September 4th, 2017

Andrea Horwath's statement on Labour Day 2017

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement today:

“Labour Day is a day to celebrate the rights that have been earned and gains that have been made for all working Ontarians, thanks to generations of working people and the unions they’ve built. This year, I believe it’s time to recommit ourselves to a new wave of gains.

In Ontario today, work is less stable. Jobs don’t last a lifetime, like they used to. One in three working adults don’t have workplace prescription drug coverage. More and more, people are considered contractors instead of employees, and more and more people are working more than one job in order to make ends meet.

I believe people deserve stability. Families deserve security. We all deserve work-life balance, and we need a government to take action to relieve the squeeze people are feeling.

That’s why I’ve announced my commitment to:

•   Three weeks paid vacation, up from the current two

•   Ending exemptions that allow some workers to be paid less than minimum wage, like servers

•   Five paid sick or emergency days for all workers, in addition to five unpaid days

•   Making it harder for employers to label long-time workers “contractors” instead of employees

•   Making it easier to join a union and get a fair first contract 

Today, on Labour Day, let’s celebrate solidarity, labour rights, and our commitment to work together to keep us moving forward.