TORONTO, November 5, 2018 – The Ontario Universities and Colleges Coalition (OUCC), which represents more than 435,000 faculty, students, and staff at every public
postsecondary institution in the province, is calling on the Ontario Government to protect decent work laws. Millions of workers, including hundreds of thousands employed by or
studying at Ontario’s universities and colleges, depend upon basic rights that are now at risk.
At a press conference this morning, representatives of the OUCC detailed their concerns about Bill 47, which would eliminate important protections for precariously employed
contract and part-time workers, including the $15 minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, fair scheduling, paid sick days, and fairer rules for joining a union.
If passed, these rollbacks would fundamentally undermine efforts to ensure universities and colleges are model employers who provide job security, fair pay, and benefits for their employees, many of whom are also students. Existing rules requiring that part-time and contract employees receive equal pay for doing the same work as their full-time colleagues was set to provide enormous improvements to the lives of thousands of faculty and support staff at Ontario’s colleges.