Health and Status for All

A humanitarian crisis unfolding on Ontario farms

Two migrant farm workers have died of COVID-19, as outbreaks on Ontario farms have infected nearly 500 migrant workers in the Windsor-Essex and Niagara regions.

Bonifacio Eugenio Romero, who died on May 30, and Rogelio Muñoz Santos, who died on June 5, were both Mexican migrant farm workers who contracted COVID-19 in Windsor, Ontario. “They died alone, separated from family and friends,” reads a shocking report from the Migrant Workers’ Alliance for Change (MWAC). These two lives were lost “not because of an unavoidable tragedy but... as a direct result of decisions made by federal and provincial governments.”

Migrant farmworkers have long been sounding the alarm over dangerous working and living conditions. Here are some of the key findings of the latest report: 

-  Fear for health and loss of income: hundreds reported a lack of access to healthcare and health information. Without any paid sick leave, the top concern associated with health was loss of income.

-  Lack of status makes it impossible for workers to assert rights: the lack of permanent resident status means workers cannot protect themselves against the pandemic, stand up for decent housing, or assert their labour rights without fear of deportation, homelessness and loss of income.

-  Workers could not socially distance and did not receive decent food, income or health information during quarantine.

-  Other findings include commonplace wage theft, inhumane and substandard housing, and increased surveillance, threats and racism.

The report covers shocking details – from employer-imposed curfews enforced by private security, to racial and xenophobic threats disproportionately targeting Black workers. Read the full report here.

MWAC’s research demonstrates that the lack of Permanent Residency status drives abuse against migrant workers. We encourage you to join the call for status for all to ensure all workers can exercise their rights and access crucial public services like healthcare. 

Intensifying the fight for paid sick days

As health workers, we know that paid sick days are a proven way to prevent disease transmission. Not only do they protect public health, they also ensure that no worker will lose essential income if they get sick. 

Recently, Prime Minister Trudeau promised paid sick days for all, but Premier Doug Ford has since come out saying that he does not support them.

Ford’s stance is in flagrant opposition to the medical advice of Ontario health providers and extensive research demonstrating the practical, medical, and economic benefits of paid sick days. 

At the outset of COVID-19, our advocacy pushed the Ontario government to end the use of sick notes during the pandemic. Now as the province pursues reopening, it is essential that we push for universal permanent paid sick days for the health of all.

Watch & share a clip of the presser on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Last week, medical experts and members of the Decent Work and Health Network joined a press conference hosted by Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath to call on the province to implement paid sick days for all workers – including migrant workers now engulfed in COVID-19 hotspots.

Next Meeting: Organizing for immediate, permanent & accessible paid sick days for all. 

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, June 23 from 7pm-9pm. We’ll be hosting a paid sick days focused break-out group at this joint meeting with the Fight for $15 and Fairness and the Ontario Federation of Labour. Join us on the 23rd by RSVPing here – new members are always welcome!

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