Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne Stands up for Tim Hortons Employees
January first marked a significant day in the province of Ontario as minimum wage jumped up to 14 dollars, but Tim Hortons is the first Canadian company to fight back by reducing employee benefits.
In a letter to their employees at two Tim Hortons locations in the city of Cobourg Ontario, Ron Joyce Jr. and Jeri Horton-Joyce , state that due to the increase in minimum wage, employees working for the company will no longer be getting paid breaks and will also have to pay partial payment for their dental and other benefits.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne states that the company needs to take their fight to the Ontario government and not take it out on their workers.
“Asking minimum-wage workers to sign a pledge acknowledging that their breaks will now go unpaid or agreeing to only receive eight hours pay for a nine-hour day is not decent and it’s not fair,” she said. “It is the act of a bully.”
“If Mr. Joyce wants to pick a fight, I urge him to pick it with me and not those working the pickup window and service counter of his stores. Tim Hortons is an important part of the daily life of many Canadian families. Paying our workers a decent living wage is also important. I hope Mr. Joyce will choose to reverse his approach,” she said.
Minimum wage increase
The push to raise minimum wage is one that people have been advocating for, for quite some time now as due to inflation, the cost of basic living has sky rocketed.
The current jump in wages was quite a big one as before January 1, minimum wage was $11.60 per hour.
I personally know a handful of people who work in an industry where they will directly benefit from this pay increase, but is $14 even enough?
Many people who work jobs that pay minimum wage, have more than one, because of the basic cost of living.
Chris Buckley, the president of the Ontario Federation of Labour states that Tim Hortons is the first Canadian company to fight back against the minimum wage increase, and that customers should take the fight to Tim Hortons by getting their coffee elsewhere.
“For a Canadian company like Tim Hortons to be the first company out of the gate to hurt workers because they got a raise, it’s absolutely disgusting,” he said. “I would encourage people in the Cobourg area to teach these franchise owners a lesson and not use them.”
Since the letter was released to Tim Hortons employees, Tim Hortons has not made any statement pertaining to it.
