VANCOUVER—Fish harvesters and allied workers from British Columbia’s coast are sounding the alarm about an unfolding disaster in the salmon fishing industry that has led to widespread closures and economic hardship.
“Small coastal communities are suffering from the worst commercial fishing season in fifty years,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Region Director. “No matter the region and no matter the salmon species, runs have plummeted. It’s a crisis and governments must act to support workers and their communities.”
TORONTO- Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer, will speak to thousands of Unifor members at the union’s annual Labour Day rally in Toronto. Media and the public are invited to attend a family-friendly rally and march, featuring Unifor leadership and activists on Labour Day in Toronto. “On Labour Day, we come together to appreciate the hard-fought gains of working people,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer.
VANCOUVER - Unifor urges the B.C. government to expedite the process of introducing paid domestic violence leave so it will no longer be one of the last holdouts in supporting Canadian women in receiving this much-needed support.
KAMLOOPS—Members of Unifor Local 10-B working for Dearborn Ford (a subsidiary of Cam Clark Auto Group) have voted overwhelmingly to reject the company’s so-called “final” offer, bringing the bargaining closer to job action.
“Cam Clark Auto Group doesn’t get it: we are not taking concessions. We will only settle for fairness,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
TORONTO— Unifor forestry members are urging the province to take immediate action in the efforts to re-start the Fort Frances pulp and paper mill, and protect the rights of the publicly-owned forestlands in the region.
Unifor warns contract chaos is threatening reliable school bus service in the Durham and Kawartha regions, just days before the school year is set to resume.
Jerry Dias was acclaimed as National President of Unifor and Lana Payne was chosen as Secretary-Treasurer of Unifor at the union’s National Convention in Quebec City.
QUEBEC – Thousands of workers rallied outside Bell Canada headquarters in Quebec City, demanding an end to job erosion.
“Bell benefits from the hard work and innovation of Unifor members,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Instead of treating them with respect, the company has continually eroded our jobs and inflicts a stressful work environment on current employees.”
Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, will speak to delegates at the Unifor Constitutional Convention in Quebec City on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.
QUEBEC CITY – Prime Minister Trudeau will address Unifor delegates from across the country at Unifor Constitutional Convention in Quebec City on Monday, August 19, 2019.
The Constitutional Convention, the third in the union’s history, will take place August 19-23, 2019 at the Québec City Convention Centre, 1000 Boulevard René-Lévesque E, Québec.
REGINA—The bargaining committee for Unifor says the latest offer from SaskTel is totally unacceptable.
“SaskTel’s offer is an insult to all our members who work at this very profitable Crown corporation,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “There has been little movement and nothing that would bring us closer to a settlement.”
WINDSOR–Unifor members at Nemak of Canada Corporation in Windsor gathered for a special membership meeting today to respond to the company’s plans to close the plant in 2020. “Nemak cannot shut down its Windsor plant after taking millions in government handouts and posting revenues of over $4 billion world-wide,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
Hundreds of Casino Rama workers and supporters participated in a solidarity rally today as Unifor demanded action to stop job cuts following the private takeover of the gaming facility by Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Ltd.
KAMLOOPS—Unifor has filed a complaint with the B.C. Labour Relations Board after reports surfaced of Dearborn Ford’s managers interfering with union members during bargaining.
“Cutting side deals while hiding concessions undermines the collective bargaining process and will make it more difficult to achieve a fair settlement without job action,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
TORONTO - Unifor members at Casino Rama will hold a solidarity rally to address workers’ and the community’s concerns about layoffs and cuts to services made by Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Ltd.
“The OLG rushed to privatize Casino Rama and misled the public about job losses and service cuts it would bring about,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Casino privatization has proven to be a bust for the people of Orillia and Central Ontario.”
Media and the public are invited to attend the #NoJobsNoDice solidarity rally.
Healthcare workers represented by Unifor Local 2458 at Brucelea Haven, a home for the aged in Walkerton, are not surprised by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Compliance Officers Report on the living and working conditions at the home.
HALIFAX – Unifor National President Jerry Dias will be in Halifax on August 7 to present a Gardner Pinfold Consulting study on the wide-ranging economic impact on people and communities if the Northern Pulp mill in Abercrombie, N.S. closes.
REGINA—Workers at DirectWest have voted to strike if necessary, as the list of strike mandates at Crown corporations continues to grow.
“Crown workers are sending a strong message to Premier Scott Moe: if a 2.3 per cent increase is good enough for MLAs, it’s good enough for public employees,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
SaskTel and SecurTek workers voted in favour of a strike earlier this month. Workers at seven Crowns have expired collective agreements.
Metro grocery store workers have ratified a new collective agreement that achieves significant gains, including wage increases and 45 additional full-time jobs.
TORONTO - Unifor members of Local 414 have reached a tentative agreement with Metro grocery stores. The new contract covers approximately 4,000 workers at 27 locations across Ontario.
"We’re pleased that we were able to make significant gains for our members in this agreement," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. "With the claw back of an increased minimum wage, scheduling improvements and paid sick days by the Ford government it’s more important than ever to secure advancements and protections at the bargaining table.”
WHISTLER—Five former workers at a Domino's franchise have received a total of $10,486 after the B.C. Employment Standards Branch ruled the local owner was under-paying staff.
“This is the tip of the iceberg. Wage theft is often a fact of life for precarious workers,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “By making it easier to join a union and fighting for stronger employment standards, workers can end this exploitation once and for all.”
July 5, 2019 HALIFAX – Unifor is pleased to see that Northern Pulp is making significant progress on the additional information required by the Nova Scotia Department of the Environment in order to achieve approval to build an effluent plant at the Nova Scotia pulp mill. “We are encouraged by the progress, but to be clear this is an extremely challenging, anxious and frustrating time for our members who are worried about their jobs and their community,” said Lana Payne, Unifor Atlantic Regional Director.
HALIFAX - Unifor extends heartfelt support and solidarity to family, friends and co-workers of an Irving Shipbuilding worker who was seriously injured at the shipyard on July 2.
The union will be closely following the ongoing investigation into the industrial accident. We will not comment on the very serious incident until a report from the Department of Labour has been issued.
OTTAWA—The federal government is showing climate leadership by entering a new agreement with California to cooperate on greenhouse gas pollution from vehicles, says Unifor.
“Climate change is real,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “We are pleased to see the Government of Canada being proactive in meeting our Paris Accord commitments.”
ST. JOHN’S – Today Loblaw Companies Limited announced a restructuring, offering workers buy-out packages with the goal of eliminating 44 full-time positions at Dominion stores across Newfoundland, as the company continues to exploit part-time workers to fill shifts.
WINNIPEG—Unifor National President Jerry Dias will visit the renovations completed by Unifor volunteers at the Willow Place women’s shelter.
“Willow Place is a vital community service. Unifor members are proud to make a contribution to keeping the space comfortable and functional for survivors of domestic violence and the wonderful staff that support them,” said Dias.
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