… has to be pensions. And it’s not just for the aging, This should be an issue for young workers as well. I was encouraged to see that our CEP young workers are speaking out. The following is an email I got this week. Particularly poignant are the stories of citizens who are suffering…
Momentum is building from our “Retirement Security for Everyone” <http://www.canadianlabour.ca/action-center/get-real-its-economy/protecting-workers-pensions> campaign since training sessions began in Kamloops, BC.
Our training objective is to develop the capacity of activists to articulate the three demands of our pension campaign to politicians and allies in their community. We know the federal and provincial Finance Ministers are meeting December 16-17 to discuss pension reform, and we plan to bring our campaign’s influence to bear on them. We want them to embrace our campaign’s vision of “Retirement Security for Everyone”.
As a reminder, our “Retirement Security for Everyone” demands are:
Increase public pensions so no senior lives in poverty.
Double CPP benefits to raise the floor in our pension system.
Introduce a federal pension insurance to protect pension benefits.
The pension stories activists bring to our campaign makes it more powerful and persuasive. Every day I will be communicating some of the stories we gather from training sessions to you. Today we feature some stories from union sisters, who remind us how unfair our pension system still is for women.
Jenny, CEP Local 247, Toronto: At age 25, Jenny worries if her parents will ever be able to retire. Jenny’s parents have never had a pension plan — now in their late 40s they have no RRSP savings, and no personal savings. Her Dad has been sick for over three years and unable to work. Her Mom recently started working at Wal-Mart for less than $11 an hour. Jenny is fortunate to have a good wage and pension through work, but it can’t sustain an income for three people.
Shawna, Health Employees Union of British Columbia (CUPE): Shawna is a young worker. She has no pension plan because she’s a casual worker. Her mother and grandmother still have to work because they don’t have a pension. Shawna is working three jobs and her mother is working more than full-time.
Patsy, British Columbia Government Employees Union: Patsy doesn’t have a pension plan right now. However, one is being brought into her work place and she’s very pleased. However, many of her coworkers have had to dip into their RRSP’s over the years due to illnesses. Patsy thinks that even with the pension plan these workers will not be able to retiree for many years
Jackie, Health Sciences Association of British Columbia (BCGEU): Jackie’s mother has been relying on her late husband’s pension plan. However that has run out. Now she only has OAS. Jackie’s Mom has a British pension, however it’s frozen at a 1968 level. She went from having a comfortable life to having nearly nothing.
Debbie, social worker and SGEU member, Saskatoon: Debbie spoke about an elderly woman she works with who struggles with two issues – diabetes and poverty. Her monthly income (exclusively from public pensions) is barely $1300 per month, while her housing costs have just spiked to $1100. With the minimal subsidies this senior gets for prescription drugs, she lives hand-to-mouth which only worsens her diabetes. Debbie was disgusted that seniors — particularly single women seniors — are forced to live in such misery while bank bailouts and CEO bonuses are so common.
Dan Ward, retiree and former Steelworkers rep, Hamilton: At age 80, Dan reminded everyone about the historical origins of our public pension system. It was a minority federal government in 1927 that introduced public pensions given serious pressure by a broad political movement, and the articulate voices of Labour MPs J.S. Woodsworth and A.A. Heaps. It was a similar movement that fought for, and won, the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans in 1966, and Dan played a role in that fight. Dan’s health is very poor, and his doctor advised him against attending the training session. He came anyway though, and said it was time for a new generation to carry on the struggle for decent pensions.
