VANCOUVER—Cost of living pressures and health and safety were among key issues raised today by Unifor Locals 111 and 2200 during Day 1 contract negotiations with Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC). The two union locals negotiate on a joint bargaining committee.
“Transit workers deserve improved wages, safe working conditions, and the dignity to do their jobs without constant surveillance or unrealistic scheduling pressures,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
TORONTO–Unifor is calling on all levels of government to take decisive action to protect Canada’s aerospace industry amid a new escalation in the Trump Administration’s trade war with Canada that threatens to levy tariffs on and decertify Bombardier Global series aircraft and all aircraft made in Canada.
The rapid rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) is often marketed as a new and inevitable revolution. But beyond slick marketing campaigns, this digital shift is the latest chapter in a centuries-old story about how work changes, and why collective power is essential to ensuring workers have a real seat at the table to protect their jobs, skills and work environment.
OSHAWA–Workers at the General Motors Oshawa Assembly Complex will report for the final third shift today, as the company eliminates more than 700 direct jobs with hundreds of additional jobs lost at supply chain companies. The job cuts come in the same week GM reported more than $12 billion in pre-tax earnings for 2025, along with a plan to boost shareholders earnings through dividend increases and a $6 billion share buyback.
TORONTO—Unifor opened collective bargaining today with Air Canada on behalf of customer service agents, who work at airports, call centres, and provide services such as customer relations and customer journey management, across the country.
“Air Canada’s customer service agents are the backbone of the passenger experience,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.
Dear Federal, Provincial and Territorial Forum of Ministers Most Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care,
The federal, provincial and territorial investments in licensed child care since the inception of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system in 2021 have generated significant economic activity, giving rise to major returns including an important increase in women’s labour force participation.
This Black History Month, Unifor proudly honours the theme Black Resistance: Honouring contributions, advancing justice. Black history is not only about the past, but also about the courage, leadership, and resilience that continue to shape our workplaces, our communities, and our movement today.
TORONTO/MONTREAL – Unifor members in the Bell Clerical bargaining units have ratified a new four-year collective agreement with Bell. The contract, effective December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2029, delivers wage increases, enhanced job protection, telework provisions, and a new oversight model to manage the impact of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace.
THUNDER BAY-Unifor is urging Thunder Bay Pulp and Paper to take every measure to mitigate job loss following the company’s announcement that it will cease newsprint operations by the end of the first quarter, potentially impacting more than a hundred jobs.
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Unifor honours the memory of the six million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust, and the millions of others targeted by the Nazi regime.
We remember the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945, a solemn reminder of the unimaginable consequences of hatred, dehumanization, and indifference.
January 29 marks nine years since a horrific act of Islamophobic violence took the lives of six Muslim men at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City. Their murders were a targeted attack on their place of worship, and an attack on the values of dignity, inclusion, and freedom that define Canada.
Members of one of the largest auto locals in the country sent a clear and united message to Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal government, unanimously passing a motion stating that Unifor Local 222 does not support opening the door to cheap, subsidized Chinese EV imports at the expense of Canadian auto jobs.
On November 29, more than 50,000 people took to the streets of Montreal to say no to the CAQ’s attacks and yes to workers’ rights and democracy.
Unifor showed up strong! Over 1000 Unifor members from Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick stood shoulder to shoulder with the entire labour movement.
While the CAQ racks up failures ,it chooses to attack unions instead of addressing the real crises facing people: housing, health care, and public education.
ST. JOHN’S—Unifor is concerned following Loblaw’s decision to close a St. John’s Dominion store effective May 8, a move that will impact approximately 100 unionized grocery workers.
The affected Unifor members were informed of the closure on January 19.
Unifor Local 597 represents more than 1,600 Dominion grocery workers at 11 stores across the province. Under their collective agreement, members have severance rights based on their seniority.
Unifor National President Lana Payne brought the concerns of Unifor forestry sector members to the inaugural meeting of the federal government’s new Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force, held January 19 in Vancouver.
LONDON— Unifor has been notified that Autoneum will gradually wind down and close its London, Ontario facility over the course of 2026. The decision is a devastating blow for Unifor members, their families, and the wider London and regional economies that depend on good union jobs in the auto parts supply chain.
Workers at Northeast Nutrition—a federally regulated feed mill in Truro, N.S., which produces fish food—has ratified a new three-year agreement at 82% with their employer.
“Congratulations to the bargaining committee for getting our fishery food production members in the East Coast a fair deal,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“It was the first time at the table for several members of the bargaining committee, and they all did a tremendous job.”
The biggest gain of this contract is a wage increase over the life of the contract.
The 74 workers at furniture maker Van Gogh Designs in Surrey, B.C., have voted to join Unifor to fight for better working conditions.
“Welcome to Unifor—we’re thrilled to be in your corner,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We’re looking forward to bargaining your first collective agreement and building worker power with your solidarity.”
The new members at Local 433 work in production including sewing, cutting, cushion, upholstery, wrapping, inventory, framing, and quality checking with additional members performing duties in the office.
Unifor is calling on the Quebec and federal governments to take immediate action to prevent irreversible damage to the F.F. Soucy mill and preserve any chance of a future restart.
RIVIÈRE-DU-LOUP — Following the bankruptcy of F.F. Soucy, Unifor is urging both levels of government to intervene without delay to ensure the mill remains heated and powered, and that skilled workers are retained to safely operate and maintain critical equipment.
TORONTO–The Canadian government’s decision to open the door to China-owned EV imports poses extreme risk to Canadian auto jobs and the future of our entire auto sector.
“This is a self-inflicted wound to an already injured Canadian auto industry,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Providing a foothold to cheap Chinese EVs, backed by massive state subsidies, overproduction and designed to expand market share through exports, puts Canadian auto jobs at risk while rewarding labour violations and unfair trade practices.”
THUNDER BAY, ONT.—Unifor is pleased that its Alstom members in Thunder Bay will benefit from the federal government’s Buy Canadian policy, a strategy to ensure public dollars are used to support Canadian jobs, businesses and communities, with a federal investment of nearly $1 billion to fund new TTC subway cars.
Montreal – Unifor Quebec acknowledges the announcement that François Legault is stepping down as Premier of Quebec. While this decision marks the end of a political cycle in the province, it is essential that it open the door to a profound re-examination of the policies that have undermined workers, public services and social dialogue in Quebec.
As 2026 begins, Unifor National President Lana Payne speaks frankly about what Canadian workers are facing. All of us are headed into the second year of the current trade war launched by U.S.
Members of Unifor Local 4600 have ratified a new collective agreement with significant increases to shift and weekend premiums, overtime provisions, wages, as well as the option to join a defined benefit pension plan.
Roughly 60 Unifor members who worked at Ming Pao’s newsrooms in Toronto and Richmond B.C. will lose their jobs after the union learned the company is stopping its Canadian operations.
“This is yet another blow for Canadian journalism,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“This widens the gap of news deserts for Chinese-Canadian communities across the country, who rely on these sources for fact-based information. We will support our journalist and media worker members as they navigate this uncertain time.”
The Unifor Quebec Director’s Tour is officially underway. This week, Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier, accompanied by Unifor Quebec’s leadership team, launched the tour in Amos.
Taking place over several weeks, the tour aims to meet with local unions across Quebec to engage directly with members on the key issues affecting them, at a time when economic and political challenges are having a significant impact on working people.
Front-end loaded wage increases are a key highlight of a new collective agreement ratified recently by Unifor members at the Sobeys Retail Support Centre in Whitby-Ajax.
“Unifor members are the backbone of Sobey’s warehousing in this region,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Congratulations to this team for securing a fair contract.”
