4 minute read
President's Message
Chronic issues plague our province: we all need to vote on June 2
A 2019 Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers survey found that 30% of Ontario’s workers “experienced symptoms of burnout ‘all of the time’ or ‘a large part of the time’.”1
Thirty per cent of Ontario’s 7.5 million 2 workers is equal to 2.25 million people experiencing burnout. Behind that statistic are millions of family, friends, and co-workers in a significant state of mental distress that affects far more than just their work.
There are always strings attached to promises made leading up to an election and the decisions made once in office. But when a government or candidate constantly boasts about slashing spending, that money has to come from somewhere.
The province’s elimination of the annual license renewal fee is a good example. That $120 in our pockets has a steep price tag of $1 billion in lost revenue for the province. That’s $1 billion less going to schools, healthcare, social programs and infrastructure.
At a time when our healthcare workers have been begging for support, and the quality of care for our loved ones is on the line, why is that money not going toward that sector? If we can afford to lose a billion dollars in revenue, why are so many healthcare workers’ wages still limited to a 1% increase by Bill 124?
Underfunded programs inevitably fail because there’s no money to run them; privatization of those services is the next step. While this is happening, to distract from the long game happening underneath it all, we see inadequate scraps tossed out:
• A $15 minimum wage (several years after Ford himself cancelled a planned increase);
• New legislation on employee rights to disconnect from work (while leaving what that means up to the discretion of the employer);
• “Protections” for Gig workers (that treat them as another class of worker and don’t allow them to qualify as employees under the Employment Standards Act);
• Saving Ontarians $120 per year on license renewal fees (a gift with a hefty price tag);
• Paying a $5,000 retention bonus to nurses (just before an election instead of two years ago, and while Bill 124 remains intact).
None of this addresses the employment, healthcare and other systems that are crumbling with far too many people made to fight just to get by. And worse, the system leaves many people behind altogether, impoverished by a cycle that perpetuates only existing wealth and power.
It took until the end of March for Ontario to sign on to the $10 per day childcare plan. Affordable childcare can save families thousands of dollars a year, and help ensure that parents that want to return to work can do so, particularly women who, for many reasons including an average wage gap of 32%, are the primary caregivers in many households. But, Ontario was the last province/territory to sign on. Affordable childcare could have been done long ago, but it only became a priority a few months before an election.
And you shouldn’t have to wait for an election to have it happen.
Your labour is valuable. This province has a robust and skilled workforce and it has the capacity to be a global leader in workers’ rights, quality universal healthcare, and much more.
I encourage you to vote on June 2 for the government you believe cares the most for working people and would strive to move this province and the interests of workers forward.
In Solidarity,
Shawn Haggerty president@ufcw175.com
1 Ontario Health Clinic for Ontario Workers: Workplace Mental Health. https://www.ohcow.on.ca/ workplace-mental-health/ Accessed Mar 8, 2022
2 Ontario Government: Labour Market Watch. https://www.ontario.ca/page/labour-market Accessed Mar 8, 2022
