WATERLOO—Members of Unifor Local 4304 could go on strike Monday, May 1 if a new contract cannot be negotiated before midnight on April 30, 2023.
“Transit operators were on the front lines of the pandemic and maintenance staff made sure the busses were roadworthy,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Local 4304 members have shown how critical they are to the Waterloo area’s economy. They have earned a fair contract.”
The Honourable Marco Mendicino, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety
Dear Minister Mendicino,
On behalf of our 315,000 members across Canada, Unifor would like to express our deep concerns regarding the deaths of eight migrants, including two children under 3 years of age, discovered in the St. Lawrence River near Akwesasne, Quebec on March 30th, 2023.
OSHAWA— Unifor members at Durham Region Transit (DRT) are celebrating the announcement that Durham Region will more than double bus service provided by the transit authority over the next decade.
“Our union has diligently worked to expand public transit and are pleased to see Durham Region’s decision to dramatically increase funding to support public transit service and infrastructure,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “This is good news for our members and for the community."
April 24 marks the ten-year anniversary of the tragic Rana Plaza disaster in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The disaster exposed the dangerous and difficult working conditions that garment workers are forced to endure in the name of fast fashion.
Each day we benefit from the labour of millions of workers who give large proportions of their lives to provide us with everything that makes up modern life, from providing power and fuel to making finished goods and moving and taking care of people. Sadly, every year, thousands suffer injury or illness because of their working conditions and horrifyingly, workers continue to die on the job or as a result of it.
Since our last Day of Mourning, we remember Unifor members:
Your CATCA Bargaining Committee met with NAV Canada April 17th to 21st in Toronto.
On Tuesday, CATCA presented our second Offer to Settle to NAV Canada. On Thursday, NAV presented a counter offer. The remainder of the week was spent developing language around the job protection provisions of the Collective Agreement and analyzing the offers.
A jam-packed agenda greeted delegates to Unifor’s 2023 Telecommunications Conference, with opportunities to hear from union specialists and space to reflect on bargaining victories and opportunities shared across the highly-integrated sector.
Telecommunications Council President and National Executive Board Representative Jeff Brohman set the tone early on by declaring a mission, “We will be using this space to discuss the imminent threat to our membership. We need action, both directly and politically.”
During this crucial period, we stand alongside PSAC’s 155 000 sisters and brothers of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in their conflict with the Treasury Board and the Canada Revenue Agency. We wish to express our unwavering solidarity on behalf of 315,000 Unifor members and our support for all PSAC members who are confronted with the necessity to strike in order to obtain the respect they deserve. We understand the challenges you are facing and we stand by you in this fight.
There’s no denying that air transport workers and travellers have been through the wringer the last three years.
During the busy travel seasons of 2022, think summer vacation and December holidays, the industry was in shambles with long line-ups, canceled flights, stranded passengers, lost luggage, and excessive security wait times.
Unifor Local 4504 members at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) signed a new collective agreement on April 11, 2023 that includes wage increases and other economic allowances, a new Racial Justice Advocate, and improvements to language.
ST. JOHN’S, NL – Close to a thousand people gathered today in St. John’s in front of the Confederation Building, calling for action to save the province’s snow crab fishery. The Union that represents over 14,000 people in the province, including all 10,000 professional fish harvesters and some 3,000 processing workers, says that it’s the government’s responsibility to protect the people who rely on the fishery, and ensure processing companies operate in a manner that benefits the people of our province.
TILLSONBURG–Unifor has launched a new labour action centre to assist former Adient workers, who were displaced when the company abruptly announced the closure of its Tillsonburg seating foam plant in November 2022.
Windsor Salt workers are standing firm in their refusal to sign away their jobs. The Unifor members have been on strike for two months against American hedge fund owners that are demanding the right to contract out their work. Watch their stories.
For Gavin McGarrigle, the Good Friday Agreement hits too close to home.
The Unifor Western Regional Director spoke of his earliest memories as a six-year-old crossing the border between Ireland and Britain frequently with his family before emigrating to Canada in 1981. During those crossings, he recalls the chaos and violence.
“I can remember standing on the side of the road in front of a massive guard tower while our family’s car was ripped apart by British soldiers on patrol,” he said.
SURREY—Wage increases and benefits enhancements are key features of a collective agreement between Unifor and Coast Mountain Bus Company, ratified today by members of Unifor locals 111 and 2200.
“The gains in this collective agreement will help improve working conditions and the quality of life for Metro Vancouver’s transit workers and their families,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.
VICTORIA—The membership of Unifor Local 4276 voted overwhelmingly today to ratify a new three-year contract with their employer at the Fairmont Empress Hotel.
“Unifor members at the Fairmont Empress have secured a strong collective agreement and have helped set the table for upcoming negotiations in the hospitality sector,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Congratulations on a job well done.”
OAKVILLE—Unifor welcomed today’s announcement by the Ford Motor Company that the company is investing $1.8 billion to retool the Oakville Assembly Complex beginning mid-2024 to build next-generation passenger electric vehicles in 2025.
The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed Cambie Surgeries Corporation’s attempt to overturn the BC Medicare Protection Act.
“Canadians will always defend and work to build a health care system that is accessible, universal not for profit,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “This ruling should be a lesson that Canadians will not accept a two-tier health care system where the kind of care you get is determined by your wealth.”
NEW WESTMINSTER—As part of the celebrations to mark the historic Northern Ireland peace process, Unifor will join the Friends of Sinn Féin Canada to host Louise O’Reilly TD, the Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade, and Employment.
Unifor is welcoming the news that B.C.’s minimum wage will increase to $16.75 per hour on June 1, 2023.
“Premier David Eby’s government is signalling that it will not leave the province’s lowest paid workers behind as the cost of living rises,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Strong minimum wage, improved employment standards, and greater access to forming a union are all part of the pro-worker changes introduced by this government, and other provinces should follow suit.”
France is currently the scene of a historic popular mobilization. Thousands of workers, with support from a broad coalition of unions, have shown courage by going on strike and taking to the streets to demand respect and the protection of workers’ pensions.
What would a strategic bargaining program look like that truly represents members? Unifor is on a mission to find out.
The union is engaging in ‘Bargaining Worker Power’ sessions, a cross-country consultation to uncover current issues and priorities across Unifor’s many industries and gather new ideas to strengthen the union’s bargaining position.
Fort Frances, Ontario - Over 55 members of Unifor Local 324-19 voted 96% in favour of a new three-year contract with Weechi-it-te-win Family Services on April 3.
Unifor Local 2488 bargaining committee and Native Child And Family Services Of Toronto have reached a tentative collective agreement.
“This was a difficult round of negotiations, but our bargaining committee stood together,” said Andrea Lawrence, President of Local 2488. “This agreement would not have been reached without the skills and solidarity of the bargaining committee.”
TORONTO-It would take the average Canadian supermarket worker 340 years to earn Loblaw CEO Galen Weston’s 2022 total compensation of $11.79 million, says Unifor.
The members of New Flyer, a Canadian multinational bus manufacturer based out of Winnipeg, Man., have voted to ratify a new five-year deal.
“This new agreement will provide stability and meaningful gains during these uncertain times, in light of inflation, for our members,” said Clint Seys, Unifor Local 3003 President. “The biggest challenge going into negotiations was the financial state of the company coming out of Covid, but our bargaining committee stayed strong and walked out with no concessions.”
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