The country’s largest private sector union is calling on the country’s biggest province to lift its minimum wage to $14 an hour.
Long-time union economist Jim Stanford and Jordan Brennan said Friday Ontario should increase the minimum amount paid to workers from the current rate of $10.25.
That rate has been frozen for three and a half years, a submission from the newly created Unifor to the province said.
When accounting for inflation on consumer products, real purchasing power of the hourly rate has declined by seven per cent, Stanford said in a release.
Unifor said the hike would have no negative impact on job growth – rather, the raise would benefit job creation the union argues.
“The union’s submission reviewed economic evidence regarding the link between minimum wages and employment levels, and concluded that a higher minimum wage would not have any negative impact on employment,” the union said.
“In fact, by boosting purchasing power and consumer spending, and helping lower-income families reduce their debt loads, a higher minimum wage could actually have a net positive impact on jobs.”
The call comes as August job numbers show an uptick in part-time employment, an employment category lower wages typically are found in.
Unifor was officially formed on Labour Day weekend earlier this month, with the merger of Canadian Auto Workers union and Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union.
“Unifor is here because it’s time to stop playing defence and it’s time we started to play offence,” new union president Jerry Dias said at an inaugural address at Unifor’s founding convention in Toronto.
“It’s time to stop reacting and it’s time to start setting the agenda.”
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