Newsletter: March 4, 2021

The fight for paid sick days continues.

Over the past weeks, we've been putting pressure on the Conservative government in Ontario to support paid sick days legislation through Bill 239, the Stay Home If You Are Sick Act.

Yet despite near universal support for paid sick days from top medical professionals, municipalities, our communities, and all opposition parties, on March 1st the Conservative government voted down the Bill, which would have provided 7 permanent and 14 additional paid sick days for all.  

They recited the myth that the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit is enough for workers - but we know that paid sick days need to be universal, fully paid, adequate, accessible and permanent, and these 5 principles illustrate why the CRSB is no substitute for paid sick days.

It is as a result of our unprecedented movement for paid sick days that the Ontario Liberals have now proposed another paid sick days bill, Bill 247, the Paid Personal Emergency Leave Now Act. Bill 247 seeks to implement 10 days of permanent and employer-paid sick days for all and it will be voted on in the coming weeks.

Our next strategy is to mount the pressure on Conservative MPPs who voted against paid sick days on March 1st.

Call or email your MPP and let them know that their inaction on paid sick days is a voting issue for you, and that you expect them to support the next vote for paid sick days through Bill 247. You can find your MPP by clicking here and scrolling down to the "Find my MPP" section.

If you live in a conservative riding in Ontario and want to organize to place pressure on your MPP, please email Carolina at [email protected] so we can provide support, tips, and connect you with others.

Confronting systemic racism in our pandemic response

“Ontario must develop an anti-racist response to COVID-19,” writes family physician Aisha Lofters. As the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racialized communities becomes jarringly clear, many have pointed to the reality that these communities are more likely to be working precarious jobs that leave them at higher risk.

We also have to ask, writes Dr. Lofters, "why are racialized people more likely to be in these precarious working and living situations?”

“Racialized people are not genetically engineered to be precarious workers and did not end up on the lowest rungs of the social ladder by chance,” continues Dr. Lofters. 

An anti-racist system response requires policies that explicitly protect and prioritize those who are marginalized.

“It will mean providing paid sick days for everyone and viewing affordable housing and food security as human rights. It will mean providing support to community organizations to lead COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. It will mean not blaming people’s genetics or culture for disproportionate COVID-19 rates. It will mean infrastructure to provide wrap-around care and social-service supports for those who test positive.” Read more here.

In another must-read piece, Grace-Edward Galabuzi, an associate professor at Ryerson with a PhD in political science, writes that “systemic racism is at the heart of economic inequality — and of how we get sick and die,” and calls for aggressive reforms.

“Our pandemic response has shown clearly how race, class, and gender determine who is most likely to be in the line of fire: the Black, Brown, and Indigenous Canadians who keep working during the crisis while others shelter,” writes Dr. Galabuzi. “In contrast, white Canadians, who have more economic resources, are far more likely to be protected against these outcomes.”

Dr. Galabuzi advises a number of actions, including: strengthening equitable access to employment; public policy to address precarious work; employment-standards reforms like paid sick days; and anti-poverty measures. Read the full piece here.

We’re hiring a new team member!

We're excited to announce that we are looking for a Communications & Outreach organizer to join our team.

The position would support our campaign for decent work as a health issue, with a focus on paid sick days, and includes developing content, undertaking media relations, and using social media and the website to advance our organizing goals.

We strongly encourage applications from Black people, Indigenous people, people of colour, women, people who identify with disability, LGBTQ+ people, and people from other equity-seeking groups that face systemic discrimination.

The deadline to apply is March 17 at 5pm and a detailed job posting can be found here.