OTTAWA - A new alliance of telecommunications workers is denouncing the offshoring of thousands of Canadian jobs by major telecommuncations corporations, to the detriment of the Canadian economy, as well as Canadians’ privacy, security and sovereignty.
OTTAWA – Representatives from the Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance – a coalition of unions representing tens of thousands of workers in the sector – will hold a press conference to launch their campaign to protect Canadian jobs from outsourcing, and to protect Canadians’ privacy and sovereignty.
TORONTO—Unifor denounces federal funding cuts to public transit, which threaten safe, reliable service and push costs onto working people and municipalities already under strain.
“Public transit is a public good and there is no better time to invest in both the services and the manufacturing of strong public transit in cities across Canada,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“Cuts to transit funding don’t save money. They shift the burden onto cities, workers, and riders through service reductions, fare hikes, and deteriorating working conditions.”
VICTORIA—Mental health and affordability are expected to dominate this month’s negotiations as Unifor Local 4276 opens bargaining today with the Fairmont Empress.
“Unifor members at Local 4276 are ready to lead the way for the hospitality industry in 2026,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “The hospitality sector is a clear example of the ‘union advantage’: workers at unionized hotels enjoy higher wages, better benefits, and greater job security.”
MONTREAL— Unifor delegates from across Eastern Canada kicked off bargaining preparations for the forestry industry by selecting Domtar as the target company for the upcoming round of pattern bargaining.
TORONTO– Unifor welcomes measures in the new federal auto policy to map the direction of industry, with the understanding that this plan must be backed by bold action to safeguard Canadian auto jobs and ensure a future for autoworkers at idled plants in both Brampton and Ingersoll.
“We need a strategy that reassures workers that automaking has a future in Canada, regardless of U.S. trade attacks,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
TORONTO— Unifor is deeply concerned by Bell Media’s announcement of layoffs impacting 20 Unifor members, who delivered quality, fact-based journalism to Canadians from coast-to-coast.
“This is a critical moment to support Canadian jobs and Canadian journalists—especially when democracy itself is under attack,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
HALIFAX—Unifor members at the now-shuttered Northern Pulp mill in Pictou, Nova Scotia, will see their pension fund made whole and fully wound up as the company’s woodland assets secures a buyer at auction for $235 million.
This amount is enough to repay the $37 million owed to Unifor Local 440 members’ defined benefit pension plan.
HALIFAX – Unifor’s Atlantic Communications Locals, 401, 410, 506, and 2289, have ratified a new collective agreement with Bell. The new contract, secured as a result of the “Stronger Together” bargaining campaign, achieves improvements for members in Atlantic Canada, including wage increases and job security provisions.
The Nova Scotia Health Coalition stands firmly in solidarity with Unifor, CUPE 8920, CUPE Nova Scotia, and NSGEU as they sound the alarm about the growing threats to our public Mental Health and Addictions system. Clinicians across this province provide life-saving care every single day, and their work is essential to the health and well-being of our communities.
Toronto/Montréal – On January 25, 2026, Bell Expertech will cease operations, a development that underscores the ongoing difficulties faced by workers in Canada’s telecommunications sector. December 5 marked the final working day for most affected employees who received severance packages.
Expertech employed 510 technicians and auxiliary workers and 28 clerical employees in Ontario and Quebec. According to the employer, the closure is the result of a decrease in fibre-optic network construction projects.
TORONTO—Unifor members at CommerceLink Logistics (formerly Walmart Fleet ULC) in Alberta and British Columbia filed a request with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service yesterday, citing major concerns over work scheduling, a fair and impartial disciplinary process, and protections around work ownership and contracting out.
“Our members are seeking a reasonable work-life balance,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
AMHERSTBURG, ON–Unifor Local 200 members at Diageo’s Crown Royal plant in Amherstburg have ratified a closure agreement with the company, with operations set to cease in February 2026.
“We fought hard to keep the jobs here. This is not the outcome we wanted, but in the end, we acted to secure the best possible outcome for our members while they still had the protection of their collective agreement,” said Unifor President Lana Payne.
TORONTO– Unifor is encouraged by new federal government support measures for the forestry and steel industries, both of which have been hard-hit by the ongoing U.S. trade war.
TORONTO – Unifor Local 414 members working in food services at Humber College have voted to ratify a new collective agreement with their employer, Compass Group, averting a strike. The new, three-year agreement delivers significant wage increase, key benefit improvements, and stronger protections for the 260 workers at the North and Lakeshore Campuses.
TORONTO – Unifor Local 414 members working in food services at Humber College are preparing to strike as of Nov. 21 at 12:01 a.m. if a deal is not reached with employer, Compass Group.
“We stand firmly behind our members working to build better job standards,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Our members deserve decent working conditions and a fair wage.”
SURREY, B.C.—Wage gains and scheduling improvements are highlights of a new collective agreement ratified today at 89% by members of Unifor Local 3000 at the Sheraton Guildford hotel in Surrey. Union members have been on the picket line for 136 days fighting for a fair contract.
“Credit is due to these members who refused to back down,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Their effort has paid off with a contract that addresses wage concerns and builds for the next round of bargaining.”
Windsor—Unifor Local 195 members were joined by national union leaders, fellow union members, and community allies to hit the streets of Windsor today in a vehicle caravan to support locked-out Titan Tool & Die workers as their dispute exceeded the 100-day mark, surpassing the city’s historic 99-day Ford strike of 1945.
HALIFAX—Public pressure from Unifor members who rallied and submitted nearly 1,000 letters to Nova Scotia MLAs were successful in getting the Houston government to deliver a financial mandate so bargaining could begin across long-term care units.
NORFOLK COUNTY, ON –Unifor is calling on the Norfolk General Hospital (NGH) Board of Directors to intervene in stalled contract negotiations and direct the employer to return to the table with a fair and reasonable mandate consistent with arbitration outcomes across Ontario’s hospital sector.
