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High quality child care services depend on workers who feel valued and secure. That’s why I’m supporting the striking child care workers at YMCA-YWCA. In seeking a fair deal for the vital work they do, they are defending high-quality child care services at Taggart Family Y, Ruddy Family Y and Avalon Public School. The average hourly wage for a YMCA-YWCA child care worker is significantly lower than the average for unionized centres in the National Capital Region. It is also 20% below the Ontario average hourly rate, which was $17.29 for program staff as far back as 2012. Low pay and poor working conditions hurt the quality of child care because they contribute to high staff turnover and poor recruitment and retention of skilled workers. But we know that children learn best and thrive most in a stable environment that offers security and continuity of care from devoted staff. I’ll conclude by saying that I’m deeply disappointed by the YMCA-YWCA’s treatment of this group of predominantly women workers. The values that I attribute to your organization – a registered charity, no less – should make it a leader in raising standards for women working in jobs that have been traditionally undervalued and underpaid. They YMCA-YWCA’s own mission statement says that the charity is committed to “improving the quality of life for children, youth, adults and families through programs that build spirit, mind and body.” Surely these values extend to the Y’s treatment of its own employees, particularly ones who perform such vital work with such dedication.

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