A ground-breaking bill was introduced last fall in the Manitoba legislature which would provide workers facing domestic violence with paid leave from work. Bill 8 has now passed second reading and Unifor made a presentation to the Justice Committee urging that it be passed.
Published in the Huffington Post Wednesday March 2, 2016
After some rather minor tinkering with one part of the CETA free trade deal with Europe, our new Liberal government is now saying the deal could be signed, ratified and in force by 2017.
Not so fast.
There is still much to be concerned with here. But we can still fix what’s wrong, and not just with CETA. The announcement Monday proves that.
TORONTO, Feb. 29, 2016 /CNW/ - The flipping of more than 450 Toronto-area school bus routes this morning shows how unstable a system Ontario has for handing out such contracts, and will only get worse, warns Unifor, the province's largest school bus driver union.
The flipping of more than 450 Toronto-area school bus routes this morning shows how unstable a system RFPs are for handing out such contracts, and will only get worse, warns Unifor.
TORONTO, Feb. 25 , 2016 /CNW/ - Unifor welcomes investment in education, health and infrastructure but says overall funding in the Ontario budget falls short.
"Increased funding in these key areas is overdue," said Unifor Ontario Director Katha Fortier. "Today's budget is a start, but we need greater investment to really make a difference in the lives of Ontarians."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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;
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.
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.
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.
