When I think back 30 years this week, I think about where we were and the casual sexism and misogyny that seemed to be all around us back in December of 1989.

It’s bewildering to think about how men would cat call the women they worked with or even strangers on the street, egging each other on as if it was some sort of game.

What’s even more astonishing, however, is how little has changed, and how in some ways it has gotten worse.

Linda MacNeil, Unifor Atlantic Regional Director

Part-time work is nothing new to Canadians because employers have long exploited a gap in our employment standards that allows them to discriminate against them. It’s no secret that part-time workers earn below average pay, have no guaranteed schedule of hours, and are often denied benefits that their full-time counterparts enjoy.

More than 3.6 million working people (or about 20 per cent of the workforce) earn their living as part-time workers in Canada.

Every era must come to an end, and thankfully the end has come for Don Cherry’s.

In a long overdue move, Sportsnet finally cut ties with the host of Coach’s Corner this week. 

It should have happened a long time ago. 

Years of racist and misogynist comments, uninformed opinions on issues such as climate change and advocating a hard-hitting style of hockey that, frankly, put the health of players at risk, finally made his continued employment untenable.

Jerry Dias, National President of Unifor and Daniel Bernhard, Executive Director of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting

Today, the Disney+ streaming service becomes available in Canada, hot on the heels of Apple+, which launched on November 1^st. Many are celebrating their arrival as a boon for Canadian viewers: hundreds of new programs, available anytime, anywhere, for less than $9 per month.

We aren’t a shy bunch at Unifor - and that was certainly proved true during last month’s federal election.

In fact, we did exactly what we said we’d do - play an active role in ensuring that Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives never form government and never get the chance to turn the clock back on progressive policies this country needs.

We reached out to our members in key ridings across Canada, making sure they were aware of what was at stake in the election if the Conservatives won.

First, let’s talk about the lessons we can take from the Manitoba election this week, which saw Brian Pallister’s Conservatives return for a second majority government, as we head into a new federal election.

The good news is that this is, at least, a reduced majority. The NDP led by Wab Kinew gained seven seats for a total of 18, and elected Manitoba’s first black members of the legislature and Kinew was returned as the first Indigenous Official Opposition leader.

The following Opinion piece appeared in the Globe and Mail Report on Business on July 17, 2019.

Corporate takeovers are never ideal for anyone – except maybe the business leaders behind the deals.

For the rest of us, from workers to the public, corporate takeovers are rarely the kind of thing we like to see.

Customers prefer choice, and more companies in the market gives them that choice.

People of good conscience disagree all the time – always have, always will. It would be great if we could figure out a way to agree on the major issue of the day, but I’m not holding my breath.

This is not entirely a bad thing, of course. When our views and ideas are challenged, it forces us to sharpen our arguments, and to zero in on what is most important to us. In the end, debate over what policy or action to pursue makes for better policy.

At least, when it’s done right, with good will and with both sides respectful of the other.

The recent fall economic statement from Ontario’s Conservative government came straight out of the ring-wing playbook, and should serve as a warning across Canada about the dangers of populists who pretend to speak for working people, but serve the privileged.