Jobs and the Economy

TORONTO – Hundreds of Unifor Bell telecommunications members are being terminated on virtual group meetings today, just a day after Unifor rallied in Ottawa to call out Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE) for cutting thousands of jobs across the country while continuing to rake in profits and increase payouts to shareholders. 

OTTAWA— On Tuesday March 19, Unifor will hold a media conference followed by a Bell worker rally prior to the testimony of Bell executives before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.  
 

VICTORIA—Rank-and-file forestry workers, union leaders, policymakers, and researchers gathered to hash out solutions to the crisis facing British Columbia’s forestry industry during a policy summit on March 12 in Victoria.

The summit, jointly hosted by Unifor, the United Steelworkers union (USW), and the Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC), was an unprecedented gathering of workers who have experienced firsthand the many mill closures and related job losses in an industry that was once world-renowned.

After years of decline, it’s time for a united effort to help workers and communities.

By Gavin McGarrigle, Scott Lunny

Unifor condemns the arrest of journalist Brandi Morin, calling on authorities to drop all charges as she heads into her next court date on March 1, 2024.

Morin, an award-winning journalist and author, was arrested Jan. 10, 2024, while covering people living in an encampment as the Edmonton police cleared the under-housed people out. 

She was arrested for not sticking to the exclusion zone police had set up for reporters.

Unions representing workers in Quebec's forestry sector say the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) is going in the wrong direction for forestry sector consutlations.

Unifor, United Steelworkers, the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD) and the Fédération de l'industrie manufacturière (FIM-CSN) were united in their denounciation of the MRNF’s process announced during a press conference held on February 7 in Saguenay Quebec.

VANCOUVER-Unifor is calling for an immediate response by all levels of government to support the Vancouver Island forestry sector following Paper Excellence’s announcement to curtail operations at its Crofton pulp mill indefinitely.

“An indefinite curtailment is an immeasurable loss for too many workers and their families who deserve so much better from Paper Excellence,” said National President Lana Payne. “These companies must be held to account and Canada and B.C. must support a value-added forestry industry that creates good, union jobs for generations to come.”

VANCOUVER—Coast Mountain Bus Company’s (CMBC) refusal to find a solution in the ongoing negotiations with transit supervisors resulted in two days of lost wages for transit operators and maintenance staff.

“I have been very clear with our members: they are not going to pay the price for CMBC’s inability to get their house in order,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “We encourage CMBC to get back to the bargaining table and find a solution before further disruptions occur.”