KAMLOOPS—Unifor Local 10-B members at Dearborn Ford in Kamloops will strike on Thursday, Nov. 17 at noon if the profitable employer doesn’t drop its demands for concessions.
“We will not let a payroll practice banned in numerous places be imposed on Unifor members in B.C.,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Our members work too hard to be short-changed by a profitable employer.”
WINNIPEG—Unifor will fight for public health care after conservative Premier Heather Stefanson promised increased private sector delivery in the speech from the throne.
“Privatization means cutting corners and prioritizing profits over proper care,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Private health care might be popular among the PC’s elite donor class, but it is a non-starter with working people.”
Vehicle service workers at Wayne Pitman Ford and Barry Cullen Chevrolet dealerships in Guelph made solid gains to wages, benefits, and more after ratifying new three-year agreements.
“Wages were certainly top of mind in this round of bargaining,” said Jerry Escott, Unifor Local 1917 President. “I am proud of the work of the union’s bargaining committees that delivered wage gains over and above the previous round of negotiations.”
TILLSONBURG–Unifor condemns Adient management’s decision to suddenly close its Tillsonburg seating foam plant without warning, after operating in the community for more than fifty years.
TORONTO – With rising surpluses and deepening service cuts, the Ontario Fall Economic Statement shows that government has not fully learned the lessons of this month’s labour strife.
“The Government of Ontario should be using these funds to build strong services and invest in critical infrastructure and manufacturing, growing good jobs in both the public and private sectors. Ontario’s healthcare and education systems are long overdue for increased funding, and workers in Ontario need a raise,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.
OTTAWA – Unifor National President Lana Payne called for urgent action to address the affordability crisis and for enactment of policies that will bolster and support workers and their families as she outlined the union’s 2023 federal budget priorities to start the union’s lobby week.
Payne spoke at a media conference alongside Len Poirier, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer, Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Quebec Director and Matthew Green, NDP MP for Hamilton Centre.
OTTAWA- Unifor’s National President, Lana Payne, and additional union leaders, will hold a media conference to kick off a week of lobbying on worker issues and the union’s 2023 federal budget priorities in Ottawa.
Every year, we observe the 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence with December 6 marking the final day - The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
To Brother Rob Cormier, President of ATU Local 1587:
RE: Unifor Road Transportation Council in solidarity with striking GO Transit workers
On behalf of the 23,000 members of Unifor’s Road Transportation Council, we would like to send our collective support and solidarity with the 2,200 striking GO Transit workers, represented by ATU Local 1587.
Once slated for closure, The remarkable return of vehicle production to the General Motors (GM) Oshawa Assembly Complex has been compared to a phoenix rising from the ashes. The comparison is far from an overstatement.
On the heels of the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association (Nl-FHSA) Safety Symposium last week and the arrival of Minister Joyce Murray in St. John’s this week, the FFAW’s Inshore Council is reiterating the need for increased search and rescue resources in Labrador.
TORONTO- Unifor joined a media conference with CUPE education workers following a commitment by Premier Ford to fully repeal Bill 28 and return to the bargaining table with education workers.
The Honourable Doug Ford, M.P.P.
Premier of Ontario @email
Dear Premier Ford,
Re: Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022
The extraordinary action your government has taken, through the Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022, to deny CUPE members their constitutional right to strike, but also deny their right to free and fair collective bargaining, is an egregious and needless assault on trade union freedoms.
In the midst of collective bargaining between CUPE education sector workers and the Ontario government, Premier Doug Ford’s government this week introduced Bill 28 which enacted the Keeping Students in Class Act.
The union commenced bargaining for a new collective agreement with Canadian Pacific (CP) on Sept. 14, 2022.
At the meeting, both parties exchanged proposals. The union made it clear that we are concerned with the employers heavy handed discipline, grievance backlog and the need for CP to improve wages for our members.
TORONTO- Unifor and Unifor’s Ontario Regional Council (ORC) announce joint donations to support CUPE education workers fighting Ford’s egregious attack on workers’ rights using the Notwithstanding Clause.
“This morning, Unifor members are out in force on CUPE picket lines, but we need to pool our support as CUPE members and the union face threats of excessive fines for taking job action,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The provincial government attacked all workers with its targeting of CUPE members, so all workers must respond.”
Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union, with more than 310,000 members. Our union represents more than 10,000 media workers, including journalists in the broadcast and print news industry.
Journalism is a public good and its role in holding power to account, strengthening democracy and building community has never been more important. Social media has proven to divide us, pitting neighbour against neighbour. We are more polarized than ever, but a strong Canadian news media can build community.
TORONTO- The federal fall economic statement, tabled today by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, shows promise but stops short of additional measures needed to ensure economic prosperity and stability for Canada’s workers and their families.
TORONTO- Unifor members are mobilizing to support education workers’ bargaining demands and right to strike on Friday, November 4, 2022 following the disgraceful passage of Bill 28 in the Ontario Legislature.
Building membership engagement and union solidarity through social, sport and leisure activities was a key topic of discussion at the Unifor National Recreation Council meeting, held Oct.28-30 in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Recreational committee members from locals across Ontario and Manitoba gathered to strategize on outreach and diversification of activities to improve communication with members and increase participation.
Unifor Local 1999 members working at Right Time Call Centre will see wage increases and stronger RRSP matching after ratifying a new collective agreement on November 2, 2022.
“Congratulations to the members of Local 1999 at Right Time for hanging tough in negotiations,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The myriad of gains in this agreement are well-deserved.”
Significant wage increases are part of a new collective agreement adopted this week by a unanimous vote of Unifor Local 2002 members working at Porter Airlines Fixed Base Operations Ltd. in Toronto.
“Members prioritized raising the wage floor in this round of bargaining,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “The bargaining committee didn’t back down and negotiated the best deal in the interest of the members, with no concessions.”
Unifor local leadership from across Alberta met in Calgary on October 27, 2022 to meet the new national elected officers and have an extensive strategy discussion about the months ahead.
November 2 marks the day to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists. Only one in 10 crimes against journalists is investigated worldwide. This has to change.
Between 2012 and 2021, there were 224 recorded cases of complete impunity for journalists murdered and of those, 185 of those took place in 12 countries. Mexico, Somalia, Syria, India and Afghanistan were the worst offenders.
OTTAWA –At a Senate hearing today, Unifor Media Director Randy Kitt testified that Bill C-11 – otherwise known as the Online Streaming Act – is missing one caveat: to save local news.
“This is a top of mind issue,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “While tech platforms continue to profit – whether it’s displaying news stories without paying their fair share for them or limiting Canadian content – it impacts our media workers, who tirelessly report fact-based, accurate stories to the public.”
TORONTO –Unifor is concerned about Sunwing’s plan to use Canada’s temporary foreign worker program to hire pilots from countries with less rigorous training requirements, raising concerns about safety.
“Sunwing will essentially be able to use the TFWP to hire pilots who do not meet the company’s own training requirements. The company is able to do this under the guise of professing there is a labour shortage, when the real issue is investing in training for local pilots,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.
We write on behalf of Unifor’s 163,000 members in Ontario, in full support of CUPE education workers in your bargaining demands and in your right to strike.
Workers must have a say in our own working conditions, and Unifor unequivocally condemns today’s unprecedented attempt by the provincial government to curtail that right for members of CUPE.
TORONTO- Unifor unequivocally condemns Minister Lecce’s imposed contract and preemptive back-to-work legislation, standing in full support of CUPE education workers.
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