We are having an action-packed summer with outreach blitzes, phone zaps and decent work picnics. And on August 8, to kick off the new Ontario Legislatively Assembly session, we joined the Ontario Federation of Labour to fill the front lawn of Queen’s Park. Together, we let Premier Doug Ford know Ontario needs fair wages, paid sick days, well-funded good quality public services, safe schools and an end to the healthcare crisis. 

We need your help to keep that momentum going. Join us for our next online decent work organizing meeting on Tuesday, August 23 at 7:00 pm EDT to plan the next round of actions. 

Read on to learn about the 4 decent work issues we’ll focus on for our breakout action groups at the August organizing meeting.

1) Safe Schools and Paid Sick Days

As we prepare for another school year, it is shocking we are still fighting to ensure all parents have paid sick days so they can stay home with sick children. 

Although the Ford government extended the WIPB (Worker Income Protection Benefit) for another 8 months, he did not increase the number of days available. In other words, those of us who already used the maximum 3 paid sick days between April 29, 2021, and today, have nothing under this extension.

Only having 3 paid sick days to stretch over more than 700 days is a sick joke when COVID-19 requires multiple days to isolate and multiple days to get vaccinated. And with the spread of monkeypox cases and seasonal flu, freezing and limiting paid sick days to only COVID reasons is a disaster waiting to happen.

That’s why health providers and education workers are joining forces to demand Safe Schools this September. We are demanding:

• 10 permanent paid sick days, plus an additional 14 days during public health outbreaks;
• Adequate funding to ensure the schools are safe and healthy for kids and staff;
• Fair wages and free collective bargaining.
  

2) Status for all

Under pressure from migrants and their allies, the federal government is considering a program to provide full immigration status to people who don’t have it. This is a huge development; without full and permanent immigration status, migrants don't have equal rights and protections under the law.

But the corporations who profit from precarious migrant labour are now actively lobbying the government to severely limit the number of people protected under any federal plan.

That’s why the Justice for Workers campaign is working with the Migrant Rights Network to collect thousands of petition signatures to show there is widespread support for status for all migrants. And on Sunday, September 18, Justice for Workers will join the Migrant Rights Network for a pan-Canadian Day of Action for Rights, Regularization, Status for All.

Watch the video below of 7 brave undocumented migrant workers who are stepping out of the shadows to share why their fight for Status For All is so important. Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter

3) Fix Employment Insurance

On September 24, all temporary measures that improved our access to EI will expire. At the start of COVID, the federal government relaxed EI eligibility to improve access to emergency support for those most in need. Without these supports, it would have been much worse for workers and their families due to the COVID closures, lockdowns and layoffs. As a Statistics Canada report shows, the positive impact of an accessible EI system on workers' lives is undeniable. [1]

An inaccessible and inadequate EI program is another disaster for workers who need access to EI now when the next crisis hits. That's why we are demanding the federal government immediately extend the temporary EI measures and implement the following permanent changes: 

• Expand EI access:
  • A 360-hour or 12-week qualifying rule with 50 weeks of income support
  • An end to harsh disqualification rules
  • Ensure migrant workers have access to EI 
  • End misclassification, a practice where employers falsely label their employees as self-employed independent contractors to avoid paying their fair share of EI and CPP.
• Improve the weekly benefit rate and include a guaranteed weekly minimum
• Fund a new, annual federal government contribution to EI to help pay for improvements, provide adequate staffing with fair pay, and ensure EI acts as an effective economic stabilizer at times of crisis.

4) Labour solidarity for decent work

Inflation is at a 30-year high. Yet for too many of us, our wages remain the same. That's why from construction to coffee shops, and from healthcare to education, Ontario workers are organizing to demand better. That's also why public sector workers are demanding an end to Bill 124 which freezes workers’ wages. Even scientists and researchers recently marched on Parliament Hill demanding livable wages. [2]

At our August Decent Work organizing meeting, we’ll be hosting a labour solidarity breakout group to discuss ways we can support all those who are fighting for fairness at Ontario workplaces. We want to keep building momentum for our demands by visiting picket lines and supporting other workers who are taking on bad bosses - including those without union protection. 

Now's the time to organize!

There are local events are coming online every week. Check out our website to find a decent work action near you, or to download decent work outreach materials such as leaflets, posters and fact sheets. 

See you at the August organizing meeting!

Jared Ong for Justice for Workers

[1] "Pandemic benefits cushion losses for low-income earners and narrow income inequality." Statistics Canada. July 13th, 2022. 

[2] "The future of science in Canada is at risk: Researchers call for pay raise" CTV News. August 11th, 2022.

Thanks to you, we pushed Premier Doug Ford and Labour Minister Monte McNaughton to extend the Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIPB). Although the WIPB is inadequate, this small step forward has resulted in real improvements for those of us with the fewest protections.

We are at a crossroads yet again – Ontario’s temporary paid sick days program is set to expire at the end of the month. The Cabinet is currently discussing next steps. This means we can expect an announcement any day. Now is the time to keep up the pressure for 10 paid sick days. 

Simply extending the Worker Income Protection benefit (WIPB) isn’t going to cut it. The WIPB is far from what workers need – especially as we enter the seventh wave of the pandemic. The WIPB only provides three non-renewable sick days that workers have had to stretch over 468 days, and can only be used for COVID-related reasons. 

And, this inadequate program has already cost Ontarians more than $191 million – not including $43.7 million earmarked to pay Deloitte to administer the program – money that could be funding healthcare and public services. Paid sick days should be employer-paid, which would cost the government nothing. Instead, Premier Ford is using our tax dollars to subsidize business!

If Premier Ford and Labour Minister Monte McNaughton were truly “working for workers” then legislating 10 paid sick days would be the first order of business for the new government. Across Ontario, workers like yourself are taking action. We won paid sick days from this government once and we can certainly do it again.

Here are 4 actions you can take right now to win 10 paid sick days: 

1. Join an outreach action in your neighbourhood to spread the word
2. Phone your elected representatives
3. Put up these posters in your neighbourhood or near an MPPs constituency office 
4. Sign and share this online petition – using the hashtags: #Justice4Workers and #PaidSickDays 
   

Screenshot from the Justice for Workers Emergency Phone Zap for 10 Paid Sick Days on July 12, 2022

This summer we can win Status for All! 

We have a historic opportunity to win status for all this summer. In response to the inspiring organizing and leadership from migrants across the country, the federal government is moving forward with a regularization blitz for people with permanent residency. 

• Parliament has unanimously passed a motion asking the Immigration Minister to create a plan by September 8 to give permanent residency to low-waged migrants, including work and study permit holders; and
• Prime Minister Trudeau has asked the Immigration Minister to create a “regularization program”, which would give permanent resident status to undocumented people.

This summer, we can win a transformation of the immigration system so that all migrants can have equal rights and be with their families.

There will be pushback from bad bosses, landlords, private healthcare businesses, and big colleges who profit when migrants have fewer rights. So, to win we’ll need to keep fighting and be louder than them. 

Friend, can you: 

1. Join the Status for All Day of Action on Sunday, July 17 in Toronto, Montréal, and St. Catherines and/or use these materials to spread the word in your neighborhood and community
2. Sign the online petition and share it with the hashtags #StatusForAll and #Justice4Workers
3. Join the next Migrant Rights Network online organizing meeting for allies and supporters on Tuesday, July 19. Click here to RSVP

Photo Latinx Justice for Workers leaders holding the new Regularize Now! Equal Rights for All Migrants poster

Toronto Decent Work Organizing Meeting

We are restarting our monthly in-person organizing meetings in Toronto. Our first meeting will be on Tuesday, August 30 at 6 pm (refreshments at 5:30 pm). Then we’ll be meeting every four weeks on September 27, October 25, and November 22. 

The meeting will be at the Workers’ Action Centre located at 720 Spadina Avenue in the Community Organizing Room. 

You don’t want to miss this meeting. You’ll meet other Justice for Workers supporters and help plan the next steps for the campaign in your neighbourhood. 

Will you join the Toronto Decent Work Organizing Meeting on Tuesday, August 30?

Ontario Decent Work Organizing Meeting

Our next online provincial organizing meeting is on Tuesday, August 23 at 7 pm. This meeting will be an excellent opportunity for you to hear from decent work champions across the province and get ideas for how you can take action in your community.

Can we count on you to come and bring someone new with you? 

After August 23, we'll resume meeting every four weeks on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. Please mark these upcoming dates in your calendars: September 20, October 18, and November 15.

Ontario Decent Work Organizing Meeting

Our next online provincial organizing meeting is on Tuesday, August 23 at 7 pm. This meeting will be an excellent opportunity for you to hear from decent work champions across the province and get ideas for how you can take action in your community.

Can we count on you to come and bring someone new with you? 

After August 23, we'll resume meeting every four weeks on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. Please mark these upcoming dates in your calendars: September 20, October 18, and November 15.

Local actions and events

Scroll down to see upcoming local actions and events. And if you have an idea for an action or need support to organize an event in your community, please send us an email at [email protected]. 

Group photo from the Toronto Decent Work Picnic in Christie Pitts on June 18, 2022

For upcoming local events, please visit our Meetings & Events page here. And if you have an idea for an action or need support to organize an event in your community, please send us an email at [email protected].

–

Can’t wait to see you on the streets this summer! 

We have a historic opportunity to win status for all this summer. Parliament has directed the Minister of Immigration to create a plan by September 8 to give permanent residency to low-waged migrant workers. At the same time, Prime Minister Trudeau asked the Minister of Immigration to create a “regularization program,” which means giving permanent resident status to undocumented people. Because the government is planning for both of these changes this summer, what we say and do now will have a real impact on their final decision.

There are an estimated 1.7 million temporary migrants in Canada.  That means one in every 23 people in Canada is a non-permanent resident. Unfortunately, there are only a few difficult-to-access immigration programs for some low-waged caregivers and farmworkers. Most migrants are excluded. And there has been no mass regularization program for undocumented migrants in Canada for decades.

Because of their precarious immigration status, temporary migrants are forced to work in some of the country’s most dangerous jobs. Yet they are paid the lowest wages with the least protection and with almost no government support. As Mariana makes clear: 

“I left my country to save my life. Since coming to Canada with my daughter, I have searched many places to get help and information on how to get status here or claim refugee status. My 16-year-old daughter and I had no option but for both of us to start work, accepting exploitative working conditions through agencies because I have no work permit. We have suffered bullying from supervisors in the factories where we have worked. They pressure us because they know we come from an agency that uses undocumented people. During the pandemic, we were not allowed to apply for any government benefit. So we have to risk our lives and carry on working.”

Excerpt from: From the Frontlines: An urgent agenda for decent work

We can win status for all if we organize. Many forces don’t want migrants to have their rights. Bad bosses, landlords, private healthcare businesses and big colleges want to keep paying migrants less and making more money off of migrants. Anti-immigrant, racist groups also oppose positive changes. They will try to divide us and make us fight each other by pushing for small changes that exclude many and reward a few. 

But we can win. Not just a partial, one-time TR to PR program, or a small regularization program but a transformation of the immigration system so that all migrants can have equal rights, well-paying jobs, and be with their families. 

Will you sign and share the Migrant Rights Network petition?

The Migrant Rights Network is also hosting online organizing meetings. The first cross-country organizing meeting is on Tuesday, July 5 at 4 pm ET. These meetings will be a great opportunity for you to learn more and plan actions in your community. 

Can you join the meeting? Click the button below to RSVP and get the link to join online. 

Ontario needs 10 permanent paid sick days

There is growing pressure on Ford’s government to legislate ten permanent paid sick days for all workers. On Friday, June 24, as Ford announced his new cabinet, the Decent Work and Health Network (DWHN) released an open letter now signed by more than 240 health care workers in support of ten permanent paid sick days.

Rather than ensuring that workers have adequate protections, Ontario’s Labour Minister Monte McNaughton committed to extending the Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIPB) – for as long as COVID is in the province. But the WIPB falls short of what workers need:

• The WIPB is temporary and cannot be used for non-COVID-related illnesses;
• The WIPB is not renewable, offering only three paid sick days for 468 days (more if extended), meaning workers that used their three days in May 2021, have no paid sick days left
• The WIPB could cost the public as much as $43.7 million to administer through Deloitte (a private consulting firm)

We need the government to immediately legislate at least 10 paid sick days. To be effective, paid sick days must be universally available, immediately accessible without barriers, fully-paid by employers, adequate in number, and permanent.

On Tuesday, July 12 at 5:30 pm ET, we’re organizing an Emergency Phone Action to call on Premier Doug Ford, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton and your MPPs to immediately legislate: 10 permanent paid sick days for all workers.

Will you join the Emergency Phone Action on Tuesday, July 12?

Help spread the word about the expiration of the Worker Income Protection Benefit in your community by printing our new leaflets and posters. Click here to download the poster and click here to download the leaflet.

Walk with Grassy Narrows for Mercury Justice! 

The devastating mercury crisis in Grassy Narrows First Nation has persisted for decades, ever since nine tonnes of mercury was dumped upstream in the 1960s, with little government action to help the people.

To this day, 86% of Grassy Narrows members got no compensation for the impacts of the ongoing mercury crisis on their health, culture, and livelihoods. To make matters worse, Ontario is now proposing mining exploration and industrial logging on Grassy Narrows lands against Grassy Narrows’ will.

At noon on Thursday, July 21 at Queens Park, walk with Grassy Narrows youth and community members to show that we are with them on their path to achieving mercury justice and freedom.

Check out FreeGrassy.net for more details as the event approaches.

Next Ontario organizing meeting

We are skipping our July organizing meeting to give everyone a chance to organize local events over the summer. Our next Ontario organizing meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 23 at 7 pm ET. 

Can we count on you to bring new folks to our next provincial meeting?

After August 23, we'll resume meeting every four weeks on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. Please mark these upcoming dates in your calendars: September 20, October 18, and November 15.

With the provincial election behind us and the summer warming up, there’s no better time to hit the streets and keep building our decent work movement.

And it’s urgent we do so because Ontario's three paid sick days are set to end on July 31.

We know that low-wage frontline workers are more likely to get sick from the workplace and have the least health and safety protections. Without access to permanent paid sick leave, workers will continue to be forced to choose between going to work sick or losing pay.

One of Doug Ford's first acts as Premier was cancelling our two permanent paid sick days. Yet last year, we forced Premier Ford to pass legislation to provide three temporary paid sick days for COVID-19. However imperfect, we should feel proud that we moved Ford to pass this legislation.

But the legislation is set to expire in just a few weeks. It's urgent that we redouble our effort for permanent, employer-paid sick days for all workers. Will you sign and share the petition for 10 permanent paid sick days? 

Paid Sick Days Emergency Phone Zap

In addition to sending an email, we want to make sure Premier Ford hears our voices directly. That's why we are hosting an emergency phone action on Tuesday, July 12 at 5:30 pm. Please RSVP now: Emergency Phone Zap: for 10 Paid Sick Days. 

For this Phone Zap, we'll meet on Zoom, prepare ourselves with some talking points, then we will take a few minutes to call the Premier as well as the Labour and Health ministers (we expect the new cabinet to be announced by the end of June.) 

Post-Election Debrief

Did you miss our June 7 organizing meeting? No worries! Here's a 4-point recap and a video of the conversation kick-off (click here to watch the video):

1. Deena Ladd from the Workers’ Action Centre and David Bush from the Income Security Advocacy Centre kicked off our discussion. Both emphasized the fact that less than 18% of eligible voters cast a ballot for Doug Ford's Conservatives. Ford’s majority in Queens Park does not signal sweeping support for the Conservative's agenda.
   
   
2. We have moved decent work to the centre of Ontario’s political agenda. At least three parties included our decent work demands in their election platform and during the election campaign, both the Green Party and the New Democratic Party improved their platforms. Even the Conservative Party under Doug Ford moved his campaign message box from “Open for Business” in 2018 to “Working for Workers” in 2022.
   
   
3. The strength of our decent work agenda has grown. As Deena asked at the meeting: "Has our movement grown? Do we feel stronger than previously? Are we more deeply rooted than we were before?" To help us answer those questions, here are a few highlights from the Justice for Workers movement.
   
   
   • Since January, more than 25,000 people participated in our campaign and more than 4,000 people joined the campaign.
   • Through the Building Worker Power workshops, we trained more than 400 people from diverse communities. 
   • In 25 weeks, local leaders organized over 130 events, workshops, outreach blitzes, meetings, and phone zaps right across the province. That’s an average of almost 6 events per week for 25 weeks! 
   • We organized in a variety of communities and produced election materials in seven different languages: Bengali, Chinese, English, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish and Tamil. 
   • This election, 85 provincial candidates took the pledge to go beyond the party platforms to be a Decent Work Champion – compared to just 31 candidates in 2018. This year, 28 of those candidates were elected and 25 came in 2nd. 
     
     
4. In our breakout room discussions, every group reported a sense of excitement to keep up the fight for decent work. Ideas included using the summer months to engage our new leaders and supporters and focus on skills-sharing to make our movement stronger.

Next Ontario organizing meeting

We’re skipping our July organizing meeting to give everyone a chance to organize local events over the summer. Our next Ontario organizing meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 23 at 7:00 pm. 

Can we count on you to bring new folks to our next provincial meeting on August 23 at 7:00 pm? 

After August 23, we'll resume meeting every four weeks on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. Please mark these upcoming dates in your calendars: September 20, October 18, and November 15.

Lawn & Window Signs

Lawn and window signs are still a great way to increase the visibility of the campaign in your community. Put up a sign showing you are proud to support decent work for all. Click here to request a lawn or window sign and feel free to order a few more to share with your friends.

Local Actions & Outreach Events

For upcoming local events, please visit our Meetings & Events page here. And if you have an idea for an action or need support to organize an event in your community, please send us an email at [email protected].

We know the election results were not what many of us had hoped for. But just because Doug Ford has a majority of MPPs at Queen’s Park, doesn’t mean he represents the majority of people in Ontario. The majority of Ontarians still want decent work, good quality social services, and income support programs that allow all of us to live in dignity. 

Ford’s so-called mandate was achieved with just 17.6% of eligible voters. That means the majority of people -- over 80% -- did NOT vote for Ford. Most Ontarians are NOT content with the status quo. But like many of us, they lack confidence about what can be done. Others are angry about the electoral process and its failure to deliver change. 

But this is actually a reason to be hopeful because it tells us there are millions of people out there ready to be organized and fight for change between elections. 

Given how hard we’ve worked, it might be hard to believe that many Ontarians did not know that a $20 minimum wage, 10 paid sick days and other decent work issues were on the table this election. It tells us we still have much to do to build the strength of our movement.

That’s why tonight’s election debrief is important. 

We can assess the new context, share lessons, and develop a plan of action for the summer. Kicking off our discussion will be Deena Ladd from the Workers’ Action Centre and David Bush from the Income Security Advocacy Centre. After their initial reflections, we’ll head into smaller group discussions, where we want to hear from you, about what you learned in your outreach and what things you might do differently going forward. And we want to hear what kind of decent work organizing you want to do over the summer and how we can support each other to do that work.

It's time to elect decent work champions. We know there's so much information during an election it can be a challenge to focus on the issues that matter most to us. We want to make it easy for you. That’s why we put together this Decent Work Election Toolkit that highlights important issues like:

• A $20 minimum wage for all
  We don't support the Liberal plan to introduce regional wage schemes. Regional wages schemes reject equal pay for equal work, and instead pays people doing the same job less just because they live in a different region. This disastrous approach will entrench poverty by postal code and pit wages against social programs.
  
  
• 10 permanent paid sick days
  Legislating 10 permanent, employer-paid sick days is a public health matter and a racial justice issue. Without legislation, frontline workers will continue being forced to choose between: staying home sick and losing pay or going to work with symptoms. 
  
  
• Doubling Ontario's social assistance rates
  Doubling Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits would mean many more of us can live in dignity. But we must keep fighting to ensure everyone has at least $500/week in income, whether it comes from wages, social assistance, workers' compensation, Employment Insurance, or Canada Pension Plan. 
  
  
• Ending the practice of “deeming” that hurts injured workers
  Too many injured workers live in poverty. “Deeming” is the WSIB practice of cutting injured workers' compensation rates by the income they would receive in a minimum wage job, even though the person is not actually working. On June 2, we can vote to end this cruelty once and for all.  

Who are the Decent Work Champions this election?

Here's the current list of candidates who pledged to go beyond the party platforms to fight for a bold vision for decent work. If you know of a decent work champion running in this election, who hasn’t yet signed the pledge, please invite them to do so.

Make a plan to vote

For many of us, it can feel like our vote doesn't matter. And after a hard day's work, a trip to the polling station may seem like just another chore. But with so many tight races underway, every single vote matters. And let's not forget: voting for decent work champions sends an important message to both politicians and pundits alike that the majority of Ontarians support stronger protections at work.

Make a plan now to vote for decent work champions. To learn more about how and where to vote, visit Elections Ontario.

Provincial organizing meeting: Tuesday, June 7

No matter who wins the election, we must keep building the strength of our movement. 

Don’t miss our next Ontario-wide organizing meeting at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, June 7. This meeting will give us a chance to debrief the provincial election as well as strategize about the next steps for our decent work movement. 

Will you join us next Tuesday at 7:00 pm? 

Because of you, we've put decent work squarely on the agenda. And on Thursday, June 2, we'll be counting on you to vote for YOUR decent work champion. 

Many people we’re talking to are keen to understand what the different political parties are offering when it comes to Ontario's minimum wage.

As it stands, we have a stark choice: a $20 minimum wage for all; regional wage schemes where some of us are paid less for doing the same work depending on where we live; or nothing at all. 

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario: Nothing at all

Contrary to media spin, Doug Ford’s Conservative Party has promised nothing on the minimum wage. 

Ford claims he’ll raise the minimum wage to $15.50 this October 1. But let’s be clear: the $15.50 is not a new election promise. Rather, Section 23.1(4) of the Employment Standards Act requires any Ontario government to adjust the minimum wage every October 1 to keep up with rising prices. This is the law that we, as Ontario workers, already fought for and won! 

In fact, had Doug Ford not cancelled our $15 minimum wage that should have taken effect on January 1, 2019 our minimum wage would have been $16.30 this October 1.

New Democratic Party of Ontario: $20 minimum wage

The Ontario New Democratic Party is calling for a phased-in $20 minimum wage.

Under this plan, the minimum wage will increase by $2 in the first 11 months, becoming $16 on October 1 and $17 on May 1, 2023. It will then rise by $1 every year after, reaching $20 on May 1, 2026. After which, the minimum wage will be indexed to inflation.

Ontario Liberal Party: $16 and consultations

The Ontario Liberal Party has committed to increasing the minimum wage to $16 and engaging in further consultations on regional minimum wages.

We believe this is problematic for 4 reasons. 

1) If the previous Liberal government's $15 minimum wage had not been cancelled by Ford, the Liberal Party’s own policy would have resulted in a $16.30 minimum wage this October. Promising only $16 in 2022 is less than what the previous Liberal government had committed to.

2) Spending more time consulting is totally unnecessary. The vast majority of Ontarians already know we need legislation to raise the minimum wage as soon as possible. We need wages that will lift us out of poverty. 

3) Under the Liberals’ regional wage scheme, workers in “low-cost” jurisdictions will be paid far less than those in Toronto. For example, Sault Ste. Marie’s living wage is calculated to be just $16.20. In Durham, it’s $17.80. But northern communities and many others also have expenses not reflected in the “typical” household budget that forms the basis of these regional wage calculations. 

Under a regional wage scheme, workers in the vast majority of Ontario regions would be paid far less than the $20/hr we're calling for.

4) These kinds of regional wage schemes reinforce structural racism. Many migrants and workers of colour are already over-represented in low-wage, precarious employment and often live in lower cost regions because of the lack of affordable housing, among other things. Paying such workers less, based on their postal codes, would be a disastrous step backward.

As Deena Ladd from the Workers’ Action Centre explained at the first leaders’ debate, regional wage schemes entrench racism and poverty by postal code and undermine equal pay for equal work.


This is why we strongly oppose the Liberals' regional wage scheme that will see so many of us earn less than others based solely on where we live.

The Ontario Green Party: $20 minimum wage

Under the Green Party plan, the minimum wage will increase to $16 in 2022, then rise by $1 each year until it reaches $20. 

Although initially supporting the same regional wage scheme as the Liberals, the Green Party listened to feedback and now supports a phased-in $20 minimum wage.

You can make a difference

With just days until election day, there’s no time to lose to vote for decent work champions. Here are 3 ways you can make a difference.

• Order a lawn or window sign  
  Order a sign and let everyone know you support a $20 minimum wage and decent work by putting a sign on your door, window or lawn. 
  
  
• Vote
  In the last Ontario election, many candidates won or lost by a handful of votes. Don’t forget: You don’t have to vote on June 2. You can skip the lines and vote in advance up till June 1. Find out where and how to vote at Elections Ontario. 

• Join our June 7 Ontario Decent Work Organizing Meeting 
  No matter who wins on June 2, it’s crucial to keep organizing. At the June 7 provincial decent work organizing meeting, we'll assess the new political terrain and keep the momentum going for decent work.

A word about public opinion polls

We hear from some folks that public opinion polls covered in the news have left them feeling as if the election is a done deal. But we know the opposite is true: when we organize, we have always made a difference.

If it weren’t for all the work we’ve done together in the years before this election, so many decent work demands wouldn’t be on the agenda. And we know that a $20 minimum wage, 10 paid sick days and equal-pay for equal work are hugely popular among voters of every Ontario political party.

This election is our big chance to connect voters to their desire for fair wages and decent work. We really can vote for decent work champions. But it's not automatic that our issues will be covered on the news. That’s why we’re counting on you to spread the word, help others cast their vote for decent work and invite them to join the movement.

If we organize effectively now, we'll be in a much stronger position to fight for decent work after the election. No matter who wins on June 2, thanks to you, we'll be ready to continue the fight for decent work in every part of the province.

Thanks to you, we have a opportunity to VOTE on June 2nd for a $20 minimum wage, 10 paid sick days, equal pay-for-equal work and so much more. But it’s still a race against the clock to make sure everyone has the information they need to make their vote count.

Ontario Election Toolkit for Decent Work

The Ontario Election Toolkit has all you need to organize in your community. 

The Ontario provincial election campaign has begun. Thanks to you, a $20 minimum wage; 10 paid sick days; equal pay for part-time, contract and temp workers; real protections for gig workers; and measures to make it easier to join unions are all on the political agenda in this election.

But to win this fight, we must make sure every worker in Ontario has the tools to maximize the vote for decent work. In the next 4 weeks, we will be organizing phone banks, in-person outreach blitzes, street postering, and educationals so we can all elect decent work champions across Ontario on June 2.

We are counting on you to help make this happen. Here are 2 ways to build the fight:

1) Attend the next Justice for Workers organizing meeting this Tuesday, May 10 at 7:00 pm

At Tuesday’s organizing meeting, we will debrief about all our amazing actions across Ontario for the May 1 day of action. We can compare notes on where the parties stand on our key decent work demands and we'll launch our decent work election toolkit.

2) Fund the movement for decent work 

We’re going to be honest with you. We've spent a lot of resources making sure we had a great turnout for the May 1 province-wide day of action and to make sure decent work demands are front and centre in this election. We’ve trained hundreds of local organizers, hosted outreach blitzes across the province, made thousands of phone calls, distributed thousands of leaflets, produced hundreds of placards, shipped posters across Ontario, and published crucial backgrounders, including the primer on why decent work is a matter of racial justice. 

But we need your help to keep the pressure on. After all, no matter what happens on election day, our movement needs to be bigger and stronger for the fight ahead.

Will you please help us fund the fight for decent work?

Thanks to you, we have a real opportunity to make decent work a central issue in this campaign. And with your help, I know we'll make it happen.