jillumbach Advocacy, Media

Could You Live Off a Minimum Wage Job?

National President, Unifor Founding Convention

Posted: 09/19/2013 11:41 am

Minimum wage jobs are not only for the after-school crowd of kids looking for spending money, but also an entry into the workforce for immigrants, recent graduates and many others who can only find part-time work and need to hold down two or three jobs to survive.

The most recent Statistics Canada job market figures say 70 per cent of the province’s 44,000 new jobs created in August are part-time and mostly filled by older workers. It’s also a safe bet they are mostly paid at minimum wage.

Across Canada, minimum wage ranges from $9 an hour in Alberta to $11 in Nunavut, while in most provinces it is set at $10. Unifor’s recent submission to Ontario’s Minimum Wage Panel Review should be required reading for all of them.

Consider that:
• Minimum wages in Ontario have been frozen for three-and-a-half years at $10.25 per hour, while consumer prices have increased by over 7 percent (measured by Statistics Canada’s all-items CPI for Ontario). The resulting decline in real incomes for low-wage workers is very unfair, and has undermined household finances and consumer spending in the province.

• Relative to average wages, and average hourly productivity, minimum wages in Ontario are significantly lower today than they were even in the 1970s.

• Even working full-time year-round, the existing minimum wage would leave a single worker in Ontario (with no dependents) well below low-income cut-off for a single resident (the low-income cut-off is a measure of relative poverty).

Clearly, the existing minimum wage in Ontario doesn’t give working people a chance to provide for themselves and their dependents at a decent standard of living.

The proposal now being considered by the Ontario government to raise the minimum wage to $14 an hour won’t lift the burden of poverty that weighs on low-end wage earners. But it will lighten the load somewhat.

Unifor supports the proposal as a first step of a broader strategy to ensure all workers can enjoy decent living standards.

Our position is that it should be combined, though, with other measures such as employer-specific policies, training and placement initiatives, and other policy tools aimed at lifting wages to what could genuinely be considered a “living wage.” Studies have estimated a living wage to be around $18 per hour for Ontario — an amount sufficient to allow a family of four, with two wage-earners, to pay for the basic necessities of family life.

Some economists argue that higher minimum wages will lead to higher unemployment, but a good body of evidence exists showing little connection between minimum wage levels and employment.

On the other hand, by boosting purchasing power and consumer spending, and helping lower-income families reduce their debt loads, a higher minimum wage could actually have a net positive impact on jobs and on quality of life for everyone.

Unlike the often-failed trickle-down theory of wealth accumulation, when minimum wages are raised, there is a demonstrable trickle-up benefit for the entire working community. In addition to the psychological and social benefits of being able to support oneself, stronger family incomes lead to increased demand for products and services, financially viable businesses, and a generally more vibrant community.

Of course the opposite is true when young people can’t afford to move out of their parents’ basement, families rely on food banks to feed their children, or stressed-out, single parents juggle part-time jobs to stay out of poverty.

The Ontario government can and should do better for its lowest paid workers. Giving them a chance at a decent standard of living raises the bar for everyone.

Jerry Dias is the national president of Unifor, Canada’s largest union in the private sector. Created on August 31, with the coming together of the former Canadian Auto Workers union and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, Unifor represents more than 300,000 members working in at least 20 sectors of the economy (including all stages of the economic value chain, from resources to manufacturing to transportation to private and public services).

jillumbach Advocacy, Media

Canada criticized for rejecting UN rights council recommendation on Aboriginal women

By Wojtek Gwiazda | english@rcinet.ca
Thursday 19 September, 2013

Canada’s refusal Thursday (September 19) to accept the UN Human Rights Council’s recommendation of a comprehensive review of violence against Aboriginal women in Canada was criticized by a number of organizations including members of the Indigenous community.

Canada’s response to the Council underlined that it had accepted in whole, or in part, 122 of the 169 recommendations in Canada’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) which was originally presented by the UN Human Rights Council on April 26, 2013.

The rejection of a comprehensive review of violence against Aboriginal women, hundreds have died or disappeared in the last few decades, was the focus of criticism in Canada. Other issues were also brought up.

The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations released the following statement on Canada’s rejection of the review: “First Nations are deeply concerned about Canada’s rejection of the recommendations by the UN Human Rights Council for a comprehensive, national plan aimed at ending violence against Indigenous women and girls. There is strong support for this action domestically among provincial and territorial leaders and the Canadian public and strong international support, not to mention a multitude of reports and investigations that urge Canada to act.”

The Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English Branch Alex Neve’s reaction in part was: “Governments raised critical, concrete recommendations touching on numerous human rights shortcomings that are well known to Canadians. This included alarming levels of violence against Indigenous women and girls, nationwide poverty and homelessness, and Canada’s lagging record of ratifying international human rights treaties.  Other areas included the rights of Indigenous peoples, refugee protection, corporate accountability, national security and women’s equality.”

Meanwhile, the not-for profit Canadian organisation Canada Without Poverty released the following statement from its president, Harriett McLachlan: “Members of the Human Rights Council have made it clear that current levels of socio-economic deprivation in one of the most affluent countries in the world is a serious human rights crisis, demanding urgent attention and national strategies. The Government’s response shows no understanding of its legal and moral responsibility to protect the rights of poor people and steer this country out of poverty.”

More information:
Mike Blanchfield/Canadian Press – Canada rejects UN rights panel call for review of violence on aboriginal women – here
Universal Periodic Review – Canada – Observations and recommendations – here
Canada’s response to UN Human Rights Council – here
Assembly of First Nations press release – here
Amnesty International Canada – Canada Gives Human Rights the Cold Shoulder: Disgraceful Response to UN Human Rights Review Contains No New Commitments – here
Canada Without Poverty press release – Canada Turns its Back on Human Rights at UN – here

jillumbach Advocacy, General Information, Media

Wes For Youth officially opens

By Laura MacDuff, The Post, Hanover

Friday, September 6, 2013 3:22:51 EDT PM

WALKERTON – It was a bittersweet day for the Cameron family, of Walkerton, as they held a ceremony to officially embark on the Wes For Youth office and services provided by the office.

“It’s one of those bittersweet days,” said Yolanda Camera, mother of Wes Cameron who passed away from suicide in September of 2011. “I know how much this can help other people, but we have to think about the fact that Wes isn’t here and that’s hard.”

Wes was only 16 years old. He was a student at Sacred Heart High School.

In an effort to help others, she created, along with staff, supporters and councillors, created Wes For Youth. This is an initiative and a resource for people to use that can guide and counsel people who are struggling with their own mental health, a loved one’s, or someone that they know.

“The community has been really supportive,” she said. She gave example of a recent retirement party held where instead of gifts, the honouree asked for donations to the Wes For Youth organization.

“People see a need for this and they appreciate that we’re kind of out there talking about youth mental health and about suicide,” she said. “Nobody wants to talk about that, and I don’t want to talk about it either, but I’m in a position where I can say what it feels like to go through losing a loved one. How else are people going to know?”

So far, there are 20 kids registered for the online counselling.

“That’s twenty kids in just three months,” she said.

Future plans are to expand the location to include an area where there can be support group meetings, seminars and workshops.

“There’s also an opportunity where, if kids want, they can meet a counsellor face-to-face,” she said. “There is a private office.”

She hopes the office and the website will give people that answer to the question of what to do and how to do it. She hopes this serves as a resource that breaks the stigma of mental illness, and gets people realizing that help is there and it’s ok to ask for it.

The office is located at 427 Durham Street East, downtown Walkerton. For online counseling or for more information, visit http://www.wesforyouth.ca.