By Rawan Abdelbaki It has been just over two months since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. It was only a few days after that when the Conservative government of Ontario passed Bill 186, Infectious Disease Emergencies amendment to the Employment Standards Act. Bill 186 was designed to offer job protections to those workers who Continue readingEven in a Global Pandemic, Workers in Ontario Still Don’t Have a Right to Paid Sick Leave
employment standards
At 48-hours, Nova Scotia has one of the longest workweeks in the country. Before a worker is legally entitled to earn an overtime rate of pay (one-and-a half times their regular wage), they generally have to have worked 48-hours over a one-week span. The Canadian labour movement began advocating for a 9-hour work day during Continue readingReduce Nova Scotia’s Work Week
In Nova Scotia, your boss can demand proof that you’re sick, even if it’s just a short term illness. Those requests make life miserable for workers and put stress on an already overburdened medical system. For many short-term sicknesses, a trip to the doctor is really not necessary. To recover from a common cold, for Continue readingGet rid of sick notes
By Simran Dhunna, Vidhya Elango and Talia Holy Only a few months ago, Premier Doug Ford’s Bill 47 repealed many of the labour protections won through advocacy by decent work coalitions across Ontario — including the Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign. Workers lost two paid sick days; pay equity between full-time, part-time, and temporary Continue readingFord continues to attack workers with Bill 66
By Brynne Sinclair-Waters and David Bush The election of Doug Ford means that workers, union and non-union alike, are facing down a legislative attack on their rights. Ford signalled in the winter that he would freeze the minimum wage at $14. There is little doubt he also has his sights on employment standards and labour Continue readingHow trade unionists can defend $15 and Fairness
By Bob Barnetson Two weeks back, Alberta announced that it would be sending letters to employers alleged to have stolen workers’ wages. These letters will be sent after a worker files an Employment Standards complaint but before the government investigates. The idea is to identify and resolve complaints where the employer is willing to pay as Continue readingAlberta enforcement efforts incentivize wage theft
By Lydia Dobson After being fired from her serving job on February 10 of this year, Cayley Pozza took action by posting a video on social media denouncing her employers’ illegal tip-out processes. What this video revealed is one of the many ways that restaurant owners punish servers for speaking out against illegal practices. On a broader scale, Continue readingHow bosses mess with servers’ tips