Canada's unions marked Labour Day by launching "Workers Together: For a Better Deal" campaign, which officials say will unite workers against greedy corporations and politicians.
At a time when the richest among us are reaping all the benefits, while so many struggle just to get by, workers, unions, and community leaders are uniting with clear goals of amplifying workers' voices, exposing anti-worker politicians, and electing pro-worker candidates.
Workers in Windsor and Essex County gathered at the Unifor Local 200/444 Office to march to Lanspeary Park on Monday as part of the Labour Day celebrations.
Interim President of the Windsor and District Labour Council Mario Spagnuolo says it's easy for politicians to say they support workers, but they want politicians to act.
"The Canadian Labour Congress is starting to organize and mobilize for elections that are coming up. We're hearing of a potential provincial election, there's also a federal election on the horizon. And what we're trying to do is make workers aware of which political parties and which politicians support workers through not just their words, but also their actions," he said.
Spagnuolo says in Windsor, and across the country, you're seeing workers take to the streets to demand more at a time of inequality and unaffordability.
"Employers are making huge profits, but without pushing them using our collective bargaining power they're not necessarily sharing that in a fair way. So you've seen both the public and private sector have to take strikes so that they can get their fair share. They're making huge profits and we need to make sure that it's shared with the people that are making them those profits."
He says they can't just let the wealthy few reap all the benefits while the rest of us struggle, and it's traditionally been the labour movement that pushes the issues.
"Not just in terms of our own collective bargaining rights, but also in terms of community issues such as healthcare, public education and care for the elderly. These are all important issues where labour has been on the forefront for decades and we'll continue to do that. So this campaign is just to make awareness to mobilize and get us ready for whatever comes our way," Spagnuolo said.
Spagnuolo says unions are fighting against an anti-worker agenda and working to protect the hard-won gains of workers while building a country where everyone can thrive.