Happy New Year Sudbury!

We welcome the year 2022 from the comfort of our homes, once again, Ontario workers, as well as students, are working from home.

Starting Wednesday, January 5, students will move to remote learning until at least January 17. The province is also working toward providing free emergency child care for school-aged children of health care and other eligible frontline workers during this period. 

Read the full list of eligible health care and other frontline workers for free emergency child care.

As for workers, businesses and organizations are required to ensure employees work remotely unless the nature of their work requires them to be on-site.

The province will return to the modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen on January 5, 2022. For more on COVID-19, restrictions head over to our updates page here.

However, we can also welcome some slight signs of progress, slow as they may be, we must take a minute to congratulate the drive and hard work of countless workers’ rights advocates across Ontario.

There are many positive additions to the minimum wage increase. As of January 1, 2022, the following wages are in place in Ontario:

• General minimum wage workers are now earning $15.00 per hour, a raise from $14.35.
• Liquor servers’ wages have also increased from $12.55 to $15.00 per hour.
• Students under the age of 18 at 28 hours a week or less, go from $13.50 to $14.10 per hour.
• Homeworkers (those who do paid work out of their own homes for employers) increase to $16.50 per hour.
• Hunting, fishing and wilderness guides had their pay raised from $71.75 to $75.00 when working less than five consecutive hours in a day, and $143.55 to $150.05 when working five or more hours in a day. 

Liquor servers have previously received 19.5% below the general minimum wage. This was based on the belief customer tipping can make up the difference. However, many of these workers have increasingly seen their tips pooled and redistributed among many staff, making it harder for them to make ends meet.

Most minimum-wage workers in food services and retail trade are the largest industry employers, with nearly 37% of workers at or below the proposed general minimum wage of $15 per hour in retail and almost 24% in accommodation and food services. This change, while long overdue, is a great change to see welcomed into Ontario and the city of Greater Sudbury.

The Sudbury Living wage was calculated in November of 2021 at $16.98. This is significantly closer to the $15 minimum wage we are currently seeing and shows we are not far off from our ultimate goal. 

While there is still much to be done ahead of the June Provincial Election, workers are making change and the government is acknowledging these actions and voices.

Join us this coming Wednesday, January 12, at 6 PM via zoom for our first monthly All Actions Workers Meeting!

You can also reach out directly to know more info, volunteer, or get help with your worker’s rights.

We are on the lookout for volunteers & speakers!