Precarious labour has become increasingly common on university campuses in Canada. At the University of Toronto food service workers at UTSC employed by Aramark have been negotiating for months for better wages and respect for basic rules against workplace harassment and intimidation. These workers currently earn a minimum of $12.21 an hour, far short of Toronto’s $18.52/hour living wage. UTSC food service workers are not even seeking Toronto’s living wage. They are asking that their salaries be raised to a minimum of $15.00 an hour.
UTFA calls on the University of Toronto administration to support its claim of being a progressive employer by ensuring that everyone working at the university earns, at a minimum, a living wage. In the case of subcontractors like Aramark, UTFA calls on the University of Toronto administration to ensure that all contracts require employers to pay, at a minimum, a living wage. UTFA fully supports the food service workers at UTSC and encourages the University of Toronto administration to recognize that people working at the University of Toronto, whether employees of the University or subcontractors, should not be living in poverty.