The Honourable Doug Ford, M.P.P.
Premier of Ontario @email
Dear Premier Ford,
Re: Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022
The extraordinary action your government has taken, through the Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022, to deny CUPE members their constitutional right to strike, but also deny their right to free and fair collective bargaining, is an egregious and needless assault on trade union freedoms.
In the midst of collective bargaining between CUPE education sector workers and the Ontario government, Premier Doug Ford’s government this week introduced Bill 28 which enacted the Keeping Students in Class Act.
The union commenced bargaining for a new collective agreement with Canadian Pacific (CP) on Sept. 14, 2022.
At the meeting, both parties exchanged proposals. The union made it clear that we are concerned with the employers heavy handed discipline, grievance backlog and the need for CP to improve wages for our members.
TORONTO- Unifor and Unifor’s Ontario Regional Council (ORC) announce joint donations to support CUPE education workers fighting Ford’s egregious attack on workers’ rights using the Notwithstanding Clause.
“This morning, Unifor members are out in force on CUPE picket lines, but we need to pool our support as CUPE members and the union face threats of excessive fines for taking job action,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The provincial government attacked all workers with its targeting of CUPE members, so all workers must respond.”
Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union, with more than 310,000 members. Our union represents more than 10,000 media workers, including journalists in the broadcast and print news industry.
Journalism is a public good and its role in holding power to account, strengthening democracy and building community has never been more important. Social media has proven to divide us, pitting neighbour against neighbour. We are more polarized than ever, but a strong Canadian news media can build community.
TORONTO- The federal fall economic statement, tabled today by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, shows promise but stops short of additional measures needed to ensure economic prosperity and stability for Canada’s workers and their families.
TORONTO- Unifor members are mobilizing to support education workers’ bargaining demands and right to strike on Friday, November 4, 2022 following the disgraceful passage of Bill 28 in the Ontario Legislature.
Building membership engagement and union solidarity through social, sport and leisure activities was a key topic of discussion at the Unifor National Recreation Council meeting, held Oct.28-30 in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Recreational committee members from locals across Ontario and Manitoba gathered to strategize on outreach and diversification of activities to improve communication with members and increase participation.
Unifor Local 1999 members working at Right Time Call Centre will see wage increases and stronger RRSP matching after ratifying a new collective agreement on November 2, 2022.
“Congratulations to the members of Local 1999 at Right Time for hanging tough in negotiations,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The myriad of gains in this agreement are well-deserved.”
Significant wage increases are part of a new collective agreement adopted this week by a unanimous vote of Unifor Local 2002 members working at Porter Airlines Fixed Base Operations Ltd. in Toronto.
“Members prioritized raising the wage floor in this round of bargaining,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “The bargaining committee didn’t back down and negotiated the best deal in the interest of the members, with no concessions.”
Unifor local leadership from across Alberta met in Calgary on October 27, 2022 to meet the new national elected officers and have an extensive strategy discussion about the months ahead.
November 2 marks the day to end impunity for crimes committed against journalists. Only one in 10 crimes against journalists is investigated worldwide. This has to change.
Between 2012 and 2021, there were 224 recorded cases of complete impunity for journalists murdered and of those, 185 of those took place in 12 countries. Mexico, Somalia, Syria, India and Afghanistan were the worst offenders.
OTTAWA –At a Senate hearing today, Unifor Media Director Randy Kitt testified that Bill C-11 – otherwise known as the Online Streaming Act – is missing one caveat: to save local news.
“This is a top of mind issue,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “While tech platforms continue to profit – whether it’s displaying news stories without paying their fair share for them or limiting Canadian content – it impacts our media workers, who tirelessly report fact-based, accurate stories to the public.”
TORONTO –Unifor is concerned about Sunwing’s plan to use Canada’s temporary foreign worker program to hire pilots from countries with less rigorous training requirements, raising concerns about safety.
“Sunwing will essentially be able to use the TFWP to hire pilots who do not meet the company’s own training requirements. The company is able to do this under the guise of professing there is a labour shortage, when the real issue is investing in training for local pilots,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.
We write on behalf of Unifor’s 163,000 members in Ontario, in full support of CUPE education workers in your bargaining demands and in your right to strike.
Workers must have a say in our own working conditions, and Unifor unequivocally condemns today’s unprecedented attempt by the provincial government to curtail that right for members of CUPE.
TORONTO- Unifor unequivocally condemns Minister Lecce’s imposed contract and preemptive back-to-work legislation, standing in full support of CUPE education workers.
Unifor Local 195 and Local 1285 members at the Team Industrial Paint Unit in both Windsor and Brampton Assembly plants have ratified on October 27, and October 29th 2022 respectively new three-year collective agreements with a 94% approval by the membership.
Community and health care activists rallied outside of the Manitoba legislature on October 28, 2022 to launch the union’s “Respect Us. Protect Us. Pay Us.” campaign to improve the working conditions and wages of Association for Community Living (ACL) workers.
“Low provincial funding results in low wages. It’s not surprising that many staff are leaving to take better paying jobs that don’t have the kind of hours and stress related to community care,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director.
Death threats. Toxic workplaces. Being followed home. Doxxing.
These are some on-the-job abuses journalists face routinely.
Unifor’s Media Council took place Oct. 28 to 30 at the Unifor Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ont. The focus was on harassment – online and in the field – and its impact on media workers and the supports the union are developing, such as the helpishere website.
WINNIPEG– Unionized care workers at Association for Community Living (ACL) will hold a rally to raise awareness about the extreme financial hardships facing ACL workers.
On paper it looks like Canada’s real hourly wage flat lined between September 2019 and September 2022 with a paltry increase of just 13 cents. But without changes in the composition of the labour market the average hourly wage would have been even worse.
On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers we represent in the province of Ontario, our five unions are requesting an urgent joint-meeting to discuss the ongoing healthcare and staffing crisis.
During the week of October 17 through 21, 2022, the Unifor Family Education Centre hosted four courses for women: Women’s Activist, Collective Bargaining, Women’s Advocate 40-Hour Basic Training, and the first 3-Day Women’s Advocate Update Course held in three years.
Workers at Unifor Local 6006 won a number of significant gains with a new three-year contract with Commercial Bakeries Corp. in Toronto.
“Congratulations to the bargaining committee for negotiating a strong deal for Local 6006 members,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The biggest challenge was the difference in priorities between the committee and the company. The strength and solidarity of the union is what made it possible for workers’ needs to be addressed.”
Wages, an RRSP match program and improved benefits were among the gains in the latest contract from food services company, Aramark Canada Ltd., which was ratified by Unifor members on Oct. 22, 2022.
“Congratulations to the bargaining committee for negotiating the best deal for their members,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “The bargaining committee fought for our members tooth-and-nail down to the wire and were able to avoid a strike.”
Subject: Supporting Strong News and Print Industries in Alberta / Saskatchewan / Manitoba
I write to you today on a matter relating to the media and news print industries. Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union representing 315,000 members across Canada, working in 20 economic sectors. In the media, our union represents more than 12,000 workers, including more than 6,000 members in the news and print industries.
PETERBOROUGH—Job security and wage increases are key gains in a new collective agreement ratified today by Unifor Local 306-O members at Covia Canada Limited.
“As the Nephton mine’s closure approaches, it is a priority to ensure there are no negative consequences for Unifor members,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The new agreement is a terrific example of what can be done with long-term planning and respect for workers.”
