Friends,

What an incredible day yesterday was. Bill 148 passed third and final reading, ushering in major changes to our employment laws and a $15 minimum wage.

I was at Queen’s Park yesterday morning for the vote and the excitement in the air was electric. An hour later, I joined the mass rally outside on the lawn of the legislature, hosted by the Ontario Federation of Labour and Fight for $15 and Fairness – celebrating this win for working people.

Ontario workers have a lot to cheer for – but we’ve earned it. Unifor members worked side by side with other trade unionists, workers and community partners to help win these changes. By working together, we were stronger and pushed for the kinds of reforms workers needed.

I am extremely proud of the work that we’ve done over the last two years to make this win possible. Thank you for your efforts. I am also very proud that our movement did not shy away from the challenge by big business – particularly this past summer when the provincial and local chambers of commerce ramped up the rhetoric that a wage increase would destroy the economy. Big business doesn’t run this province – working people do!

Make no mistake though – we need to stay active to keep pushing. The provincial election is on the horizon and we need to work hard to protect these gains. We’ll be mobilizing like never before for the June 2018 Ontario election because so much will be at stake.

Find out more about Bill 148 here: https://news.ontario.ca/mol/en/2017/11/modernizing-ontarios-labour-laws-to-create-fairness-and-opportunity-the-fair-workplaces-better-jobs.html

Thank you once again for your efforts and keep up the fight!

In solidarity,

Naureen Rizvi

Ontario Regional Director

NEXT WEEKS EXECUTIVE VISIBILITY WILL BE AT MARKHAM. SEE YOU THERE !

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Statement
On December 6, take a pause to recognize the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. As we remember the 13 engineering students and one worker who were murdered at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989 by an act of gender-based violence, we also commemorate all the missing and murdered Aboriginal women, transgender women, and each and every woman whose lives have been harmed or lost to gender-based violence.
This year, there is a growing, worldwide conversation about sexual harassment and assault. More and more women are coming forward with their experiences in the workplace and in their working lives.
Countless others don’t have the safety to share their stories. It is in this context that Unifor continues its work to highlight the link between the sexism and misogyny we face in our everyday lives and violence against women and girls. By recognizing that link, we can use the tools to change it.

2017 Dec 6 Statement