Unions pave path to the middle class for millions of Canadians
Bruske: Growing momentum for workers to demand better
OTTAWA–Canada’s unions are marking Labour Day by celebrating the hard-fought gains of the labour movement and bringing workers, their families and allies together in solidarity, united in their commitment to the important work ahead.
“The collective power of workers and our long fight for fairness has delivered the forty-hour work week, pensions, weekends and so much more. Unions have paved a path to the middle class for millions of Canadians,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Today, more and more people are standing up, joining unions and demanding better. Coming together to fight for good jobs with fair wages, better benefits and improved working conditions.”
With workers struggling to afford necessities, as inflation skyrockets and wages lag well behind, Canada is seeing growing momentum behind workers fighting back against those trying to make workers pay for today’s affordability crisis.
“We keep hearing Bay St. CEOs calling for austerity and warning about rising wages. But this corporate scaremongering ignores the fact that while corporations are doing better than ever, wages aren’t keeping up and family budgets are breaking under the weight of runaway costs for housing, food, transportation and so many other daily essentials,” explained Bruske. “What we have seen is growing ‘greedflation’ from profitable companies, using the crisis to jack up prices, rake in record profits and drive-up inflation.”
Bruske added that Canada’s unions will also continue to fight for government action to fix our public health crisis and address health worker shortages; help families struggling to survive the affordability crisis; and tackle climate change in a way that creates good jobs and leaves no worker behind.
“Canada’s unions stand united in the face of greedy corporations and demand governments make mega-profitable companies pay their fair share and play their part in making sure our economy can bounce back and people can prosper. We cannot solve today’s economic crisis by leaving workers and families behind,” concluded Bruske. “Today we march together in communities across Canada, in solidarity, because we believe in a country where workers have the opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive.”
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To arrange an interview, please contact:
Chantal St-Denis, CLC Media Relations
cstdenis@clcctc.ca
613-355-1962
