A day rooted in women’s ongoing struggle for fairness, economic equality and social justice.
March 8, 2018
March 8, 1975 marked the first declaration of International Women’s Day (IWD) by the United Nations, but its roots trace back to a 1909 protest in support of women garment workers in New York City. Unions have been key to changing the lives of working women – from the bread and roses movement, to bargaining (and striking) to win parental…
Canada’s unions encouraged by federal budget commitments on pharmacare and pay equity
February 27, 2018
Canada’s unions say they are pleased to see this year’s federal budget commit to moving forward on universal pharmacare and pay equity. Today’s federal budget commits to setting up an Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare headed up by former Ontario health minister Dr. Eric Hoskins. “We are very pleased to see the government committing to a pathway…
Fair pay means that the work women and men do is equally respected and valued. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many workers in Canada, where there is still a big gap between what women and men earn. Thanks to the labour movement, this pay gap is already much less for women with unions, but income equality for all…
Canada’s unions are appalled with the federal government’s decision to wait another two years to start addressing the gender wage gap. “Despite the report of the House of Commons Special Committee on Pay Equity being titled It’s Time to Act, action on this issue doesn’t seem to be high on their agenda,” said CLC Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Byers. “The government says…
Minimum wage stats show we need $15 and fairness across Canada
May 31, 2016
Minimum wages have been getting a lot of attention lately. And for good reason. Workers earning minimum wage often struggle to get enough hours, don’t have predictable schedules or advance notice of shifts, and many don’t even have access to unpaid sick days. Alberta’s current government was elected on a plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2018,…
Fair pay means that the work women and men do is equally respected and valued. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many workers in Canada, where there is still a big gap between what women and men earn. Thanks to the labour movement, this pay gap is already much less for women with unions, but income equality for all working women is the…
Did you know senior women are twice as likely to live in poverty as men?
March 3, 2015
For too many women in Canada, retirement means only financial struggle. Senior women are twice as likely to live in poverty as men. 30% of elderly women on their own live below the poverty line. Women are far more reliant on OAS and GIS than men. In 2011, 30% of senior women's total income was from OAS and GIS, compared to only 18%…
April 16 is Equal Pay Day in Ontario – on this day a woman, on average, has worked enough to earn as much as a man made the previous year. The gender wage gap isn’t just a problem in Ontario – it’s the reality for working women across the country. Thanks to the labour movement, this pay gap is already…