In January over 1,000 people joined the SFL Fight for 15
Released February 4, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2019
In January over 1,000 people joined the SFL Fight for 15
The campaign to win a $15 per hour minimum wage in Saskatchewan got a lot bigger in January, as over 1,000 people joined the SFL Fight for 15.
“We worked with students on campuses in Saskatoon and Regina to help win the Fight for 15. I’m excited that nearly 1,000 students signed postcards to the provincial government, asking that Saskatchewan raise its minimum wage,” said Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) President Lori Johb, “the students, combined with dozens of online sign-ups, means the Fight for 15 gained over 1,000 members in January alone. This is in addition to hundreds of signatures that were collected on an earlier Fight for 15 petition. It’s clear Saskatchewan voters want a $15 per hour minimum wage,” she added.
At only $11.06 per hour, Saskatchewan’s minimum wage is the second-worst in Canada. After Nova Scotia increases their minimum wage on April 1st of this year, Saskatchewan will once again be dead last.
“Saskatchewan’s minimum wage is a poverty wage, and that’s not fair. Hardworking people should not be trapped in poverty,” said Johb, “it just isn’t right that a single mother working fulltime at minimum wage still has to visit the food bank on her way home,” she added.
Raising the minimum wage benefits everyone. In Saskatchewan, 96,600 workers earn less than $15 per hour – which is 20% of the entire workforce. Winning the Fight for 15 will help raise thousands of people out of poverty, and stimulate local economies. Provincially, about 40% of all workers earning minimum wage are between the ages of 15 and 19. However, workers between the ages of 35 and 64 constitute the second-largest cohort of minimum wage earners at 30% of the total.
“The Fight for 15 is about ensuring fair pay and decent work for all. In Saskatchewan, huge corporations are paying low wages – not small businesses,” said Johb, “over half of all minimum wage earners in this province work for businesses with 100 or more employees. Corporations like Tim Horton’s, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Lowes, Cineplex, and Loblaws can afford to pay their workers a fair wage,” she added.
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For additional information, contact:
Kent Peterson
Strategic Advisor
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
m: 1 (306) 570-1855
e: k.peterson@sfl.sk.ca
