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Unifor Local 3003 members at the New Flyer bus plant in Winnipeg recently hosted workers from their sister plant in Anniston, Alabama, who are hoping to form a union, prompting the president of the IUE-CWA to send an emotional letter of thanks to Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
“I write to thank you for the solidarity and support your union has shown to ours,” IUE-CWA President James D. Clark said in the letter.
“From the moment they arrived in Canada to the moment they left, they were treated like true union brothers and sisters.”
Unifor Organizing Director John Aman said unions must stand together to make sure the lives of all workers are improved.
“International solidarity is vital to building this movement. We need to work together,” Aman said.
One of the Anniston workers, Charlie Pace, wrote to Clark about visiting Winnipeg.
“I saw first-hand how a true bond between brother and sisters of a union work, and myself and the others were treated as one too. If only we can get that for ourselves in Anniston,” Pace wrote.
Clark said the Anniston workers are in the midst of a difficult campaign to organize a union, facing poor working conditions, pressure and discouragement from management, but are standing strong.
“Unifor’s incredible hospitality and obvious determination to help Anniston workers win, demonstrated to these unorganized workers what union solidarity is all about. This experience bolstered their confidence and lifted their spirits, and they left even more committed to fight for their union at New Flyer,” Clark wrote.
