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October 5, 2017 Toronto—Unifor was disappointed to learn that the Energy East pipeline proposal has been withdrawn and says that a national energy strategy is needed more than ever.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.
Unifor members at the Bell Canada clerical unit handed out leaflets in both provinces and held a solidarity rally to mark the first day of negotiations on Tuesday, October 3.
September 30, 2017 INGERSOLL – Unifor National President Jerry Dias will join the picket line at the General Motors CAMI plant on Sunday to update members of Local 88 on contract negotiations. Media are welcome to attend. "The successful conclusion of these talks is vital to the future of the entire community," Dias said.
September 26, 2017 Toronto – The U.S. decision to impose massive preliminary countervailing duties against Bombardier’s C-Series plane is a short-sighted move that puts the continent’s aerospace industry at risk, Unifor says. “The simple fact is that no country can have a viable aerospace industry without the involvement of government,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “Boeing knows this as well as anyone else. The U.S. government invests $50 billion a year in aerospace, and Boeing gets a big chunk of that.” The U.S.
September 25, 2017 Kamloops— Members of Unifor Local 10-B voted 80 per cent in favour of a new four-year contract that helps secure the future of the pulp mill with significant investments over the next two years. “Our new collective agreement is good for workers and good for the community,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
September 23, 2017 Burlington – A Unifor team, led by Unifor National President Jerry Dias, raised $90,000 for Halton Women’s Place at today’s “Hope in High Heels” fundraiser in Burlington, Ontario. “Unifor is proud to support Halton Women’s Place in their work to end violence against women and their children,” said Dias.
September 22, 2017 Ottawa – In a rally outside the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa today, Unifor members, including two busloads of striking workers from the General Motors Ingersoll plant, expressed solidarity with Mexican workers on NAFTA failures. “When the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed, we were told that it would lift up wages and bring Mexican workers out of poverty and that hasn’t happened,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
What: Unifor Solidarity Rally When: Friday, September 22nd at 4:30pm (Sheraton Hotel) Where: Congregate at Sheraton Ottawa Hotel (150 Albert Street) and head over to Mexican Embassy at 45 O’Connor Street Who: Speakers at the Ottawa event will include (not necessarily in this order): • Labour Leaders from the U.S. • Labour Leaders from Mexico • Jerry Dias, Unifor • Union members from General Motors Ingersoll, ON
Why: To urge all governments to negotiating stronger labour standards in NAFTA 2.0.
No formal contract negotiations have taken place, though each day there has been communication (text and telephone) between the parties. We have found no common ground on the major issues at this time. Mike Van Boekel and Dan Borthwick met with our Unifor National representatives to review the outstanding bargaining items. At this meeting we did some brainstorming and discussed strategies. Unifor National has committed their support with any resources required during our strike.
TORONTO – Workers at Toronto’s Bombardier aerospace plant will walk out of the facility Wednesday morning to call on Boeing to drop its trade complaint against the company. "The workers at Bombardier are well aware that Boeing has no case, and that workers will end up paying the price as corporations fight this out," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
September 15, 2017 Toronto – Unifor members at Brink’s Canada Limited in British Columbia and Ontario have voted to deliver overwhelming strike mandates. “The physical safety of our members is at the core of these negotiations so there is no question that Unifor is prepared to take any and all necessary action,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. In Ontario, a total of 800 members at Unifor Local’s 27, 103, 112, 195, 229, 504, 598, 599, 1359, 1106 and 4266 voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.
Vancouver—An arbitrator has upheld the Container Trucking Act’s wage floor, resulting in $90k in combined damages assessed to trucking companies Aheer Ltd and Sunlover Ltd.
“Yet again, the greediest trucking companies have failed to suppress wages by looking for loopholes in the Container Trucking Act,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “The companies that think they are above the law should be banned from the industry.”
September 13, 2017 Toronto – Reports that the proposed $15 minimum wage will result in the loss of 50,000 jobs in Ontario are misleading says Unifor. “The reality is that 50,000 workers are not expected to lose their jobs,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “This figure is not a projection of actual lost jobs but rather a combination of estimates that includes potential, but not actual, future job creation and jobs lost to increased automation.”
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