All Unifor wants this season is for the federal government to cooperate and get the important things done. Why not start with the commitments you have in common?
That’s Unifor’s message to Prime Minister Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and all MPs and Senators, hand-delivered as a feature in this quarter’s iPolitics print magazine.
Workers in Canada need a reliable, stable government to deliver on the shared goals that were set out in the 2021 federal election.
OTTAWA – Unifor is kicking off a weeklong federal lobby to communicate urgent repairs needed to fix Canada’s broken Employment Insurance (EI) system.
“There is no time to waste when it comes to fixing EI. Workers across the country are running out of benefits and running into barriers with a program that seems more determined to punish them instead of help them,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
Unifor members from the media sector have been meeting online with Members of Parliament, including Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, pushing the need for big tech firms to pay their fair share to support local news.
“Journalism is vital to the functioning of our democracy, and yet the entire sector is in crisis as big tech firms claim 90% of digital ad dollars,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias, who led the delegation meeting with Rodriguez.
“There has been a lot of talk, but now is the time for action.”
Three Labour Action Centres in Ontario will continue providing support for laid off workers until 2022 after Unifor successfully pushed the Ontario government to extend their operations.
The first vehicle rolled off the newly reopened General Motors assembly line in Oshawa at an event on November 8. The Chevy Silverado drove off the line following an address by Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
“Today is an incredibly important day for all of you, your families, and the community of Oshawa,” Dias told hundreds of workers who participated in the event. “It is so incredible to see so many of you who maintained your recall rights and those of you that are brand new to the operations—we want to welcome you to the Unifor family.”
Ontario’s recent decision to raise the provincial wage floor to $15 (including for servers) caught many by surprise. The governing Progressive Conservatives campaigned to scrap this exact pay hike when they ran for government back in 2018. Nonetheless, the 65-cent increase is welcome news and – once again – sparks a conversation on the need for living wages across the country.
TORONTO- New legislation to set a $15 minimum wage in Ontario will help the province’s lowest-paid workers and raise wages for thousands of Unifor members with minimum wage plus clauses in their collective agreements.
“Workers on the frontlines of our retail, wholesale, gaming, warehousing and broader service sectors who are paid a fraction of their worth will see this increase directly,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “I’m glad this government has reversed course and has now decided to raise workers’ wages.”
TORONTO – The steps taken by the Ontario government to protect temporary workers and regulate unscrupulous temp agencies are a good start, but further action is needed to improve health and safety for such workers, Unifor says.
“These fly by night agencies have damaged communities by exploiting the most vulnerable workers, including racialized workers, women, newcomers and migrant workers,” Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.
“We commend the government for listening to advocates and community members and introducing these changes.”
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