​Our Pledge

The Hamilton and District Labour Council, through its "Protect Pensions" campaign is encouraging all provincial and federal electoral candidates to sign our pledge to ensure retirement security.

​We developed the pledge through consultation​ with our local unions, retiree groups, injured workers, young workers, and working class people who are concerned about their retirement security disappearing.

While we are focusing our initial campaign in the Hamilton area, we are open to sharing resources with other areas of Ontario and Canada.

You can download a paper copy of the pledge
​HERE!

I will support and advocate for all Ontario workers to have both decent and secure pension plans. I support that workers' have defined benefit pension plans, proper pension funding and stronger pension regulations.

​Specifically:

​I support the importance of having a decent and secure retirement for all Ontarians, including those who currently do not have a pension.

I support the promotion and protection of defined benefit pension plans as opposed to other pension schemes such as target benefit plans and defined contribution pension plans.

​I support changes to the solvency funding framework to ensure that all pension plans are 100% funded prior to a company entering court protection or declaring bankruptcy.

I support that the Pension Benefits Guarantee Fund be increased from $1,500 to $3,000 per month.

I support that workers' wages, severance payments, health benefits and pension funds take priority over all other creditors in the case of employers entering court protection or declaring bankruptcy.

I support that pensions are funded by deferred wages and that diverting, withholding, or seizing pension funds is theft and is illegal.

I support that there must be strengthened regulatory powers incorporated in the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario such as: powers to block or place conditions on company takeovers, bankruptcy and insolvency processes that are deemed to put workers' pensions at risk; powers to issue punitive fines on company directors' in cases of clear wrongdoing; and powers to claw-back directors' and executives' bonuses after a company pension plan[s] collapse.

​I support that the pension concerns of injured workers', part-time, temporary and precarious workers who have little or no access to a workplace pension plan.

 I  hereby pledge my support for Labour's Pension and Retirement Benefits Demands.