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This week, transport workers and unions around the world are joining the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s Safe Rates Week of Action. Unifor is with them, fully and without reservation.
The connection between driver pay and road safety is documented and measurable. When workers are paid too little for the time they work, they drive longer hours, skip rest, and take risks no worker should ever have to take.
That is not a choice. It is what an industry built on cost-cutting produces.
The evidence is clear: fair pay reduces crashes, saves lives, and makes roads safer for everyone.
Unifor represents more than 21,000 members in road transport across Canada. These workers know this industry firsthand. They know what it costs when rates are driven so low that there is nothing left but risk.
One of the most corrosive forces in Canadian trucking is the Driver Inc. misclassification scheme, which strips workers of their rights to minimum wage, paid leave, and health and safety protections.
It exploits racialized workers and newcomers with precarious immigration status. It undercuts carriers who follow the rules. It puts everyone on the road at greater risk.
In April 2026, the Council of Ministers called for a national action plan to end Driver Inc. Political signals matter, but enforcement is what actually protects workers. The federal government must back its words with resources, inspections, and real consequences for employers who break the law.
The right to organize, bargain collectively, and strike is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In the transportation sector, it is also essential to safety. Collective bargaining is how workers win safer conditions, fair wages, and enforceable standards.
Unifor will defend that right at every table, in every sector, without exception. Safe and reliable supply chains depend on workers who are properly compensated, well-trained, and protected.
That is not a union talking point. It is an economic reality.
A system that pushes workers to the brink is not sustainable and it is not safe.
This week, Unifor members across Canada will participate in awareness and solidarity activities in support of the ITF Safe Rates Week of Action.
To transport workers everywhere, your fight is our fight.
