Employers don’t give fair value to women’s work and jobs done by other designated groups. Unions can change that at the bargaining table.
Women make up the majority of CUPE members. Why wouldn’t women workers caring for children or the elderly be paid the same as (or more than) male workers caring for animals? Look for this kind of unfairness in your workplace. Are the base rates for women’s jobs lower than those for men’s jobs? Are women of colour clustered in jobs that are paid less?
Do women’s jobs have more increment steps than men’s jobs? Does your local bargain percentage increases which widen the gap between the lowest paid (often women) and highest paid workers? Part-time workers are mostly women – do they have wages and benefits the same as others doing the same work?
We all benefit from wage fairness. It increases solidarity in the union. We have more money to support our families. We challenge the assumption that some workers because of looks, gender, disability are less deserving of decent wages than others.
Download a copy of Wage discrimination and pay equity (Section F of the Bargaining Equality binder). It includes a checklist, fact sheet, and examples of contract language from CUPE locals.
