Toronto, ON – The lawn of Queens Park – home of Ontario’s Legislative Buildings – has seen many protests by labour over the years but rarely has it seen an across-the-board demand for decent work and decent wages!
On October 1, thousands of union members braved adverse weather to join with community activists from across Ontario to march up Toronto’s University Avenue to attend a “Rally for Decent Work.” It marked the beginning of Decent Work Week, sponsored by the Ontario Federation of Labour. The march coincided with the first government review of Ontario’s employment laws in a generation. “This is the time to let this government and Premier Kathleen Wynne know that Ontario workers expect real change,” said IAM Canadian General Vice President Stan Pickthall. “We’re calling for safer working conditions, paid sick days, paid vacation, the right to join a union, and a $15 per hour minimum wage. The time to end the gender-racialized wage gap is now and we have to push this government to do it. This rally is just the first step and we won’t stop until we achieve our goal.”
