Canada’s unions have fought for better wages, benefits, and working conditions for the better part of two centuries. Many Ontarians take these things for granted. ETFO members do not. As proud members of the labour movement we know the importance of health and safety legislation, maternity leave, family medical Leave, restrictions on hours of work and that these things would not be in place today without an organized labour movement and a legal structure that permitted free and fair collective bargaining.
The Supreme Court of Canada has recently affirmed the necessity of unions, saying, “Individual employees typically lack the power to bargain and pursue workplace goals with their more powerful employers. Only by banding together in collective bargaining associations, thus strengthening their power with their employer, can they meaningfully pursue workplace goals.” This was affirmed in Ontario when ETFO won our Bill 115 court case. The courts have been clear: workers have a right to free and unfettered collective bargaining.
One of the fundamental tenets of the labour movement is that what we wish for ourselves we wish for everyone. As an affiliate of the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress, ETFO is at the forefront of a broad labour movement that works to enhance working conditions and workers' rights for everyone.
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