Young Workers Blog: Why more young workers should join a union
Unionization is about fairness. It is about taking control of your working conditions and being an active participant in shaping them.
Canada's Private Sector Union
How I became a union activist
Before moving to Canada in 2008, I had always dreamed of becoming a social and youth activist. Then, in my first year of university as a human rights major, I had the opportunity to work as an advocate for the LGBTQ community through a youth-led, anti-homophobia group in Toronto. During that time, I also discovered the Students Against Migrant Exploitation (SAME) project, which raises awareness of migrant worker exploitation among high school and college students.
Why the labour movement is so important to me
This year has been quite an exciting time for me, and it all started when I joined the bargaining committee with my union. Through this involvement, I was presented with the opportunity to attend UFCW Canada’s Young-Workers Internship Program (YIP) and the UFCW Canada National Convention in Montreal.
Young Workers Blog: How my union has empowered me
As a union steward and activist, a lot of people ask me “what does the union do?”
Change is coming in 2017
It’s been a while since we’ve posted, and we know you’ve probably missed us. We’ve been busy working on the big changes coming to Think Forward in 2017. Stay tuned for exciting new updates regarding the Think Forward blog, and the future direction of the project. More details to come very soon!
It’s time for a $15 federal minimum wage
A recent poll by Forum Research, which surveyed 1,437 Canadian voters, found that nearly two-thirds support a $15 national minimum wage, while only 31 percent oppose the idea. The poll discovered that opposition to a $15 minimum wage is highest among wealthy Canadians – people earning $100,000 to $250,000 a year – while older voters, the less wealthy, those living in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia, and Canadians with some college or university education support the idea.
Oxfam report confirms millennials are worse off than their parents
A new report published by Oxfam reveals that the generational income gap is widening in Canada, as young adult workers are earning less money than their parents did at the same age, and are also saddled with the highest student debt in Canadian history.
Ontario is reforming its labour laws. Will you make your voice heard?
By now the story is a familiar one: more and more young people are working in precarious, non-unionized jobs with little to no control over their working conditions and hours. They want to see change, but they fear being penalized or terminated for speaking out. So it’s encouraging to see the Ontario government reaching out to citizens to determine how we can reform our labour laws to address the realities that countless workers – and youth in particular – find themselves in today.
More Articles...
- Debunking myths about postal employees and their work
- Guest column: Ontario law on sexual violence, harassment a model for others to follow
- Guest column: Bill C-16 is an opportunity to advance trans rights in Canada
- The Canadian Dream is slipping out of reach for our generation
- The federal government is moving backwards on unpaid internships
- Ontario's overhaul of student financial aid system a welcome change
- The case for a four-day work week
- We're being duped into working more hours
- A precarious future is not inevitable
- 4 reasons why the Trans Pacific Partnership must be stopped
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United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Canada's private sector union