The 2026 Unifor B.C. Regional Council (BCRC) met in Victoria from Oct. 23 to 25 with the fight to protect Canadian jobs from the U.S. trade war at the centre of the debates, reports and actions.
REGINA—Unifor leaders are meeting with government and Opposition MLAs in Regina this week to call for fairer labour laws and safer workplaces.
The lobby runs from Oct. 26 to 29. It focuses on three issues: fair bargaining, workplace health and safety, and how workplace deaths and serious injuries are investigated.
VANCOUVER—The 445 room attendants, servers, banquet staff and other workers at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver will see wage increases of between 10% and 23% over the next three years, after members of Unifor Local 114 voted in favour of a new collective agreement on Oct. 27, 2026.
"Hotel workers make this city run, and they deserve a fair share of what they help build," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "These members stood together and won real raises, better benefits and stronger protections on the job."
On Monday October 26, 2026, Unifor National President Lana Payne presented to both a Senate and a House of Commons committee studying Bill C-39.
Payne’s testimony centered on the infringement on the right to strike included in the bill, and its predictable knock-on effect of curtailing collective bargaining itself.
Bill C-39 introduces a new mechanism so that the Minister of Labour can unilaterally and immediately end a strike in federally regulated sectors, end negotiations, and send the contract to an arbitrator to decide.
As the Trump Administration continues its nonsensical tariff attack on Canada’s auto industry, it is becoming increasingly clear the only winner in this trade war is China.
News that Stellantis intends to build some electrified Jeep vehicles in China, with plans to export them around the world including Canada, is another gut punch to Unifor members at the Brampton Assembly Plant and the Canadian auto industry.
Unifor Local 700 members at Autobus Venise in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield in Quebec have been on strike since October 22, 2026, following an impasse in negotiations over wages and employer demands for significant concessions on guaranteed hours of work.
Guaranteed hours were central to the settlement that ended the previous labour dispute three years ago. Now, the employer is seeking to roll back those protections, threatening the stable, predictable income members rely on.
VICTORIA—Canada’s largest union in the private sector will re-double its commitment to workers’ rights, reconciliation, and human rights during the term of the next provincial government.
VICTORIA—Unifor members, their families and allies will rally Friday at the legislature to raise their voices for a government that protects good jobs and strengthens the public services British Columbians rely on.
WHAT: Protect Canadian Jobs rally
WHO: Unifor National President Lana Payne, Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor members from every economic sector
TORONTO—Unifor welcomes the $2.5 billion investment from the federal and Ontario governments to support the country’s auto industry, hit hard by the ongoing U.S. trade war on Canada, and is urging government to focus on sustaining threatened auto assembly operations in Brampton.
“Our auto sector and the workers who depend on it have been directly targeted by the Trump administration. Support by both the federal and Ontario governments is essential to see workers and the industry through this crisis,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
HALIFAX, NS – Unifor members in Nova Scotia’s public sector or at publicly funded workplaces will receive damages paid to union members employed during the four years that Bill 148 restricted collective bargaining.
TORONTO—Unifor energy members have ratified a new four-year pattern agreement with Suncor. The deal sets the standard for about 7,200 workers in the union's National Energy Program.
"Energy workers power this country, and they have shown again what happens when they stand together," said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. "I thank the bargaining committee for the work they did to win this agreement for members across the sector."
EDMONTON–Albertans have voted to remain a province in Canada, according to unofficial results. More than 75% of voters chose Option 1 on ballot question 10, which asked whether Alberta should remain in Canada or whether the Alberta government should begin the legal process toward a binding separation referendum.
KANATA, ONT.— Unifor has secured an exceptional ruling from the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordering Best Theratronics Ltd. to compensate workers for lost wages and pension contributions and reimburse the union for supporting members during nearly eight months of strike action.
Unifor members at Active Dynamics in Scarborough, Ont. went on strike at 6 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2026, seeking better wages, improvements to benefits, and stronger union representation in the workplace.
“Our members at Active Dynamics deserve wages that keep pace with the cost-of-living and benefits that meet their families’ needs,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“Unifor stands firmly behind these manufacturing workers as they fight for a fair contract.”
Nearly fifty Unifor members met at Queen’s Park in New Westminster, B.C. for the 2026 Unifor walk for Tears to Hope.
The Tears to Hope Society is an Indigenous-led non-profit supporting the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people through relay events and other initiatives.
TORONTO—Unifor members at Stellantis have delivered a strong strike mandate with 97.3% voting in favour of authorizing strike action, if needed.
“Unifor members at Stellantis understand how difficult negotiations with the company have been and gave an overwhelming mandate to support their bargaining committee,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Our members are united in their determination to reach a fair agreement with Stellantis that protects jobs for Canadian autoworkers.”
TORONTO—Unifor forestry members, their families and their supporters held events in 36 communities from coast to coast on Friday, Oct. 16, as part of the union's Forestry National Day of Action.
At mill gates, in parking lots, in parks and in the forest, workers called on all three levels of government to work with workers, employers and communities on a shared vision for a stronger, more sustainable forestry sector.
More than 40 Unifor, CUPE and USW members gathered in Calgary from Oct. 13 to 15 for the fourth joint “Labour Votes” training session mobilizing union members for Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum. It comes on the heels of a successful mail-in ballot blitz, and this week’s focus was turning that momentum into votes at the polls.
Jazz Aviation Crew Scheduling members from Unifor Local 2002, working at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, have secured a new four-year collective agreement, ratifying the contract by 100%.
“Congratulations to the bargaining committee on this win, which includes an immediate significant wage gain. Jazz Crew schedulers do vital work to keep the airline running, and this agreement delivers meaningful recognition of their contributions through substantial wage gains, new premiums and improved benefits,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
TP workers and their allies, including Unifor’s Telecommunications Council executive, joined a global solidarity action by wearing pink in a sign of unity on October 15, 2026.
This visual message supports the UNI Global Union’s position in renewing its global agreement with the company. Unifor is an affiliate of UNI Global Union.
TORONTO—Unifor forestry members, their families and their communities will hold events in more than 35 communities from coast to coast on Friday, Oct. 16 as part of the union's Forestry National Day of Action.
TÉMISCAMING— A Canadian coalition bringing together local managers at RYAM’s Témiscaming mill, unionized workers and First Nations is pursuing the purchase of the mill. The initiative aims to secure the future of the mill’s operations and protect the jobs that support families across the region.
Speaking to a room of nearly 400 at Unifor’s National Women’s Conference in Port Elgin, Ont., teacher and TikToker Joanna Johnson opened the event with a keynote address that tapped into the strength of women and the truth they must wield, framing the conversations that would follow over the coming days.
“We’re afraid of telling the truth because we’re afraid it will limit our progress and our access.”
On the morning of October 4th, the last Unifor members finished their shifts at the RYAM mill in Témiscaming. After weeks of uncertainty and an initial postponement of the shutdown announced by the employer, production has now officially come to a halt.
Since then, no steam has risen from the mill’s stacks — an unusual sight in Témiscaming that reflects a much more difficult reality. Approximately 300 workers are now off the job, while a small number of employees will remain on site to maintain essential operations and the facility during the production shutdown.
Your Unifor bargaining committee met with Toronto Terminals Railway (TTR) in Vancouver on Tuesday, October 6 to open negotiations for a new collective agreement. The committee went in focused on the priorities you raised, and this first meeting marks the start of the process.
Unifor is proceeding with strike authorization votes as negotiations with Stellantis remain at an impasse. A strike authorization gives the bargaining committee the authority to call a strike if necessary, it does not automatically mean a strike will take place.
