Fredericton —Unifor Atlantic Regional Director Jennifer Murray was present as the Green Party of New Brunswick tabled anti-scab legislation and says every party should be supporting this bill.
“The use of scabs undermines bargaining, breaks trust between employer and employees, and leads to longer labour disputes and a more toxic work environment,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Every worker has a right to free and fair collective bargaining and anti-scab legislation upholds that right.”
TROIS-RIVIERES - Unifor announces that 298 members of Locals 136, 234, 234 cp and 265 working for the Kruger Trois-Rivières S.E.C. plant went on strike last night. This follows the overwhelming rejection of an offer from the employer.
After months of fruitless negotiations on monetary issues, the members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action to express their dissatisfaction and their determination to obtain a fair collective agreement.
London, ON—Members at the newly organized Unifor Local 27 bargaining unit at The Original Cakerie have ratified a first contract that covers 820 workers who produce up to 10,000 cakes per day for Costco and other big chain grocery stores.
TORONTO—Workers at Nestle have ratified a new three-year contract today with the chocolate maker that has significant bumps in wages, pensions, and health benefits, ending a strike that began on May 5.
“Congratulations to the bargaining committee for their tenacious work in securing this deal, which protects members from precarious work and provides them and their families some cushion from the affordability crisis we’re in,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
STONEY CREEK, ONT.—Unifor members at Waste Management Canada Corp. (WM) have ratified a new three-year contract today, ending a nearly month-long strike.
“We’re proud of our members for standing up for a healthier work environment,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“WM workers provide skilled and crucial waste management services in the southwestern Ontario region and they’re ready to get back to work and serve their communities.”
WILLIAMS LAKE—Unifor Local 3018 will begin legal strike action against Taseko (TSX:TKO) at its Gibraltar Mine if a fair settlement cannot be reached before Friday, May 31 at 11:59 p.m.
“With the rising cost of living it's crucial that our members at Gibraltar receive fair wages, strong safety protocols, and equitable treatment on the job,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
VANCOUVER—Workers at the Amazon facility in Delta can vote this week to join Canada’s largest union in the private sector after the B.C. Labour Relations Board (BCLRB) dealt with Unifor’s application on May 27, 2024.
“The power of union representation is within reach for Amazon workers at Delta,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “The best way to have a strong voice at work is to vote to join our union and send your employer a clear collective message.”
The 85 members of Local 2022 working at Viterra Canada's canola and soybean processing and refining plant in Bécancour began strike action on May 26, following a unanimous strike vote taken earlier in the month.
The workers are denouncing the inadequacy of the employer's proposals after eight fruitless negotiation sessions.
OTTAWA—Unifor applauds Members of Parliament for unanimously passing the amended Bill C-58, otherwise known as anti-scab legislation, today, but now urges the Senate to approve so the law can be implemented as soon as possible.
“This legislation is about protecting the right to fair and free collective bargaining, including the right to strike,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Workers have fought for generations to get to this day, but there is still a final step.”
OTTAWA— In what was supposed to be an uplifting email message to workers over the Victoria Day long weekend, Best Theratronics (BTL) owner Krishnan Suthanthiran instead went on a tirade, casting his workers as entitled and lazy for having too many statutory holidays, touting the benefits of a seven-day workweek, and even threatening to move jobs of workers on strike at the company overseas.
HALIFAX—Unifor welcomes news that fully funding the workers’ pension plan is part of the agreement reached between the Province of Nova Scotia and Paper Excellence, the parent company of the Northern Pulp mill in Pictou, N.S.
TORONTO—Unifor will join members and supporters for a solidarity rally on Thursday, May 23 at 10 a.m. to support Unifor Local 252 on strike at Nestle’s Toronto manufacturing plant.
“It’s been nearly three weeks since our workers went on strike and Nestle has refused to budge on pension improvements and the time it takes to get to the top rate of pay,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
MONTREAL—Unifor welcomes the Quebec government's creation of a new aerospace innovation zone in Greater Montreal. Espace Aéro helps meet the aerospace industry’s needs identified by key stakeholders and reflects the strategic role it plays in Quebec’s economy. This initiative will help strengthen Montreal's position as one of the world's leading aerospace industrial centres and improve future prospects for thousands of the sector’s workers.
STONEY CREEK—Unifor is extremely concerned about Waste Management Canada Corp. (WM) using managers and outside workers as scab labour and creating safety concerns.
“It is clear by the company’s actions that they will resort to any means necessary to try to bust our strike and demands for a fair collective agreement,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “WM’s use of unqualified scabs creates a dangerous work environment, and it is our concern as a union that health and safety is at risk as a result.”
BRAMPTON—Workers and community supporters rallied today at the MDA Space headquarters in Brampton, Ontario where workers have been on strike for the past five weeks, fighting for a fair contract.
TORONTO - Following a decisive round of bargaining with the Ontario Hospital Association, Unifor northern Ontario hospital workers have ratified a new collective tentative agreement.
TORONTO—The PC government’s hurried passage of gas sector legislation will result in a failure to properly contain methane leaks, an increase to operational costs, and greater contracting out of union jobs, says Unifor.
BRAMPTON—Unifor National President Lana Payne will join members and supporters from across the GTA for a rally on Thursday May 16 at 10 a.m. to support Unifor Local 112 and 673 on strike at MDA Space in Brampton, Ontario.
SYDNEY, N.S.—Unifor members at the Sobeys store in Sydney, N.S. ratified a new collective agreement that continues the union’s pattern of achieving record wage gains in the grocery sector.
OTTAWA– Unifor applauds yesterday’s Ontario Superior Court ruling that the City of Ottawa was negligent in enforcing its taxi bylaw when it allowed Uber to illegally operate in 2014 for two years, effectively harming the taxi industry – many of whom are Unifor members.
“Hard-working, established taxi drivers in Ottawa finally have some justice after being abandoned by their city, who succumbed to the whims of multinational tech giants,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
QUEBEC-Firefighters working for the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) across Quebec have voted 99% in favour of a strike as negotiations have stagnated since their previous contract expired on January 1, 2023.
SOPFEU forest firefighters negotiated non-monetary language in individual local negotiations which concluded in February 2024, and then all six local unions bargained as one unit to negotiate wages, meeting with the employer over the course of a dozen days.
REGINA—The Scott Moe government’s refusal to address class size and complexity in public schools is more evidence that it’s time for change, says Unifor.
“Unifor stands with Saskatchewan’s teachers in their fight for justice and a fair collective agreement,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Teachers are trying their best to improve the public education in Saskatchewan, but the Sask Party government refuses to invest in public schools.”
Témiscaming– Unifor is expressing its consternation following the press release published on May 7 by Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM), justifying the suspension of its activities at its cellulose plant in Témiscaming, Quebec. RYAM acknowledged that this decision is about demonstrating, among other things, that the site and its various processes can be operated separately with the goal of facilitating its bid to sell the business, which the company initiated last fall.
TORONTO—Workers at Nestle have decided to strike over a lack of improvements to their pension plan. Also at issue is the time it takes workers to get to the top rate of pay.
“Nestle workers in the past have gone on strike over pension contributions and again, it’s at the crux of this dispute,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Retirement security is very important to our members, and you throw an affordability crisis on top of that, and it’s no wonder our members are determined to fight here.”
STONEY CREEK—Unifor members working at Waste Management Canada Corp. (WM) began strike action on May 2, 2024. Major issues with the employer include forced overtime and lack of work-life-balance.
“Our dedicated members handle the tough job of ensuring commercial businesses have their garbage and recycling collected and removed in a safety-sensitive environment,” said Local 4268 President Debbie Montgomery.
TORONTO—Unifor is pleased to come to a voluntary recognition agreement with First Student Bus during a contract flip, which protects the seniority of Unifor Local 4268 members, who currently service bus routes at Stock Transportation in Toronto.
“Far too often, we see examples of contract flipping in this sector,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
KANATA, Ont.—Members of Unifor Local 1541 who work at Best Theratronics – a company in Kanata, Ont. that manufactures medical devices – went on strike this morning after the company refused to budge on major concessions, including a proposed two-year contract with zero wage increases.
“We are dealing with an affordability crisis right now and having zeros on the table is untenable for our members, with the rising cost of living,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
WILLIAMS LAKE—Members of Unifor Local 3018 have voted 98% in favour of taking legal strike action against Gibraltar Mines if a fair settlement cannot be reached in May 2024.
“The employer’s bargaining committee must get serious about resolving key outstanding issues if it wants to avoid strike action,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director.
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