In light of COVID-19, the Workers’ Action Centre will not be open for in-person drop-ins or workshops. Our hotline will remain open. If you have a workplace problem, please call us at 416-531-0778 (Toll-free: 1-855-531-0778), and leave a message asking to speak to someone in your language. All calls are confidential!
Our regular phone line hours are: Monday to Thursday, 12 pm to 5 pm
(We are closed on public holidays.)
HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO WIN STATUS FOR ALL
Government officials are making decisions that could give equal rights to 1.7 million migrants over the next few years. Amazing organizing by farmworkers, care workers, international students, undocumented people, frontline essential migrant workers and our allies have brought about this historic opportunity: Our organizing this summer could win permanent residency (PR) for all low-waged migrants and undocumented people! Your help is needed to make sure Parliament opens the door to PR for all migrants in Canada, not just a select few.
Show your solidarity:
- Sign this petition and share it with at least three friends
- Call the Prime Minister, Immigration Minister and your MP
The Workers’ Action Centre is a member of the Migrant Rights Network that is spearheading our regularization campaign. Many of our WAC members are migrant and undocumented workers who have risked their health at essential jobs and been denied equal access to healthcare and income support. That’s why it’s exciting to be part of the fight for regularization – for the chance to make sure no one gets left behind. Find more details in our update Status for All: Fight for Regularization this Summer!
ONTARIO’S 3 TEMPORARY PAID SICK DAYS EXTENDED
The Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIPB) allows employees to request only 3 paid sick days. It was introduced on April 29, 2021 and has been extended until March 31, 2023. There has been no increase or reset in the number of sick days offered and workers can only use these 3 days for COVID-related reasons. What workers really need are at least 10 permanent paid sick days to recover from COVID and any other illnesses or injuries. Please take a minute to remind Premier Ford that paid sick days save lives: Send an email demanding 10 permanent paid sick days. To help strengthen the movement for paid sick days and other essential protections, sign up for outreach actions at Justice4Workers.org/events_actions.
FEDERAL COVID-19 RECOVERY BENEFITS
On October 23, 2021, the Federal government cancelled the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) despite the fact that over 1 million workers still needed it to survive. The last period for CRB was October 10 – October 23, 2021, which was open for application until December 22, 2021.
On May 7, 2022, the remaining federal COVID income supports came to an end. The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) and Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) still have some periods open for retroactive application until July 6, 2022. The CRCB offers $500 per week to eligible households. The CRSB offers $500 per week to eligible workers for up to 4 weeks.
The Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB) has also ended and no weeks open for retroactive applications in Ontario. In other regions, the CWLB may still be open to eligible workers for retroactive applications up to 60 days after the open period. The following video offers details on the CWLB as well as Employment Insurance (EI):
Beginning September 26th 2021, new Employment Insurance (EI) Regular Benefit claimants will receive a minimum weekly benefit of $300 (also reduced from $500). The duration of benefits is reduced from the previous maximum of 50 weeks. Instead, it will depend on the number of insurable hours worked and your region’s unemployment rate.
These temporary measures for EI are set to expire on September 24, 2022. The pandemic is not over, however. We need to extend the temporary measures that make EI more accessible to those most in need. With many part-time, misclassified, migrant, undocumented and international student workers unable to receive these supports, these benefits leave too many workers out. Please read our recommendations to permanently fix EI and share them with your member of parliament.
Job-Protected Unpaid Leave During COVID-19
The Ontario government recently changed our labour rights to provide new protections.
New Job-Protected UNPAID leave for workers impacted by COVID-19:
- You are under medical investigation or being treated for COVID-19
- You are following public health directions such as self-isolation after travelling from another country
- Your employer tells you not to work because you may expose others in the workplace to COVID-19
- You need to care for a family member (COVID-19) or a child due to school and childcare closures
- You have been caught by a travel restriction and cannot travel back to Canada
Your employer cannot ask you for a medical note to prove any of these situations!
This leave entitlement is retroactive from January 25, 2020.
Your employer cannot threaten, fire or penalize you for taking or making plans to take the COVID-19 emergency leave.
Check out some of our latest rights at work below, and don’t hesitate to give us a call if you need help defending any of them:
- $15 general minimum wage
- $14.10 minimum wage for students under 18
- The minimum wage for liquor servers has been eliminated, so they now receive the $15 general minimum wage.
- There is an annual minimum wage adjustment each year on October 1st. These minimum wages will be adjusted upwards on October 1, 2022 according to the Consumer Price Index.
- Job-protected leaves for all workers: You get 3 days if you are sick; 3 days for family responsibilities, such as an illness or urgent matter of a family member; and 2 days for bereavement. Your employer is allowed to ask you for evidence in order to take these leaves. We no longer get any paid sick days. (We are fighting for at least 10 paid emergency leave days and 14 more during public health emergencies – join us by signing the Decent Work and Health Network petition!)
- 1 week notice or pay in lieu of notice when temporary agency workers are terminated from assignments that were supposed to last 3 months or longer.
- Temporary agencies and their client companies are jointly responsible for unpaid wages, overtime, public holiday pay and injuries.
- Misclassification is illegal. If you are an employee who is being misclassified as self-employed, call us for help.
- 3 weeks of vacation after 5 years of working at the same company.
- Domestic or sexual violence leave of up to 10 individual days of leave and up to 15 weeks of leave if you or your child is experiencing or being threatened with domestic or sexual violence. The first 5 days of leave each year will be paid.
We are committed to defending and expanding these labour laws. Will you help us fight for workers’ rights in 2022? Here are a few things you can do:
- When you have a problem at work, call us at 416-531-0778. All calls are free and confidential. We also have a toll-free number which is 1-855-531-0778.
- Sign up for Action Alerts at the bottom of the page.
- Read and share information about your rights at work.
- Join and support the Justice for Workers campaign. Visit Justice4Workers.org.
- Support the Workers’ Action Centre.