Unifor will be in Mexico for a union vote at a General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico next week, where four unions will be on the ballot for workers to choose from.
“We have great concerns about the fairness of this vote,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “Workers at this plant have clearly rejected the company union in the past and demanded clear and free elections to choose their own union. What they are getting, instead, is a muddied ballot that makes a clear outcome difficult to achieve.”
Unifor welcomes the appointment of the union's Director of Skilled Trades, John Breslin, to the new Board of Skilled Trades Ontario to help ensure the voice of skilled trades workers across the province is heard.
To Unifor local union leadership and staff in the federally regulated private sector,
Greetings,
Most of you will have heard by now that the federal government passed Bill C-3 late last year, which provides 10 paid days of sick leave per year for workers in the federal sector. Workers will accumulate sick days at the rate of one day per month up to the maximum each year.
Unifor has submitted the union’s recommendations to Environment and Climate Change Canada, as part of the federal government’s consultation process on potential interim measures to help meet its stated target of 100% Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) light duty car sales in Canada by 2035.
Despite the daily struggles, Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) face fighting the pandemic, RPNs across Ontario have come together to take action against Ontario’s Bill 124 that caps total compensation at 1% and to highlight the wage disparity that has resulted from a decade of below inflation wage increases.
Unifor members of Local 1044 and 4005 working at Cummins locations in Pointe-Claire, Quebec City and Dartmouth, ratified a new tentative agreement at simultaneous virtual meetings held on Jan. 16.
It's time to respect, protect, and pay Ontario's RPNs. Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) have stepped up throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in a big way.
The Nova Scotia government announced Friday that it will reduce day care fees for parents ahead of schedule while Ontario leaves parents waiting. Parents in Nova Scotia will pay on average 25% less by April 2022 and 50% less by the end of the year, while the Ontario government has yet to even sign on to the federal child care plan.
Wage increases and improved contract language are just some of the gains in a new collective agreement for the 54 Unifor Local 444 members at GFL Environmental in Windsor.
“Congratulations to Local 444 members for persevering in tough negotiations to achieve a deal that properly recognizes their contribution,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
The three-year contract includes wage increases of $1.25 per hour in the first year, followed by a 1% increase in each of the remaining two years. Local 444 members also received a $750 signing bonus.
Last year upon the completion of provincial bargaining, the restrictions in place meant we did a one year roll over collective agreement that was ratified by the membership with a wage increase that is due to expire on March 31, 2022.
Where we are at
Your national bargaining committee had plans to convene in Toronto the last week of January to commence negotiations. With the current pandemic status and the multiple restrictions, been put in place is making us reevaluate the timing of negotiations.
Bargaining between Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 with VIA Rail opened up virtually on January 17, 2022.
Contracts for more than 2,000 members expired on December 31, 2021. The two local unions will bargain separately.
Unifor National President Jerry Dias says, “Members should have the utmost faith in their bargaining teams who are experienced and skilled. They have been working diligently throughout the pandemic and ensured a fair contract was negotiated for all in 2020-2021.”
Bargaining between Unifor Council 4000 and Local 100 with VIA Rail opened up virtually on January 17, 2022.
“Members should have the utmost faith in their bargaining teams who are experienced and skilled,” Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Our members have been working diligently throughout the pandemic and ensured a fair contract was negotiated for all in 2020-2021.”
In the year since the signing of the last agreement, Unifor members in rail continued to work while keeping travellers safe, comfortable and delivering a high quality mode of transportation.
MONTREAL — Bargaining between Via Rail and Unifor Locals representing 2000 members opened up virtually on January 17, 2022.
“Members should have the utmost faith in their bargaining teams who are experienced and skilled,” Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Our members have been working diligently throughout the pandemic and ensured a fair contract was negotiated for all in 2020-2021.”
PRINCE GEORGE-Two of the country’s largest pulp and paper unions, Unifor and the Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC), have reached a tentative deal with Canfor that establishes the pattern for Western Canadian forestry.
Unifor leaders joined health care union leaders and opposition party leaders in Ontario to demand urgent action on the crisis in hospitals in a virtual news conference on January 10.
The emergency summit was convened by Ontario Liberal leader Stephen Del Duca, and included Unifor Assistant to the President Katha Fortier and Health Care Director Andy Savela.
Are you in the market for new wheels this year? The 2022 union made vehicle list is out and it is your shopping guide to ensure you support vehicles made by union members.
VANCOUVER—The controversial plan to force hundreds of container trucks out of the Metro Vancouver port transportation system will cause chaos in a system already under unique pressure from the pandemic, flooding, and supply chain issues, says Unifor.
“Without action from Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, gridlock will overtake Vancouver’s ports,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Millions of British Columbians rely on the efficient operation of their ports. Ignoring the issue has only made matters worse.”
JOLIETTE, QUEBEC – Members of the production and office units of Unifor Local 177 have unanimously rejected a management offer presented at a recent union meeting.
The employer’s offer came in the wake of a bargaining blitz held in the days leading up to Christmas. Unfortunately, the parties were unable to reach a tentative agreement at that time, mainly because of the employer’s continuing demands for concessions deemed unacceptable to the workers.
TORONTO – Keeping children, education workers and the community safe when some students return to class this week starts with the buses that provide transport to Ontario schools, says Canada’s top school bus driver union.
“Keeping schools safe for students, staff, and for their families when they return home, means full protections for all involved - from the time students board the bus, until the time they get home,” Unifor National President Jerry Dias says.
TORONTO – Top executives at Canada’s grocery giants have been paid millions in bonuses while continuing to deny pandemic pay to frontline essential grocery workers.
“These same executives took away $2 an hour pandemic pay from their workers after only a few weeks of the first wave back in June 2020,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “The CEO’s and top execs continue to reap the rewards of COVID-19 boosted sales while their workers face the risks to keep food on the table for Canadians.”
2021 has been a year of challenges and triumphs and once again, thanks to your unwavering solidarity our union persevered. Watch Jerry Dias’s video message to our Unifor family and stay safe.
2021 has been a year of challenges and triumphs and once again, thanks to your unwavering solidarity our union persevered. Watch Jerry Dias’s video message to our Unifor family and stay safe.
As families across Canada continue to struggle to put food on the table, a situation made harder by both the pandemic and the holiday season, Unifor is donating $135,000 to 48 food banks across Canada
“People are in need, and we hope these donations help address that need,” Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.
“The reality is, we shouldn’t need food banks in the first place. Families rely on food banks because they have no other options.”
Long-term care workers at Sarnia’s Trillium Villa Nursing Home rallied and called on their community for support on Wednesday as part of escalating actions across southwestern Ontario after talks with employers broke down.
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