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Six Ontario unions host forum on income inequality, its roots and the solutions.
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Kingston (06 June 2013) – Labour and communities are grappling with growing inequality in Ontario, and a Kingston forum on the topic is another step to educate people about the problem and what to do about it.
Ontario unions reach out to members to talk about income inequality
As part of the National Union of Public and General Employees' (NUPGE) All Together Now! national campaign, members from six different unions will come together to discuss what income inequality is and its consequences, the root causes of inequality and what we can do about it.
The Forum, The Rich and the Rest of Us, aims to turn around the damage done to labour rights and public services, and to implement a fair tax system and an industrial strategy to create and maintain good jobs.
Two-way conversation
James Clancy, NUPGE National President, will join writer, social justice activist and lecturer at Queen's University's School of Business, Jamie Swift, and Marijana Matovic, a community development worker from the Kingston Community Health Centre to provide context to the issue and engage the audience in a full discussion on income inequality. Lucy van Oldenbarnevald, Canadian Media Guild member and CBC journalist, will moderate the forum.
Several union presidents will take part in the discussion:
- Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, Sam Hammond
- Ontario Nurses’ Association, Linda Haslam-Stroud
- Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, Mark McKinnon
- Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Warren (Smokey) Thomas
- Society of Energy Professionals, Scott Travers
Providing solutions
"Following on the success of our forum in Sudbury in January, we're continuing to expand the conversation about income inequality," says James Clancy, NUPGE National President.
"We need to shine some light on what income inequality really means, and how we got here. But most importantly, we need to have a frank conversation about how we fix this problem. That part of the conversation is key to shifting public opinion, and forcing government to change tracks."
The Forum will take place on June 10, with doors opening for a light dinner at 5:30 p.m. The panel discussion runs from 6:15 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Sailroom, 53 Yonge St., Kingston.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE