November 2, 2017 TORONTO – Unifor repeated the call today for multiple amendments to Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, at the final public hearing on the proposed legislation. “There are still holes in Bill 148 that leave workers vulnerable to abuse by employers that must be addressed before it becomes law,” said Unifor’s Ontario Regional Director Naureen Rizvi.
OTTAWA—Unifor has taken its concerns about pending workplace surveillance legislation to the federal Privacy Commissioner in an open letter published today.
“There is a dangerous precedent buried in Bill C-49,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Recording workers on the job is a violation of basic privacy rights.”
WASHINGTON – Unifor National President Jerry Dias and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross have agreed that addressing the core issue of low Mexican wages is the key to breaking the impasse at NAFTA renegotiations.
“There is a clear understanding that Canadian and American workers have both been injured by the siphoning off of manufacturing jobs to Mexico,” said Dias. “We agreed that Canada and the U.S. must work together to pressure Mexico to drive up wages significantly or face joint retaliatory measures.”
October 29, 2017 TORONTO – Brink’s Canada Ltd. workers in two Unifor bargaining groups, one in Ottawa region and the other covering the remainder of Ontario, have ratified new four-year contracts. “These were very difficult negotiations,” said Unifor Assistant to the National Secretary-Treasurer Jenny Ahn.
October 25, 2017 REGINA—Unifor says that the repeal of Bill 40 is a good start to rebuilding the government’s commitment to the province’s popular Crown corporations. “The people of this province value affordable, high-quality public services,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Repealing the privatization law is just the start.
October 20, 2017 WINDSOR – Medical Laboratory Assistants and Medical Laboratory Technicians, represented by Unifor Local 2458, have ratified a tentative agreement with Medical Laboratories of Windsor, bringing a three week strike to an end. “We’re pleased to have a deal that recognizes the value of the members work,” said Tullio DiPonti, Local 2458 Secretary-Treasurer. “We appreciate the support that we received from the public during this job action.
The bargaining committee for Unifor Atlantic Communication Locals, which represents locals 506, 401, 410, 2289 wrapped up their fourth session of bargaining with little progress to report to members in all four Atlantic provinces.
“The employer continues to pursue their version of flexibility, which the bargaining committee equates with precarious, unsteady, part time work,” said Roch Leblanc, Unifor National Representative and Chief Negotiator.
Ottawa—Unifor rail workers from across Canada are in Ottawa this week to urge the federal government to re-think authorizing workplace surveillance in Bill C-49.
“Recording workers on the job is not a safety tool, it is a surveillance tool,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “It is a dangerous precedent and the government has not made the case that these extreme measures are warranted.”
Your Bargaining Committee met with the employer October 10-13th in Montreal. The parties have agreed on some issues, and the Bargaining Committee continues to press hard on our bargaining agenda. The next bargaining meetings are scheduled for October 23-27th in Montreal.
October 16, 2017 TORONTO – While the plan for Airbus to take a majority stake in the Bombardier C Series airliner could help build a strong future for the program, and the aerospace industry as a whole, it is too early to celebrate, Unifor says. “It is a sad day that a high-tech Canadian treasure is ending up in European control, but we can take some satisfaction that the C Series is getting some needed stability,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. Over the past few weeks, the U.S Department of Commerce has imposed duties of nearly 300 per cent on sales of the C Series.
At a meeting of the membership on October 16, 2017, Unifor Local 88 members voted to ratify new four-year collective agreement, ending a nearly month-long strike.
While this strike may have ended and production resumes on October 17, the fight for fairness and job security continues.
The heartless approach by General Motors in this round of negotiations has caused a great deal of hurt and anxiety, not to mention financial cost, for our dedicated Local 88 members at CAMI in Ingersoll and for the entire community.
Bell Aliant workers in Atlantic Canada are proudly sporting union t-shirts as resumes in Halifax on Tuesday Oct 17.
The bargaining committee for Unifor Atlantic Communication Locals, which represents locals 506, 401, 410, 2289 want the employer to know how invested they are in making Bell Aliant a better place to work, which is why they are wearing red to work as a show of solidarity.
It seems as though some in the aviation business are operating under the impression that fatigue is not a big deal. Some have gone so far as to claim on the record that "[fatigue]'s never been identified as a contributing factor in any commercial aviation accident or incident in recent ... in as long as I can remember."(1) Or how about this: “I don’t know of one cargo accident in North America because of fatigue.”(2)
I’m shocked that anyone in this industry would profess such ignorance.
October 12, 2017 Windsor – Unifor will hold a media conference tomorrow to update media and the public on the strike against Medical Laboratories of Windsor. “It’s disappointing that patients continue to lack access to key medical tests because Medical Laboratories of Windsor refuses to come to a reasonable settlement with its employees,” said Tullio DiPonti, Local 2458 Secretary-Treasurer. Political representatives for the riding of Windsor West will also be in attendance to lend their support to striking workers on the picket line.
Unifor stands behind the members of Local 88 in Ingersoll in the face of coldhearted indifference shown by General Motors as it threatens to ramp up production of the Equinox in Mexico, Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.
“This is a callous and heartless attitude for General Motors to take toward a community that has worked so hard to build its top-selling vehicles,” Dias said.
October 5, 2017 Toronto—Unifor was disappointed to learn that the Energy East pipeline proposal has been withdrawn and says that a national energy strategy is needed more than ever. “Unlike most other pipeline proposals being discussed today, Energy East had significant benefit for Canadians,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “The National Energy Board’s inability to secure this project only underscores how ineffective it has become.” Unifor has supported TransCanada’s Energy East pipeline from Hardisty to Saint John.
Unifor and its predecessor unions have always believed in, and sought to promote, workplace health and safety. Safety is a cornerstone value for us and Unifor is supportive of governmental efforts reduce railway incidents. Unifor sits on Transport Canada’s Advisory Council on Rail Safety (ACRS), for example, and provides a workplace health and safety training course to its members through its Paid Education Leave program.
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