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Unifor National President Lana Payne has a strong message for the Canadian government when it comes to giving into U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war demands — you’ll have to go through Unifor first.
Payne didn’t mince words in her speech on Aug. 25 —the first day of the union’s fifth Constitutional Convention at the Vancouver Convention Centre — and emphasized that pushback from the union and its members is the path forward to protecting Canadian jobs.
“You don’t win by conceding. By giving up your leverage. For nothing,” she fiercely said.
“This is the second time, now, we have given up key negotiating leverage for nothing more than the president’s attention. In the meantime, U.S. tariffs are going up, not down. Attacks on our industries are worsening, not getting any better.”
Unifor is calling for a true multi-sector, job-creating, made-in-Canada industrial strategy to wean Canada away from dependency on the U.S. Payne also warned corporate Canada who believe the solution to the Trump chaos is weakened workers’ rights, more tax cuts, fewer union jobs, more automation, to expect ‘Elbows up.’
“In this trade war, there is us and there is them. It’s no more complicated than that,” said Payne.
“To those who think they can shift our jobs and our plants to the United States. To those who think they can govern this country and allow that to happen. You will have to go through us first.”
Payne said the union will continue to boost its Protect Canadian Jobs campaign and keep a national conversation going into workplaces and communities across the country, demand industrial strategy in every industry, and keep the temperature hot in rallies and political action to defend Canada’s economy and protect Canadian workers.
During her speech, Payne shared individual stories of worker power in different sectors to illustrate that Unifor is not solidified by just one person, but collectively, with all 320,000 members.
“This union is Michael, who has worked for 49 years at the CN Tower 360 restaurant, since the day it opened, and who stood proudly with coworkers at local 4271 when they were locked out this summer fighting for justice for hospitality workers everywhere,” she said as an example.
“This is our union. It’s all of us. It takes all of us to meet the moment in front of us. It takes all of us to fight and yes, to win.”
Payne spoke about the victories over the past three years – since the last Constitutional Convention in Toronto in 2022 – including organizing wins at Wal-Mart and Amazon warehouse members, achieving anti-scab legislation, and being the first historical test case for this new legislation when DHL tried to use it in a Canada-wide strike during the summer.
“You interfere in this labour dispute for the employer at your peril,” she said. “That’s the power of this union…The company had to bargain with us.”
Payne left the crowd with an inspiring message of solidarity.
“Our opponents will always have deep pockets. They will always have powerful friends they can call on. But they will never have what we have,” she said.
“We have each other. We have our Unifor shield. And there is a reason we chose the shield as our symbol. Because we protect each other.”
The convention opened with an Indigenous welcome from performer James Jones, also known as Notorious Cree — setting the tone for a week of respect, strength and unity with a traditional hoop dance.
“We all come from the same tribe,” he said. “Every single person in this room is from the two-legged tribe. We need to support each other and to show each other the most important teaching in my culture, zaagi'idiwin, which is love.”
In his financial report, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer Len Poirier said the union has invested $4.8 million to support 110 Canadian and international social justice projects through the union’s Social Justice Fund and $1.2 million in donations to over 260 Canadian and international organizations.
The union also donated $400,000 to women’s shelters and $820,000 to food banks across Canada during Unifor’s holiday donation drives.
“As Unifor continues our work here at home, we need to be proud of the work we do Internationally as well with our global affiliates,” he said.
Delegates stood for a moment of silence in memory of Scott Bateman, Unifor’s Road Transportation Director, who passed away earlier this year.
“Scott believed that all transit workers deserve fair pay and safe working conditions, and he championed the rights of truck, transit, school bus and taxi operators, couriers, mechanics, cleaners, and maintenance workers across Canada and internationally,” said Payne in a heartfelt tribute.
“For Scott, this was never just a job — it was his life’s work. His steadfast activism, kindness, and leadership left a legacy that will continue to inspire us all.”
Guest speaker Stephen Cotton, the General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), reinforced the close relationship with Unifor it continues to foster by supporting each other’s campaigns and victories.
Cotton championed the work Unifor leadership and directors have so far accomplished, including raising awareness of intimate partner violence, supporting the Safe Rates campaign for truck drivers and couriers, improving working conditions and fighting against automation and privatization, as they sit on ITF committees.
“We’re proud of what Canada brings to the movement, we’re immensely proud about Unifor and the long history,” he said.
“Multinational companies: we need more of them to expect your power and it’s our job to harness that.”
