Community, social services union members to rally in Hamilton for wage increases

Ontario community and social services members will hold a rally and march in Hamilton today to publicly launch the ‘Worth Fighting For’ campaign to call on the Ontario provincial government for retroactive wage increases.

OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE Ontario members will gather at noon at city hall then march to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services on King St West.

The campaign brings together workers in Ontario’s Broader Public Service (BPS), which includes community-based social services, health services and community services.

The unions say BPS workers provide “critical services that communities rely on, working as social workers, child therapists, addictions counsellors, shelter workers, legal aid staff and countless other frontline social services roles.”

They add that the workers are “some of the lowest paid workers in the public service.”

“After months of province-wide coordination, workers from OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE Ontario are taking their fight to the Ford government, calling for retroactive wage increases to catch up to other public service workers after [Ontario Premier] Ford’s illegal Bill 124 wage freeze was overturned,” a statement read.

The Worth Fighting For campaign also calls for long-term funding increases for community and social services.

Rally speakers will include CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn, OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick and workers in community and social services.

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