Message from President Haggerty

Ford swings into full election mode

The gears are moving in anticipation of the provincial election next year. Ads have begun, and Ford’s promises and new legislation announcements are going to be a regular occurrence.

Ford’s only concern is re-election. He believes that if he throws enough scraps out there, that the public will forget how little he’s done to look after and serve the needs of the people over the last four years.

He might be right. But I know that the people of Ontario have better memories than that.

Minimum Wage

Right out of the gate, Ford eliminated minimum wage increases, that would have put the rate at $15 per hour as of January 2019, and froze the rate for two years. Happy employers; Workers left falling behind.

But in November, Ford announced that minimum wage would be $15 per hour on January 1, 2022. And while that’s a step in the right direction, his

past rhetoric was that $15 per hour hurts businesses. In fact, $15 is not a living wage anywhere in this province anymore.

The living wage across Ontario is well above $15 per hour.

• Guelph – $18.10

• Halton – $20.75

• Kingston – $17.75

• Niagara – $18.90

• Sault Ste. Marie – $16.20

• Thunder Bay – $16.30

• Toronto – $22.08

Ford also refuses to lift Bill 124, which caps wage increases for many frontline nurses and other workers, and is an infringement on the collective bargaining rights of those workers.

Paid Sick Days

In 2018, Ford scrapped the two legislated paid sick days that

workers had. Only after more than a year of the pandemic and intense pressure from all sides did Ford give in – just a bit – and create an inadequate and temporary program that grants three paid sick days to Ontario workers, and only for COVID-19 related illness.

The truth is, these kinds of worker-friendly announcements can’t hide the truth of his allegiance to the best interests of business.

Truth and Reconciliation

Ford chose not to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a provincial statutory holiday. Many employers followed suit, making the same wrong decision, with some violating collective agreement language in doing so. Read about an arbitration victory on this matter with Loblaw Companies on page 14.

WSIB

In October, the government said it would legislate to allow the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) to return up to $3 billion to employers. The WSIB plans to cut employer premiums by $168 million while continuing to force injured workers to live on inadequate benefits. You can read more on this on page 20 of this issue of Checkout.

These are just a few examples of how Ford will play both sides to get the vote. I know there’s more to come in the next six months and this won’t be the last time I speak about Ford on these pages. For now, I ask you to be wary of Ford’s antics and to keep the bigger picture in mind as we approach next year’s election.

I had hoped, like everyone else, that this year we’d have been pandemic-free and back to a more regular routine. With a hopeful light at the end of this tunnel, I encourage everyone to do their best to help keep us on the right track.

As we wrap 2021, another year of sometimes overwhelming change and adaptation, I want to thank you, our members, for your continued commitment to your co-workers and your jobs despite these difficult times.

Please take this camaraderie with you through the holiday season and lean on it when you need to. And please know that your hard work does not go unappreciated.

Take care. In Solidarity,

Shawn Haggerty president@ufcw175.com