3 minute read
President’s Message
Taking it to the picket line: Dramatic rise in number of work stoppages across Canada
Each year, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives put out its annual statistic on how quickly Canada’s top CEOs made what the average Canadian worker takes all year to make.
For 2024, those CEOs made $60,600 by 9:27 a.m. on January 2, and I suspect that next year’s statistic will be just as, if not more, upsetting.1
In 2022, average pay for those top CEOs was $14.9 million. That's 246 times the average workers’ pay in Canada.
Over this last year, more than 1,600 members of our Union at three workplaces have gone on strike because their fight for more – their fight for respect and dignity – was worth taking it to the picket lines. You can read more about the strikes at Mobile Climate Control and Maple Leaf Courtney Park on pages 6 and 7.
And they’re not alone. Across Canada, workers are fed up. Across all sectors and industries in the country, there were 176 work stoppages in 2022. In 2023, that number grew to 778. As of October 2024, there have been 706 work stoppages nation-wide.2
Corporate greed has erupted. And while that level of greed has always been distasteful, it feels particularly hard to swallow on the heels of a pandemic that, even today, isn’t really over. A pandemic that saw many working people like our Members continue to do their jobs despite enormous risks to their health.
Too many politicians prioritize the mighty corporate dollar over the survival of people. Real change must be made in the policies and legislation enacted by the candidates elected to represent us.
We see the results of this corporate greed in other ways, too. The money that working people do take home doesn’t go nearly far enough. As food banks report increasing numbers of visits from families and individuals, it is clear that our economic and social systems are in peril.
And it is the most vulnerable who pay the steepest price.
I am proud that our Executive Board continues to see the importance of providing funds to our province’s food banks and community support systems. Yet again this year, your Local Union will donate nearly $200,000 to 60 organizations across Ontario.
And while our Local Union is privileged to be in a position to give these donations, that money – and food banks themselves – should only need to be temporary solutions.
As we wrap up 2024, I want to thank all of you for your solidarity year after year. Your strength and support of each other and for this Union makes me so proud to be your President. I hope you all enjoy a safe and happy holiday season and all the best of the New Year.
In Solidarity, Kelly Tosato
