Sobeys Inc. is bringing back pay premiums for staff in locations where coronavirus lockdowns are in effect. Parent company Empire Co. Ltd. has reinstated ‘hero pay’ in Manitoba, Toronto and Ontario’s Peel Region as rising cases of the virus in those areas have prompted the shutdown of non-essential businesses. Each week, eligible employees will see between $10 […]
Provincial finance ministers have been quietly prodding Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to pause planned increases in the premiums employers and employees pay into the Canada Pension Plan. The planned increase on Jan. 1, 2021 is part of a multi-year plan approved by provinces and the federal government four years ago to boost retirement benefits through the public plan by […]
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing new rules that would allow gig workers to be partially paid in company equity. If adopted, the proposed rules would be in effect for a five-year period and allow employers to pay gig workers up to 15 per cent of their annual compensation in equity, to a […]
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is asking the federal government to hold Canada Pension Plan premiums at current levels next year when they’re scheduled to rise, as employers and employees struggle with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to the organization, approximately one third of small businesses are currently losing money and higher payroll taxes […]
Bee-Clean Building Maintenance janitors in British Columbia ratified their first collective agreement on Monday, winning employer-paid health and dental benefits, paid sick days and a wage boost. Employees who are members of Services Employees International Union Local 2 reached the tentative agreement on Friday, mere days before they were set to picket at various locations across B.C.’s Lower […]
Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services spent $200 million in a winning bet to circumvent California lawmakers and the courts to preserve their business model by keeping drivers from becoming employees eligible for benefits and job protections. The titans of the so-called gig economy bankrolled the most expensive ballot […]
Starbucks Corp. is aiming to tie its executive compensation to diversity targets beginning in 2021. The move is one of a series of initiatives the coffee chain has pledged to implement in its diversity, equity and inclusion goals and training, which come at a time of social justice unrest in the U.S. Starbucks has committed to […]
To recognize frontline, hourly employees for their service during the coronavirus pandemic, Lowe’s Canada is paying a discretionary bonus to all eligible full-time, part-time and seasonal staff. Full-time hourly associates will receive $300, while part-time and seasonal associates will receive $150. The October bonus is in addition to the discretionary bonuses paid to all eligible hourly employees in […]
Ford Motor Co. and Unifor’s new collective agreement tackles everything from racial inequality, medical cannabis coverage and a new pension plan. The $1.8 billion deal ratified on Monday includes a racial justice advocate in a nod to the ongoing racial reckoning occurring in society and workplaces. The newly created role will complement existing inclusivity efforts at […]
More than a third (36 per cent) of Canadian organizations froze salaries in 2020, compared to a pre-coronavirus forecast of just two per cent, according to Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s annual salary projection survey. The trend is likely to hold true for the coming year, with almost half (46 per cent) of employers saying they’re uncertain […]