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Pallister flip-flops on protecting front-line workers

WINNIPEG—Despite pledging to protect front-line workers, Premier Brian Pallister’s Manitoba Hydro layoffs threaten to impact services for Manitobans.

“Brian Pallister has demonstrated time and again that he can’t be trusted to strengthen Manitoba Hydro,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Manitobans deserve to know why the premier is jeopardizing hydro service.”

Unifor says the cuts will come during a time when Manitoba Hydro is working at full capacity to keep up with the unique demands of COVID-19.

Restarting the Economy: What forestry workers need to know

The forestry sector faced a number of significant challenges before the COVID-19 crisis struck, including the ongoing softwood lumber dispute, sagging pulp prices, and damage caused by insect infestations. The economic collapse that followed the pandemic has stalled construction, and many forestry companies (especially small and mid-sized ones) are struggling with liquidity as demand for their products has fallen off.

READ THE FULL DOCUMENT HERE

Restarting the Economy: What road passenger transport and urban transit workers need to know

Across the country, road passenger transport and urban transit services have taken a significant hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures have all but suspended school transportation services; domestic and international travel restrictions have decreased airport limousine services and intercity and provincial bus service; and wide-scale business closures and calls to stay home have resulted in significant drops in taxi and public transit ridership.

Intolerant and racist remarks pull back veil on Conservatives

By Jerry Dias

If anyone should have a guilty conscience, it’s Randy Hillier.

Guilty of intolerance.

Guilty of shooting his mouth off.

Guilty of making a complete fool of himself.

And, just this week, guilty of casually, and apparently for the sake of cheap humour, questioned the integrity of an upstanding federal cabinet minister with his flippant comments.

Unifor condemns violence against journalists covering U.S. protests

Unifor, Canada’s largest media union, condemns violence against media crews across the U.S. Journalists reporting on the street protests against the abhorrent, racist murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer are being physically attacked, mostly by police but also by citizens.

Open Letter: To Premier Ford regarding ineligibility of Pandemic Pay to many healthcare workers

Dear Premier Ford,

In previous correspondences to you, Unifor recognized the importance of the $4 per hour “pandemic pay premium” that is being provided for front-line workers during this crisis. We certainly agree that these workers deserve the extra compensation given their roles in this crisis, their hard work, the health risks that they face while on the job and the need to self-isolate from their families to protect them. Unifor demands that pandemic pay be extended to these critical workers

Campaign Launch: Pandemic Pay for Unifor Health Care Workers

Since Pandemic pay was announced on April 25, 2020, there has been confusion about who is actually covered. Unifor was the first union in Ontario to make a public demand for Pandemic Pay on April 17, launching a video and an online petition. Our position has clearly been that any worker who is subject to the Emergency Orders should receive this pay.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

Unifor condemns the most recent blatant acts of racism and racially-motivated police violence

Unifor emphatically condemns the most recent blatant acts of racism and racially-motivated police violence in the United States of America. 

But we also know racism is not just a problem in the United States. It is also the daily reality faced by Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities here in Canada as well.

Racism continues to govern the lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples, and as we have seen in the case of George Floyd, racism is taking lives.

We must call the killing of George Floyd exactly what it is: anti-Black racism.

Co-op Refinery spill highlights dangers of relying on scab workers

REGINA—Unifor Local 594 is extremely disappointed, but not surprised, to learn of the major loss of containment from the Co-op Refinery Complex that occurred on May 22, 2020, that resulted in the contamination of the City of Regina’s sewer system.

AV Nackawic Mill in NB

May 26, 2020

SENT VIA EMAIL

The Honourable Blaine Higgs, M.L.A.

Premier of New Brunswick

premier@gnb.ca

Dr. Jennifer Wylie-Russell

Chief Medical Officer of Health, New Brunswick

@email

The Honourable Hugh J.A. Flemming, Q.C., M.L.A.

Minister of Health, New Brunswick

Digital news conference to demand federal government fix CERB

Unifor’s National President and local union leaders will be speaking out tomorrow to highlight an unfair gap in the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) that is hurting thousands of workers in the auto, rail, marine, steel, aerospace, health care and other sectors.

Torstar sale shows the depth of crisis in media

Canada’s conservatives must be popping champagne corks today after the sale of Canada’s largest newspaper to two of its avid supporters.

The Toronto Star has been a consistent voice for working class Canadians for more than 100 years, leading the debate on issues Conservatives can’t stand to talk about – decent wages and working conditions, the rights of marginalized Canadians, reasonable immigration policies, and more. 

Locked out oil and gas workers picket five Co-op properties in rural Saskatchewan

May 26, 2020

SOUTHEY— Premier Scott Moe’s endless dithering on whether or not to impose a settlement from the mediators in the Co-op Refinery lockout has prompted workers to establish information pickets at five rural Co-op properties.

“It boggles the mind why Scott Moe can’t finish the job he started,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Why did he appoint the nation’s best mediators if he was just going to sit on their recommendations? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Unifor partners with Hospitality Workers Training Centre to support hotel and food service workers

May 25, 2020

TORONTO—Unifor is proud to partner with the Hospitality Workers Training Centre to support laid off workers in hospitality and food service across the Greater Toronto Area.

“Hotel and food service workers are among the hardest hit by the pandemic,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “That’s why our union acted immediately to ensure workers could access vital services from the Centre for job training, food and housing security, and mental health supports.”

Unifor tells Federal Finance Committee to close gap in CERB

May 21, 2020

TORONTO–Unifor reiterated its call for the federal government to grant workers receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to receive the Supplemental Unemployment Benefits (SUB) they would be entitled to under normal layoff circumstances, during testimony today before the Federal Finance Committee.