Launched on April 15, 2015, the public advocacy campaign Fight for $15 and Fairness came to be for the purpose of advocating for the reformation of Ontario labour laws. As the cost of living has increased exponentially over the years, it is widely known that working wages have not increased proportionately. Thus far, the campaign has grown through word of mouth to collect petition signatures, organize public events and consult with politicians regarding labour laws. It has garnered media traction on global news and with outlets like The Varsity, which is the University of Toronto’s Newspaper, and Our Times, a Canadian labour magazine.
Service, labour and other precarious jobs are often regarded as primitive and less than in comparison to ‘professional’ jobs. This leads to the dismissal of considering an increase in the minimum wage and ensuring that workers are functioning in a safe and ethical environment.
This campaign works alongside unionized workers to reform the movement towards a decrease in wages and unjust working conditions. The Fight for $15 and Fairness does not just advocate for $15 minimum wage ⏤ they also advocate for social discourses in the workplace such as racism, sexism, discrimination and Islamophobia. Although the provincial government has enforced the minimum wage of $15 per hour on January 1, 2019, there remains policymakers and advocates for the repeal of these labour laws. This campaign continues to advocate for the wage rights of labourers and the improvement of labour laws.
The outcome that this campaign is fighting for is:
- $15 minimum wage
- Equal pay and equal work opportunities
- Decent hours
- Paid leave
- Protections for migrant workers
- Rules that protect everyone
- Job security and respect at work
- Right to organize and unionize
The campaign has reached health care workers, religious leaders, students and workers in various industries to bring awareness to the organization’s fight for livable wages and fair working conditions.
Health care providers
In 2014, health care workers banded together with Health Providers Against Poverty and the Fight for $15 and Fairness to establish the Decent Work and Health Network, which aims to bring awareness to the unfair working conditions health care providers are subjected to. Without fair labour laws to protect workers, they cannot provide services to patients and those in need. Through their continual communication with MPPs and outreach, Bill 148, also known as the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act has successfully passed, resulting in 10 personal emergency days, two paid sick days, equal pay and equal opportunity of work, fair schedules and $15 minimum wage legislation.
Post-Secondary Outreach
This sector of the campaign focuses on providing equal pay for part-time workers who complete the same jobs as full-time employees and fighting the reduction of precariously employed contract faculty wages. With discussion of having the ability to unionize, those who sign this petition oppose the College Employers Council’s efforts to decrease fair wages for precarious faculty.
Faith Community
Those from various religious backgrounds have come together in fighting for wages that prevent poverty. They directly address the Canadian government regarding the Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations act to end worker exploitation, discrimination and unfair work conditions. In their statement, they explain that they see the first-hand accounts of first- and second-generation immigrants and refugees working precarious jobs that do not provide any scheduling security, thus leaving them vulnerable to poverty. To summarize their demands, they are asking for fair scheduling, one hour paid sick time per 35 hours worked, job security and fair work, ability to unionize and a $15 minimum wage
Migrant Workers
The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program has been connecting migrant workers to jobs in Canada since the 1800s, but they still have not been granted the same rights as their colleagues. The Fight for $15 and Fairness recognizes migrant work as permanent and that workers do not have protections regarding minimum wage, work hours or benefits. They are asking for enforcement of labour laws, anti-reprisal protections, the ability to unionize and to abolish recruitment work fees that are solely paid by the migrant worker.
MPPs
The Fight for 15 and Fairness seeks support from MPPs to get their demands heard by politicians who are invested in the day-to-day experiences of Canadians. MPPs who sign this petition pledge to advocate for fair wage and labour rights in the sector of unstable employment. This pledge includes endorsing the statement that the Ontario government must fully fund the $15 and fairness agenda and advocate for the campaign against the Big Business lobby. MPPs pledging this helps to ensure $15 minimum wage, decent livable hours, equal pay for equal work, workplace respect, job security, labour laws that protect all employees, ability to unionize and protection for migrant workers.
Given the current social and economic climate, I think we can all agree that livable wages and safe working conditions are the bare minimum.
Reference
“Movement.” Fight for $15 and Fairness, 15 and Fairness.org.