SHAME ON PETER SHAWN TAYLOR

There's an old joke about a lawyer, an economist and a politician all discussing (at that time) a $9 per hour minimum wage. Of course while all three make between seven and twelve times that amount per hour they are all earnestly advising as to how $9 per hour will destroy the economy, magnify unemployment and be the social downfall of the country. Such is the attitude of Peter Shawn Taylor in today's Waterloo Region Record article he wrote titled "Laurier's triumph, union's woes". Mr. Taylor is absolutely crowing about the human foibles and weaknesses which caused the current unionized Laurier cleaners to sell out all the future union members and university cleaning hires.

This behaviour by union members is unfortunately nothing new. The unionized Brewer's Retail workers did it decades ago as did the unionized Brink's guards. In exchange for their good union wages continuing until retirement they agreed to drastically reduce the pay of future hires doing exactly the same work as them. Shame on the lot of them. I wonder what they told their children when they reached adulthood and applied for work at one of their parents employers. Employers who once paid well enough for their parents to own their own home and be able to send their children to schools of higher education if they so desired.

Mr. Taylor's attitudes on this matter are right wing Conservative and hypocritical as well. How many Liberal and Conservative governments in order to obtain votes have passed legislation insisting upon equal pay for work of equal value between men and womwn? Has pay equity simply evaporated in Canada? What about equal pay for the exact same work much less work of equal value. This is discrimination pure and simple and it is reprehensible.

Finally for those twits who believe that cleaners don't deserve decent wages. When did you last clean toilets, wash floors and do other cleaning work for a living? Do you think it's fun? Do you think it's beneath you? Do you or any other well paid persons look down your noses at whoever does the exact same work in your own homes? Cleaning is hard, very necessary work and this behaviour by Wilfred Laurier University in reducing a living wage down to $13 and change an hour is disgraceful. This is honest work and deserves a living wage which $13 an hour is not.