OFL launches new campaign to say “Enough is Enough”

TORONTO – The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) has launched a new campaign to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. As Ontarians face skyrocketing inflation, wage suppression, and a crumbling public health care system, this new campaign brings people together to say: Enough is Enough!

“For far too long, working people have paid the price, for crises we didn’t create,” said Patty Coates, Ontario Federation of Labour President. “We’re fighting for solutions to help working people, instead of making our lives more difficult.”

The Enough is Enough campaign has five demands:

• Real wage increases
• Keep schools and health care public
• Affordable groceries, gas, and basic goods
• Rent control and affordable housing
• Make the banks and corporations pay

Each demand includes a series of steps needed to achieve it. For example, the demand for real wage increases calls for a $20 minimum wage, the permanent repeal of the wage restraint legislation Bill 124, and doubling the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works rates.

“We are fighting for these demands through a series of escalating actions,” Coates added.

At the campaign launch on Saturday, January 28, the OFL introduced a six-month road map for the campaign that includes a pledge, a week of action from February 21-26, community meetings, and local actions leading up to a mass mobilization on June 3. The OFL released a video and a suite of materials to support the campaign.

Speakers at the launch did not shy away from discussion about the possibility of a province-wide general strike. Instead, they spoke to the steps and mass support necessary to achieve such an action.

“We know that Ontarians are fed up and want action now,” said Coates. “This campaign provides a framework to do the hard work of getting organized in every part of the province. That starts with one-on-one conversations with co-workers, neighbours, family, and friends. That will lay the groundwork for a major escalation to ensure that we cannot be ignored.”

The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information, please contact:

Melissa Palermo
Communications Director
Ontario Federation of Labour
mpalermo@ofl.ca | 416-894-3456