Jobs and the Economy

TORONTO- Unifor will continue to fight for public health care in the face of Ontario PC government’s latest steps into privatization.

“This is far from the first step of Ontario’s path toward private healthcare, but this must be where it ends,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Public health care in Ontario is too important and we will not allow this government to bring us closer to an American-style for-profit system of health.”

Unifor National President Lana Payne addresses the challenges and opportunities created by the shift to electric vehicles as a featured speaker at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago 29th Annual Automotive Insights Symposium.  “We look at this shift toward zero emission vehicles as part of an inevitable evolution. We see the opportunities this shift presents to secure new work in plants. New tools and skills in the hands of workers. New openings for regional economic development and innovation.”

TORONTO—The Ontario Minister of Health was briefed on Bill 124’s ill effects rippling across Ontario’s health care system, newly obtained ministerial briefing documents have revealed.

By Lana Payne

Tiff Macklem and the Bank of Canada doubled down on a failing strategy this week when they raised the interest rate for a seventh time this year.

He could have chosen to take a pause or even cut the rate increase in half in order to show he is taking heed of warnings from across the economy that the rate increases are too much, too fast. Instead, he raised the rate by 50 basis points to 4.25%.

TORONTO – Sunwing pilots are celebrating news the company has decided to abandon its intention to use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to boost staffing levels.

“Our main concern from the get-go was training and safety,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “As a union, we expect rigorous analysis before an employer is allowed to use the TFWP. We’re pleased that Sunwing chose to back away from using TFWP and honour our collective agreement.”

INGERSOLL—Unifor National President Lana Payne joined autoworkers, local union leaders, General Motors representatives and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford to celebrate the opening of the newly retooled GM CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario.

TORONTO – Unifor celebrates today’s decision by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, which ruled that Premier Ford’s Bill 124 unduly infringes on workers’ rights.

“Today’s decision is a victory for not only public sector workers and unions across Ontario, but also for every Ontarian who relies on our public services,” Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “For the past four years, workers fought back against this wage suppression bill through direct action, lobbying, and sharing personal experiences. When workers organize for justice, we can win.”

Originally published in The Hill Times on November 28, 2022.

By Lana Payne

Canada’s aerospace sector is in a slow burning crisis. Workers have, out of frustration, issued many calls for proactive measures to help the industry.

Recently, the federal government gave strong signals to Unifor that more support for the industry is on its way. Recognition of the long-standing challenges faced by workers in the sector are indeed much-needed, and support is needed urgently.