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TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2015 /CNW/ - Air Canada's rushed application for conciliation is premature and a departure from previous bargaining patterns, says the union representing over 4,100 Customer Sales and Service Agents.

"We're eager to negotiate in good faith and there are lots of items to discuss," said Cheryl Robinson, President of Unifor Local 2002. "But Air Canada appears eager for government interference early in the process."

OTTAWA, Feb. 23, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor has reached a late night deal with CN, avoiding a lock-out of 4,800 workers.

"We're pleased that we were able to reach a negotiated agreement and avoid a major national lock-out of our members," said Unifor President Jerry Dias. "We were able to find solutions to the concerns raised by our members – this is best achieved at the bargaining table." Dias said the agreement has the unanimous endorsement of all of the Unifor bargaining committees.

OTTAWA, Feb. 22, 2015 /CNW/ - Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services convened a meeting in Ottawa today between CN Rail and Unifor in an effort to find a path forward towards a negotiated settlement.

This afternoon there were high level discussions between Unifor National President Jerry Dias and CN President and CEO Claude Mongeau, who had meaningful dialogue in an effort to move the talks forward.

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor has just been served lock-out notice by CN Rail for Monday night at 11 p.m. local time, a move that the union says has clearly demonstrated that CN has no desire to negotiate.

HALIFAX, Feb. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - The Bill 1 rollercoaster ride for Unifor's Nova Scotia health care members got even bumpier Friday when the government announced it would introduce a second piece of legislation to determine union representation rather than follow arbitrator James Dorsey's decision and recommendations.

VANCOUVER, Feb. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - Persistent concerns about a conflict of interest have prompted Unifor to call on the newly appointed Commissioner, Andy Smith, to resign. The union says that Smith's position as the President and CEO of a Port Metro Vancouver stakeholder organization creates the perception of bias.

MONTREAL, Feb. 19, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor President Jerry Dias announced today that after five months of futile negotiations with CN Rail, the union will be commencing strike votes at CN as of early next week.

MONTREAL, Feb. 18, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor will be giving an update about negotiations with CN Rail at a press conference on Thursday at 12-noon ET.

Unifor reached a tentative agreement with CP on Saturday night, but has been unable to reach an agreement with CN after five months of negotiations. On Sunday evening, CN abruptly halted negotiations, refusing to meet the Unifor rail pattern.

Press conference:

MONTREAL, Feb. 18, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor will be giving an update about negotiations with CN Rail at a press conference on Thursday at 12-noon ET.

Unifor reached a tentative agreement with CP on Saturday night, but has been unable to reach an agreement with CN after five months of negotiations. On Sunday evening, CN abruptly halted negotiations, refusing to meet the Unifor rail pattern.

Press conference:

MONTREAL, Feb. 18, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor President Jerry Dias is reacting strongly to what he calls an intentional misrepresentation of the union's new Canadian Community Fund, first negotiated at CP Rail on Saturday.

Dias said that the union established a pattern at CP Rail when Unifor settled on a tentative agreement on Saturday night, including the new fund.

OTTAWA, Feb. 17, 2015 /CNW/ - A private member's bill that is up for second reading in the House of Commons today is a much-needed step in efforts to end the exploitation of unpaid interns in Canada, but more needs to be done, Canada's largest union in the private sector says.

TORONTO, Feb. 17, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor welcomes today's announcement from the Ontario Ministry of Labour that it will be taking action to modernize Ontario's labour laws. The province announced the launch of a public consultation that will focus on modernizing employment standards and labour relations in the province.

MONTREAL, Feb. 15, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor has reached a new tentative agreement with CP Rail, minutes before the 12:01 am deadline.

Unifor Local 101R represents 1,800 members at CP Rail in 18 different locations. Unifor members conduct safety inspections on all rail cars and locomotives, as well as maintenance and repairs. The current collective agreement expired on December 31, 2014 and negotiations had been taking place since September.

MONTREAL, Feb. 14, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor will be providing an update on the status of negotiations with CP Rail at 8 p.m. ET this evening, via CNW.  The union has set a strike deadline of tonight at 12:01 a.m. after five months of negotiations.

The current agreement expired on December 31, 2014.

TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor members at Atlantic Packaging have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new collective agreement that will see increases in wages and benefits. The new agreement will see wage increases of 2 per cent in each year of the contract that are retroactive to October 15, 2014 when the last agreement expired.

ORILLIA, ON, Feb. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - Workers at Casino Rama, one of Ontario's largest casino resorts, have voted overwhelmingly to become members of Unifor. They now join thousands of gaming and hospitality employees across Canada who are already represented by the union.

MONTREAL, Feb. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor is taking its concerns around public safety to the bargaining table with CP Rail, after what the union calls the failure of the federal government to live up to its responsibility. 

TORONTO, Feb. 12, 2015 /CNW/ - General Motors' decision to invest $560 million in its CAMI Automotive plant is further evidence that automakers understand and appreciate the opportunities in this country and that Canada has a strong future in the auto industry.

"Canadian workers have the skill and dedication needed to build the highest-quality vehicles in the world," Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.

MONTREAL, Feb. 12, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor issued CP Rail a strike notice for February 15 at 12:01 a.m., late last night. The notice comes after five months of negotiations with the railway.

Unifor represents approximately 1,800 workers at CP, who conduct safety inspections on all rail cars and locomotives, as well as maintenance and repairs.

TORONTO, Feb. 5, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor expressed its disappointment that the Ontario government has sold its last shares in General Motors.

"We need to utilize every bit of leverage we can to confirm GM's manufacturing footprint in Ontario going forward," said Unifor National President, Jerry Dias.

MONTREAL, Jan.31, 2015 /CNW/ - Members of four Unifor locals across Ontario and Quebec, after bargaining as a team, have ratified a new three-year collective agreement that includes pay increases and improvements to scheduling to help ensure a more stable workweek.

TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2015 /CNW/ - This morning's announcements by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) do nothing to close a $100-million funding gap in local program funding, and may have made the situation even worse.

TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2015 /CNW/ - A decision about the future of General Motors' Oshawa operations can and should be made now, according to Unifor National President Jerry Dias. The union is responding to a statement by GM Canada released this morning suggesting that the company would wait until after 2016 contract negotiations to make a decision about Oshawa's future.  

TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2015 /CNW/ - Customer Sales and Service Agents at Air Canada will be seeking economic gains after having made many sacrifices during the turbulent times in the airline industry, according to Unifor. Bargaining for a new collective agreement opened today in Toronto.

SUDBURY, ON, Jan. 23, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor is announcing its support for Sudbury NDP candidate Suzanne Shawbonquit in the February 5 Ontario by-election after a meeting with the candidate yesterday. 

HALIFAX, Jan. 19, 2015 /CNW/ - Arbitrator James Dorsey's Bill 1 decision supports Unifor's position that the Nova Scotia government's health care restructuring legislation allows the existing health care unions to create province-wide collective bargaining agents.

Dorsey issued his decision Monday resulting from the December arbitration involving Unifor and the other three major health care unions in the province. 

TORONTO, Jan. 15, 2015 /CNW/ - In light of the mass layoff announced today at Target, Unifor is urging federal Minister of Employment Jason Kenney to provide emergency access to Employment Insurance benefits for Target workers who won't otherwise qualify.

"Many Target workers who have just lost their jobs won't even qualify for unemployment insurance," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.

VANCOUVER, Jan. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor representatives will meet with Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone in a final push to resolve the ongoing dispute between container truck drivers and the BC government that threatens to close Port Metro Vancouver for the second time in less than a year.

TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - Chrysler's announcement that it is investing $2 billion in its Windsor minivan plant shows the importance of the facility and the value of its trained and experienced workforce, Unifor National President Jerry Dias says.