November 10, 2017 TORONTO – A tentative agreement has been reached between Gateway Casinos & Entertainment and Unifor Local 444, representing approximately 250 workers at the Dresden and Point Edward Casinos. “This tentative agreement is significant as it’s the first one reached since Gateway Casinos took over the casinos from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation,” said Deb Tveit, Assistant to the Unifor National President.
November 8, 2017 VANCOUVER – Unifor members at Brink’s Canada Ltd. in British Columbia have ratified a new four-year contract. “These negotiations presented a unique set of challenges in an industry that is undergoing fundamental change,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
Your bargaining committee met with the employer last week. During these discussions, the union made an extensive presentation about how performance objectives are assessed, and the need for change to a fairer system, with less stress at work.
We continue to resolve some non-monetary issues. Our next bargaining session is scheduled for the week of November 20th.
Conciliation begins November 9 with the Nova Scotia Council of Healthcare Unions, which is trying to reach a fair collective agreement for hundreds of workers in employed by the Nova Scotia Health Authority and IWK. The council is made up of bargaining committee members from Unifor, NSGEU, CUPE and NSNU.
TORONTO—Amendments to the U.S.-imposed duties on softwood lumber exports doesn’t change the crisis facing Canada’s forestry industry, says Unifor.
“Nothing changes today. The tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber are outrageous,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “We expect our government’s response to be bold and confident. Forestry communities deserve nothing less.”
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.
