For years, I’ve worked for Labour Unions like PSAC/AFPC, SEIU Healthcare, and now, OPSEU/SEFPO, helping to support workers in many different industries and types of work. I believe in collective action because I’ve seen it work. I tell workers that there is nothing more terrifying to an employer than united workers. They have the money and we have the labour, and without solidarity, we are unbalanced. Labour Unions are about bringing balance to work so that you as a worker are never taken advantage of by an employer. Worker solidarity is essential to a just society.This is true of governments too.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a server, a teacher, a janitor, a sheet-metal worker, an electrician, administrative assistant, or a public servant – you are a worker – and you deserve to have your right to collective action respected.
But here in Ontario, it’s particularly bad because of the Ford Conservatives. And you can be sure Pierre Poilevre will be just as destructive to worker rights. Trudeau has to be forced to do the right thing for workers. Meanwhile, New Democrats will always fight hard to press for better politics.
Despite huge inflationary pressures on everyday people, employers have been brazen in the concessions they are pushing on workers. While record profits and corporate coffers generate more money than ever, these same companies are offering less and less to their workers. They use inflation to justify their deep cuts. We must resist these rollbacks.
And then there are wages. All wages that have not kept up with the rate of inflation are real-dollar pay cuts. When inflation increases higher than your wages, your wages buy less than they did before inflation.
We must do better.
Here’s what NDP worker solidarity looks like:
- Creating and sustaining 1 million jobs in the Green economy and just transition in building retrofits, domestic zero-emission vehicle production, and renewable energy.
- Including episodic disabilities in the EI system and expanding sickness EI up to 50 weeks.
- A Low-Income Supplement that means no EI or special benefits are less than $2000/month
- Mandating that contract and part-time workers be given the same rights and privileges as those working full-time work.
- Pushing for legislation that ensures temporary and contract workers doing equivalent work to full-time permanent staff are compensated equally. Employers can’t be allowed to pay some workers less and offer no benefits just to save some money.
- Bringing back Card Check Certification – when you sign a card, that should be enough to join a union. Period. We need to reduce barriers to your choice to join a union.
- Respecting your Charter Rights and Freedoms to conduct labour solidarity, collective bargaining, work actions, and strikes by standing up against back-to-work legislation and always fighting against right-to-work and back-to-work legislation.
- Standing up for Canadian workers in trade negotiations, maintaining our supply management sovereignty, and fighting against arbitrary and unfair tariffs.
- A Skilled Worker Tax Deduction for relocation costs.
- Replacing the disastrous, failed Phoenix pay-system and working to ensure that affected workers are adequately compensated for the incredible disruption to their lives while in public service.
- Introducing a liveable Federal Minimum Wage
- Protecting defined benefit pensions.