While CUPE Ontario’s 280,000 members have always known how important paid sick leave is, this crisis has made that clearer than ever. On Thursday, May 21, our union is therefore proud to participate in a Day of Action, along with Fight for $15 and Fairness and the Ontario Federation of Labour, calling for paid sick leave for all workers.
During this pandemic, front-line workers are getting mixed messages. Premier Ford tells workers to stay home if they’re sick – but penalizes them with lost pay for doing so.
For many front-line workers, a loss of pay is a significant challenge. Our friends, family members, and community members on the front-lines are often stretched thin, with many now supporting loved ones who’ve lost their jobs because of the crisis. Many CUPE members, in all the sectors we represent, and especially those working part-time, casual, or on contract are also without sick leave. Telling them to stay home when they’re sick forces them into an impossible position that puts them, and our communities, at risk.
But this province can, and must, take action. In 2018, the Ford Conservatives cancelled paid sick days and we were there to ring the alarm bells about what this meant for workers and all Ontarians. Now, when it’s become clearer to us just how critically important paid sick leave is, this government needs to listen to Ontarians and make it a reality.
With some retail stores, recreation and sport facilities, as well as other workplaces, reopening across Ontario, the safety of front-line workers is more urgent than ever. And, with other regions, like the state of New York, enacting paid sick leave, there are examples and blueprints for this province to draw from.
Join us on May 21 for the Day of Action urging the Ontario government to support Ontario’s workers and our communities with paid sick leave now.
Fred Hahn, President
Candace Rennick, Secretary-Treasurer
Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/events/625046568219871/
Register here: www.15andfairness.org/events
