TORONTO – Unifor has released its own Air Transportation Workers’ Charter of Rights asserting that the actions taken by the federal government and airport authorities to solve travel chaos are not enough to solve the root of the problem— inadequate working conditions.
“Our members’ working conditions are the public’s travel conditions,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
Op-ed originally published in the Toronto Star on Oct. 4, 2023
Lana Payne and Rob Wildeboer
The Bank of Canada has raised the interest rate 10 times in 18 months. It’s the steepest rate hiking campaign in modern history. It’s time to hold fire.
The fact is inflation has come down quite dramatically in that time period from 8.1% in June of last year to 4% this August. Remove mortgage interest and volatile energy costs from the data and recent inflation is tracking at about 2.3% - let’s face it, the battle is pretty much over.
Amidst an alarming rise in job vacancies, unprecedented ER closures, and thousands of patients dying waiting on surgical wait-lists, three major unions representing about 70,000 workers in Ontario’s hospital sector signed a Solidarity Pact to Save Our Public Hospitals “from further austerity and privatization” at Queen’s Park today.
On September 25, 2023 more than 8,000 Ontarians and nearly 1,000 Unifor members across Ontario, came together to rally against Doug Ford's health care privatization agenda.
Members of Unifor Local 4005 at the Discovery Centre in Halifax voted unanimously to strike, giving full support to the bargaining committee currently in conciliation with the employer.
“This unit is unbreakable, and they have again shown their strength and solidarity with this unanimous strike vote,” said Jennifer Murray, Unifor Atlantic Regional Director. “Discovery Centre workers are fighting for recognition of their knowledge and expertise and the union will stand with them to win a fair deal.”
October 4 serves to commemorate the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited persons (MMIWG2S), and to extend our heartfelt solidarity to their families.
Today Unifor renews support for the families calling on the Government of Manitoba to prioritize the immediate search of the Winnipeg landfill for the bodies of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.
After 44 days of picketing and unwavering determination, 35 members of Unifor Local 114 at the Salvation Army in Langley, BC, have successfully ratified a new collective agreement.
The members, consisting of Truck Drivers, Assistant Truck Drivers, Dock Workers, and Sorters, took to the picket line in pursuit of fair wages and better working conditions. Their determination and solidarity paid off as they achieved substantial wage increases, with workers seeing their wages rise by as much as $4.50 per hour over the course of the four-year agreement.
WINNIPEG—By electing Wab Kinew premier to lead a Manitoba NDP government, voters have rejected a “heartless” government that was increasingly out of touch with working people, says Unifor.
“Wab Kinew and his team presented a positive and optimistic vision for the province and for workers, one that gave Manitobans the chance to move past the cuts and chaos of the Pallister-Stefanson years,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “We look forward to working with Premier Kinew to strengthen bargaining rights and grow good jobs in Manitoba.”
Members of the Atlantic Regional Council Health, Safety and Environment Standing Committee attended a two-day forum hosted in Halifax by the Canadian Council for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) titled “The Changing World of Work”.
Get your Local ready to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on December 6 by ordering buttons for members and posters to hang on bulletin boards, in lunch rooms, union offices and more.
Digital copies of the poster and social media graphics are available to download here.
The General Assembly of the United Nations first observed this day on Dec. 14, 1990, to draw attention to the important contribution of seniors and to changing demographics of the world, including the greying of the population, or the "age of aging."
The impact of big tech, shrinking revenues and increased job cuts in the media sector, race and reporting, and harassment of journalists were among the headline discussions at this year’s Unifor Media Council, held Sept. 22 to 24 in Halifax.
Unifor National President Lana Payne spoke to the 100 delegates via Zoom and acknowledged media workers have had their share of hardships over the past years, including 2023.
Hundreds of health care workers wore red shirts and took their lunch break on Monday, Sept. 25 to speak out against unjust treatment of the administrative professionals bargaining unit in Nova Scotia’s acute health care system.
The unit, comprising more than 5,000 professionals working for Nova Scotia Health and the IWK Health Authorities, has been without a contract for nearly three years and has only been offered marginal wage increases that amount to a pay cut.
Unifor Local 191 member Tracy Schmidt is running for the Manitoba NDP in the battleground provincial riding of Rossmere in northeast Winnipeg.
Schmidt started her labour career with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. After going back to school to become a labour and employment lawyer, she became a staff lawyer for another union in Winnipeg.
Historically, Rossmere has voted for the party that has gone on to form government, so close races like this one are targets for Unifor’s provincial election effort, especially with a member running for office.
September 30 is a national statutory holiday to recognize the widespread abuse at residential schools, honour survivors, and work for reconciliation. The event has been known as Orange Shirt Day since 2013, named after the clothing taken from Phyllis (Jack) Webstad when she was six years old on her first day at residential school.
Unifor members at Local 112 working at Angus Facilities Management Ltd. in Toronto have ratified a new three-year agreement with their employer.
“I am very proud of the bargaining committee, along with the support of the members who stood strong,” said Local 112 President John Turner. “They are gaining the richest contract that Angus has ever seen — a three-year deal with a 15.5% raise.”
Wage increases of the new contract are about 7% in the first year, 5% in the second year, and 3% in the last year.
TORONTO —Unifor has tapped General Motors (GM) as the next target company in the union’s negotiations with Detroit Three automakers. The announcement was made by Unifor National President Lana Payne in a video message to members.
“We’ve got an incredibly strong pattern agreement at Ford that will serve us well over the coming years. Our job now is to negotiate that pattern in the form of a renewal collective agreement with General Motors and Stellantis,” said Payne. “General Motors will be our next target company. Starting tomorrow Unifor will be at the table with GM.”
World News Day (September 28) is a global campaign to amplify the power and impact of fact-based journalism. But one day is not enough.
We have seen digital media giants moving into the Canadian media landscape, siphoning off much needed advertising revenue, upending the traditional funding models that supported newspaper publishing and broadcast TV.
TORONTO—Unifor members voted to ratify a new three-year collective agreement with Ford of Canada.
“Our bargaining team showed exceptional leadership and successfully pushed Ford of Canada on every front,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “This contract will change lives in a profound way. It fundamentally transforms pension plans, provides protections during the EV transition and includes the highest wage increases in the history of Canadian auto bargaining.”
Around the world road transport workers face severe work pressures due to low-cost tendering practices, unreasonable scheduling, and low rates of pay. These pressures originate in a business model based on an over-reliance on sub-contracting and a level of competition that is destroying jobs and lives.
TORONTO – Unifor is calling on the federal government and industry stakeholders to support changes to improve conditions for road transport drivers and make roads safer for all drivers.
“Low pay and unsafe conditions force drivers to take enormous risks in order to make ends meet. While this might make sense for the narrow interests of corporate shareholders, it is a disaster for everyone else,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
VANCOUVER – Unifor members at Local 114 have overwhelmingly voted in favour of job action after failing to reach a deal with their employer, Pacific Western Transportation (PWT), a contractor of BC Transit.
A delegation of activists from Unifor and several other labour organizations were on Parliament Hill September 19 to once again demand federal anti-scab legislation. Workers are demanding that the federal government keep its promises on long-awaited anti-scab legislation during this session of Parliament.
Union leaders and several Members of Parliament were on hand to address activists, including Louise Chabot of the Parti Québécois, Alexandre Boulerice and Jagmeet Singh of the NDP.
A tree, from its solid roots to its branches and leaves, became the symbol of the Black, Indigenous and Workers of Colour (BIWOC) Conference that ran Sept. 15 to 17 in Port Elgin, Ont., symbolizing the theme “growing together,” a decade of Unifor’s victories through the lens of BIWOC communities, and continuing to build on these victories moving forward.
For the first time in nearly three decades, Unifor hosted joint strategy meetings at its national offices in Toronto and Montreal, on Sept. 12 and 14, bringing together members from Ontario and Quebec Bell Canada Craft, Bell Technical Services and Expertech.
The members discussed new ways of pooling expertise and resources to build impactful bargaining approaches with the aim to better serve Unifor’s collective membership.
Unifor is launching a new Equity Fund to encourage and support local unions who wish to step up their work on equity issues.
The new program was announced at the Black, Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference in Port Elgin, Ont. on Sunday, and will allocate $250,000 in its founding year to support projects in 2024.
KITCHENER - Unifor Local 1106, representing the dedicated and compassionate workforce at Sunbeam Community & Developmental Services, demand the employer return to the table and offer workers fair and equitable wages for its members.
“Sunbeam Community & Developmental Services is suppressing wage adjustments related to Bill 124 and neglecting to maintain and review pay equity requirements,” said Samia Hashi, Unifor Ontario Regional Director. “In the face of this unacceptable behaviour, we are calling for justice for our members.”
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