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At the head of Canada’s largest private-sector union, Unifor National President Lana Payne says defending union rights and empowering bargaining committees across the union are top of mind given the current climate.
Payne shared perspectives on the current state of union relations and top issues related to Unifor’s members at the Canada Labour and Employee Relations Network (LERN) event in Toronto on Oct. 23, 2024.
“I will be the first to admit that I am not your typical or conventional union leader. I believe wholeheartedly that I have to earn the respect of our members every single day with my actions and with what I do. It is not owed to me,” she said.
“I want our bargaining committees to feel empowered by the work they do, to own their collective agreements and be proud of what they are accomplishing. This is one of the ways you build the union.”
The LERN event attracted notable employer representatives, including at Stellantis, Ford, Boeing, CN Rail, VIA Rail, Suncor, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Sobeys, CANDU and General Dynamics.
In her keynote address, Payne said that there is important work to do at the collective bargaining table, but also in politics, and in the world around us.
Labour unions celebrated the victory of federal anti-scab legislation earlier this year, but unionized workers in Canada are facing a coordinated and well-resourced attack on their right to strike, Payne emphasized – a fundamental right under Canadian law.
“The employer response to the anti-scab legislation victory hasn’t been to overturn or soften that legislation. In fact, the response has been to undermine, weaken, erode, and attack the very right of union workers to strike in the first place,” she said.
“We will do everything we need to do to defend the rights of workers in this country. We will not allow labour rights to move backwards,” she told the employer group.
Unifor has committed, among other measures, to pursue the fight for anti-scab legislation in every Canadian jurisdiction, demand that political parties in every jurisdiction recognize and pledge to support the right to strike.
In her address, Payne said workers are “feeling empowered” and they, and Unifor, are having a moment, fueled by the untenable situation of soaring profits and the biggest affordability crisis facing workers in decades.
“Even though inflation has come down, we are now bargaining agreements that were negotiated before the high inflation mark, meaning workers are feeling the need to catch up, because their paycheques have been eroded over the past three years. This sets the stage for more possible conflict at the bargaining table,” she said.
Payne also spoke about pensions and retirement security as key bargaining issues, building worker power, and how Unifor pioneered two important new programs in workplaces – the Women's Advocate and Racial Justice Advocate.
“If we can change the conditions of work,” she said. “We can change the conditions of the world.”
