Parliament resumes! Help demand $500/week in income support & fix EI
Parliament has resumed and there’s no excuse for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to act immediately to restore $500 in weekly federal income support and make permanent improvements to Employment Insurance.
That’s why we’re organizing emergency phone actions on Wednesday, February 2 to call on federal decision-makers to step up. This Wednesday, there will be two phone actions at different times, so no matter where you are in Canada, you can join in and invite your friends and co-workers.
11:30 am (EST) is:
- 8:30 am on the west coast
- 12:30 pm in the Atlantic region
- 1:00 pm in Newfoundland & Labrador
6:00 pm (EST) is:
- 3:00 pm on the west coast
- 7:00 pm in the Atlantic region
- 7:30 pm in Newfoundland & Labrador
Can you join one of these emergency actions?
Even if you can't make it yourself on February 2, please let others know about the action by sharing it on Twitter and Facebook.
Read on for more ways to fight for decent work.
Join the next organizing meeting!
To keep fighting for adequate federal income support and to fix EI, you can join our monthly organizing meeting on Tuesday, February 15 at 7:00 pm EST.
At that meeting, you’ll hear the latest updates about the federal context and you can join the federal issues breakout room to plan the next steps.
RSVP right now to receive the Zoom link by email.
Building Worker Power - Online workshops
Throughout February and March, Justice for Workers is hosting a series of online training sessions to help us become better organizers and mobilizers.
Everyone is welcome! And we encourage you to attend a workshop at a time and date that works for you. This is a great opportunity for us to share knowledge with each other and build skills as more of us join the fight for decent work.
Here’s the plan:
Our Building Worker Power workshops consist of four modules (A, B, C, & D as described below). In February, we will offer modules A, B, and C. In March, we will offer modules A, B, and D. On weekends, you can choose 2 of the three modules and on weeknights, we’ll offer one stand-alone module.
A) Getting Started: Reviewing the Agenda for Decent Work
- Why decent work is a matter of racial justice
- Where our demands come from and why they matter to our communities
- Why must we build power and not simply rely on elected representatives to do it for us?
B) Busting the Big Business BS
- Dealing with difficult questions from the minimum wage to how we make change
- Who creates wealth and how do we close the wealth equity gap?
- Common myths about raising the minimum wage
C) MPP visits as an organizing strategy
- Demonstrating our power from rallies to phone zaps and from petitions to MPP visits
- How do we show our power when we meet with MPPs?
- Know Your Rights workshops as organizing strategies to build workers’ confidence in the workplace
D) Outreach and follow-up (coming in March)
- Why follow-up is essential to growing our movement
- How do we build the confidence of new leaders?
- Learning, testing, assessing, and trying again
Are you inspired?
Read on to see upcoming workshops, actions, local meetings, and events where you can jump in.
Saturday, February 5 | 10:00 am to 12:00 and 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm EST
ONTARIO WORKSHOP: Building Worker Power
Join us for this online workshop where we will be sharing knowledge and building skills to fight for decent work.
10:00 am to 12:00 pm:
- Getting Started: Reviewing the Agenda for Decent Work (Module A)
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm: Choose either Module B or Module C:
- Busting the Big Business BS or
- MPP visits as an organizing strategy
Sunday, February 6 | 2:00 pm
GUELPH Justice for Workers organizing meeting
Join us for this online organizing meeting where we’ll discuss the next steps in building our fight for decent work in Guelph.
Wednesday, February 9 | 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm EST
ONTARIO WORKSHOP: MPP visits as an organizing strategy (Module C)
Join us for this online workshop where we will learn how and why we meet with MPPs, and why we don’t rely on them to do it for us. This is Module C of the Building Worker Power online training series.
Saturday, February 12 | 11:00 am
OTTAWA Outreach action! Outside Whole Foods at 951 Bank Street (Click here for the exact location)
Join us for an hour outside Whole Foods on Bank Street at 11:00 am for this outreach blitz where we'll be collecting signatures on petitions, and leafleting about our upcoming Know Your Rights at Work online training session. We'll be talking to workers, friends and neighbours about why we all need and deserve decent work.
Sunday, February 13 | 10:00 am to 12:00 and 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
ONTARIO WORKSHOP: Building Worker Power
Join us for this online workshop where we will be sharing knowledge and building skills to fight for decent work.
10:00 am to 12:00 pm:
- Getting Started: Reviewing the Agenda for Decent Work (Module A)
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm: Choose either Module B or Module C:
- Busting the Big Business BS or
- MPP visits as an organizing strategy
Sunday, February 13 | 11:00 am
OTTAWA Outreach action! Outside Whole Foods at 951 Bank Street (Click here for the exact location)
Join us for an hour outside Whole Foods on Bank Street for this outreach blitz where we'll be collecting signatures on petitions, and leafleting about our upcoming Know Your Rights at Work online training session. We'll be talking to workers, friends and neighbours about why we all need decent work.
Tuesday, February 15 | 7:00 pm EST
ONTARIO-WIDE: Decent work organizing meeting
Join us at the next monthly decent work online organizing meeting. Co-hosted by Justice for Workers and the Ontario Federation of Labour, we meet every four weeks to plan and coordinate local and provincial actions to win: a $20 minimum wage; at least 10 paid sick days plus 14 more during a pandemic; equal pay for equal work, regardless of our status as part-time, contract, casual, or temp agency workers; and protections on the job when we enforce our legal rights. We want health and safety on the job and decency for injured workers. We are also fighting for adequate federal income support for those of us forced out of work and for full immigration status for all of us.
Sunday, February 20 | 2:00 pm
GUELPH Know your rights at work - workshop
Employers take advantage when workers don’t have rights, don’t know what they are, or don’t know how to enforce them. Do you have questions about income support during the Omicron crisis? Do you have all the protections you need to stay safe at work? Have you been paid for all your hours? Do you have the paid sick days you need to care for yourself and your family?
Jared Ong, an organizer with the Workers' Action Centre, will walk us through our rights at work and how to use them. Co-sponsored by the Guelph and District Labour Council. For more information please email [email protected].
Sunday, February 20 | 2:00 pm
OTTAWA Know your rights at work - workshop
Employers take advantage when workers don’t have rights, don’t know what they are, or don’t know how to enforce them. Do you have questions about income support during the Omicron crisis? Do you have all the protections you need to stay safe at work? Have you been paid for all your hours? Do you have the paid sick days you need to care for yourself and your family?
Join us for this online workshop where we will learn about our work and how to use them. Please RSVP to get the Zoom link.
Wednesday, February 23 | 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm EST
ONTARIO WORKSHOP: Getting started: Reviewing the Agenda for Decent Work (Module A)
Join us for this online workshop where we will learn where our decent work agenda came from, why it is fundamental to racial justice, and how these issues impact our communities. This is Module A of the Building Worker Power online training series.
Saturday, February 26 | 10:00 am to 12:00 and 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm EST
ONTARIO WORKSHOP: Building Worker Power
Join us for this online workshop where we will be sharing knowledge and building skills to fight for decent work.
10:00 am to 12:00 pm:
- Getting Started: Reviewing the Agenda for Decent Work (Module A)
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm: Choose either Module B or Module C:
- Busting the Big Business BS or
- MPP visits as an organizing strategy
Sunday, February 27 | 11:00 am
BRAMPTON Justice for Workers organizing meeting
Join us for this online organizing meeting where we’ll discuss the next steps in building our fight for decent work in Brampton.
Tuesday, March 1 | 7:00 pm
OTTAWA Justice for Workers organizing meeting
Join us for this online organizing meeting where we’ll discuss the next steps in building our fight for decent work in Ottawa.
