04) ACTIONS ACROSS ONTARIO DEMAND $14 MINIMUM WAGE
From the Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage, http://raisetheminimumwage.ca
Ontario workers are struggling to get by. More and more decent jobs are being replaced by low‑wage work.
The minimum wage has been frozen at $10.25 for three years. In that time, food and transit costs have soared while inflation has driven down minimum wage earnings 19% below the poverty line.
It's time for an increase! We need a minimum wage of $14 to bring workers and their families above the poverty line (by 10%) and a commitment to annual cost‑of living adjustments.
The three year freeze on minimum wage drags down workers wages, increases inequality and hurts our economy.
The Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage was launched in March 2013, with communities across Ontario demanding the government break the freeze. Creative actions and rallies took place in 14 cities with local community groups and activists delivering our message to local MPPs and Ministry of Labour offices.
The Ontario government has said that it will have a panel study minimum wages. But Ontarians can't wait for another commission. We need a raise now.
On November 14, the Campaign spearheaded a province‑wide day of action where students, labour activists and community members visited Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) urging them to support a $14 minimum wage for all workers.
Across Ontario, community members organized visits with well over half of all sitting MPPs in Ontario and presented cheques for $5 billion - the amount a $14 minimum wage would put back into workers' pockets.
On dozens of campuses, students organized outreach blitzes and joined MPP delegation visits, supported by the Canadian Federation of Students‑Ontario.
Community, student and labour activists in BARRIE organized a minimum wage rally that made front page news. The group marched from Georgian College to Conservative MPP Rod Jackson's office.
In THUNDER BAY, a rally was organized by Poverty Free Thunder Bay and the Thunder Bay and District Labour Council outside the office of Liberal MPP Michael Gravelle.
Hope Hamilton members met with NDP MPP Monique Taylor, while the Hamilton Labour Council met with NDP MPP Paul Miller. Meanwhile, McMaster students delivered petitions to NDP Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath's office.
In BRAMPTON, the Mississauga and District Labour Council met with Liberal MPP Harinder Takhar, and presented a cheque for $5 billion to Liberal MPP Linda Jeffrey.
In the TORONTO GTA, about 50 people joined a delegation at Premier Kathleen Wynne's constituency office, delivering a large cheque in the amount of $5 billion. Following the action at Wynne's office, labour, community and student groups split up visits to MPPs from Rexdale to Scarborough.
Together Access Alliance Community Health Centre, ACORN, Bread and Bricks, CASSA, PCLS, Respect Scarborough, SAWRO, Scarborough Anti‑Poverty Coalition, South Riverdale Community Health Centre, Toronto & York Region Labour Council, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Students' Union, UNIFOR members and Workers' Action Centre visited 17 different MPP offices in the GTA!
Other community members carried out outreach drives to gather support for the campaign.
Other actions took place in Brantford, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, St. Thomas, Woodstock, Ottawa, Oshawa, Peterborough, Sudbury, Niagara, Kenora, Chatham, Sault Ste. Marie, Burlington, Oakville, Guelph, Kingston, Timmins, Windsor, and in York Region.
In total, campaign supporters visited more than 50 MPPs across Ontario, and close to 1,000 people sent a message to their MPP asking them to support a $14 minimum wage!
(The above article is from the December 1-31, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)