Jobs and the Economy

Following last week’s announcement that Agropur Dairy Cooperative will close its Sussex, N.B. facility in 2028, Unifor leadership met with members on May 6 to discuss the fight ahead and reaffirm the union’s commitment to supporting workers and their families through the difficult transition.

Unifor National President Lana Payne urged the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources today to put energy workers at the centre of Canada's plan to become an energy superpower, warning that aging infrastructure, "run-to-fail" maintenance strategies, and shrinking domestic capacity are putting the country's energy security at risk.

Watch National President Lana Payne testify to the House of Commons Natural Resources committee to express Unifor's support for reducing Canada's export dependency on the U.S. and warned against the industry's growing reliance on "run to fail" models that endanger energy workers and their communities.

CAMI Assembly Plant members filled the Unifor Local 88 union hall on May 1, to hear from National and Local leaders about the future of the idled facility, the impact of U.S. auto tariffs, the threat of Chinese imports, and the road ahead for 2026 auto bargaining.

Lac-Mégantic – The back-to-back closures of Bestar and Meubles South Shore within a 24-hour period send a clear message: Quebec’s furniture manufacturing sector is in jeopardy. A total of 120 Unifor members are losing their jobs after Bestar announced it would close its Lac-Mégantic plant.

NAIRN CENTRE, ON—Unifor is calling for urgent, coordinated action from all levels of government following Interfor's announcement that it is indefinitely curtailing operations at its Nairn Centre sawmill.

"Every week brings another closure, another community in crisis," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "Workers in Nairn Centre are paying the price for a trade war they didn't start. Canada needs a real industrial strategy for forestry before we lose any more jobs."

A PSW registry has opened in Ontario. 

While there have been previous attempts to register PSWs practising in the province, this is the first time the government has used legislation to set the regulatory framework of the designating body. 

The group responsible for the registry is the Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority (HSCPOA). 

HSCPOA was tasked with:

Unifor is deeply concerned about the layoffs of personal support workers (PSWs) at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, particularly as part of a broader pattern of restructuring happening across hospitals in Ontario.

Unifor Local 302 represents 27 PSWs at the hospital who have received layoff notices.

Unifor MWF Local 1 President Travis Farrell delivered a clear message to keep shipbuilding jobs in Canada, as he testified before the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs on Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) in relation to the development of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS).

“The long-term commitment made by the Government of Canada has given our workers something they didn’t have before, confidence in the future,” Farrell said. “Confidence that if they enter the trades, they are investing in a career.” 

TORONTO - Unifor National President Lana Payne will advocate for bold federal action to protect Canadian jobs, rebuild domestic capacity, and put workers at the centre of Canada’s industrial strategy as a member of the new federal Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations.