Ontario’s minimum wage earners well below poverty line: CUPE / Second unionized H&M in country reaches first deal
Ontario’s minimum wage workers below poverty line: CUPE
TORONTO — Ontario’s minimum wage earners are struggling to make ends meet, according to a report from the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
On Nov. 1, CUPE submitted its report to the labour ministry’s minimum wage advisory panel.
In it, the union said a full-time employee working for minimum wage earns an income 21 per cent below the poverty line.
As such, the minimum wage should be increased to $14 an hour, up from the current $10.25, CUPE said.
"Raising the minimum wage isn’t just good for low-wage earners, it’s good for the economy. History shows that raising the minimum wage creates an economic boost and creates jobs," said Janice Folk-Dawson, chair of CUPE Ontario’s university workers’ co-ordinating committee.
"This is an equality issue. Minimum wage earners are disproportionately women, racialized workers, people with disabilities and new immigrants," she continued. "They are also the people doing difficult, front line service jobs like cleaners, food service workers, the child care workers who look after our kids, the personal support workers who look after our aging parents, and the social service workers who support people with developmental disabilities."
Much of the province’s recent job growth is due in large part to part-time and casual work which often pay minimum rates, the union said, estimating that about 534,000 Ontarians earn minimum wage.
"Ontario hasn’t raised the minimum wage since 2010, while most other provinces have. It needs to be raised above the poverty line to $14 an hour," Folk-Dawson went on to say.
Earlier this summer, the Ministry of Labour appointed a panel to assess its minimum wage rubric.
The minimum wage in Alberta is $9.95, $10.25 in British Columbia, $10 in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, $10.30 in Nova Scotia, $11 in Nunavut and $10.45 in Manitoba, the latter of which upped its minimum wage in October.
Currently, the only provinces without a formal mechanism for calculating minimum wage are Ontario, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.
Quebec H&M employees sign first-ever collective agreement
On Nov. 2, sales advisors represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 500 signed their very first contract with the company.
As part of the new deal, which expires in 2016, retail staff will get pay rate protection regardless of employment status, as well as improved personal leave provisions for part-timers.
"By joining an international union that is recognized for its expertise in the retail sector, not only did the sales advisors at the H&M store improve their power relationship with their employer, they also empowered themselves with a strong voice to negotiate a strong collective agreement. By having a seat at the bargaining table, they were able to be part of the solution," said Antonio Filato, president of the local chapter.
The Quebec-based store is the second in the country to unionize — the first being an H&M in Mississauga, Ont., which certified back in 2011.
