groups are also organizing events and forums in the lead up to the consultations to discuss the issues in their communities and prepare their presentations.

On June 18th, the Workers’ Action Centre and Access Alliance organized a street party for the Fight for $15 & Fairness in Scarborough to spread the word about the campaign. More than 250 signatures on petitions were collected, great connections were made with residents in the neighbourhood, and a good time was had by all! Here are some photos:

On July 5, the Fight for $15 & Fairness will be joining the march for Jobs, Justice, & the Climate. Join us and thousands of others to demand a clean-energy future built on values of social justice and good jobs. Meet us at 1pm at Queen’s Park. #jobsjusticeclimate 

In May, the Toronto Star did a four-part series on precarious work, highlighting some key areas where the law needs to change to better protect workers. One article focused on temp agencies, and how the law does not adequately regulate them or the companies who use them. The story focused on Angel Reyes, who had been working through the same temp agency at the same recycling plant for five years at minimum wage. His co-workers hired directly by the recycling plant got paid more than him for doing the same work. There is no time limit on how long a company can employ a worker through a temp agency, so Angel remained ‘temporary’ even after five years, denying him access to benefits and other entitlements.

Five days after Angel’s story appeared in the Toronto Star, his assignment was ended. He has not received termination pay, nor an adequate explanation for why he was let go, as the temp agency and the recycling plant point the finger at each other. A follow-up article in today’s Toronto Star explains how the laws leave workers like Angel in limbo: “What this system produces is a second class of workers that can just be let go with complete flexibility. And no one cares.”

But workers like Angel, along with dozens of labour and community organizations across the province that are part of the Fight for $15 & Fairness, know what needs to change and are organizing to make it happen.

Angel Reyes testifying at public consultation for the Changing Workplaces Review (CWR).

The Ontario government is holding public consultations across the province throughout the summer as part of its review of labour laws. The first consultation took place in Toronto on Tuesday, and Angel was there to tell his story and demand change. Throughout the day, workers and organizations involved in the Fight for $15 & Fairness spoke decisively about exactly how the laws need to change to better protect workers, echoing the demands of the campaign: a $15 minimum wage that covers all workers; decent hours and fair scheduling, including pay equity for part-time, temporary, and casual workers; paid sick days; better protections for workers who stand up for their rights and making it easier to form unions; eliminating exemptions and special rules that leave workers unprotected; holding employers responsible for employment standards down the chain of temp agencies and sub-contractors; and stronger enforcement of the law. Read a summary of the issues raised at the consultation here.

What can you do?

The government needs to hear from those affected by precarious work, not just during public consultations. Email Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn, or tweet him @OntMinLabour @MPPKevinFlynn. Tell him it’s #time4decentwork and #15andfairness in Ontario! Ask your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbours to do the same.

Book a meeting with your local MPP to share your experiences and your concerns, ask them to support the campaign, or ask that they organize a community forum on decent work.

Download our petition, telling the government exactly how the law needs to change, and get people in your neighbourhood to add their names.

Submit your story to the consultations. You can find information on how to do this on our website. Upcoming consultations will be taking place in Ottawa (June 18), Mississauga (June 24), and Guelph (June 25).

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

Public consultations begin today: Email & tweet the Minister of Labour!

The government is reviewing Ontario’s labour laws for the first time in a generation. The Changing Workplaces Review (CWR) is holding public consultations starting today in Toronto, and in 8 other cities across the province through June, July and September. Now is the time for the government to hear from workers about what needs to change to bring fairness to our workplaces.

What can you do?

Email and tweet Minister Flynn: @OntMinLabour @MPPKevinFlynn. Tell him it’s #time4decentwork and #15andfairness in Ontario! Ask your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbours to do the same.

Book a meeting with your local MPP to share your experiences and your concerns, ask them to support the campaign, or ask that they organize a community forum on decent work.

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

Download our petition, telling the government exactly how the law needs to change, and get people in your neighbourhood to add their names.

Submit your story to the consultations. You can find information on how to do this on our website. Upcoming consultations will be taking place in Ottawa (June 18), Mississauga (June 24), and Guelph (June 25).

Upcoming events

Events are taking place across the province in June:

Street Party! For decent wages & working conditions
Access Point on Danforth, 3079 Danforth Ave. (at Victoria Park Ave.)
Hosted by the Workers’ Action Centre and Access Alliance, with the support of Taylor Massey Action for Neighbourhood Change

Tuesday June 23, 6:30pm
Time for Change Tour – Preparing for the Federal Election
The Chestnut Residence & Conference Centre
89 Chestnut St.

Peterborough:
Tuesday June 16, 5:30pm-8pm
Good Jobs Summit
24 Whitlaw St.
Hosted by Peterborough County and City Health Unit and United Way Peterborough & District, sponsored by Peterborough and District Labour Council

Ottawa:
Saturday June 20, 12pm
Invisible No More: Living Wage and Benefits Now
Ottawa City Hall, Chaplain Room, 110 Laurier Ave. West
www.invisiblenomoreottawa.org

“Ontario’s ‘eye-popping’ shift to low-wage work”: New report shows need for labour law reform

During Constituency Week in May, members of the Fight for $15 & Fairness met with MPPs across the province to talk about the government’s review of labour laws that is currently underway, and put forward our demands for how the laws should better protect workers. And the results are already showing. MPP Cristina Martins (Davenport) submitted a letter to Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn, supporting the campaign’s demands for better working conditions. MPP Arthur Potts (Beaches-East York) read our petition in to the Legislature and said, “I have great empathy for this petition.” Other MPPs have expressed their concern for issues affecting workers in precarious and low-wage jobs, and some suggested they may organize community forums in their ridings to hear from their constituents.

With the labour law review now in full swing, we need to keep the pressure up on MPPs and the government to make real improvements that will better protect workers. Members of the Fight for $15 & Fairness campaign will continue to meet with MPPs through the summer and will be participating in consultations across the province.

What can you do?

Email Minister Flynn and tell him exactly what needs to change to create decent jobs in this province! Ask your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbours to do the same.

Book a meeting with your local MPP to share your experiences and your concerns, or ask that they organize a community forum on decent work.

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

Get your name on the list to appear at a consultation near you, or submit your thoughts in writing. Public consultations in June will be taking place in the following cities:

Toronto: June 16
Ottawa: June 18
Mississauga: June 24
Guelph: June 25

It’s crucial that the government hear from Ontario’s workers that it’s #Time4DecentWork.

Contact us if you need support. Sign up for our email alerts, and check our website and our facebook page regularly for updates on how you can get involved in the Fight for $15 & Fairness.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sign up for our email alerts, and check our website and facebook page regularly for updates.

A dizzying array of exemptions, loopholes, and gaps have eroded the Employment Standards Act’s ability to serve as a minimum floor of rights, and too many workers are falling through the cracks. Read today’s article, ‘Ontario allowing employers to fire workers without cause’, the third in a four part series.

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

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

Every Monday in May, read the stories and listen to the voices of workers who are demanding change, who are saying that it’s time for decent work now.

On Friday May 15, organizers with the Fight for $15 & Fairness started meeting with MPPs across Ontario to bring our campaign message to them directly. We’re telling MPPs that workers in Ontario deserve a $15 an hour minimum wage that brings them above the poverty line, with no exemptions for any worker; that workers deserve decent hours and schedules they can live on, and all workers should get equal pay for doing the same jobs; that at least 7 days of paid sick days a year is the least that workers and all Ontarians need to be healthier; that workers deserve respect and protection on the job when they stand up for their rights, including making it easier to join unions; and that labour laws should protect everyone without exception, not let employers download their responsibility for workers’ rights on to temp agencies and sub-contractors, and that the laws need better enforcement.

The government is currently reviewing existing labour laws to see how they can be updated and strengthened. The Fight for $15 & Fairness will continue meeting with MPPs throughout the province next week and in to the summer to send a clear message to them that now, more than ever, is the time for $15 & Fairness, that now is the time for decent work!

If you support the Fight for $15 & Fairness, book a meeting with your MPP. Send us your updates and post your photos on our facebook page and on twitter. Check back here regularly to get updates about the campaign and how you can get involved.

The Ontario government has announced the dates and locations of the first public consultations being undertaken for its review of labour laws, the Changing Workplaces Review (CWR).

To register to make a presentation at the consultations, email [email protected] or call 1-888-868-5844. You can also submit your testimony in writing. To find out more about the process, visit the Ministry of Labour’s website here.

These public consultations are an important opportunity for the government to hear from workers, unions, and community organizations across the province about how the Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act need to be updated and strengthened in order to better protect workers.

The Fight for $15 & Fairness is organizing across the province to send a clear message to the government that our labour laws have not kept up with changing employment relationships and have been weakened by exemptions, loopholes, and inadequate enforcement. This has left too many workers unprotected. Workers know what needs to change to create decent work in Ontario, and will be using these public consultations to make these recommendations heard.

Read this report to learn more about what’s wrong with Ontario’s labour laws and for a full list of recommendations for how they need to be improved. To find out more and get involved in the campaign, contact us!

Temp agency workers get paid lower hourly wages, don’t get benefits, and can sometimes be ‘temporary’ for years at the same workplace. Ontario’s Employment Standards Act doesn’t prevent any of that. Read today’s article, ‘Ontario employers cashing in on temporary workers’, the second in a four part series.

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

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

Every Monday in May, read the stories and listen to the voices of workers who are demanding change, who are saying that it’s time for decent work now.

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

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

Every Monday in May, read the stories and listen to the voices of workers who are demanding change, who are saying that it’s time for decent work now.

Read today’s article: “‘Wild West’ scheduling holds millions of Ontario workers hostage“. And stay tuned here for updates as the series unfolds.