Rank & File Radio – Prairie Edition, February 17, 2019: Daniel Huber, founder of the Alberta Vanguard Association and Fairserve.ca, reacts to UCP leader Jason Kenney’s new proposal for a sub-minimum wage for youth and alcohol servers in Alberta. Kenney announced that idea at a recent meeting for Restaurants Canada, an industry lobby group opposed Continue readingCombating Alberta’s restaurant lobby | Worker-driven workplace inclusion
Fight for 15
By David Bush A full year of big changes to labour law in Ontario has just passed. Newly released jobs numbers let us measure the impact of these changes, and gauge whether the nightmarish predictions of job losses and economic upheaval have come true. Bill 148’s changes Last January, Bill 148 ushered in a sweeping Continue readingA year of Ontario’s Bill 148: Not what the big business lobby predicted
By Michal Rozworski On November 20, the libertarian Montreal Economic Institute think tank released a short report claiming that Ontario’s $14 minimum wage is costing thousands of young workers their jobs and raising prices for everyone else. These overblown claims, based on skewed and cherry-picked data, came out—purely coincidentally to be sure—the day before Doug Ford’s Continue readingIs this the best they can do? The weak case against $14 in Ontario
By Jesse McLaren Bill 47 is a major attack on workers across Ontario. It freezes the minimum wage for 33 months (amounting to a pay cut), eliminates two paid sick days and reduces the number of unpaid sick days from a possible 8 to 3, it revokes equal pay for part-time, contract and temp workers, Continue readingThe Fight for $15 and Fairness after Bill 47
By Jesse McLaren Ontario’s Bill 148 includes 10 Personal Emergency Leave (PEL) days, the first two of which are paid, and an end to sick notes for minor illnesses. But Ontario Premier Doug Ford considers these minor reforms “disastrous.” With his government’s proposed Bill 47, Ford wants to bring back sick notes, eliminate the paid Continue readingWho’s really abusing paid sick days?
By Zaid Noorsumar Tanya d’Anger has been teaching at Ontario’s colleges since 2000. Her CV lists some of the most renowned institutions in the province as her employers. And yet, the 59-year old reapplies for work at the end of every semester. For 18 years, she has remained a contract faculty member who earns lower Continue readingContract faculty fight Ford’s attack on Bill 148
By Melissa Graham On October 3rd 2018, Premier Ford spoke to provincial Parliament in defense of his decision to repeal Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs Act. During his defense, Ford made the following statement: “Speaker, I’ll never forget when I went to Renfrew—Minister of Transportation, John Yakabuski. I saw 20 people with Continue readingThe truth about Bill 148 and people with disabilities
By Chloe Rockarts and Gerard Di Trolio When the Tories were elected to govern Ontario this past June, it was a day that many were both dreading and expecting. The Ontario government has finally unveiled their legislation that would repeal the gains workers made from Bill 148. In an emergency action coordinated by the $15 Continue readingFord takes on Bill 148, but there is resistance
By David Bush Quick look at the Tories “Making Ontario Open for Business Act.” This is a massive gift to employers coming off the back of workers. 1) 10 personal emergency leave days to be used for bereavement, illness, family emergency. With no doctor’s note required and with the first two days paid (paid sick Continue readingMaking Ontario Open for Greed
By Jesse McLaren Doug Ford campaigned on a promise to end hallway medicine, but this can’t be done by implementing corporate demands to scrap Bill 148, along with further healthcare cuts. From a higher minimum wage and equal pay, to paid sick days and fair scheduling, to easier unionization, Bill 148 has many health implications. Continue readingTo end hallway medicine, defend Bill 148
By Peter Hogarth On October 15, actions across the province mobilized to defend $15 and Fairness for Ontario workers. Doug Ford’s Conservative government has suggested they will roll back the gains made last year in Bill 148. A $15 minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, an end to on-call scheduling, and 10 personal emergency Continue readingDay of action tells Ford: Hands off $15
By David Bush For the last number of weeks, the big business lobby and the government of Ontario have been loudly pointing to the August job numbers as proof that the $15 minimum wage and the other labour law reforms in Bill 148 have hurt workers and the economy. Ontario’s economy added 36,000 jobs in Continue readingJob numbers burst big business claims about $15