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CALGARY—Wage gains, seniority protections, vacation time, and pension increases are all features of a new collective agreement signed by Unifor members working as screening officers at the Calgary airport for Gardaworld.

“Unifor is a strong union for airport workers,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “First contracts can be tricky to negotiate, so we’re proud of the work done by the committee to get the job done.”

VICTORIA—Members of Unifor Local 114 working at the Victoria Clipper say the pace of bargaining for their next contract suggests that the Victoria-Seattle ferry service could be disrupted before the end of the summer.

“The Clipper’s negotiators seem to be stuck in a pandemic concessionary mindset,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Ferry ridership has rebounded from COVID-19. The company simply has no excuse to drag its feet on a fair contract for workers.”

TORONTO – In the wake of Meta’s threat to ban Canadian news on its platforms because of the Online News Act, Unifor is calling on all provincial and municipal governments to follow the federal and Quebec governments’ announcements that they will stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

Unifor is also calling on corporations who are responsible for a large portion of the more than $4 billion in revenue Facebook takes out of Canada every year to also stand up for local news and Canadian content.

VANCOUVER—Unifor calls on the BC Maritime Employers’ Association to bargain in good faith and negotiate a fair settlement with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

“Unifor is very familiar with the underhanded tactics used by employers at the ports in Metro Vancouver,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Unifor members, including hundreds of container truckers at the ports, stand united with ILWU in its strike for a fair contract.”

WINDSOR—Stellantis and the federal and Ontario governments have reached an agreement that will see construction of the Windsor EV battery plant resume, preserving current and future jobs in Canada’s auto manufacturing sector. 

THUNDER BAY, ON, July 4, 2023 – Front-line hospital workers from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre delivered a petition to hospital management today, calling on the hospital president to take a stand against the provincial government’s plan to privatize hospital services.

Halifax-Talks that began earlier this year between the Nova Scotia Council of Nursing Unions (NSNU, NSGEU, CUPE and Unifor) and employers (Nova Scotia Health and the IWK) came to a halt earlier today, without reaching a final agreement.

After a lengthy round of negotiations, which were delayed in part due to the pandemic, the teams representing nurses who work in hospitals, satellite clinics and public health throughout the province’s acute care sector came to an impasse.

TORONTO - Unifor served the Detroit Three (D3) automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis notice to bargain today on behalf of 18,000 members whose collective agreements are set to expire in September 2023.

REGINA—Unifor has uncovered more contracting out of permanent, unionized jobs on the site simplyhired.ca, the fourth such discovery this year by the union.

“Scott Moe needs to answer to SaskTel customers and the people of Saskatchewan: why the rush to replace good jobs with low-bid contractors and out-of-province firms?” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director.

OTTAWA-On June 22, the bargaining committee for Canada Coast Guard Marine Communications and Traffic Service Officers at Local 2182 reached a tentative agreement with the Government of Canada that will see no concessions and a 10.75% wage increase over four years.

KITCHENER, ON – Front-line hospital workers marched to the office of St. Mary’s General Hospital president Mark Fam on Monday afternoon and delivered a petition calling on management to take a stand against the provincial government’s plan to privatize hospital services.

NEW WESTMINSTER—Workers in Metro Vancouver could become the first employed by Amazon to enjoy the benefits of a union after Unifor announced plans to start a drive.

“Joining a union will ensure that workers at Amazon can flex their united strength and push this notoriously difficult employer to improve working conditions,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “They took risks during COVID-19 to ensure millions of us could stay home and get key deliveries on time. It’s time they get the chance to benefit from a solid, enforceable collective agreement.”

TORONTO – Unifor believes the government’s new Air Transportation Accountability legislation doesn’t address the root problems of air passenger travel – working conditions in the sector.

“They’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. 

Toronto, ON—Metro grocery workers unite in demand for fair pay, access to benefits, and stable work hours in a historic strike vote ahead of their first contract negotiations since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.

TORONTO – Unifor has partnered with the Canadian Red Cross in providing vital emergency as wildfires continue to threaten numerous communities in Alberta, Quebec and the Atlantic Region, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

TORONTO – The 1,400 members of a Unifor Local 2002 unit have voted 80% in favour of ratifying a new four-year contract with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA).

“I’m so proud of the bargaining committee at Local 2002,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “This agreement is groundbreaking in the aviation industry and sets a new standard for what we can accomplish moving forward. It is a testament to the committee, who has tirelessly represented the members’ interests throughout the negotiation process.”

REGINA—For the third time this year Unifor has uncovered a privatization scheme at SaskTel that sends work out of province or to a low-bid non-union firm.

“The Sask Party government seems intent on bleeding all of the good jobs out of SaskTel,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “SaskTel was once a local, good job creator. Then Scott Moe and Brad Wall got their hands on it.”

TORONTO – Unifor is deeply concerned and outraged about today’s announcement from Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE Inc.) to cut 1,300 positions and to close six and sell three radio stations in response to not being able to outwait Bill C-11.

TORONTO – The 1,400 members of a unit at Unifor Local 2002 have reached a tentative deal with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) after over four weeks of negotiations.

“Congratulations to the bargaining committee for all their hard work,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “This agreement is a significant step forward in securing improved working conditions and benefits for our aviation members at GTAA.”

The members in this unit are in 350 different job classifications, based out of Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

HAMILTON, ON – Hundreds of hospital staff including nurses, personal support workers and lab technologists rallied today at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton against the Ford government’s plan to contract out hospital services to private, for-profit clinics.

OSHAWA—Unifor General Motors members at Oshawa Assembly will build the next-generation of full-size internal combustion engine pickup trucks with the announcement today that GM will invest $280 million in the plant.  

WINGHAM, ON—A Wescast Industries internal company memo obtained by Unifor says the Wingham foundry’s overseas owners will not close the facility, a claim the union says is dubious.

“The record of Wescast management and its owner is one of broken promises, repeated violations of the collective agreement and disrespect towards workers,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “Our union is not going to take the company’s claims on faith. At this time, Wescast’s words are not worth the paper they’re printed on.”

MONCTON-Unifor is donating $50,000 to the Red Cross Nova Scotia and Atlantic Fires Relief fund to assist members, their families, friends and neighbours affected by the wildfires across the region.

TORONTO-More than 11,000 Unifor grocery store members are preparing to take on Canada’s Big Three grocery giants, Loblaw, Metro and Sobeys, in upcoming contract negotiations. The front-line supermarket workers are seeking pay increases, benefit improvements and more full-time jobs as bargaining begins next month.

EDMONTON—Losing 11 seats in the Alberta legislature shows a growing number of workers are rejecting the extreme policies of the United Conservative Party (UCP), says Unifor.

“There is one clear trend in tonight’s results: the UCP’s mandate has been significantly reduced,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “While we would have preferred a different outcome it doesn’t change our commitment to standing up for the rights of working people in Alberta.”

WINGHAM, ON—Wescast Industries’ decision to close its foundry operations will devastate workers, families and the community of Wingham, where the facility has operated for more than a century, Unifor says.

“Wescast and its overseas owners are turning their backs on the foundry’s dedicated workforce and the community that has supported them for generations,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The Wingham foundry closure announcement must serve as a wake-up call to every level of government that Wingham auto parts workers urgently need support.”

With an agreement reached, the snow crab tie-up ended on Friday and a fishery is now underway in most areas of the province. The secured agreement is a formula structure that guarantees a lowest minimum price of 2.20 per pound with incremental increases as the Urner Barry market price increases.

LONDON—Pensions, wages, transition plans as autoworkers shift to producing electric vehicles, and confirmation of new investment and product lines emerged as the bargaining priorities at the Unifor Special Auto Council, as the union prepares for upcoming negotiations with the Detroit Three automakers (Ford, General Motors and Stellantis).

WINDSOR—Urgent action is required by the federal government so that construction can resume on the five billion Stellantis EV battery plant in Windsor, Ontario.

“It’s outrageous that tens of thousands of jobs are in jeopardy due to a failure to come to terms on government investment,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “The situation is as serious as it gets. This needs to be resolved immediately to preserve workers’ livelihoods and construction of the EV plant can resume.”  

WINDSOR—Unifor is calling on the federal government and Stellantis to deliver on commitments to a new Windsor EV battery plant to safeguard Canadian auto manufacturing jobs.