disparity

Tuesday June 16, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday June 19, 2015 OntarioÕs Ôeye-poppingÕ shift to low-wage work It's one of the most excruciating decisions single mom Jodi Dean has ever made: choosing between the unpredictable, $13-an-hour job her family relied on, and taking care of her chronically ill daughter. "It (made) me physically ill with the stress," Dean said. "I needed that job to provide for my children." Welcome to the new normal for families across the province: low salaries, erratic schedules, dwindling hours, unpaid leave and constant stress. Ontario's low-wage work force has skyrocketed by 94 percent over the past two decades, compared with just 30 percent growth in total employment, according to a new report. 'Clearly, people need more predictability both in their schedules and in their incomes' In one of the few province-wide studies of precarious employment, the research details an "eye-popping" shift toward poorly paid, non-unionized work across Ontario. It shows that 40 percent of low-wage employees are saddled with unpredictable shifts, and the overwhelming majority do not get paid when they need time off. That reality, the report argues, calls for sweeping changes to the province's employment and labour laws, whose many loopholes have been detailed by the Star and are currently the subject of government review. "Clearly, people need more predictability both in their schedules and in their incomes," added Sheila Block, a senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and author of the study. The research compiled by the left-leaning think tank shows that the share of Ontario workers labouring for the minimum wage is now five times higher than in 1997. It rose from less than 3 per cent of all employees to about 12 per cent in 2014. The share of low-paid work has also ballooned: almost a third of all employees in the province are no

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 19, 2015

Ontario’s ‘eye-popping’ shift to low-wage work

It’s one of the most excruciating decisions single mom Jodi Dean has ever made: choosing between the unpredictable, $13-an-hour job her family relied on, and taking care of her chronically ill daughter.

“It (made) me physically ill with the stress,” Dean said. “I needed that job to provide for my children.”

Welcome to the new normal for families across the province: low salaries, erratic schedules, dwindling hours, unpaid leave and constant stress.

Ontario’s low-wage work force has skyrocketed by 94 percent over the past two decades, compared with just 30 percent growth in total employment, according to a new report.

‘Clearly, people need more predictability both in their schedules and in their incomes’
In one of the few province-wide studies of precarious employment, the research details an “eye-popping” shift toward poorly paid, non-unionized work across Ontario.

It shows that 40 percent of low-wage employees are saddled with unpredictable shifts, and the overwhelming majority do not get paid when they need time off.

That reality, the report argues, calls for sweeping changes to the province’s employment and labour laws, whose many loopholes have been detailed by the Star and are currently the subject of government review.

“Clearly, people need more predictability both in their schedules and in their incomes,” added Sheila Block, a senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and author of the study.

The research compiled by the left-leaning think tank shows that the share of Ontario workers labouring for the minimum wage is now five times higher than in 1997. It rose from less than 3 per cent of all employees to about 12 per cent in 2014.

The share of low-paid work has also ballooned: almost a third of all employees in the province are now making within $4 of the minimum wage, compared with less than 20 per cent of the workforce in 1997.

And while more than half of all minimum-wage workers are still young people, most of those making less than $15 an hour are 25 or older. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Wednesday January 25, 2012

Chiefs air old grievances at Summit

The Crown-First Nations gathering in Ottawa was a classic example of a failure to communicate.

Both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and National Chief Shawn Atleo recognized the history of Canada’s relations with its First Nations as a register of crimes and misfortunes. Both paid lip-service to the idea of unlocking the potential of aboriginal Canadians.

But they talked past each other when it came to moving forward.

The Prime Minister said he has learned from the past but wants to focus on the future. Mr. Atleo spent most of his speech re-fighting old battles by pointing out how Canada has failed to live up to its treaty obligations.

Mr. Harper is likely the most pragmatic leader this country has seen since Sir John A. Macdonald, and his interest is in practical solutions that can have impact on the ground.

He has little interest in being diverted into what he called the “talk shop” that has bogged down governance issues for decades.

“Our goal is self-sufficient citizens and self-governing communities,” he said. He offered no “grand schemes” to achieve those ends, but promised “practical, incremental and real change” by introducing new legislation and procedures.

“To move forward, to reset the relationship, [we must] learn from the past but focus on the future,” he said. (Source: National Post)