United Food & Commercial Workers Local 175 is calling on the Ontario government to strengthen its new pay transparency legislation to address systemic pay inequities affecting women.
Ontario’s pay transparency requirements for publicly advertised job postings took effect Jan. 1, 2026 under the Employment Standards Act as part of the Working for Workers legislation.
Law a first step, union says
The legislation requires many employers to include salary or salary ranges in job postings.
“The new pay transparency legislation is a welcome and long-overdue first step toward fairer workplaces,” said Kelly Tosato, president of UFCW Local 175, which represents more than 70,000 unionized workers across Ontario. More than 52 per cent of the union’s members are women.
Tosato said the law recognizes that transparency at the hiring stage helps level the playing field and reduces the risk of discriminatory wage-setting before someone is hired.
Gender pay gap persists
The average Ontario woman receives 68 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to the union.
“The new requirements focus narrowly on job postings and do not require employers to correct existing gender pay gaps, provide workers with access to internal pay information, protect against retaliation or ongoing pay secrecy practices, or ensure strong, proactive enforcement,” said Tosato.
The union says women may still find themselves paid less within the same roles, placed at the bottom of wide pay ranges, or forced to raise concerns individually.
Union workplaces demonstrate transparency model
In unionized workplaces, salary grids, classifications and wage rates are negotiated, written into collective agreements and accessible to all members, according to Tosato.
“Pay transparency only works when paired with accountability and enforceable standards,” said Tosato. “Transparency reduces discrimination, limits arbitrary pay decisions, and promotes fairness across genders and job classes.”
Recommended measures
UFCW Local 175 is calling on the province to:
- Extend pay transparency beyond hiring to include current workers
- Require employers to justify pay differences within salary ranges
- Protect workers’ right to discuss pay without fear of retaliation
- Mandate gender pay gap reporting for larger employers
- Shift enforcement from complaint-based systems to proactive audits with consequences
“Workers, and particularly women, deserve a system that doesn’t just reveal pay, but ensures it is fair,” said Tosato. “Pay transparency is progress. Pay equity must be the goal.”
UFCW Locals 175 and 633 represents more than 70,000 workers across Ontario in retail, grocery, warehouse, food production, manufacturing, meat processing, hospitality and healthcare sectors.
