The president of the Chatham-Kent Labour Council likes that the minimum wage in Ontario is going up to $14 an hour starting this January 1 and $15 an hour beginning New Year's Day of 2019.
Frank Niehus says it's great news for hourly workers and adds he's surprised the jump is so large and so quick.
"That's a total surprise. I was honestly expecting an announcement of 25 or 30 cents to be drawn out over a year or two. This is great news," says Niehus.
The province is also introducing a minimum of at least two paid sick days per year for all workers and stepping up enforcement of employment laws by hiring up to 175 more employment standards officers.
Niehus says the jump in minimum wage is long overdue.
"Trying to live on minimum wage and precarious work has put a lot of people into hardships and our local labour council and labour councils across the province, the OFL and the CLC have all been working on this for a few years now and I think it's long overdue," Niehus says.
Niehus says he doesn't buy the Chamber argument that prices will go up for consumers and that the wage hike will become meaningless, saying the price hike is a myth.
"People claiming that huge price increases are going to be a result of wage increases has been a myth for years and there's no real records to prove that. I think it's going to be a benefit for people at the bottom of the wage scale," says Niehus.
The Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the premier earlier this month strongly objecting to a $15 minimum wage saying it would discourage investment, eliminate jobs and hurt the economy.
