Craig McInnes, the president of Ontario Joint Council 52, has written to Doug Ford urging him to implement paid sick leave for all essential workers. See his letter below.
Dear Mr. Ford,
Premier of Ontario
Legislative Building
Queen’s Park Toronto, ON
M7A 1A1
Dear Mr. Ford,
As the continued level of crisis continues with the current state of COVID-19 I am writing to you to share a deep concern of our labour union as it relates to our members on what should be considered a basic human right, government paid time away from work when sick.
As you know our members represent the vast majority of the working class who are the essential workers of this pandemic. They are hard and strong workers who have carried our province through this crisis. But that comes at a cost to them and their families placing them at the highest risk level of becoming sick and their families becoming sick. Essential workers and their families are in Intensive Care Units dying because these workers need to provide for their families and also want to do their civic duty and contribute to the province’s economic recovery. But in doing so they go to work when they’re not feeling well.
To date all other government efforts have fallen short in addressing this issue and a response is needed in a timely fashion to curb the curve of this pandemic. Essential workers need paid sick time from the Ontario government and they need it now. That is why I am calling on you as the Premier and on the Ontario government to pass legislation on sick time for all essential workers. That is how we are going to flatten the curve of COVID-19 and how we’re going to get to a place where the province’s economic recovery can resume.
Essential workers deserve your support on this issue. They deserve to see that their Premier has their back especially when they’re not feeling well enough to go to work. And they deserve the stability of knowing they’re not going to lose their homes when they can’t work and they can continue to provide for their families through thick and thin, even when they’re sick.
In solidarity,
Craig McInnes
President
Ontario Joint Council 52
