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Unifor National President Lana Payne, Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle, and Prairie Regional Council Chair Guy Desforges toured Alberta saw, pulp, and paper mills, a women’s shelter, and a beer brewery to connect and strategize with Unifor members on building an economy that leaves no worker behind.
“Unifor members live and work everywhere in Canada, taking powerful actions to drive our economy and build our union,” says Unifor National President Lana Payne.“
"As our economy rapidly changes, so too do the needs of working people—and there’s no better way to understand those needs than to stand shoulder to shoulder with our members, getting to know them and the important work they do to support themselves and their families.”
“It’s crucial for us to be in communities alongside our members, bringing workers together to find common cause, supporting one another, and building solidarity,” says Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle.
“To confront the biggest challenges facing workers, Unifor members are organizing an effective counterbalance of power through community action and union building.”
During the meet-and-greet, members spoke about the interconnectedness of issues impacting workers today, such as how the privatization of health care in Alberta means that working people are stuck without the care they need to live and work well. That, coupled with the erosion of other important public services and increased unaffordability in Canada, means that workers are forced to do more with less, with a thinning social safety net to protect them if they fall on hard times.
“Union issues aren’t isolated to workplaces or collective agreements—they’re rooted in the systems that make life harder and more unaffordable for working people. Members across Alberta are coming together and stepping up, every day, to make their communities and workplaces safer and more equitable and are taking concrete steps build a union and society that works for all of us,” says Payne.
This need for a more equal world was evident during a visit to the local women’s shelter where the dedicated staff support women and children fleeing from violence.
“Violence against women is an epidemic and it’s long past time for all levels of government to not only understand this but provide the necessary support to shelters like Yellowhead.”
Too often governments and society count on the labour of women to support women and their children and too often that these services are significantly underfunded. This is just not good enough,” says Payne.
A devastating wildfire swept across the province during the series of local tours, prompting an urgent evacuation of Jasper where hundreds of Unifor members work.
“Our hearts and all our solidarity are with the hundreds of Unifor members who work and live in Jasper and all those who are impacted by this devastation,” says Payne.
“Wildfires are an increasingly common reality for many members in the west and have real impacts on working families who suffer
loss of income and sometimes the loss of their homes as
a result of closures and destruction,” added McGarrigle.
“We’re incredibly thankful for the workers who fight the wildfires, and those who provide
services and support to the affected communities.”
Photos from the tours can be found on Unifor’s Facebook page here and here.
