By Melissa Graham I’m going to get right to the point here. An increased minimum wage is not harming disabled people. It is however doing a great job at highlighting the ableist and saneist bias that continues to exist within employment in Ontario and social services. When Bill 148 was still being debate, there were Continue readingEmployment, the minimum wage and ableism
Fight for 15
By Christo Aivalis On January 1 of this year, the Ontario government instituted a minimum wage increase to fourteen dollars an hour, with a pledge to increase it to fifteen dollars by January 2019. While 60% of Ontarians support the increase, numerous businesses have retaliated against their workers by retracting things like benefits and paid breaks. Continue readingTim Hortons and the need for demand-side economics
By Lydia Dobson The minimum wage increase across Ontario has sparked a series of reactionary cutbacks from bosses. One of the many ways that employers have managed to download the cost of the minimum wage increase onto the backs of workers is through tip pools. Last week, a public debate took place in Ottawa where Continue readingHands off our tips!
By Kevin Taghabon The second week of Ontario’s minimum wage hike brought with it large pickets against Tim Hortons bosses and owners across the province. Coordinated actions were held province-wide in Cobourg, Dundas, Guelph, London, Peterborough, Ottawa, Windsor, and nine locations in Toronto. The actions were held in response to widespread reports of benefit clawbacks Continue readingThe People vs. Tim Hortons, Round One
By Doug Nesbitt, David Bush and Gerard Di Trolio For the last week Ontario has been ground zero over the struggle for a higher minimum wage. On Wednesday workers struck back against greedy employers and inequality with 17 coordinated protests across the province. The actions were directed at the most high profile offender, Tim Hortons, Continue readingBad boss, no donut: Workers strike back
By Joel Harden The heavy-handed response by some individual business owners to the Ontario government’s legislated minimum wage rise (from $11.60 to $14/hour) should shock the conscience of the community—and that includes the business community. Certain Tim Horton’s franchisees have been in the news recently, reacting to the increase by slashing their contributions to employee Continue readingThe retaliation must stop against low-wage workers
By Lesley Jamieson It has come as no surprise that employers and business interests across the province are swamping news outlets with predictions of pending doom. Prices will rise, jobs will be cut, and workers will be punished, they claim. Tim Horton’s franchise-owners in Cobourg recently announced that they will be punishing workers by eliminating Continue readingDon’t buy into the boss backlash
by David Bush, Gerard Di Trolio and Doug Nesbitt Five days into 2018 and the $14 minimum wage has a number of Ontario employers losing their minds. Meanwhile, Canada’s top CEOs made the average Canadian salary by 11 am on January 2. In Cobourg, Tim Hortons franchises owned by the children of the chain’s founders Continue readingDefend $14: Let’s make bully bosses pay
By Zaid Noorsumar The Fair Workplaces & Better Jobs Act may have been enacted by the Liberals, but the groundwork to create a political climate to make such a bold move possible was done by grassroots organizers. Kathleen Wynne, whose party froze minimum wage at $10.25 for four years between 2010 and 2014, wasn’t keen Continue readingWinning $15: Meet some of the leaders of the $15 and Fairness movement
by Peter Hogarth This New Year’s workers across Ontario can celebrate the passing of Bill 148, which will give 1.7 million workers a pay raise on January 1. The victory was not a Christmas present from the Liberals but a product of campaigning, agitating, fighting and striking to win $15 and Fairness by workers across Continue readingIn 2018, keep fighting for $15 & Fairness
By Michal Rozworski I recently moved back to British Columbia from Ontario, a province that has just passed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour within a little over the next 12 months. This is a bold and much-needed step, one brought about by the tireless organizing of low-wage workers and labour Continue readingB.C. needs a $15 minimum wage now!
By Daniel Tseghay The Government of BC is currently hearing from individuals and businesses across the province regarding timelines for increasing the minimum wage to $15/h; what to do with the minimum wage rates for farm workers, liquor servers, live-in caregivers, resident caretakers, and live-in camp leaders, which are currently lower than the general minimum Continue reading$15 and the B.C. Fair Wages Commission: An interview with Irene Lanzinger