Community health and social service workers put Ford government on notice: act now to deliver on stolen wages, fund services and avert a province-wide strike
Toronto, May 6, 2026 – Workers are putting the Ford Government on notice to take action to avert a province-wide strike. On Friday, workers at 27 community organizations took the next step in the Worth Fighting For coordinated bargaining campaign by requesting that the Ministry of Labour issue no board reports, moving them closer to a coordinated strike.
Workers are calling for funding to address stolen wages and to protect the future of the services that children, families and communities rely on.
Today, they brought their call to action directly to Queen’s Park. These workers, members of OPSEU/SEFPO, are among the tens of thousands of workers who are still waiting to be made whole for wages stolen under Ford’s unconstitutional Bill 124.
“We are fed up with watching our communities get cheated while services and clients suffer, and workers are asked to do more with less,” said JP Hornick, OPSEU/SEFPO President. “Doug Ford has underfunded our community services to the point of crisis – and it’s pushing many workers into poverty. When Bill 124 was repealed more than two years ago we told Ford to make it right – and he has failed to do so.”
While many public sector workers have received retroactive wage increases of 6.5 per cent ore more since the legislation was repealed – including workers in colleges, hospitals, and the OPS – thousands are still waiting.
In the years since this legislation was introduced, services in communities across Ontario have been pushed to the brink by chronic underfunding. Workers have been forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet and the people they care for are struggling to access the care they need.
“Many of us are two pay cheques away from being right beside the people we support. To this government, I say: we are doing work you wouldn’t do. We are doing our best to hold up a crumbling system. We deserve better and our communities deserve better,” said Patricia Crooks, a community support worker at a women’s shelter in Toronto.
Strike action isn’t a step workers take lightly. Without immediate action from the Ford government to address this funding shortfall, more than 4,500 workers in organizations across the province supporting children, families and vulnerable members of our communities are prepared to strike to protect the services and care they are proud to provide.
“Funding for these services, including for wages, is the only way to keep them stable. It will mean trained workers can stay in these jobs, and that care is there when people need it. This is work where relationships can mean everything. I want to see an Ontario that invests in helping people with disabilities live with dignity and belong to their communities. They matter. And they are worth fighting for,” said Alex Dunsmuir, a developmental services worker from Simcoe.