Media Advisory: Communities Take Action for Decent Work and a $15 Minimum Wage

"Fight for $15 & Fairness" campaign sweeps Ontario on April 15


TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 15, 2015) - Communities across Ontario are joining the North American-wide movement for decent work and a $15 minimum wage. On April 15, actions are taking place in over 200 cities in the US, Canada and around the world.

In Ontario, workers want Labour Minister Kevin Flynn to use the current review of employment and labour law as an opportunity to curb employer practices that undermine decent wages and working conditions in Ontario.

Workers are also taking their message to the doorsteps of McDonald's, a profitable multi-national corporation that is renown for its low-wage employment practices. "McDonald's has come to exemplify unstable, low-wage, part-time employment," says Patti Dalton, a teacher and member of the London Common Front. "Yet last year, McDonald's made $6.7 billion in profit. There's no reason why that corporation - and others like it - can't provide decent wages and benefits. The time has come for governments everywhere to compel profitable corporations like McDonald's to raise wages and improve working conditions."

"We're showing our support for workers earning poverty-level wages in the United States. We want to help build that movement for a just society," said SEIU Healthcare president Sharleen Stewart. "Fight for 15 is all about justice for working people so that everyone can earn a living wage."

The following Fight for $15 & Fairness events are taking place across Ontario:

April 14:

Canadian Labour Congress

Releases new research paper: The Minimum Wage in Canada

Media Contact: Angella MacEwen, CLC Senior Economist, cell: 613-277-2587

http://www.canadianlabour.ca/news-room/publications/minimum-wage-canada

North Bay

Forum: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Precarious employment and the Fight for $15 & Fairness

Location: North Bay Museum, Oak Street at Ferguson

Media contact: Rob Breton, robbr@nipissingu.ca, 705-474-3450 ext 4438

  • Organized by the Nipissing University Faculty Association and North Bay and District Labour Council

April 15:

Thunder Bay

Action: 8:00 am to 9:00 am

Location: McGillivray Square, City Hall, 500 Donald St. E.

Media contact: Terri Lynne Carter 807-632-4442

Action: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: McDonald's, 770 Memorial Ave.

Media contact: Candace Shirk 807-626-0480

  • Organized by Poverty Free Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay & District Labour Council, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare, and others

Sudbury

Forum: 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Community dialogue on precarious employment: What is its impact on poverty and how can we improve the Employment Standards Act to create fair work practices.

Location: Laughing Buddha (private room), 194 Elgin Street

Media contact: Nicole Beaulieu sudburyworkerscentre@gmail.com

  • Organized by the Sudbury Workers' Education and Advocacy Centre (SWEAC)

Ottawa

Action: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Rally for a Federal $15 Minimum Wage

Location: Prime Minister's Office, 80 Wellington Street

Peterborough

Action: 11:30 am to 12:30 pm

Location: McDonald's, 978 Lansdowne Street

Media contact: Paul Brown 705-868-7426 or pbrown@uwpeterborough.ca

  • Organized by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare, Peterborough Workers' Action Centre, Peterborough and District Labour Council, UNIFOR, Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Canadian Union of Public Employees, and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

London

Action: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Location: McDonald's, 151 Dundas Street (at Richmond)

Media contact: Patti Dalton 519-494-3901

  • Organized by the London Common Front and the London and District Labour Council

Oshawa

Action: 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

Location: Tim Hortons, 17 Athol Street West (at Simcoe)

Media contact: Jim Freeman, President, Durham Region Labour Council cell: 905-431-5607.

  • Organized by We are Oshawa and Durham Region Labour Council

Waterloo

Action: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Location: Waterloo Town Square, 75 King Street South

Media contact: Mark Xuereb, President, Waterloo Regional Labour Council cell: 519-588-0199.

  • Organized by the Alliance against Poverty and supported by the Waterloo Regional Labour Council

Hamilton

Action: 11:30 am to 12:30 pm

Location: McDonald's, 50 Dundurn Street South

Media contact: Gilleen Witkowski, SEIU Healthcare, 416-805-0305 or g.witkowski@seiuhealthcare.ca

  • Organized by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare

Toronto

Action: 11:30 am to 12:30 pm

Location: McDonald's Canada Headquarters, 1 McDonald's Place

Media contact: Gilleen Witkowski, SEIU Healthcare, 416-805-0305 or g.witkowski@seiuhealthcare.ca

  • Organized by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare

Action: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm

Location: Ministry of Labour, 400 University Avenue

Media contact: Pam Frache, cell: 416-578-3472.

  • Organized by Toronto-area members of the Fight for $15 & Fairness

Action: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Location: Pearson International Airport

Media contact: Sean Smith, cell: 416-277-1242

  • Organized by the Toronto Airport Workers' Council

April 23:

Guelph

Forum: 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Community meeting on precarious employment and the Fight for $15

Location: University of Guelph, UTC-07, UC 103

Media contact: Peter Miller, 226-500-3433

  • Organized by Raise the Wage Guelph

For more information:

Contact Information:

Central Media contact:
Pam Frache
cell: 416-578-3472