VANCOUVER—Unifor members from across British Columbia will march in downtown Vancouver to demand the federal Liberal government make good on its promise to ban scabs from labour disputes.
“Scabs have no place in Canadian workplaces,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director. “In order to ensure workers can bargain for a better standard of living, we need anti-scab legislation now. Workers have waited for the Liberals long enough.”
What: March and rally to demand federal anti-scab legislation
Op-ed originally published in the Toronto Star on Oct. 4, 2023
Lana Payne and Rob Wildeboer
The Bank of Canada has raised the interest rate 10 times in 18 months. It’s the steepest rate hiking campaign in modern history. It’s time to hold fire.
The fact is inflation has come down quite dramatically in that time period from 8.1% in June of last year to 4% this August. Remove mortgage interest and volatile energy costs from the data and recent inflation is tracking at about 2.3% - let’s face it, the battle is pretty much over.
Unifor Local 191 member Tracy Schmidt is running for the Manitoba NDP in the battleground provincial riding of Rossmere in northeast Winnipeg.
Schmidt started her labour career with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. After going back to school to become a labour and employment lawyer, she became a staff lawyer for another union in Winnipeg.
Historically, Rossmere has voted for the party that has gone on to form government, so close races like this one are targets for Unifor’s provincial election effort, especially with a member running for office.
TORONTO – Unifor is calling on the federal government and industry stakeholders to support changes to improve conditions for road transport drivers and make roads safer for all drivers.
“Low pay and unsafe conditions force drivers to take enormous risks in order to make ends meet. While this might make sense for the narrow interests of corporate shareholders, it is a disaster for everyone else,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Unifor has joined more than 50 trade unions representing road transport drivers around the world calling for “Safe Rates” systems, which they say will improve workers' rights and make roads safer.
A delegation of activists from Unifor and several other labour organizations were on Parliament Hill September 19 to once again demand federal anti-scab legislation. Workers are demanding that the federal government keep its promises on long-awaited anti-scab legislation during this session of Parliament.
Union leaders and several Members of Parliament were on hand to address activists, including Louise Chabot of the Parti Québécois, Alexandre Boulerice and Jagmeet Singh of the NDP.
Canada’s largest private sector union calls for higher wages to address stark affordability challenges impacting families and joins the federal government’s call to stabilize food prices.
WINNIPEG—Voters can turn the tables on the PC government that downgraded hospital emergency rooms by electing a new government on October 3, says Unifor.
“The PCs’ abysmal record on healthcare and other vital services shows they’re not worthy of re-election,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “They downgraded vital emergency rooms, now voters can downgrade the PCs.”
OTTAWA—The next Parliament can make important and lasting changes for workers by banning replacement workers (“scabs”) and fixing Employment Insurance, says Unifor.
“The studies and consultations have been done. Workers shouldn’t have to wait any longer for workplace and EI changes that will improve working conditions and a withering safety net,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.
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