To: Presidents and All Members

From: Karen Littlewood, President

For Information

On average, women must work 15.5 months to earn what a man does in 12 months. That is why Tuesday, April 4, 2023, is commemorated as Equal Pay Day in Ontario. This date symbolizes the number of extra days women must work to make the same average wage as men. Although pay equity is the law in Ontario, women continue to earn almost 30% less than men on average. This pay gap affects women of all ages and education levels. Black and racialized women, Indigenous women, 2SLGBTQI+ women, and women living with disabilities face the greatest wage disparity.
The Equal Pay Coalition (EPC) is comprised of dozens of unions, women’s groups, and community organizations seeking to end gender pay discrimination and close the gender pay gap through legislation, collective bargaining, and social initiatives. OSSTF/FEESO is a member of the Equal Pay Coalition, and as part of this coalition, we continue to urge the Ontario government to make meaningful changes to pay equity legislation and to remove other systemic gender barriers that lead to the wage gap.
In 2023, the EPC is focused on the impact of privatization on women’s lives with the theme: Profits Don’t Care. Privatization hurts. Privatization hurts women who work in the “care economy”: healthcare workers, PSWs, child-care workers, and Education Workers. All OSSTF/FESSO members who utilize care services for their families are impacted.
On Equal Pay Day, take some time to amplify the message of the Equal Pay Coalition.
Visit the Equal Pay Coalition website. Share the videos made by women in the care economy; add the Equal Pay Day logo to your social media accounts. Visit the OSSTF website to read about the impacts of privatization on public education.
If you require additional information, please contact Alison Wallace, alison.wallace@osstf.ca
at the provincial office.