CUPE Local 1479

Minimum Wages are the lowest wage employers can legally pay workers according to legislation or contract. Minimum wages were first introduced in Canada in 1918 to protect female workers in certain jobs. At the time, unions felt they could more effectively ensure adequate wages for men, but women were largely unorganized and so more easily exploited.

In Canada, hourly minimum wages range from a low of $10.40 in British Columbia to $13 in Nunavut. Minimum wages have not kept pace with inflation. The average remains below what it was in 1976, after adjusting for inflation. One in 14 workers receive only the minimum wage, with women, young, racialized and part-time workers much more likely to be paid the minimum wage.

Fair Wages are minimum wage rates for specific occupations. They must be paid by contractors doing work for governments with fair wage policies. These policies generally apply to construction, trades and sometimes cleaning and security workers, and are often tied to union wage rates. They’re intended to ensure contractors pay decent wages on government contracts instead of slashing wages and benefits.

The City of Toronto introduced the first fair wage policy in 1893, before minimum wages existed. Since then he federal government, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, the Yukon and a number of municipalities have adopted (and sometimes subsequently repealed) fair wage policies.

A Living Wage is the wage needed to provide the minimum income necessary to pay for basic needs based on the cost of living in a specific community. Calculations of living wages vary significantly: from about $14 an hour in some communities to just over $20 in Metro Vancouver and Yellowknife. Living wages rely on public and private employers voluntarily agreeing to pay them.

At CUPE’s 2015 National Convention, delegates passed a resolution urging our union to push for living wages as the minimum wage across Canada. The resolution calls on members to support living wage campaigns, and to work towards bargaining a living wage for all members. CUPE’s Strategic Directions also sets a goal of achieving a minimum $19/hour wage for all members by the end of 2017.

From CUPE.CA

Liz James, Area 6 OSBCC Alternate, spent the weekend  in Barrie with the OSBCC Executive at a unionized facility discussing the big issues effecting the Education sector in Ontario.  Some of the issues talked about were:

• financial business
• mobilizing
• anti oppression training
• heard from Michael Hurley from OCHU
• heard from Joe Matasic, CUPE Ontario Regional Director

Three delegates from CUPE Local 1479 were selected to attend the CUPE Ontario Division Convention in Toronto.  So much amazing information, motivating speakers and vote for our future cast.  An excellent executive were voted in and important resolutions are being carried and even one defeated!

Photo below:  CUPE 1479 is at the Ontario Division Conventions 2016 representing the best interests of our whole local. From left to right: Jody Uddenburg, Liz James and Jennifer Connor.

The CUPE Ontario 2016 runs from May 25-28th.  We attended the Education Caucus on May 24th, there we were updates on the important issues in education such as Benefits Trust, Charter Challenge, GSN Funding, and more.  We will be sending updates out in the next newsletter.

So far we have voted in the Ontario Division President, Fred Hahn and Secretary Treasurer, Candace Rennick.  We have listened to Sandy Hudson, from Black Lives Matter, talk about the struggles facing equity issues in Canada.  CUPE Local 1479 has donated $100 (as per bylaws) to there cause adding to the over $40,000 raised in 12 minutes.  Andrea Horwath, Provincial NDP Leader, spoke to the convention about the hardships in health care and $15 minimum wage.

We have heard from Charles Fluery, National Secretary Treasurer and Candace Rennick, Ontario Secretary-Treasurer report on the good financial position we are currently in Nationally and Provincially.  Mark Hancock, CUPE National President, answered some tough questions from the delegates on the floor, and ensures he will lead CUPE in a positive way

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What are you looking for in a provincial benefits plan? This is your opportunity to let us know. Your feedback will help us design One Plan that is right for you and your CUPE brothers and sisters.

We urge you to complete our brief survey by May 20th.

If you’ve already completed the survey, you don’t need to do anything else. If you haven’t had time yet, simply click the following link to get started:

TAKE ME TO THE SURVEY!

The survey should take you no more than 10 minutes to complete. You could even win a $100 Tim Hortons gift card for sharing your thoughts with us.

Please note that your responses will be kept completely confidential. They will go directly to the team at Eckler Ltd., a group that specializes in member communication.

The information collected through this survey will used for the sole purpose of assessing your benefit needs and preferences. It will not be sold or distributed to any other parties for any purpose – and will be destroyed once the results are tabulated and reported.

Thank you in advance for your input. Make your voice count!

We look forward to seeing everyone at the last General Meeting on Saturday at 9:30 at JJ O”Neill in Napanee.

Executive Meeting at 9:00am.

Ontario women earn roughly 70% of what men do, and this gap widens for women who are racialized, Indigenous, immigrants, temporary migrants, disabled, or LGBTQ. It takes a woman in Ontario 15.5 months to earn what a man does in 12. This is the reason that Equal Pay Day is held in April, three-and-a-half months into the new year.

For Equal Pay Day 2016, CUPE Ontario and the CUPE Ontario Women’s Committee took part in several actions to draw attention to the gender pay gap, including leafleting on Bay Street and setting up a pop-up Gender Pay Gap Bake Shop. Members also joined the Equal Pay Coalition rally in downtown Toronto, where CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn addressed the crowd and called on the government to take immediate action to close the gender wage gap.

On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas introduced the Time to Care Act in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Bill 188 calls for a minimum of 4 hours of hands-on care every day for residents of Ontario’s long-term care homes.

CUPE Ontario and the CUPE Ontario Health Care Workers’ Coordinating Committee have been lobbying on this important issue for several years through the Time to Care campaign. We are so proud of the tireless dedication of the CUPE members and advocates who put in so much effort to see this day happen.

But our work isn’t over yet—we need everyone’s support to ensure that the Liberal government and the Conservatives make this much-needed bill the law. Please contact your local MPP and ask them to support Bill 188.

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A major victory for Ontario’s education workers came this week as the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that Bill 115, passed by the Liberal government in the fall of 2012, violated the collective bargaining rights of education unions.

Bill 115 imposed contracts and limited the ability of education workers to strike.

The parties are now required to meet to determine a remedy. If an agreement can’t be reached, the matter will be referred back to the Ontario Superior Court justice who made the ruling for a decision.

Congratulations and thank you to our hard-working CUPE members and our partners in this successful Charter challenge: ETFO, OSSTF, and OPSEU.

The court found that the Ontario government’s Bill 115 imposed in the fall of 2012 was a violation of the collective bargaining rights of education unions 16
about an hour ago by: Village Media

TORONTO – The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and other education unions won a major court victory at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Wednesday.

The court found that the Ontario government’s Bill 115 imposed in the fall of 2012 was a violation of the collective bargaining rights of education unions.

In his decision, Justice Lederer ruled that the passage of the Putting Students First Act infringed upon union members’ rights to meaningful collective bargaining under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

He also determined that the process the government engaged in was “fundamentally flawed.”

“This is a total vindication of our pursuit of democratic rights on behalf of our members,” said ETFO President Sam Hammond. “ETFO and its legal counsel acted as the lead in launching the Charter challenge in the fall of 2012 because, by imposing the terms and conditions of our members’ contract, the Ontario government abrogated teachers’ collective bargaining rights, including their right to strike.”

Bill 115 blatantly interfered with lawful collective bargaining activities in the education sector for three years.

It put the actions of the government beyond the review of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, outside the reach of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and even above the courts.

In response, the Charter challenge was launched by ETFO as well as the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).

Justice Lederer did not comment on a remedy for the parties.

The parties are now required to meet to determine a remedy.

If they are unable to reach agreement on a remedy, the matter will be referred back to Justice Lederer for a decision.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario represents 78,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across the province.