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.
As a union steward and activist, a lot of people ask me “what does the union do?”
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!
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.
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.
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.
When I was a kid, I remember running to the mailbox each day, checking to see if I had received a letter back from my friend. How times have changed. We basically no longer send letters to friends, except for the odd Christmas card or wedding invitation. But does that mean mail is dying?
Picture this: you’re a young girl heading to your first party during your freshman year at college. You’re wearing jeans and a tank top instead of the skirt that your girlfriends said looked great on you. Why? Because your mom told you to never wear a skirt and go out drinking. She reminded you that you don’t want to get raped.
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United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Canada's private sector union