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.”
The 95 employees at Toromont Industries in Bradford, Ont. have chosen Unifor to fight in their corner.
“In order to build collective worker power, organizing is a key first step,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We welcome our new manufacturing members and applaud them for standing up and fighting for their rights and for a better future. We look forward to you bargaining your first collective agreement as Unifor members.”
The first joint session of Unifor’s Auto and IPS Councils brought autoworkers together to collaborate on strategies to meet the opportunities and challenges of the EV transition.
The joint Council assembled more than 180 auto sector union leadership and members from across the Detroit Three and independent parts suppliers on May 23 in London, Ontario.
Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle met with Minister of State for Sustainable Forestry Innovation Andrew Mercier and Local 592 and 686 leadership to tour the Paper Excellence Port Alberni facility on May 23, 2024. The Paper Excellence mill provides specialty products and good union jobs for the whole region.
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.
Unifor solidarity was in full force at the Nestle picket line in Toronto today as Ontario Regional Council executive and members rallied to support the chocolate giant’s workers who have been out on strike since May 5.
“The Ontario Regional Council stands together with members at times when they’re going through a tough strike or lock-out to show our support,” said Balkar Bains, Unifor ORC Secretary-Treasurer, who attended the rally.
Members at KB Components Canada have voted to ratify a new three-year agreement following tense negotiations that culminated in a standoff to prevent the removal of equipment from the plant when the strike deadline approached.
“I commend all of our members for their swift action, that prevented anything being removed from this plant, that would have weakened the union’s bargaining power and diluted any potential strike action,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Investment in Canada’s auto industry is booming. With Honda’s recent $15 billion commitment to new EVs and battery components, including a first-ever separator facility in Port Colborne, that’s more than $50 billion in auto supply chain investments in just over three years – an impressive run of industrial success.
Sadly, some in this country have a hard time accepting this.
Unifor Prairie Regional Council delegates gathered in Regina during May 1–3 to discuss recent successes and make a plan to elect a worker-friendly government in Saskatchewan.
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.
Unifor is disappointed by the key omission of Employment Insurance (EI) reform to improve eligibility and benefits for workers in federal Budget 2024.
“While our union believes this year’s budget builds upon the social fabric, one major piece of the puzzle is missing with the lack of EI reform,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
National AccessAbility Week, from May 26 to June 1, 2024, Unifor recognizes the valuable contributions, achievements and leadership of persons with disabilities. On this week, our union wishes to highlight the important work being done in concert with allies, organizations, and communities to remove barriers and create a more accessible and inclusive society.
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.
The National Rainbow Week of Action, May 11—17, drew together thousands of union leaders, workers, community activists, and supporters who issued a national call for unity and equality in Canada.
The week featured a prominent social media campaign, rallies in communities across the country, and letter writing drives to demand that politicians take action against rising anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate.
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.
Unifor members from 14 locals gathered in Thunder Bay, Ont. on May 13-14, 2024, for the Northern Ontario Leadership Meeting (NOLM) to identify specific issues of the region, including in the health care and forestry sectors, and Indigenous communities.
“A big reason why NOLM was created a decade ago was because it was sometimes challenging to send 125 Northern Ontario delegates to the Ontario Regional Council (ORC) all the time,” said Unifor Northern Area Director Stephen Boon.
We are pleased to announce that Unifor members working for CN Transportation Ltd. (CNTL) have successfully ratified a new four-year collective agreement. This achievement reflects our commitment to securing improved working conditions and fair compensation for all members.
This challenging round of bargaining has resulted in an agreement that sets a new standard for equitable labour practices in our 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.
Unifor proudly recognizes the dedication and care provided by Personal Support Workers (PSWs) in Ontario on the occasion of Personal Support Worker Day on May 19. These health care heroes are essential to the well-being of every community, providing compassionate support and expert care that impacts countless lives every day.
This year, we celebrate not only their daily contributions but also a significant victory for all public sector health care workers in Ontario.
At a time when the Canadian media sector faces job cuts, news deserts and a struggle for supports to save local news, Unifor is proud to fund the Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto and welcomes the work of its two interns in this year’s summer program.
“Our union is thrilled to support the next generation of journalists,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
With Budget 2024, the federal government has, once again, opened the door for airport privatization and profitization in Canada.
Overall, while Unifor was pleased to see this year’s federal budget build upon the social fabric Canada needs, the union is disappointed that Budget 2024 has advanced the possibility of airport privatization or for-profit transformation of Canada’s airport system.
Unifor members gathered at the Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ont., for the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) Conference centered around helping members recognize signs of mental health and addiction struggles in themselves and others, and equip them with resources and strategies to connect people with the support that they need.
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.
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