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

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

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