To: Members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage
Dear Committee members,
We write to you today regarding Unifor’s concerns with the Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE) Board of Directors’ decision to eliminate thousands of good Canadian jobs across the country while continuing to increase shareholder dividends and payouts to its executives.
VANCOUVER—After months of signing union cards at two Metro Vancouver Amazon facilities, Unifor is ready to announce the next stage of the drive.
“Hundreds of workers at Amazon have signed union cards and talked to Unifor organizers about their hopes for safer work, better pay, and improved benefits,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We’re excited to move to the next phase of this historic campaign.”
The Education Department delivered an 8-hour pre-apprenticeship training program for members of Unifor Local 222 working at the GM Oshawa facility. Conducted on March 23 and 24, the sessions attracted approximately 150 participants applying for apprenticeship positions negotiated in the 2023 round of auto bargaining.
We want to extend our sincerest thanks to all who participated in the recent Canadian National Translation Ltd (CNTL) strike vote, which concluded at midnight yesterday. Your active involvement is crucial to our collective bargaining efforts.
We are pleased to announce that a decisive 82% majority have voted in favour of authorizing a strike should negotiations with the employer fail to reach an agreement.
BRAMPTON—Fifty workers at MDA’s new global headquarters and space robotics centre launched strike action on April 8 following the company’s refusal to negotiate.
“Fair wages shouldn’t be light years away for workers at an incredibly profitable company such as MDA,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “The facility houses some of the most skilled workers in the industry and they deserve a fair contract that reflects their contribution to MDA’s bottom line.”
The 135 Unifor members working at the Agropur Dairy Cooperative production plant in Bedford, N.S. have signed a new five-year contract that has wage increases of over 16.4% over the life of the agreement, including a 5% pay bump in the first year.
Unifor mourns the deaths of the seven aid workers from the non-profit organization World Central Kitchen, recently killed in Gaza when their convoy was struck by an Israeli military drone.
Rather than focusing on reaching a settlement with Unifor, GreenShield Canada (GSC) has chosen a publicity campaign that is further inflaming the five-week dispute.
Unifor represents more than 600 members, mostly women, who work in the company’s Windsor and Toronto offices and have been on strike since March 1.
VICTORIA—More than fifty Unifor members from across the province participated in meetings during April 2–4 with MLAs from their regions and cabinet ministers overseeing key economic sectors.
“This was a great opportunity to directly communicate the ideas and concerns of working people with the very decision-makers who update B.C.’s laws and regulations to improve working conditions for all,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director. “Lobby meetings are an important tool in our broader approach to affecting change for workers.”
TORONTO—Unifor calls on Ford Motor Company to consider all possible options to mitigate the negative impact on workers following the announced substantial delay in the launch of EV production at the Oakville Assembly Plant.
Windsor Salt is blaming market conditions for an impending idling of its mining operations in Windsor, Ontario.
The cessation of operations could result in up to 150 Unifor members receiving lay-off notice. Unifor Local 1959 and 240 are currently in negotiations with the company on which workers will remain for maintenance procedures.
“Our goal in the next few days is to negotiate an aggressive return-to-work protocol to ensure the lay-off period is as short as possible,” said Local 1959 President Doug Shaw.
HALIFAX— Unifor members at CN Autoport have ratified a three-year collective agreement, ending a 37-day strike at the transshipment facility in Eastern Passage, N.S.
Unifor applauds the federal government’s announcement that the upcoming budget will include a $1 billion investment to help provide healthy meals for children and assist families during the affordability crisis.
“With high grocery costs and a surge in food bank usage across the country – with one-third of them being children – we need a structured national school nutrition program now,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
SYDNEY, N.S.—Unifor has filed for conciliation on behalf of Marine Atlantic workers represented by Locals 4285 and 4286 after the employer has demonstrated an unwillingness to bargain by delaying meaningful negotiations.
HALIFAX–Unifor and CN Autoport reached a tentative agreement today, after the conciliator invited the union back to the negotiating table at the company’s request.
Details will be shared with Autoport members first at meetings scheduled for tomorrow, April 3, 2024, where members will vote on the tentative agreement.
Picket lines at the Autoport in Eastern Passage will remain active until a collective agreement is ratified.
The bargaining committee representing Marine Atlantic workers at Unifor Local 4285 and 4286 met with the employer from March 26-28 to begin negotiations. Marine Atlantic members service ferry routes that traverse from North Sydney, N.S. to Port Aux Basques, N.L. and Argentia, N.L.
Solidarity among workers forms the backbone of progress. Standing united against transphobia and hate is not just our responsibility as a union, but a fundamental act of protecting the dignity and rights of every individual in Canada.
Unifor National President Lana Payne was at the CN Autoport picket lines in Halifax, Nova Scotia to support Local 100 members who have been on strike for more than 4 weeks.
CN chose to bring in scabs on day one of the strike while anti-scab legislation is welcomed federally and in some provinces.
Lana recently spoke to the House of Commons about the urgent need for the anti-scab legislation NOW, not months from now.
TORONTO— The bargaining committee representing members of Expertech, a wholly owned Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. company, is gearing up for a crucial strike vote, signaling the potential for imminent strike action. Following months of negotiation and the intervention of conciliation, Bell Expertech has yet to present a substantive monetary offer or commit to limit outsourcing to third-party contractors rather than investing in its own workforce.
Atlantic Regional Director Jennifer Murray pays respects to the 26 victims of the Westray Mine Disaster, at a March 26 service at Their Light Will Always Shine Memorial Park in New Glasgow, N.S.
20th Anniversary of the Westray Law
Unifor is marking the 20th anniversary of the Westray Law with a renewed call on regulators, police and government to avail of this law to bring those who grossly violate workplace health and safety to justice.
WINNIPEG – Unifor members who work at Griffin Wheel, a foundry that manufactures train wheels in Winnipeg, went on strike this morning at 9 a.m., after the company’s latest offer would erode pensions, seniority rights and work-life balance issues.
As you are aware, the previous tentative memorandum of settlement (MOS) that was negotiated with CNTL on January 16, 2024, was not ratified by the membership.
On March 12, 2024, forestry workers from three unions convened for a summit to address the crisis in the industry and to develop sustainable solutions centred around job preservation. This meeting was unprecedented and signifies a new phase in the forestry workers' efforts to prevent the industry's collapse.
Embarking on a journey towards higher education comes with financial challenges. Recognizing this, Unifor takes pride in announcing the commencement of the application period for the 2024 Unifor National Scholarship program, designed to support individuals pursuing post-secondary education.
This year, we are pleased to offer 28 scholarships, each valued at $2,000. These scholarships are open to the children of Unifor members, as well as Unifor members themselves who are entering their first year of post-secondary studies.
Unifor welcomes key investments in infrastructure and sustained funding to reduce health care staff shortages and wait times, but more is needed to build Ontario’s economy and good jobs.
Unifor auto sector leadership are considering escalatory actions against Autoport, as the employer and its parent company CN Rail continue the use of scab labour.
“CN is showing blatant disrespect for its workers and their fundamental right to fair and free collective bargaining” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “After convening a meeting of our auto sector leadership, CN may be about to learn a very hard lesson.”
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