Urgent Action!! Once in a generation opportunity to improve Ontario Labour Laws!

What we do today is absolutely critical. Our Members of Provincial Parliament are set to meet tomorrow (Wednesday) to decide how far to go on labour law reform. We want to tell them to take it all the way. Unfortunately, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce is already pushing back -- but we have the majority of Ontarians on our side! In fact, more and more employers are with us in speaking out for decent work. Let's make sure our elected officials do the right thing. 

The AECEO is calling on all Registered Early Childhood Educators and Early Years Staff in Ontario to help push for a once in a generation update to Ontario’s labour laws. The demands from the $15 and Fairness campaign would improve work life for ECEs and all workers in the province of Ontario.

Please take 15 minutes today to call or email your MPP and Cabinet Ministers Michael Coteau, Minister of Children and Youth Services, 
Tracy MacCharles, Minister responsible for Women's Issues; and Minister Indira Naidoo-Harris, Minister responsible for Early Years and Child Care. 

You can find our letter template to Cabinet Ministers here

You can find your MPP’s contact information here 

Toronto Star: Ontario plans big boost to minimum wage, update of labour laws 

“Cabinet will soon decide on the biggest overhaul of Ontario’s labour law in a generation – raising minimum wage up to $15 an hour, boosting private sector unionization and targeting companies that rely unfairly on part-time or contract work.”

Message from $15 and Fairness campaign:

Take 15 minutes right now to call and email your MPP and ask them to support a $15 minimum wage, 7 paid sick days and all other aspects of $15 and Fairness. Please call your MPP and ask them to:

• Legislate at least seven (7) paid sick days, extend job-protection to all workplaces for 10 days of unpaid emergency leave and provide three weeks of paid vacation to all workers.
• End exemptions or exceptions in the Employment Standards Act (ESA) and Labour Relations Act (LRA) - the rules apply to everyone and protect everyone.
• Expand the definition of employer in both the ESA and LRA, including joint and several liabilities as well as related and joint employers.
• Legislate equal pay and benefits for equal work (including temporary agency, part-time, casual and contract workers) and eliminate sub-minimum wage rates established in the ESA.
• Provide at least two weeks of advanced scheduling notice.
• Expand the definition of employee to stop the misclassification of workers.
• Invest in stronger enforcement of the ESA and LRA and prosecute employers who flout the law.
• Extend just cause protection within the LRA and to ESA.
• Enshrine the right to free association through protection for concerted activity.
• Restore card-check certification; provide early disclosure of workplace information (neutral, online or telephone voting); remedial certification; and expedited and extended power to reinstate workers before the first agreement.
• Provide access to first contract arbitration.
• Extend successor rights to protect workers in the case of contract flipping.
• Consolidate bargaining units in the case of the same certified bargaining agent.
• Provide a framework for broader-based bargaining.
• Guarantee the right to strike - including prohibiting the use of replacement workers, safeguarding the rights of workers who have been involved in a labour dispute (including reinstatement after six months and prohibiting employers from unilaterally deciding to "clean house" after a strike).
• Mandate paid leave for domestic and sexual violence survivors.
• Increase the minimum wage to $15.00 immediately.

Already called your MPP? Help spread the word:
- Forward this email to 3 friends and co-workers, ask them to make a call
- Share this photo on social media; click here for Facebook, click here for Twitter
- Make this image your profile picture (just like we did) and tag other friends to invite them to do the same