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Minimum Wage Increase & Employment Insurance Update

September 22, 2022

Ontario’s minimum wage is increasing on October 1, 2022.

For most workers, this means an increase from $15.00 to $15.50 per hour. For students under 18 years old who work part time, your minimum wage will increase from $14.10 to $14.60 per hour.

Premier Ford has claimed credit for this increase. But let’s not forget that this October’s increase is the result of legislation that workers fought for in 2014. The annual adjustment ensures the minimum wage will increase each year according to the Consumer Price Index in order to not lose its value. 

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Furthermore, we have witnessed Premier Ford actively striking down legislation that would have increased the minimum wage to $15 in 2019 as well as freezing the minimum wage for two years until October 2020.

Fifty cents more on our paycheques absolutely matters to workers in low-wage jobs. Yet, with the cost of rent, food and transit skyrocketing, we know $15.50 per hour is not enough. That’s why we need you to join us to fight for a $20 minimum wage for all. We’ve had many victories, like ensuring that liquor servers now get the general minimum wage rate. Together, we can win again.

Applying for Employment Insurance after September 24th?

It’s going to get harder to qualify for Employment Insurance (EI) after September 24 this year.

Right now, you only need to have worked 420 hours to qualify for all types of EI. But after September 24, most Ontario workers will need up to 700 hours worked to qualify for EI regular benefits. And to access EI special benefits, such as for sickness or maternity benefits, you will need to have worked for 600 hours.

Requiring 700 hours to access EI is too much. Many of us are working in part-time, contract and temp jobs where it is difficult to get enough hours. For example, if you are working part-time and only getting 20 hours a week, you will have to work for almost 9 months before being able to qualify for EI.

Take Action: tell our government representatives "Don't make EI worse!"

Sign up for Saturday’s day of action

EI is also difficult to access for those of us who are forced to quit due to bad bosses and unsafe workplaces. It is even harder to access for workers who are misclassified as independent contractors or self-employed or if they are migrant workers. We need to make sure our Employment Insurance system works for us when we need it!

Sign the petition to Fix Employment Insurance now!

If you have benefited from EI during the pandemic, we need you to tell your local Member of Parliament why Employment Insurance is so critical for you and your family. Join with us to make Employment Insurance accessible and enough for us to live on. Take part in the Canada-wide day of action this Saturday: Twitter Storm! Don’t Cut Employment Insurance. Please share it on Facebook with your friends and family.

If you need help applying for Employment Insurance, please call the Workers’ Action Center at (416) 531-0778.

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