President's Message

President's Message

Marking one year of the COVID-19 pandemic

March 11, 2021, marked one year since the declaration of a worldwide pandemic and a national day of observance took place to commemorate the lives lost due to COVID-19. As of the end of March, more than 7,240 Ontarians have been lost. Across Canada, more than 22,730.

We’ve lost five members of this Union to COVID-19. That’s five families and countless friends and co-workers forever changed. And many other members contracted COVID-19 and have recovered. Some still suffer from the lasting effects of this virus.

The real mental and physical impact of this pandemic, especially on frontline workers, will not be fully understood for some time.

I am proud of how the members of this Union continued to show up over the last year. But I also encourage anyone who is struggling, to reach out for help. Speak to your Union Rep, your Stewards, or contact the Members’ Assistance Program.

Working people face the added burden of a provincial government that seems unmoved by what frontline workers are going

through, and employers who won’t do anything they’re not required to do by law.

From advocating for vaccine access for all frontline workers who want it, to lobbying for protections like paid sick days, higher wages, and more – your Union continues to fight to get employers and our government to use empathy and common sense when it comes to how we treat workers during this pandemic and in the years to come.

Ford’s government has the power to protect working people. But on March 1, 2021, they voted against Bill 239, the Stay Home If You Are Sick Act, 2021.

Ford and the Progressive Conservatives voted against paid sick days for you.

Ford’s claim that workers already have paid leave from the Federal government is misleading. Yes, workers can apply for the Canada

Sickness Recovery Benefit (CSRB) and other support, but it’s temporary. Plus, the CSRB requires workers to apply after they’re sick which means there is income disruption in the meantime. To qualify, a worker has to have made at least $5,000 in the prior year and have to have missed more than 50% of their workweek.

Paid Sick Leave

Legislated paid sick leave would mean no income disruption if you are off ill only for a day or two. There would be no need to wait and apply to see if you qualify. Paid sick leave would extend beyond the pandemic and be part of our regular social safety net.

Paid sick leave, pandemic pay, ensuring presumptive WSIB COVID-19 coverage for workers filing a claim, increasing minimum wage, improving funding and staffing for long-term care, and prioritizing mental health support for all. . . these are all things our government has the power to make happen.

Ford’s words and actions don’t line up.

Each time Ford tweets his thanks for the sacrifices of our frontline workers, and each time he’s at a microphone and tells us how important healthcare workers are, he hopes no one notices that none of his actions actually

prove his admiration, concern, or desire to protect working people.

Thank you to all of our members on the frontlines. Your work continues to be essential, as it always has been. Your Union will continue to fight for better worker protections and I encourage every worker to consider

what they want to see from their elected government going forward. Call and email your MPPs and demand that they do better for you and your families.

In Solidarity, Shawn Haggerty

president@ufcw175.com

Watch President Haggerty deliver his Spring 2021 message on video @ https://youtu.be/spcwSGD6xRw