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TORONTO, March 30, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor Ontario Regional Director Katha Fortier will speak to the Ontario Legislature's Standing Committee on Social Policy on Tuesday, March 31, to urge the government to implement a universal and mandatory pension plan for the province.

TORONTO, March 30, 2015 /CNW/ - A new study released today confirms the massive economic benefits from the General Motors operations in Oshawa.

"Canada is a great place for GM to do business, and we all benefit greatly from them being here," Unifor National President Jerry Dias told a press conference this morning.

TORONTO, March 27, 2015 /CNW/ - Canada's largest union in the private sector, and the leading union in the auto sector, will release an independent study Monday examining the economic impact of the General Motors plant in Oshawa.

TORONTO, March 27, 2015 /CNW/ - Canada's largest union in the private sector, and the leading union in the auto sector, will release an independent study Monday examining the economic impact of the General Motors plant in Oshawa.

TORONTO, March 25, 2015 /CNW/ - With more than 280 jobs on the line, Unifor held a protest at the offices of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority today. The union is calling on the GTAA to require offers of employment to the low-wage workers that will be out of a job due to a change in the contract for those who service seniors and passengers with special needs at the airport.

TORONTO, March 24, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor will hold a rally at the offices of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) to protest the layoff of more than 280 low-wage workers who service passengers who require extra assistance.

"The GTAA has a choice—it can give job security to the workers who service passengers with special needs and seniors, or it can toss them into unemployment," said Jerry Dias, Unifor's National President.

SYDNEY, NS, March 20, 2015 /CNW/ - Staff at Town Daycare in Glace Bay have ratified a new collective agreement with their employer after four days on strike.

TORONTO, March 19, 2015 /CNW/ - Today's approach to pick and pay cable by the CRTC will be needlessly disruptive to Canada's broadcast and entertainment industries, putting at risk this country's ability to tell its own stories, Canada's largest media union says.

"If the CRTC is determined to go down this road, it should do so only on a gradual, experimental and trial basis," Unifor Media Director Howard Law said.

OTTAWA, March 19, 2015 /CNW/ - The loss of 140 school bus jobs in Ottawa today is an illustration of the unneeded turmoil caused by the Ontario government's Request for Proposals process for handing out contracts, and points to the need for reforms to the system, the province's primary school bus union says.

TORONTO, March 19, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor is objecting to a move by the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) to change providers leading to layoffs of more than 260 workers who service passengers with special needs.

"Unifor was formed to fight back against the abuse of low-wage and precarious workers," said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. "We will do whatever it takes to ensure these workers are treated fairly and aren't thrust into unemployment by the whims of the GTAA."

TORONTO, March 18, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor Local 100 members have ratified the final new agreement with CN Rail by 79 per cent.

Voting took place at membership meetings over the last two weeks, in 22 locations across Canada. The agreement was reached on Monday, February 23, avoiding a lock-out by CN.

KITIMAT, BC, March 17, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor says that increased sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions are a major public health threat and is going to court to stop it. Local 2301 filed for a Judicial Review in the Supreme Court of British Columbia this morning to challenge an October 2014 decision to allow the Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. aluminum smelter expansion to proceed without installing SO2 scrubbers.

SYDNEY, NS, March 17, 2015 /CNW/ - Staff at Town Daycare in Glace Bay went on strike this morning following failed negotiations and an unsuccessful conciliation process.

TORONTO, March 16, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor members have ratified five new agreements with CN Rail, with one still outstanding.

Voting took place at membership meetings over the last two weeks, in 50 locations across Canada. The agreement was reached on Monday, February 23, avoiding a lock-out by CN.

DUNCAN, BC, March 14, 2015 /CNW/ - The owners of Black Press have rejected mediation to solve the 3.5-month old strike at the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial. Unifor members in Duncan have been on the picket line since December 1 to defeat the employer's proposal to give inferior wages and benefits to new employees ("two-tiering").  

TORONTO, March 13, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor welcomes the news that the Ontario government has appointed an Industrial Inquiry Commission to examine the ongoing dispute at Crown Holdings.

For more than 18 months, 120 members of USW Local 9176 have been on strike.

VANCOUVER, March 12, 2015 /CNW/ - Today's announcement by Labour Minister Shirley Bond that the minimum wage would be fixed at $10.45 in today's dollars for the indefinite future is a poverty sentence, according to Canada's largest private sector union.

TORONTO, March 12, 2015 /CNW/ - Today's decisions from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) threaten the quality of local programming available to Canadian viewers, Unifor says.

"Canadians rely on quality locally produced programming to inform them about their communities and the issues that affect their lives," Unifor Media Director Howard Law said.

FREDERICTON, March 12, 2015 /CNW/ - Members of the University of New Brunswick Employees Association (UNBEA) voted Wednesday to become members of Unifor in a near-unanimous decision.

"We're thrilled with the result of the vote," said Augustine Brideau, UNBEA president. "With the next round of bargaining coming up, we all felt that we'd be in a much better position to defend the interests of our membership with the strength of Unifor behind us."

EDMONTON, March 10, 2015 /CNW/ - Tough economic times means that more Albertans are relying on public services and now is the time to invest, says Canada's largest union in the private sector.

TORONTO, March 9, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor Local 101R members have ratified a new collective agreement with CP Rail by 79 per cent.

Voting took place at membership meetings over the last two weeks, in 26 locations across Canada. The agreement was reached on Saturday, February 14, minutes before the deadline.

TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2015 /CNW/ - Air Canada's rushed application for conciliation is premature and a departure from previous bargaining patterns, says the union representing over 4,100 Customer Sales and Service Agents.

"We're eager to negotiate in good faith and there are lots of items to discuss," said Cheryl Robinson, President of Unifor Local 2002. "But Air Canada appears eager for government interference early in the process."

OTTAWA, Feb. 23, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor has reached a late night deal with CN, avoiding a lock-out of 4,800 workers.

"We're pleased that we were able to reach a negotiated agreement and avoid a major national lock-out of our members," said Unifor President Jerry Dias. "We were able to find solutions to the concerns raised by our members – this is best achieved at the bargaining table." Dias said the agreement has the unanimous endorsement of all of the Unifor bargaining committees.

OTTAWA, Feb. 22, 2015 /CNW/ - Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services convened a meeting in Ottawa today between CN Rail and Unifor in an effort to find a path forward towards a negotiated settlement.

This afternoon there were high level discussions between Unifor National President Jerry Dias and CN President and CEO Claude Mongeau, who had meaningful dialogue in an effort to move the talks forward.

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor has just been served lock-out notice by CN Rail for Monday night at 11 p.m. local time, a move that the union says has clearly demonstrated that CN has no desire to negotiate.

HALIFAX, Feb. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - The Bill 1 rollercoaster ride for Unifor's Nova Scotia health care members got even bumpier Friday when the government announced it would introduce a second piece of legislation to determine union representation rather than follow arbitrator James Dorsey's decision and recommendations.

VANCOUVER, Feb. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - Persistent concerns about a conflict of interest have prompted Unifor to call on the newly appointed Commissioner, Andy Smith, to resign. The union says that Smith's position as the President and CEO of a Port Metro Vancouver stakeholder organization creates the perception of bias.

MONTREAL, Feb. 19, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor President Jerry Dias announced today that after five months of futile negotiations with CN Rail, the union will be commencing strike votes at CN as of early next week.