EDITORIAL
2 Obiter Dicta
We’re All Working on the Edge
My thoughts on the launch of the “Still Working on the Edge:
Rebuilding Decent Work from the Ground Up” Report
O
n 31 March 2015, I had the opportunity
to attend the launch of Ontario’s foremost
report on precarious labour. “Still Working
on the Edge: Rebuilding Decent Work from
the Ground Up,” is the follow-up to a landmark report
drafted in 2007 by labour rights group the Workers
Action Centre and community legal worker Mary
Gellatly. The 2007 report, titled “Working on the
Edge,” was the first comprehensive look at precarious
labour in the province. Since its launch, we’ve experienced a recession, an increasing income gap, and a
substantial decrease in the full time jobs market; the
situation for workers has only worsened.
The launch of “Still Working on the Edge” represents a new opportunity for the Workers Action
Centre, Mary, and an inspiring team of volunteers,
workers, and activists to bring the problem of precarious labour to the forefront. In a worsening labour
market, the report provides a key pillar upon which
to build reforms and mechanisms to protect workers.
At the launch of the report, I had the opportunity to
hear some of their stories first-hand.
The event was by every measure a success, especially for a topic that may not draw the same initial
attention as other, more fashionable causes. With
newspaper coverage and a slew of attendees from legal
and political backgrounds, the event provided an
opportunity to learn more about the problems facing
workers in precarious positions. There were a range of
speakers, including workers detailing their personal
experiences, contributors to the report, and industry and legal experts. The conference also included
mediated discussions at our tables, which gave all the
attendees an interesting chance to share and learn
from a wide range of perspectives and opinions.
Of the speakers, I was particularly impressed
with the presentation by Cathy Ruckelshaus, general counsel and program director for the National
Employment Law Project in the United States. Cathy
went to the effort of not only discussing the wellknown issues facing workers in precarious positions,
but also highlighted some tangible potential ways
to address the problems. I found the review of state
efforts to combat common abuses of workers particularly interesting. Knowing that some states have
taken steps such as assigning joint and several liability to employers in temp hiring models gives hope
that similar mechanisms could be established here.
During the discussion periods, our table
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frequently circled back to the difficulty of addressing
such a wide-spread problem as precarious labour. It is
common knowledge that the problems are becoming
more entrenched as the income gap grows, income
stagnates, and more jobs become low-wage or temporary. What is perhaps surprising, is the reach of these
problems into what may have traditionally been considered more stable industries. My table-mates spoke
about the issues faced by workers in the education
and healthcare systems, as well as the ever-decreasing mar ket for full time jobs. Personally, my feeling
is that, regardless of position or industry, only one
thing will motivate employers to change, and that’s
liability. As long as the enforcement mechanisms are
weak, and employers benefit from violations more
than they stand to lose if caught, it’s hard to foresee any substantial change. If employers definitively
knew that the punishment for being caught for a
labour violation outweighed any potential cost-benefit of that violation, my assumption is they would
seriously rethink their risk assessment.
If we allow the labour market to continue in its
current direction, it will hold ramifications for our
society as a whole. As employees find themselves less
respected, more abused and with fewer job entitlements, they will lose the incentive to do their jobs
editorial board
editor-in-chief | Karolina Wisniewski
managing editor | Sam Michaels
layout editor | Heather Pringle
editorial staff
business managers | Alvin Qian,
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communications manager | Carla Marti
copy editor | Subban Jama
news editor | Mike Capitano
opinions editor | Carla Marti
arts & culture editor | Marie Park
sports editor | Evan Ivkovic
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correctly. As more workers become minimum-wage
earners, innovation will stagnate as only entrepreneurs who create luxury items will find themselves
with a market for their goods. And perhaps most dangerous of all, as the safety net for workers is eroded
by loopholes and cutbacks, more members of society
will find themselves falling out of wealth into poverty after a sickness, divorce, or other unforeseen life
change.
With the situation spiralling downwards, and
such substantial risks emerging, the “Still Working
on the Edge” report could not have come at a more
crucial time. It is a comprehensive, personal, and indepth look at labour in Ontario, and allows readers
to get a clear overview of some of the problems facing
workers, and some of the most succinct and wellreasoned recommendations to improve the labour
environment.
Attending the launch of the report further
affirmed my confidence in the impressive group of
individuals fighting to improve the lives of precarious workers. Now that the effort to gather information has yielded such meaningful results, the next
staff writers
Kate Henley, Gleb Matushansky, Erin Garbett,
Hannah de Jong, Kenneth Cheak Kwan Lam,
Kendall Grant, Rob Hamilton,
Esther Mendelsohn, Parmbir Singh Gill,
Michael Silver, Nabila Khan, Benjamin
Hognestad, Justin Philpott, Liane Langstaff
contributors
Lauren Katz, Ophelie Zalcmanis-Lai
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» see editorial, page 14
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