J4W: Action Update
April 1, 2023
| The following is from Justice For Workers: Ontario’s adult minimum wage will be $16.55 an hour on October 1, 2023, but no thanks to Premier Doug Ford or Labour Minister Monte McNaughton. In fact, had Ford and McNaughton not cancelled the $15 minimum wage that should have been in place since January 2019, today’s announcement would have been for a minimum wage of $17.95. Ford’s wage cuts cost workers thousands of dollars in direct wages, in pension earnings and other entitlements like vacation pay and Employment Insurance. He even cut our wages by cancelling the two employer-paid sick days we won back in 2018.  “Given the current cost of living crisis and record-high annual inflation, legislated adjustments are a lifeline for workers struggling to make ends meet. But let’s be clear: there’s no largesse on the part of the Premier or Labour Minister. The legislation itself clearly stipulates that Ontario’s adult minimum wage will be adjusted annually by the rate of inflation, effective October 1 and the Ontario government has a statutory obligation to publish that fact no later than April 1 each year.” —Deena Ladd, Executive Director of the Workers’ Action Centre As a result of the fight we won in 2014, when the minimum wage was pegged to Ontario’s Consumer Price Index, almost 1 million (942,400) mostly women workers, will get a wage bump of $1.05 next October. It will mean that, for every 5 hours they all work, nearly $5 million dollars ($4,947,600) will be transferred from corporate profits to workers’ pockets. Of course $16.55 is not enough. That’s why we must redouble our effort to win at least $20 an hour for every single worker. But it does show why we fight so hard to make sure workers get every possible additional penny. It’s time for a real wage increase for all of us, whether we’re retail workers, health workers, education workers, warehouse workers, couriers, or transportation workers. There’s no better time to get organized to tell this government: Enough is Enough! |
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