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The labour shortage – A brewing catastrophe or a shift in the balance of power between employers and young workers?

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there were massive layoffs in various industries in Canada. Thousands of unionized and non-unionized workers across the country lost their jobs, in spite of various government assistance programs aimed at encouraging companies to keep their employees on board.

Fighting for sustainable workplaces

I have been watching recent organizing drives at corporate giants like Starbucks, Amazon, and Indigo with interest. It is inspiring that this charge has been led in large part by young people standing up and fighting for their rights.

Governments need to get off the bench in the fight against inflation

Too many working families in Canada are struggling with their grocery bills and housing costs. As the number of people living paycheque to paycheque climbs, more and more Canadians are wondering when the gouge is going to stop. People are rightly wondering why, after two and a half years of a pandemic, it feels like our governments are leaving us out to dry during an inflation crisis unlike anything we have seen in decades.

Four pre-school aged children laughing with a woman in glasses

Sector profile: Child care

CUPE represents early childhood educators, assistants, cooks, and cleaners in the sector in both stand-alone and multi-sector locals. The bargaining units tend to be small and the wages low. The employers can be not-for-profit volunteer-run boards, municipalities, school boards or for-profit.

Economy at work

It’s time to tax excess corporate profits

We’ve heard it throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: while we’re all in the same storm, we’re not all in the same boat. Nothing has made that clearer than skyrocketing corporate profits. Some companies, like Zoom, did better in the pandemic because they were well placed to respond to changing needs. But other corporations have taken advantage of the pandemic to sneak in higher prices.

Economy at work

New data reveals drop in income inequality across Canada

Income inequality has fallen across all provinces and territories, according to recently released data from the 2021 Census. There are several ways to calculate income inequality. Each of the methods provides different insights. Statistics Canada tracked income inequality in the census data using two of the most common measures: the P90/P10 ratio and the Gini index.

Video: Bargaining during inflation

The cost of living is skyrocketing. To protect workers against inflation, we need to bargain appropriate wage gains and cost-of-living increases. Start the conversation about bargaining during inflation in your local today with CUPE’s new video.

Cartoon image of a graph line with people holding on to it in front of the word inflation

Inflation calculator: How much will I lose?

Out of reach home

Economy at work

Home ownership and rising interest rates

Housing prices, already high across Canada, skyrocketed during the pandemic. Prices rose by more than 30% between the end of 2019 and the end of 2021.

Houses

Economy at work

Canada continues to lose affordable rental housing

Canada has a shortage of purpose-built rentals that are affordable for working people. Housing is increasingly out of reach for minimum-wage workers and people who rely on social assistance. Inflation and higher interest rates will only make things worse.