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Unifor available for comment on Ontario Budget

TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2016 /CNW/ - Unifor, Canada's largest private sector union will be available to provide reaction to the 2016 Ontario budget. Ontario Regional Director Katha Fortier will be accessible for media interviews following the pre-budget lockup at the Macdonald Block.

"It's time for the Wynne government to focus on investing in social services, job creation and economic growth," said Fortier. 

Good jobs right here – at home

The National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) was designed to create and keep good jobs here at home. A mutli-billion dollar deal for Halifax's Irving Shipyard brings a strong boost to our economy.

Federal budget must stimulate the economy

Published in the Huffington Post February 24, 2016

Now is no time to be slaying deficits.

Ever since Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Monday that the federal deficit would top $18.4 billion, all the familiar voices of right wing commentators, Bay Street analysts and Conservative politicians have made their all-too predictable calls for budget cuts and curtailed spending.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

Pink Shirt Day

Pink Shirt Day began in Berwick, Nova Scotia,  Canada in 2007 when David Shepherd, Travis Price and a group of students decided to defend a kid who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. In a show of solidarity, many of his peers turned up to school the next day wearing pink shirts, and PSD was born.

Unifor to help boost trades

Every province in Canada and each territory has its own system for training the skilled trades...

Unifor applauds Ontario's second step for PTSD sufferers

The Ontario government introduced a second step in a plan to support emergency response workers who suffer from PTSD. Unifor has supported efforts to ensure emergency response workers receive adequate coverage for mental health issues stemming from their line of work.

Unifor calls for strong economic stimulus

OTTAWA, Feb. 19, 2016 /CNW/ - With interest rates at historic lows and the need among Canadians great, now is the ideal time for the federal government to take an active role in stimulating the Canadian economy, Unifor National President Jerry Dias told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance today.

"The retreat of our government from the economic stage has hurt ordinary Canadians," Dias said.

Unifor federal budget submission 2016: A return to progressive governance

The welfare state retrenchment that has dominated federal politics since the 1980s has not only failed to stimulate higher levels of investment or faster GDP growth; it has left the federal government with chronically weak fiscal capacity to deliver the social services Canadians expect. It has also seriously compromised the scope for government to effectively respond to economic crises. Unifor believes in a strong, graduated tax system that provides the revenue tools necessary for the government to play an active role in enhancing the value of Canadian national life.

/R E P E A T -- Unifor president to make budget submission/

OTTAWA, Feb. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - Unifor National President Jerry Dias will appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance on Friday to make Unifor's recommendations for the upcoming federal budget, including ways to stimulate both the economy and job growth.

"Last fall, Canadians voted for a government that would play an active role in stimulating the economy to provide opportunities for working families and future generations," Dias said.

For-profit plasma clinic goes against report on patient safety

REGINA, Feb. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - With news that Saskatchewan is opening the first for-profit plasma donation clinic in the country, Unifor calls on the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of health to re-affirm the three principles governing the Canadian blood system adopted and affirmed by their predecessors in 1979:

I.      protection of the system of voluntary donation;

II.     national self-sufficiency in blood and blood products;

Unifor president to make budget submission

OTTAWA, Feb. 18, 2016 /CNW/ - Unifor National President Jerry Dias will appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance on Friday to make Unifor's recommendations for the upcoming federal budget, including ways to stimulate both the economy and job growth.

"Last fall, Canadians voted for a government that would play an active role in stimulating the economy to provide opportunities for working families and future generations," Dias said.

Unifor lauds much-needed local news review

TORONTO, Feb. 17, 2016 /CNW/ - Unifor, Canada's largest private-sector union, lauded the by the federal government announcement that it will be launching an investigation into the decline of media and its effect on Canadian society.

Uber’s threat goes beyond taxis

Published in the Huffington Post February 17, 2016

The real threat of Uber goes well beyond taxis and how we hail a cab.

It goes to basic respect for the laws of the land, the willingness or ability of governments to enforce those laws, and to the responsibility we all bear to pay our taxes to support the kind of society we want for ourselves and our families.

Enhanced CPP must match or surpass ORPP: Unifor

TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - The renewed dialogue between the Ontario and federal governments on the Canada Pension Plan and the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan is promising news, Unifor says.

Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa confirmed that, under a new deal, the federal government will facilitate registration, share data and administer ORPP contributions on behalf of Ontario.

Several container trucking companies launch legal fight against fair wages

VANCOUVER, Feb. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - A minority of Vancouver container trucking companies have filed suit to avoid paying thousands of dollars of retroactive pay owing to drivers in the sector. The largest union in the sector says that the suit has no merit, and that the companies are seeking an outcome that would threaten stability at Port Metro Vancouver.

Budget stimulus and EI

OTTAWA, Feb. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - An interprovincial coalition of labour and community groups are coming together to make the case for Employment Insurance improvements as part of economic stimulus in the upcoming budget. A joint statement was sent to the Finance Minister, Minister Responsible for EI and the Prime Minister in advance of the House of Commons Finance committee Budget 2016 hearings being held this week. 

Chrysler jobs boost shows Canadian competitiveness

TORONTO, Feb. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - Fiat Chrysler's announcement that a new minivan at its Windsor facility will mean twice as many jobs as first expected is not only good news, it's a reflection of Canada's competiveness in the auto sector, Unifor National President Jerry Dias says.

"Canadian autoworkers can compete with any in the world," Dias said.

Senate has no right to block repeal of C-377 and C-525

Published February 3, 2016 in the Huffington Post.

It took only a few minutes, but with a quick motion in the House of Commons last week, the new Liberal government moved to repeal two appalling pieces of federal labour legislation brought in by the former Harper government, Bills C-377 and C-525.

Almost immediately, Conservatives in the Senate promised to do all they could to block that repeal. We can’t let that happen. For those who thought this particular struggle was over, there is still much work to be done.