Activists build momentum to close the gender wage gap

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Toronto – January 16, 2017 – UFCW Canada activists recently met with allies in the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition to strategize for the year ahead to end the gender wage gap that is so prevalent in non-union workplaces.

Activists from all across Ontario gathered to map out and discuss many of the political developments on the horizon, with the Ontario government pledging to update the labour laws following recent consultations with UFCW Canada and other labour allies at a series of Changing Workplaces Review hearings. Studies have shown that the most effective way to combat gender wage inequality is through a union contract.

"With the ongoing Changing Workplaces Review in Ontario, it is our chance to update many of the province's outdated labour laws to address the gender age gap issue,” says UFCW Canada Ontario Regional Director Debora De Angelis, “including better protection and access for workers who want to bring a union to their workplace.”

The session focused on ways to educate, mobilize and raise awareness to close the gender wage gap in 2017.  UFCW Canada activists also highlighted the union’s Closing the Gap campaign, which calls on provincial governments to commit to closing the gender wage gap as an urgent human rights priority.

The group also discussed some of the plans for this year's Equal Pay Day, which will take place on Wednesday, April 9 with demonstrations and actions planned across the country.

A report published last year by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) estimates that for non-union women, the average pay gap in Ontario alone is 29.4 per cent. To learn more about UFCW Canada's advocacy efforts for women, visit www.ufcw.ca/women.