Environment

More than 1,000 people gathered on March 18, 2023, in Saint-Félicien, Que., for a rally organized by Unifor to raise questions to the provincial government on the upcoming strategy to stop the decline of woodland and mountain caribou populations.

"We are marching today because there is a lot of uncertainty about the plan that the government wants to put in place,” said Daniel Cloutier, Unifor Quebec Director.

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.”

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.

This is a day to reflect on the importance of our environment and the clear connection that it shares in the life long health of all of us and our families.  As well, we recognize how social activism and overall concern for a safe environment will ensure our victory over the threat of the COVID-19 virus and all other global health challenges to the human race in today’s overstressed environment.

By Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer

When Unifor members ratified new collective agreements with Ford, Fiat-Chrysler and General Motors in the fall of 2020, ushering in a first wave of large-scale battery electric vehicle assembly mandates, we knew something big was about to happen. 

March 11 marks the beginning of the third year since the World Health Organization formally declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

Workers in all sectors and types of workplaces have been affected by this public health crisis. They have been put at risk of transmission, and many workers have fallen ill or died as a result of this disease.

COVID-19 has caused nearly six million deaths worldwide and more than 37,000 in Canada alone. Over the past two years, front line workers have carried the heaviest burden while having to fight for basic protections.

What does it mean to love Newfoundland and Labrador’s oil workers in a time of climate crisis and global energy transformations? The answer: supporting a just transition.

This is a “code red” moment for humanity as the consequences of the climate crisis unfold around the world and here at home. If nothing is done, people will suffer in myriad ways, including the careers of oil and gas workers.