Lyudmyla Perelygina, Chair
Cultural Workers Union of Ukraine
25, Shota Rustaveli Street, Office. 309
01019 Kiev, Ukraine
Dear Lyudmyla,
Colleagues and friends, on behalf of Unifor and Unifor’s Media Sector we write to extend our support, solidarity and deepest sympathies with our colleagues in the Cultural Workers Union of Ukraine and all journalists during these difficult times.
Our future is worth the fight. But so is our present day.
That’s a key message young workers took away from a Unifor webinar held Feb. 24, 2022, which encouraged union workers under 35 in Ontario to take action and make positive change with not only within workplaces, but in government.
“Young workers are fighting back,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor’s Ontario Regional Director during the Zoom meeting.
They are the ones sent into battle. Their neighborhoods in war zones are left in ruins. Families are devastated, even far from the frontlines, as sons, fathers, daughters and mothers are sent into battle, never to return. Or returning broken.
With the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, working people will pay that price once again.
Unifor condemns this invasion, and we express our deep concern that further escalation of military conflicts will bring the world to the brink of war with enormous humanitarian consequences.
The approximately 60 new members of Local 4003 – based in Vaughan, Ont. – who joined Unifor in April 2021, are getting ready to bargain their first contract with dairy company, Saputo Inc. in late March.
“We are ready to support our new members as they prepare to go to the table,” said Deb Tveit, Assistant to Unifor’s National President. “The bargaining team represents workers’ values and priorities and will negotiate the best collective agreement for the membership.”
Letter from Squamish Chamber of Commerce President Annabel Majendie to Unifor, B.C. Transit, and Pacific Western Transportation regarding the Local 114 transit workers' strike in the Sea to Sky corridor.
TORONTO–Unifor Local 4268 has reached a tentative agreement with First Student on behalf of school bus drivers in the eastern Greater Toronto Area and Durham Region.
“I congratulate the bargaining committee on reaching a tentative agreement for these essential workers who continued to provide service during the pandemic,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Naureen Rizvi.
February 23 is Pink Shirt Day, when we can all take a stand against bullying. We too often see communities, workplaces, and families being divided. Through these divides, some have permitted, and even encouraged, bullying behaviours in the name of their cause.
This is harmful, and no matter the reason, we should never harm each other. Tomorrow, lets all wear pink t-shirts and send a unified message that we are standing up against any form of bullying.
TORONTO –Premier Ford’s plan to use injured worker’s WSIB funds to cut cheques for business owners in the province is a misappropriation of funds.
“It’s disgraceful to give payouts to employers when so many injured workers and occupational disease victims and families are still denied claims or have seen benefits slashed,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor Ontario Regional Director. “This payout is a misuse of money that workers desperately need, and looks like an attempt to gain support just a few months before the provincial election.”
Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle explains why striking Sea to Sky transit workers went to Whistler Village to hold a community support rally during the height of ski season.
HALIFAX- Contract negotiations kicked off today for 1,700 members who work for Bell Aliant across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
“These proud Atlantic Canadian workers have had enough of Bell Aliant shipping their work out of the region or overseas,” said Chris MacDonald, Unifor Assistant to the National President. “In today’s opening day, they laid down a clear demand that Bell Aliant keep the work in Atlantic Canada where the profits are made.”
More than 60% of the world’s employed population - that is, 2 billion women, men and youth - earn their livelihoods in the informal economy.
Few workers choose the informal economy. Workers trapped in these exploitive conditions lack social protections and employment related benefits, and they are twice as likely as workers with regular employment to live in poverty. Women are disproportionately the labourers of the informal economy and the economic and social justice they deserve requires the removal of the barriers to decent and formal work.
After opening bargaining with VIA Rail in January 2022, Unifor Local 100 and Council 4000 met with the company during February 7 to 11.
As expected, the company has taken an aggressive bargaining posture and tabled multiple serious concessions. It has become increasingly clear that this will be no ordinary round of bargaining.
ST. JOHN'S - Unions representing fish harvesters on both coasts of Canada are speaking out today against Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, for the single-minded method by which the portfolio is being managed. The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) of Newfoundland and Labrador and the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU-Unifor) of British Columbia are calling on Minister Murray to take into consideration the dire social and economic impacts her decisions are having on those whose livelihoods rely on the fishery.
TORONTO- Unifor members at Bell Canada opened negotiations with a united front and a demand to protect good jobs in the telecommunications industry.
“Our message in this year’s negotiations is simple. Telecommunications is a vital part of Canada’s economy, and Bell has a responsibility to deliver not only well paid, good jobs but also to maintain domestic capacity in this sector,” said Chris MacDonald, Unifor Assistant to the National President.
On February 14, Unifor sent a Valentine to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce once again asking them to sign the federal child care plan to deliver affordable, accessible child care to Ontario families.
WHISTLER—The region’s transit workers and their supporters will gather in Whistler Village on the Family Day weekend to send B.C. Transit a message that workers and community members are united.
“Transit workers help connect our communities and keep the economy moving,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director. “It’s time B.C. Transit recognize the important work done by transit workers in the Sea to Sky corridor.”
AJAX/WHITBY– School bus drivers employed by the multinational operator First Student voted overwhelmingly to support strike action if necessary, with 95% in favour, if a tentative agreement is not reached.
“We will be working hard to resolve this impasse but at the end of the day these drivers have a huge responsibility and the employer, school boards and the provincial government need to recognize and appropriately compensate them for their work,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Naureen Rizvi.
Retirees from Unifor Local 1520 have barely been able to get together since the beginning of the pandemic, saving them money on meeting costs, while the pandemic has cut into fundraising at the nearby Children’s Hospital of London.
So the retirees, from the former Ford plant in St. Thomas, thought that maybe the hospital could use the money they’d been setting aside.
Ask yourself: would you ever give up billions of dollars that could be invested in hospitals and schools, thousands of good-paying local jobs and millions from municipal budgets in exchange for a plan to let a hundred casinos open and take their profits offshore? The Ontario government risks making this bad bet if they continue pursuing their current iGaming plan.
TORONTO – Unifor welcomes today’s announcement by the federal government to lift several travel restrictions as of Feb. 28, 2022.
“Canadians are ready to travel for work and for pleasure,” said Scott Doherty, the Executive Assistant to Unifor's National President. “Having these rules lifted will not only encourage more people to want to travel, but it removes some of the red tape for those returning to Canada.”
ST. JOHN’S-Unifor filed a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador in response to its recent ruling regarding Exploits Valley Air Services (EVAS) members.
OAKVILLE – Unifor Local 1256 announced Monday it was giving Oakville Transit 72 hours’ strike notice after the company’s latest offer was rejected by its members.
“No one should be surprised that these essential workers at Oakville Transit are frustrated and rejected the company’s offer,” said Tim Mitchell, Unifor National Representative. “The issues on the table are both monetary in nature as well as related to working conditions, at a time of uncertainty, with COVID fatigue and high inflation.”
I am writing to you on behalf of the 4,000 Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) represented by Unifor who have stepped up during this pandemic for the people of Ontario.
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