BIDEN NLRB

Union's evidence in Amazon vote 'could be grounds for overturning election', U.S. Labor Board says

By Nandita Bose 

REUTERS

4/28/2021

© Reuters/DUSTIN CHAMBERS FILE PHOTO: Congressional delegation to Amazon plant

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Evidence submitted by a retail union that raised objections to Amazon.com Inc's conduct at this month's union election in Alabama "could be grounds for overturning the vote", the National Labor Relations Board said on Wednesday.


The labor board has overturned several union elections over the years. In 2016, the board overturned an election the United Steelworks union lost by a decisive vote - a decision criticized by large U.S. business lobbies.

The NLRB will hold a hearing on May 7 to consider objections filed by the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which failed to secure enough votes from Amazon warehouse workers to form a union. The vote count announced on April 9 showed that workers at Amazon's Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse rejected the union by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

"The evidence submitted by the union in support of its objections could be grounds for overturning the election if introduced at a hearing," the labor board said.

The RWDSU submitted nearly two dozen objections to Amazon's conduct during the election, which it said prevented employees from a "free and uncoerced exercise of choice" on whether to create the company's first U.S. union.

The RWDSU alleged that Amazon's agents unlawfully threatened employees with closure of the warehouse if they joined the union and that the company emailed a warning it would lay off 75% of the proposed bargaining unit because of the union.

Amazon, which has denied the allegations, did not respond to requests for comment.

For much of its history, the NLRB has used its decision-making authority to change labor policy by establishing new precedents. The board has repeatedly overturned cases decided by prior administrations. Under the Trump administration, it overturned cases detrimental to employers which had been decided during the preceding Obama presidency.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in WashingtonEditing by Chris Reese, Sonya Hepinstall and Karishma Singh)

Court: Germany must share climate burden between young, old

BERLIN — In a ruling hailed as groundbreaking, Germany's top court said Thursday the government must set clear goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions after 2030, arguing that existing legislation risks placing too much of a burden for curbing climate change on younger generations.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The verdict was a victory for climate activists from Germany and elsewhere who — with the support of environmental groups — had filed four complaints to the constitutional Court arguing that their rights were at risk by the lack of sufficient targets beyond the next decade.

Like other European Union countries, Germany aims to cut emissions 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. Legislation passed two years ago set specific targets for sectors such as heating and transport over that period, but not for the long-term goal of cutting emissions to “net zero” by 2050.

The 2019 regulations "irreversibly pushed a very high burden of emissions reduction into the period after 2030," judges said in their ruling.

The court backed the argument that the 2015 Paris climate accord's goal of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), ideally no more than 1.5 C (2.7 F), by the end of the century compared with pre-industrial times should be a benchmark for policymakers. It ordered the German government to come up with new targets from 2030 onward by the end of next year.

In a striking precedent, the court also acknowledged the idea that Germany has a finite emissions "budget” before the Paris goal becomes impossible. While it didn't specify what Germany's share of the global carbon budget is, scientists have said at current rates of emission it could be used up in less than a decade.

Lawyer Felix Ekardt, who brought one of the cases, called the verdict “groundbreaking” for Germany.

“Germany’s climate policy will need to be massively adjusted,” he told reporters.

Fellow lawyer Roda Verheyen said the decision would likely mean Germany's plans to phase out coal use by 2038 would need to be brought forward, in order to realistically achieve the country's long-term emissions target.

“A simple calculator shows that this will be necessary,” she said.

Germany has managed to cut its annual emissions from the equivalent of 1.25 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 1990 to about 740 million tons last year — a reduction of more than 40%.

The current target would require cuts of 178 million tons by 2030, but a reduction of 281 million tons in each of the following decades.



Video: Canada lacks plan on meeting new emissions reduction goal (Global News)



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Canada lacks plan on meeting new emissions reduction goal
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Judges said it would be wrong to allow one generation “to use up large parts of the CO2 budget with a comparatively mild reduction burden, if that simultaneously means following generations are left with a radical reduction burden and their lives are exposed to comprehensive limits to freedom.”

Climate activists expressed delight at the verdict.

“With today's decision, generational justice has been achieved," said plaintiff Luisa Neubauer, a member of the Fridays for Future group. "Because our future freedoms and rights aren't less important than the rights and freedoms of today's generation.”

Germany’s main industry lobby group, BDI, called for transparent and feasible targets to give companies the certainty needed to plan and develop new technologies and make the necessary investments required to shift from fossil fuels to carbon-free alternatives.

Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said after the verdict that she would propose new measures for Europe's biggest economy in the coming months.

The court's unanimous ruling plays into the hands of the environmentalist Greens party, which is leading in several polls ahead of Germany's national election on Sept. 26.

Annalena Baerbock, the Greens' candidate to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor, called for “concrete action, here and now.”

She said the Greens want to double the rate by which wind parks, solar farms and other sources of renewable energy sources are expanded over the next five years, ban the sale of new combustion engine vehicles starting in 2030, bring forward the deadline to end coal use and set additional emissions targets after 2030.

Britain earlier this month announced it will aim to cut its emissions 78% from 1990 levels by 2035, the most ambitious target of any industrialized nation. The U.K. hosts this year's international climate summit in Glasgow in November.

Christiana Figueres, who as U.N. climate chief was instrumental in negotiating the Paris accord, said the German court's unanimous verdict made clear the need to speed up efforts to reduce emissions.

“We need to focus on shorter-term mitigation and emission reductions," she said, adding that this urgency was reflected in last week's climate summit organized by President Joe Biden, who announced a doubling of the U.S. target for 2030, now aiming to cut emissions 52% from 2005 levels.

The legal cases in Germany are part of a global effort by climate activists to force governments to take urgent action to tackle climate change.

One of the first successful cases was brought in the Netherlands, where the Supreme Court two years ago confirmed a ruling requiring the government to cut emissions at least 25% by the end of 2020 from benchmark 1990 levels.

In February, a Paris court ruled that the French government had failed to take sufficient action to fight climate change in a case brought by four nongovernmental organizations.

___

Follow AP's climate coverage at https://apnews.com/Climate

Frank Jordans, The Associated Press

NOT QUITE UBI 

Sudan's basic income scheme aims to ease economic pain

By Nafisa Eltahir and Eltayeb Siddig 
4/29/2021

© Reuters/EL TAYEB SIDDIG Sudan's basic income scheme aims to ease economic pain

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - For Intisar Altayib, who ekes out a living drawing henna tattoos in Khartoum, soaring prices in Sudan mean running up tabs at local stores and cutting back on evening feasts during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

She is one of millions struggling through an economic crisis that has deepened as Sudan tries to emerge from decades of isolation and conflict. Inflation has risen to more than 340% and there are shortages of everything from power to medicines

.

© Reuters/EL TAYEB SIDDIG Sudan's basic income scheme aims to ease economic pain

To ease the pain of reforms the government is introducing a donor-funded scheme that aims to provide a temporary $5 basic monthly income to 80% of its population of 43 million.

The roll-out, which began in February, is a test for the transitional civilian-military partnership that is due to govern Sudan until 2023. Many Sudanese complain they have not seen the benefits of an uprising, triggered by the deteriorating economy, that overthrew former President Omar al-Bashir two years ago.

© Reuters/EL TAYEB SIDDIG Sudan's basic income scheme aims to ease economic pain

Altayib, who has registered for the welfare programme but is yet to receive money, says that in her neighbourhood of Al Kalakla, prices are four or five times higher than a year ago and her family has all but stopped buying meat.

Fuel price increases have put public transport beyond reach. "Ramadan is expensive, we have to rely on God," she said.

The family support programme came about as the government pursues an aggressive economic reform programme monitored by the International Monetary Fund, hoping to win relief on at least $50 billion dollars in debt and access funding from international lenders.

The ongoing reforms have included a sharp currency devaluation in February and fuel subsidy cuts over the second half of last year. The IMF said in an October report on the reforms that they could lead to economic contraction, higher inflation and social tensions in the short term.

© Reuters/MOHAMED NURELDIN ABDALLAH FILE PHOTO: Women sit together as they prepare food for their families in Khartoum north

The basic income scheme, known as Thamarat (fruits) or the Sudan Family Support Programme, is an effort to soften the blow, officials say.

A survey of more than 3,000 families across Sudan from November to January showed that 30% were unable to buy staples like bread and milk, with price increases worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Milena Stefanova, country manager for the World Bank.

PAYMENTS

The start of the support programme was pushed back to late February because donors conditioned the release of funds they had pledged last year on the closing of the gap between the official and black market exchange rates.

"The delay in implementing the programme reduces its impact because of the racing inflation in Sudan," said Mohammed al-Jak, a University of Khartoum economics professor.

Sudan has received $820 million from the World Bank and donor countries for the programme's first two phases, which aim to cover 24 million people in 12 states for six months, the World Bank says.

The programme is not yet funded to reach the remainder of the targeted 32.5 million, or for a potential extension of payments to a year.

Some beneficiaries told Reuters they would use the money to pay off debts, or cover rent or home maintenance. Intisar, however, said the money wouldn't make a huge dent in daily expenses and would be more useful for her family if she saved it up and started a business.

"This amount has an impact, especially in Ramadan," said Mohamed Aldai, a day laborer living in the Id Hussein area who said his family of six received 11,400 Sudanese pounds ($30).

Payments were made to 84,028 families in March and April, the World Bank says. The government estimates family size at about five, and each member is entitled to a local currency monthly payment worth $5.

The government hopes to use the programme to facilitate a permanent social safety net for the poorest million families, said Magdi Amin, senior advisor at Sudan's Finance Ministry.

Amin Saleh, undersecretary at the Finance Ministry, says delays in payments so far are due to issues with verifying data and setting up transfers.

"People are struggling, we can't afford to buy anything," said Arafa Mohamed, a housewife in Al Kalakla.

"We've been waiting since they told us about this money, we've been waiting all Ramadan."

($1 = 380.0002 Sudanese pounds)

(Additional reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Frances Kerry)

BATTLEFIELD BAND ANTHEM FOR THE COMMON MAN

 

GM partners up to offer about 60,000 EV charging points across Canada, U.S


(Reuters) - General Motors on Wednesday announced deals with major electric vehicle charging networks to offer its customers access to nearly 60,000 charging points across the United States and Canada.

The No. 1 U.S. automaker said it had signed agreements with seven companies including Blink Charging, ChargePoint and EV Connect.

"EV customers will soon be able to easily see real-time information from nearly 60,000 charging plugs...find stations along a route and initiate and pay for charging," GM said in a statement.

The automaker also introduced "Ultium Charge 360", a platform which integrates charging networks, GM vehicle mobile apps and other services to simplify the charging experience for its electric-vehicle owners.

GM's next generation of Ultium batteries will be used in its new EVs including the Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq.

Wall Street has been increasingly focusing on GM's strategy to roll out electric vehicles, as it slowly aims to catch up with EV market leader Tesla Inc.

The automaker previously announced a $27 billion investment in EV and autonomous vehicles (AV) through 2025 and the launch of 30 new EVs by 2025-end.

GM's longer-range target also includes halting sales of light-duty gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035.

(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)

GM expands Canadian charging network to nearly 5,000 public plugs

Andrew McCredie 

 Driving.ca

4/28/2021

Infrastructure. Infrastructure. Infrastructure. Now that most every automaker on the planet is producing electric vehicles, and many of those committing to rolling out dozens of such models in the coming years, for EV adoption to ramp up in Canada, it’s all about the charging station infrastructure.

General Motors is one of those companies all-in on EVs — launching 30 all-new EVs by the end of 2025 — and today it announced Ultium Charge 360, a customer charging program that will integrate charging networks across North America, GM vehicle mobile apps, and other products and services.

As part of the program, GM has signed agreements with several charging providers, including Blink Charging, ChargePoint, EV Connect, FLO, Greenlots, and SemaConnect. According to GM, that represents nearly 60,000 charging plugs in North America, including 4,800 in Canada, or nearly half the 9,900 plugs currently included in the MyChevrolet, MyCadillac, and MyGMC apps. All of those chargers will be tied into the existing GM vehicle mobile apps, providing real-time information for finding stations along a route, and initiating and paying for charging.
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GM will update the apps to provide more intuitive mobile experience that makes navigating to a charging station, plugging into a charger and paying for charging simple.

“Ultium Charge 360 simplifies and improves the at-home charging experience and the public charging experience — whether it’s community-based or road-trip charging,” said Travis Hester, GM’s chief EV officer.

The ‘Ultium’ in the new program refers to the Ultium platform, GM’s EV chassis architecture that the automaker estimates could provide a full-charge range of up to 724 kilometres. That platform is the underpinning of many of GM’s coming-soon EVs, including the Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EVs, BrightDrop EV600 and the Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup truck.

United Auto Workers presses GM, Ford on unionizing battery plants

By David Shepardson and Joseph White 

4/28/2021

© Reuters/REBECCA COOK United Auto Workers (UAW) acting president Rory Gamble speaks to Reuters from his office in Southfield, Michigan,

DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - United Auto Workers President Rory Gamble told Reuters the union is in talks with General Motors about representing workers at joint venture battery plants, and voiced opposition to proposals for Washington to impose a firm deadline to end use of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

Gamble said the UAW has raised concerns with GM and Ford Motor Co about joint venture and potential electric vehicle operations set up by the automakers and supplier partners that so far are not represented by the union. GM is building two U.S. battery production plants with South Korean battery partner LG Chem. Ford is considering investments in battery manufacturing.

"We've got to make sure that work stays at a livable wage and those workers can organize," Gamble said in an interview. "We're having some discussions developing with General Motors."

General Motors said in a statement that its Ultium EV battery facilities "are part of a joint venture and are a separate company – Ultium Cells LLC. The workforces at those locations will determine whether or not the facility is represented by a union."

The automaker also said that top management "meets with the UAW regularly" and that "those discussions are private -- we don’t comment on those conversations in the media."

The UAW, with nearly 1 million active and retired members, is a key player in the debate in Washington and U.S. state capitals over regulating gasoline-powered vehicles as President Joe Biden shapes his administration's policies on climate change.

Many UAW autoworkers earn their livings building Detroit-brand, petroleum-burning pickup trucks and SUVs or assembling engines and other components for those vehicles in Midwestern states such as Michigan.

Gamble compared the technological challenge presented by electric vehicles to the disruption caused by the oil price shocks of the 1970s, and government policies to demand rapid fuel efficiency improvements in response. The struggles of Detroit automakers to comply opened the door to Japanese and later European automakers to establish a parallel, non-union auto industry in the United States.

California and 11 other mostly coastal and Democratic-leaning states have called on Biden to set a deadline of 2035 to phase out sales of new CO2-emitting, internal combustion vehicles. Biden has not agreed to endorse a deadline.

"We don't like these hard deadlines you're hearing. We don't think a lot of them are fully achievable," Gamble said. "We should not put all our eggs in one basket."

"When autoworkers hear about zero emission by a certain date they get very uncomfortable because they feel it's a challenge to their very employment," Gamble said. "We see a blending" of electric vehicles and internal combustion engines "for some years to come."

He said the United States should "ease into this full 100% EVs at the appropriate time, when everything is in place."

He praised Biden and the White House for extensive engagement with the union. "He understands the challenges our members face," Gamble said.

Pointing to the administration's upcoming decision to revise fuel efficiency requirements, Gamble said Biden should adopt a "fair standard that doesn't put a lot of burden on the auto companies" or cost jobs.

Biden wants $174 billion to boost the EV market, including $100 billion for consumer rebates. Gamble also expressed concern about that plan, fearing much of the money could go to subsidize EVs built abroad.

"We don't have a lot of American EVs on the road right now to choose from," Gamble said, saying any new rebate program should ensure it "increases American manufacturing."

Gamble wants the administration to make sure workers at plants producing electric vehicles, batteries and components can unionize. U.S. workers at the No. 1 electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla, are not represented by a union.

The United States needs to do more to ensure a lot of component work tied to EVs are manufactured domestically and that workers get good wages, he said.

"We don't need another service sector in this country," Gamble said. "That's what I am fearful of. If these jobs are low wage minimal benefit jobs its not going to benefit the economy."

Gamble said he personally does not plan to buy an electric vehicle -- and is skeptical that many Americans will buy EVs.

"I have no interest at all in an electric vehicle," he said. "I am just dyed-in-the-wool, 'Give me my V-8 and my pickup truck.'"

(Reporting by Joseph White and David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)

COVID outbreak closes Simcoe auto parts plant leaving 1,000 people out of work

More than 1,000 people are off work after Toyotetsu Canada shut down its auto parts plant in Simcoe due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

The company told employees on Monday about 10 active cases at the plant, and on Tuesday Toyotetsu officials decided to suspend operations at the sprawling 530,000-square-foot facility.

“Toyotetsu Canada has agreed to voluntarily shut down operations and close the plant out of an abundance of caution and will reopen when it is safe to do so,” the company said in a media release issued Tuesday evening.

“Toyotetsu Canada will continue to work very closely and co-operatively with public health on any and all necessary outbreak measures to open as quickly and safely as possible.”

The plant — a major industrial employer in Norfolk County — makes a variety of car parts for regional Toyota and Lexus production lines.

Toyotetsu said 25 workers have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

The company did not respond to an email from The Spectator Wednesday asking if the affected workers will continue to be paid during the shutdown or will get help accessing employment insurance, and if the 10 workers who have tested positive are currently on paid sick leave.

Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit spokesperson Kyra Hayes said the health unit has been “actively working with Toyotetsu to implement a public health management plan.”

The health unit did not order the closure, Hayes said.

“As per Toyotetsu’s public statement, they voluntarily agreed to cease production,” she said.

Down the road in Port Dover, popular snack shack The Arbor is closed after several staff members were identified as close contacts of confirmed COVID cases.

The century-old eatery closed for at least two weeks as of Monday to give affected employees time to self-isolate.

The temporary closure affects some two dozen employees, who are usually kept busy supplying locals and day-trippers with foot-long hotdogs, French fries and Golden Glow drinks.

The health unit is also monitoring a COVID-19 outbreak at the Hagersville location of gypsum wallboard manufacturer CGC.

There were 285 active cases of COVID-19 in Haldimand-Norfolk as of Wednesday morning.

J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator

UNION DRIVES NEVER FAIL FOR WORKERS
Amazon will raise pay by up to $3 per hour for 500,000 workers

insider@insider.com (Allana Akhtar) 4/24/2021

© Provided by Business Insider Amazon will raise pay by $0.50 to $3 an hour for 500,000 employees. Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

Amazon will raise pay by up to $3 an hour for 500,000 employees.

The company announced the change in a statement on Wednesday.

Amazon is hiring for tens of thousands of jobs across the US.

Amazon will raise pay by up to $3 an hour for 500,000 employees, the company announced Wednesday.

The pay increases, which will range between $0.50 and $3 hourly, will affect workers across four teams: fulfillment, delivery, package sortation, and specialty fulfilment, the company said.

The increases represent an investment of over $1 billion in incremental pay, according to Amazon vice president Darcie Henry.

Henry said the pay increase is to incentivize hiring for tens of thousands of jobs across the US.

"These jobs come with a range of great benefits, like medical, dental, and vision coverage, parental leave, ways to save for the future, and opportunities for career advancement-all in a safe and inclusive environment that's been ranked among the best workplaces in the world," Henry said in a release.

Amazon claims the median worker earned $29,007 in 2020, a $159 increase from the year prior. The e-commerce giant raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2018.

Amazon workers in Alabama recently lost their bid to form what would have been the company's first-ever union in the US. Amazon told Insider it already offered "industry-leading pay" the union was pushing for, but labor activists and experts argue collective bargaining can increase wages further.

MORE IMPORTANTLY IS THAT UNIONS GIVE WORKERS WORKPLACE RIGHTS A GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE TO LIMIT MANAGEMENTS ARBITRARY ACTIONS

YOU BARGAIN NOT BEG.

The firm roughly tripled its net profit to $6.33 billion and grew sales by 37% - to $96.1 billion - in the last quarter. The COVID-19 pandemic fueled a rise in online shopping and a need for cloud storage on Amazon Web Services as people spent more time at home.

Amazon did not have additional statement to add.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

Council hears CUPW call for postal banking, EVs, & wellness


ADELAIDE-METCALFE - A presentation about postal banking and Canada Post service expansion piqued the interest of councillors, but not enough to garner official support during a recent council Twp. council meeting.

Derek Richmond, Ontario Region Coordinator for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), was on-hand to share the union’s vision for the future of postal services in rural communities. He suggests that post office locations could become community hubs in rural centres, complete with drop-in resources for youth and seniors, access to the internet, tourist information, hunting and fishing licenses, and other government services. Postal carriers could provide wellness checks on seniors.


Postal banking is a large part of his vision. As national banks focus on digital services and shutter unprofitable locations - often in rural communities - CUPW argues that reinstating a postal banking system would benefit those in rural communities. For farmers, who are often busy, or seniors, who may be less mobile, banking at a nearby Canada Post may save time and effort. Canada Post provided postal banking until 1968; postal banking systems exist in other countries including France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, and New Zealand.

“We have to look at innovative ways to move forward,” said Richmond. His is a green vision, including the gradual replacement of current delivery vehicles with electric vehicles. He suggested that Canada Post locations could host a country-wide network of vehicle charging stations for public use, facilitating the transition from gas-powered cars to electric.

Despite the ambitious ideas, the township council chose to file the resolution during a Tuesday, 6 April 2021 meeting.

“I’m not sure that our municipality is big enough that it wouldn’t be covered off by an adjacent municipality, but we should definitely keep it on our radar,” suggested councillor Sue Clarke. Still, the presentation hit home for Mayor Kurtis Smith, who noted that Kerwood once had both a TD Bank, and a Canada Post location (which was located in a home); but now has neither.

McKinley Leonard-Scott, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Middlesex Banner

WE NEED 10 PAID SICK DAYS
Ontario is launching paid sick leave. Should other provinces follow suit?

Emerald Bensadoun and Sean Boynton 

GLOBAL NEWS

4/29/2021

Following months of public pressure prompted by a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Ontario government has finally announced its paid sick leave program.

© Provided by Global News Workers manufacture partitions made from cardboard and chipboard material at TEC Business Solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mississauga, Ont., on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. The company has made mask wearing and gloves mandatory along with providing hand sanitizing stations through out the factory. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The Ontario COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Program is retroactive, beginning April 19 and ending on Sept. 25. It includes access to three paid sick days, and the province has agreed to reimburse employers 100 per cent of the employee’s wage for up to $200 a day.

Read more: Ontario’s COVID-19 paid sick leave program to include 3 days for workers

For some, the announcement marks a victory for employees that has been a long time coming.

"It's a breakthrough to see this happening," said Dr. Kate Mulligan, a professor at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

But many are wondering if it's time for other provinces to follow suit.

Video: COVID-19: Ontarians reacts to paid sick leave announcement

Currently, there are only two other provinces that provide paid sick leave in Canada: Quebec and Prince Edward Island (P.E.I).

Quebec offers two paid sick days per year after a worker has been employed for three months, while P.E.I. provides workers who have been employed for five continuous years with one paid sick day per year.

Canada's federal labour code also states that workers can take five unpaid sick days per year, and that federally-regulated employers must offer at least three days of paid sick leave a year.

Mulligan says it's a bit "mystifying" it took Ontario so long to follow suit.

"It really shouldn't be a big deal," she said. "It's a no-brainer from a public health perspective that people need support to be able to stay home (if they're sick), and that those most essential workers need the most support."

Read more: Paid sick days vs. federal benefit: Why advocates say both are needed to fight COVID-19

The federal government introduced the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit last November, which provides $450 after taxes per week for up to four weeks for eligible workers who fall ill from COVID-19.

Many other provinces without paid sick leave plans have urged Ottawa to double that fund through unspent money from the Safe Restart program — something the Liberals have declined to do.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Global News earlier this month that it's up to the provinces to fill gaps in the benefit's coverage.

On Wednesday, British Columbia passed legislation that ensures workers get up to three hours of paid leave to get vaccinated against COVID-19, retroactive to April 19.

The province also ensures employees' jobs are protected if they take up to three unpaid days off. But the latest provincial budget made no mention of ensuring any of those days are paid.

"I am disappointed the federal government has not seen the importance of a comprehensive national paid sick leave program," Labour Minister Harry Bains said in a statement to Global News.

"In the light of that, I want to be clear, our government is building a made-in-B.C. program to continue our work in supporting British Columbians through this pandemic," he added, without specifying what that program could look like.

Play Video Pressure mounts on B.C. government to institute provincial sick pay program

Manitoba Finance Minister Scott Fielding said in his own statement that his province is also looking at solutions.

"Many employees in Manitoba receive paid sick leave benefits through their employers or collective bargaining agreements, and we are currently considering ways to address gaps in federal programming and provide options to help Manitobans who aren’t currently covered under employee plans," he said.

Meanwhile, other provinces who responded to Global News made it clear they aren't looking at a provincial paid sick leave program.

A spokesperson for Alberta's labour and immigration ministry instead listed the existing programs that workers can take advantage of, including the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) and up to three hours of paid leave to get vaccinated.

Alberta also offers up to 14 days of unpaid, job-protected leave for employees who fall ill.

Read more: Labour leaders, NDP call for paid sick and vaccine leave in Manitoba

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Don Morgan, Saskatchewan’s minister of labour relations and workplace safety, said employers are "increasingly fragile" and could see "serious problems" under a paid sick leave program.

He also suggested money from the federal Safe Restart fund could help provinces pay for such a program.

A spokesperson for Morgan's ministry referred to his comments from earlier in the day.

But Mulligan said having employers pay their workers for sick days is a better financial move long-term than suffering through a COVID-19-related shutdown.

Trudeau accuses NDP of being ‘befuddled about division of powers’ over paid sick leave

"We know that employers have been really challenged during COVID, just like everyone has, and so I think the government has been reluctant to ask them to do this," she said.

"But the reality is that it's in the employers' interest to provide these sick days in order to avoid a shutdown ... that's much more costly for them. So really, it makes sense all around."

None of the Atlantic provinces or northern territories answered Global News' requests for comment before publication.

Mulligan says that while Ontario did the right thing by introducing the paid sick leave program, it falls short of what is needed to address self-isolation requirements for COVID-19.

"This is a positive step, but it is not sufficient to meet the public health needs right now," she said, noting those who test positive for the coronavirus must isolate for a minimum of 10 to 14 days.

"(Three paid days) will support people to get tested, to get vaccinated and to stay home with maybe some initial symptoms. But it doesn't help us to control the spread of COVID if people can't stay home for that longer period."

Read more: Sask. government marks National Day of Mourning amid pandemic, calls for paid sick leave

Mulligan says minimum wage workers and "those working in high-risk frontline roles" will feel the most pressure.

"You might decide that after those three days, you don't really have an option if you're making minimum wage and you feel that you don't have what you need to pay the bills between now and the several weeks that go by before you are reimbursed," she said.

"People do live with that level of precarity and those are the people who are not yet fully covered by this program."

Mikal Skuterud, a labour economist with the University of Waterloo, echoed Mulligan's comments.

"What is the objective of this policy? Well, it's to reduce workplace contagion," he said. "And I guess the really big question is whether or not this will do that."

He points to the outbreak at a Canada Post facility in Mississauga, Ont., where around 80 employees have been told to self-isolate after at least 12 workers tested positive.

Trudeau comments on Ontario’s federal benefit top-up for sick leave due to COVID-19

"They've been really struggling with workplace outbreaks and they have one of the most generous paid sick leave policies in Canada," he said.

Skuterud also wonders if the spotlight on paid sick leave has "distracted us from other efforts that might actually be more effective."

Getting COVID-19 vaccines into city hotspots, along with putting rapid tests and rapid antigen tests in the workplace, could be more effective ways to prevent the virus from spreading, he says.

Yet for now, Skuterud says seeing the Ontario government and others listen to people's demands for paid sick days is a positive development.

"It can't do anything but make things better," he said. "It's not going to make things worse — that's for sure."

— with files from Global News' Rachel Gilmore