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VICTORIA—Members of Unifor Local 114 working at the Victoria Clipper say the pace of bargaining for their next contract suggests that the Victoria-Seattle ferry service could be disrupted before the end of the summer.

“The Clipper’s negotiators seem to be stuck in a pandemic concessionary mindset,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Ferry ridership has rebounded from COVID-19. The company simply has no excuse to drag its feet on a fair contract for workers.”

Members lined up bright and early on July 9 for a day of roller coasters, hot dogs, burgers and mountain selfies at Unifor’s Member Appreciation Day at Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, Ont.

This is the sixth year Unifor has organized a day at the amusement park (taking a pause during the pandemic), where members can connect with each other, let their hair down and enjoy a summer’s outing with their families. The event sold out after more than 5,500 tickets were purchased this year.

Shinade Allder, Unifor Ontario Regional Council Chair, has won the 2023 Leading Women, Leading Girls, Building Communities Award for her leadership work to break down racial barriers and encourage Black youths to pursue careers where they can make change.

“Congratulations, Shinade, for all your hard work,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “This is a wonderful recognition of her activism and the barriers she crushes everyday.”

Allder was presented the award by New Democrat MPP Peggy Sattler last week.

TORONTO – In the wake of Meta’s threat to ban Canadian news on its platforms because of the Online News Act, Unifor is calling on all provincial and municipal governments to follow the federal and Quebec governments’ announcements that they will stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

Unifor is also calling on corporations who are responsible for a large portion of the more than $4 billion in revenue Facebook takes out of Canada every year to also stand up for local news and Canadian content.

VANCOUVER—Unifor calls on the BC Maritime Employers’ Association to bargain in good faith and negotiate a fair settlement with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

“Unifor is very familiar with the underhanded tactics used by employers at the ports in Metro Vancouver,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Unifor members, including hundreds of container truckers at the ports, stand united with ILWU in its strike for a fair contract.”

WINDSOR—Stellantis and the federal and Ontario governments have reached an agreement that will see construction of the Windsor EV battery plant resume, preserving current and future jobs in Canada’s auto manufacturing sector. 

Unifor members, fellow unionists and community supporters from across Southwestern Ontario travelled to Windsor for a rally on Thursday, June 29. Members of Local 1959 and 240 have been on strike at Windsor Salt since February 17, 2023.

“Unifor members on strike have the full support of our union from coast to coast,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Members at Local 1959 and 240 have shown incredible solidarity and determination for months. We’re here to show them their struggle matters and we’re all-in to get them a fair contract.”

The president of Unifor Local 551 is warning that importing Korean line-pipe products will have a detrimental effect on Canadian jobs.

Amanda Servais testified on July 4 at the Canadian International Trade Tribunal during a hearing about Korean line-pipe imports to Canada, which is in competition with products that are built by Unifor members at Evraz in Camrose, Alta.

“Without adequate protections, the workers at Evraz Camrose will face layoffs, bargaining concessions, and potentially even the closure of the plant,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

MONTREAL – Unifor Local 522 members working for Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd. (CAE) ratified their tentative agreement.

"Throughout these negotiations, we faced increased demands for efficiency and versatility from the employer,” said Sophie Albert, president of Local 522. “However, through our determination and commitment to our members, we managed to find an acceptable compromise that preserves all jobs.”

The members stood in solidarity when they rejected the initial employer offers on June 17 and voted for a strike mandate by 98%.

THUNDER BAY, ON, July 4, 2023 – Front-line hospital workers from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre delivered a petition to hospital management today, calling on the hospital president to take a stand against the provincial government’s plan to privatize hospital services.

Unifor welcomes the approximately six new members who work for the Corporation of the Municipality of Calvin, Ont. (near North Bay).

The workers had a unanimous vote count on June 28, 2023, to join Unifor. The certification covers municipal workers for the township. The unit will be assigned to an existing local shortly.

Unifor Local 103 led the organizing drive during May 2023. After a new municipal council was elected began to make negative changes to employment contracts, the municipality’s workers began the union drive to protect job security, wages, and time off.

Unifor Local 2002 is pleased to announce that its Ornge paramedic services members have ratified a new collective agreement by 83.9%.

“We are so proud of the hard work the bargaining committee performed for our paramedic members,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“Paramedics responsible for life-and-death patient care and medical transfers deserved the respect of a contract that speaks to their interests. Proud to see they got that. Congratulations!”

Unifor is sending solidarity and empathy to the University of Waterloo community following yesterday’s stabbing on campus.

Accounts of the perpetrator’s entrance into a classroom describe him asking about the subject of the class, and upon hearing it was a philosophy course on gender issues, proceeding to close the classroom door, pull out two knives and attack the professor and students, leaving three injured.

Halifax-Talks that began earlier this year between the Nova Scotia Council of Nursing Unions (NSNU, NSGEU, CUPE and Unifor) and employers (Nova Scotia Health and the IWK) came to a halt earlier today, without reaching a final agreement.

After a lengthy round of negotiations, which were delayed in part due to the pandemic, the teams representing nurses who work in hospitals, satellite clinics and public health throughout the province’s acute care sector came to an impasse.

Unifor has joined the movement to grow diversity, equity, and inclusion in forestry. By participating, the union will support the work of provincial governments, corporations and communities to make forestry an industry where everyone feels welcome.

In a monumental display of solidarity, frontline grocery workers at Metro have embarked on contract negotiations this week, fortified by a historic strike vote and widespread public support.

Public support amplifies for grocery workers

Unifor Local 100 reaches tentative agreement with Hudson Bay Railway

Winnipeg – Wednesday, June 28, this morning, the Unifor Local 100 Bargaining Committee reached a tentative agreement with the Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) to renew the Collective Agreement that expired on December 31, 2022.

Unifor represents freight car mechanics, electricians, machinists, and servicepersons who work in northern Manitoba for the Hudson Bay Railway.

The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by the Local 100-51 membership at HBR.

Unifor applauds Mexican auto parts workers at global automotive supplier Fränkische after joining the Sindicato Independiente Nacional De Trabajadores Y Trabajadoras De La Industria Automotriz (SINTTIA) union following a closely watched vote on June 26. The vote followed the launch of a union-initiated investigation by the Canadian government into labour abuses by the company and its incumbent union in March.
 

WINDSOR—Unifor is extremely disappointed that Windsor Salt has resorted to bargaining in the public. Such tactics are counterproductive and doomed to fail.

“Windsor Salt has yet again made it more difficult to reach an agreement to end the 132-day strike with these kinds of actions,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. 

“Our members have been on strike for 18 weeks. They deserve a fair collective agreement—not disrespect.

TORONTO - Unifor served the Detroit Three (D3) automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis notice to bargain today on behalf of 18,000 members whose collective agreements are set to expire in September 2023.

For too many of our members and media workers this has to feel like Groundhog Day. 

News of the proposed merger between Postmedia and Nordstar is brutal on top of the other job losses and cuts in media since the start of this year. 

The sector has been in a continuous and sometimes rapid decline. We at Unifor are deeply concerned about the continued consolidation of our Canadian news media. 

 Our priority is jobs and journalism. 

It’s time this became everyone else’s priority. The media companies. And all levels of government. 

Unifor applauds last week’s passing of Bill C-18: The Online News Act as an important next step towards supporting local news and Canadian content in the media.

“The government has made it law for digital platforms, such as Google and Facebook, to pay their fair share. This is something Unifor members have fought hard for and now we need to make sure it works,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.

REGINA—Unifor has uncovered more contracting out of permanent, unionized jobs on the site simplyhired.ca, the fourth such discovery this year by the union.

“Scott Moe needs to answer to SaskTel customers and the people of Saskatchewan: why the rush to replace good jobs with low-bid contractors and out-of-province firms?” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director.

OTTAWA-On June 22, the bargaining committee for Canada Coast Guard Marine Communications and Traffic Service Officers at Local 2182 reached a tentative agreement with the Government of Canada that will see no concessions and a 10.75% wage increase over four years.

KITCHENER, ON – Front-line hospital workers marched to the office of St. Mary’s General Hospital president Mark Fam on Monday afternoon and delivered a petition calling on management to take a stand against the provincial government’s plan to privatize hospital services.

Unifor strongly opposes Bell Media’s application to the CRTC to eliminate all regulatory requirements for local news at all of its CTV, CTV2 and Noovo stations across Canada. We will do everything in our power to ensure that Bell Media continues to live up to its legislated obligations to fund and create local news and programming.
 

The 30 maintenance workers at Saputo Dairy Ltd. Supply of Canada GP in Edmonton, Alta., will join the production workers who have an existing separate certification of this location with Unifor Local 445.

“It’s about time,” said Unifor Local 445 President Guy Desforges.

Unifor locals and members – from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia – put their best foot forward during the Tears for Hope relay race on June 17.

The Tears to Hope Society provides support to the families and loved ones of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse people (MMIWG2S). The charity relay event raised funds to help support a healing centre in northern British Columbia.

NEW WESTMINSTER—Workers in Metro Vancouver could become the first employed by Amazon to enjoy the benefits of a union after Unifor announced plans to start a drive.

“Joining a union will ensure that workers at Amazon can flex their united strength and push this notoriously difficult employer to improve working conditions,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “They took risks during COVID-19 to ensure millions of us could stay home and get key deliveries on time. It’s time they get the chance to benefit from a solid, enforceable collective agreement.”

The Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA-Unifor Local 5454) reached a tentative five-year agreement with NAV Canada in Ottawa on June 16.

“Congratulations to the bargaining committee on an outstanding job to get a deal that recognizes the very important work done by Canada’s first-class air traffic controllers,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“CATCA members provide critical services needed for safe travel in our country. They are professionals who see collective bargaining as one way to improve that service to Canadians.”