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May Day is more than a celebration of past victories—it’s a call to action. A day to recommit ourselves to the struggle for justice, dignity and fairness for the working class and to draw strength from the collective power of working people everywhere.
This year, we mark May 1 under the shadow of escalating attacks on working people. We must remain vigilant against the stripping of union rights, slashing of public services, and the targeting of the most vulnerable workers—especially migrants—with policies rooted in exploitation and division.
In the United States, the return of Donald Trump has brought with it a renewed wave of attacks. With a stroke of a pen, nearly one million public sector workers were stripped of their collective agreements—denied the basic right to union representation.
These actions, emboldened by anti-union CEOs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, are not isolated—they are part of a broader strategy to weaken the power of workers and concentrate wealth and control in the hands of a few.
Here at home, we’re facing our own fights.
In Quebec, Unifor members are pushing back against Bill 89, legislation that would curtail the right to strike and limit workers’ ability to bargain fairly. In Windsor, Ontario, hundreds (thousands?) of members, retirees and community members came together at the Unifor Protect Canadian Jobs rally to demand good jobs, fair trade, and a manufacturing strategy that puts Canadian workers first.
This is the energy we need—bold, grassroots action that pushes back against erosion of rights at every level.
Globally, we are witnessing a surge of worker resistance. In Argentina, Belgium, Morocco and Greece, unions have mobilized mass general strikes against austerity, cuts to public services, and rollbacks to pension and bargaining rights.
These movements are not just about wages—they are about defending public institutions and the role of workers in shaping their futures.
In the United States, where migrant workers are increasingly targeted by immigration enforcement, unions are stepping up to defend their members from deportation and detention. These actions remind us that the labour movement must never stop fighting for equity—across status, race, gender and geography.
The stakes are high. But history has taught us that workers do not back down.
From factory floors and hospitals to classrooms and courthouses, Unifor members continue to organize, speak out and demand better—not just for ourselves, but for future generations.
On this May Day, we honour the workers who came before us, whose sacrifices built the rights we now defend. We stand with our international allies, whose courage inspires us to fight harder. And we commit to building a future rooted in solidarity, inclusion and justice.
Unions built this country and together, we’ll protect what we’ve built—and keep moving forward.
