March 28th, 2017

Workers forced to strike for better wages as Wynne’s inaction continues:

During question period Tuesday, NDP labour critic Cindy Forster called out Premier Kathleen Wynne for failing to raise Ontario’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, as workers in Toronto campuses strike for better wages.

“Cafeteria staff at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus have been out on strike now for more than six weeks. They want fairness, better schedules, better benefits and wages they can actually live on,” Forster said.  “Similar workers at York University were able to win a raise recently bringing them to $15 dollars an hour. They achieved that with no help from their government.”    

Forster said that hard-working Ontarians have waited long enough for change, and that the Wynne government needs to take immediate action.

“What is this government prepared to do to transform the lives of these cafeteria workers – and all hardworking Ontarians – and when?”

Foster said the Wynne government knows that unstable, precarious work has grown almost twice as fast as stable jobs, making the need to raise the minimum wage more important than ever. 

“New Democrats believe that $15 dollars an hour should be the minimum Ontarians receive for the hard work they do, and they shouldn’t have to strike to get it,” Forster said. “We believe people should be able to plan their lives with better schedules and better wages. They should be able to take time away without breaking the bank.”