'I think it's an outrage': Regina rally supports Ont. Tim Hortons employees facing reduced hours, breaks
But CFIB says business owners face uncertainties, such as tax changes, when miminum wage rises
Despite the distance between Saskatchewan and Ontario, Regina residents are standing up for Tim Hortons employees to the east.
Armed with clipboards and labour study facts, Fight for 15 volunteers eagerly approached the bustling public at both the University of Regina and Cornwall Centre on Friday in support of the affected Ontario workers.
"I think it's an outrage," said Nick Day, a volunteer with Fight for 15. "I think it's disingenuous, I think it's unfair and I think people know it's unfair."
Fight for 15 is a global organization created to help increase minimum wage to $15.
It organized the multi-location petition and rally after a Tim Hortons store in Ontario cut hours and paid breaks and clawed back benefits.
Franchise owners said the cuts came as a result of minimum wage increases.
- Tim Hortons heirs cut paid breaks and worker benefits after minimum wage hike, employees say
- Tim Hortons franchise owners tell workers to blame Wynne for benefit cuts and to 'not vote Liberal'
Sask. Federation of Labour speaks out
Recently, the president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour sent a letter to the CEO of the Tim Hortons parent company, Daniel Schwartz, urging him to reinstate workers with their original benefits, work hours and breaks.
"First of all, this shouldn't happen anywhere," said Larry Hubich, president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. "Vulnerable workers aren't in a position to be able to actually challenge those kinds of decisions of their employers."
Hubich said this is a matter of respect for workers and a minor increase in product cost could have helped avoid cutbacks.
The other side of the argument
The decision made in Ontario wasn't necessarily easy to make — but sometimes it needs to happen in order to keep a business afloat, according to Marilyn Braun-Pollon, vice president of agri-business with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
There's this magical myth that business owners have some magical money tree in the backyard.- Marilyn Braun-Pollon, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
"This was about a franchisee and it would be devastating to an independent company with 25 employees," said Braun-Pollon.
"There's this magical myth that business owners have some magical money tree in the backyard," she added.
When minimum wage is raised, people need to understand business owners face uncertainties, such as federal tax changes and increasing employment insurance, Braun-Pollon said.
"This is just one slice of the difficult decisions that Ontario business owners are having to face," she said.