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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.

MONTREAL, Feb. 18, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor will be giving an update about negotiations with CN Rail at a press conference on Thursday at 12-noon ET.

Unifor reached a tentative agreement with CP on Saturday night, but has been unable to reach an agreement with CN after five months of negotiations. On Sunday evening, CN abruptly halted negotiations, refusing to meet the Unifor rail pattern.

Press conference:

MONTREAL, Feb. 18, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor will be giving an update about negotiations with CN Rail at a press conference on Thursday at 12-noon ET.

Unifor reached a tentative agreement with CP on Saturday night, but has been unable to reach an agreement with CN after five months of negotiations. On Sunday evening, CN abruptly halted negotiations, refusing to meet the Unifor rail pattern.

Press conference:

MONTREAL, Feb. 18, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor President Jerry Dias is reacting strongly to what he calls an intentional misrepresentation of the union's new Canadian Community Fund, first negotiated at CP Rail on Saturday.

Dias said that the union established a pattern at CP Rail when Unifor settled on a tentative agreement on Saturday night, including the new fund.

OTTAWA, Feb. 17, 2015 /CNW/ - A private member's bill that is up for second reading in the House of Commons today is a much-needed step in efforts to end the exploitation of unpaid interns in Canada, but more needs to be done, Canada's largest union in the private sector says.

TORONTO, Feb. 17, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor welcomes today's announcement from the Ontario Ministry of Labour that it will be taking action to modernize Ontario's labour laws. The province announced the launch of a public consultation that will focus on modernizing employment standards and labour relations in the province.

MONTREAL, Feb. 15, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor has reached a new tentative agreement with CP Rail, minutes before the 12:01 am deadline.

Unifor Local 101R represents 1,800 members at CP Rail in 18 different locations. Unifor members conduct safety inspections on all rail cars and locomotives, as well as maintenance and repairs. The current collective agreement expired on December 31, 2014 and negotiations had been taking place since September.

MONTREAL, Feb. 14, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor will be providing an update on the status of negotiations with CP Rail at 8 p.m. ET this evening, via CNW.  The union has set a strike deadline of tonight at 12:01 a.m. after five months of negotiations.

The current agreement expired on December 31, 2014.