SAULT STE. MARIE – After an all-day hearing at the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) there is still no decision on whether paramedics employed in the EMS division of Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services are in a legal strike position.
WINNIPEG—The 2018 Manitoba budget fails to address some of the province’s most urgent problems, especially in the north, says Unifor.
“Premier Brian Pallister is failing Manitoba’s most vulnerable,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “There is a stunning indifference to the struggles of Manitobans who are falling farther and farther behind.”
March 8, 2018 TORONTO – Unifor says the exclusion of tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum exports to the U.S. is simply a stay of execution.“This isn’t a victory, it’s a threat,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “The U.S. is now holding tariffs over Canada’s head at the NAFTA table ahead of the next round, which uncoincidentally will take place in Washington.” Unifor represents more than 40,000 members in the auto industry and thousands more in the steel and aluminum sectors, including 4,000 aluminum workers employed at Rio Tinto in British Columbia and Quebec.
VICTORIA—Unifor activists will present policy proposals on workplace health and safety reforms, economic security for women, and progressive labour law amendments during meetings this week in Victoria.
“Last spring, British Columbians voted for change. There is no time to waste when it comes to making workplaces safer and restoring workers’ basic rights,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
March 1, 2018
HALIFAX – Unifor is urging all members of the Nova Scotia legislature to pass an NDP private member’s bill that will ensure paid leave for victims of domestic violence.
Feb 27, 2018
SAULT STE. MARIE – A last minute decision from Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) has delayed a legal strike by paramedics that was to begin at midnight on February 28.
GODERICH—Unifor is calling on the Goderich mine’s owners, Compass Minerals, to “press pause” on a massive round of lay-offs in order to ensure that procedures are being followed properly.
“Being laid off is a major event in any family’s life,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “We have serious concerns about the way Compass has acted, and we’re calling on the employer to respect the collective agreement and their obligations under the law.”
February 27, 2018
SAULT STE. MARIE – A strike beginning midnight on Wednesday now appears inevitable after city officials made an insulting final offer to Unifor paramedics in Sault Ste. Marie, before walking away from talks.
ESPANOLA, ONTARIO—Unifor is working with Domtar to find solutions to the staffing levels that have resulted in the pulp mill’s temporary shutdown.
“We’re disappointed with Domtar’s actions but we are doing everything we can to ensure that the mill is re-activated with safety in mind,” said Scott Doherty, Unifor Assistant to the National President.
After steam plant staffing levels reached a critical low, some operations could no longer continue. The company later initiated a shutdown, forcing dozens of workers to stop working.
MONTREAL—Over 120 Unifor delegates kicked off bargaining preparation for the pattern agreement in the pulp and paper industry in Eastern Canada by selecting Resolute Forestry Products as the target company.
“I’m eager to get forestry workers what they deserve: a fair collective agreement that reflects their contributions to the industry,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “The forestry industry in Canada is well-positioned for a pattern agreement that reflects workers’ priorities.”
TORONTO – Workers at the landmark Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Toronto have voted to join Unifor, the fifth location where workers decided to leave the American parent union that placed their local in trusteeship.
TORONTO – Another 215 hotel workers joined Unifor today after votes were held at hotels across Toronto and Mississauga, leaving behind the American union that had placed their old local in trusteeship.
“When given the choice, these workers have sent a clear signal that they want to be members of a union that listens to their concerns and treats them with respect,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “I am humbled that they have chosen Unifor.”
TORONTO – During a week in which workers at three Toronto hotels voted to join Unifor, the American union they are leaving behind moved to block the voice of workers from being heard, Unifor says.
“Workers are making the democratic choice to stand up to exactly this type of bullying and intimidation and to be part of a strong Canadian union,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
FORT MCMURRAY— Replacing hundreds of heavy machine operators with driverless trucks would be a mistake, says the union representing workers at Suncor.
“Highly experienced and capable operators will always need to play a role in Oilsands extraction, and it is a mistake to think otherwise,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.
TORONTO – For the third time this week, Toronto hotel workers have voted to join Unifor and leave the American union that had fired their local leadership and seized its assets, with an overwhelming 90 per cent vote.
TORONTO – Unifor believes that good mental health practices must be built into all workplaces in order to increase understanding and assistance for people experiencing mental illness.
“Prevention and support for people facing mental health crises is a daily challenge that we must all play a part in solving,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “A positive work environment, with access to help where people need it, helps answer this call.”
FREDERICTON - Unifor gives a positive grade to the New Brunswick budget that includes strategic investments in health care, seniors, jobs for young workers, and the economy, rather than punishing austerity measures seen elsewhere in Atlantic Canada.
TORONTO – A closed-door meeting today by American unions that have affiliates in Canada shows everything that is wrong with what the Canadian Labour Congress has become, Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.
“They called this meeting because they think Unifor is coming after their members. Unifor is not coming after anybody,” Dias said.
“When the Canadian locals of American unions express an interest to change unions, the response to this request cannot be to trustee the local, seize the assets and fire the staff.”
TORONTO – Workers at two downtown Toronto hotels have voted to leave the American union that had fired their local leadership and seized its assets, choosing to join Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union.
“The workers at these hotels are speaking with a loud and clear voice that they will not put up with the kind of bullying and intimidation that we see too often coming from American unions in Canada,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
January 29, 2018 TORONTO – Workers at two downtown Toronto hotels have voted to leave the American union that had fired their local leadership and seized its assets, choosing to join Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union.
“The workers at these hotels are speaking with a loud and clear voice that they will not put up with the kind of bullying and intimidation that we see too often coming from American unions in Canada,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
January 25, 2018 Maitland—The closure of the Suva Division of Chemours Canada Company at the Maitland Site, resulting in 33 people losing their livelihoods, is another blow to the Brockville area. “It’s terrible news for Chemours workers and it’s terrible news for the community,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “When good high-paying jobs disappear, the community suffers.” Four divisions operating at the Maitland Site have closed since 2004, draining hundreds of good high-paying jobs from the small Ontario community.
Montreal – Unifor invites its members and the general public to join the March for a Better NAFTA to demand an agreement that protects good jobs, and respects labour, environmental, and democratic rights.
WHAT: March for a Better NAFTA
WHERE: Rallying point at Dorchester Square (on Metcalfe north of René-Lévesque Blvd.)
Unifor is welcoming hundreds of hotel workers from across Toronto and Mississauga who are making the decision to leave their U.S. union, UNITE HERE, and preserve their autonomy and workers’ democratic rights as part of Unifor. “Unifor will not stand by and allow the heavy-handed tactics of American unions to continue to trample on the rights of Canadian workers,” Unifor National President Jerry Dias said. The American union of UNITE HERE organized a takeover of its Canadian unit Local 75 that represents hotel and food service workers throughout the GTA.
Moncton – Unifor welcomes the New Brunswick government’s latest move to make childcare more affordable and accessible for working parents.
“This is a great step towards making childcare more affordable for working parents,” said Lana Payne, Atlantic Regional Director. “This is also important to advancing women’s equality and enabling women to participate more fully in the labour force.” Today the government announced that families won’t pay more than 20 per cent of their income on child care for children under five.
Saint John - Unifor is applauding the New Brunswick government’s $71 million investment to improve child care in the province, including today’s announcement of free childcare for all families with children under five, earning less than $37,500.
“As a long-time advocate of accessible, affordable, high quality childcare, Unifor is very pleased to see these important steps being taken by the government of New Brunswick,” said Lana Payne, Atlantic Regional Director.
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