Toronto – September 10, 2020 – With less than three weeks left to apply for the 2020 UFCW Canada – BDM Scholarship program, time is running out for your chance to win one of 18 scholarships worth $1,000 each, or one of two Apple iPads.
Toronto – September 10, 2020 – Late into the night, long after most of the media had gone to bed, Durham Member of Parliament (MP) Erin O’Toole was declared elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party on the third ballot.
September 10, 2020
VANCOUVER – Unifor is relieved that the B.C. Supreme Court has dismissed a constitutional challenge by a private health clinic attempting to make for profit, private health care legal.
"Today public health care won and this is a victory for everyone who uses health care in Canada,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Even though this attack was launched by a greedy doctor in British Columbia, it took aim at the very heart of the Canada Health Act. Justice Steeves decision ensures our health care system will continue to be based on need not on ability to pay.”
Cambie Surgery Clinic CEO Brian Day launched a decade long constitutional challenge after he learned his private for-profit surgical centres were going to be audited by the B.C. Government. The Cambie clinic sought to make health care more profitable by striking down the key sections of the British Columbia Medicare Protection Act. In particular, Day wanted the ability to charge patients beyond the public plan, allow paying patients to jump the queue and allow doctors to give preferential treatment to wealthy patients with private insurance or those willing to pay out-of-pocket.
“Today’s ruling sends a strong message to those wanting to privatize our health care system – Canada’s public health care is here to stay,” said Katha Fortier, Assistant to Unifor National President. “Canadians want improvements to their health care system and that starts with all levels of government providing adequate funding and support.”
In the court’s ruling, the Honourable Mr. Justice Steeves dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims that the B.C. Medicare Protection Act violate their rights under ss. 7 and 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector and represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
Information about the union's response to the pandemic, as well as resources for members can be found at unifor.org/COVID19.
To arrange for interviews, in-person or via Skype or FaceTime, please contact Unifor Communications Representative Hamid Osman at hamid.osman@unifor.org or 647-448-2823 (cell).
September 10, 2020
HAMILTON– Only 37 days after NordStar Capital took over Torstar, the new owners are closing down the Hamilton Spectator classified call centre and sending 24 good Canadian jobs to a firm in Buffalo, New York.
“Instead of sending more jobs out of the country, Unifor is proposing that Torstar invest in Canadian workers first and keep people in their readers’ communities employed,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias, who is requesting an immediate meeting with NordStar owners Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett, to explore solutions.
The eight full-time and 16 part-time positions, predominately women workers, are scheduled to lose their jobs on October 19, a week after Thanksgiving.
“We are stunned by the speed of this aggressive outsourcing move,” said Paul Morse, President of Unifor Local 87-M, which represents employees at the Spectator. “Less than three months ago when they were trying to buy Torstar, Bitove and Rivett promised shareholders they would invest in the Canadian media giant if they sold their shares to them and let them take the company private. This is the antithesis of that promise.”
Torstar owns the Hamilton Spectator, Toronto Star, Waterloo Region Record, St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune and Peterborough Examiner daily newspapers, and a large number of weekly community newspapers.
The union plans to bring forward a proposal that could position Torstar as a leader in classified services and keep media jobs in Canada. Under the Hamilton Spectator collective agreement, the union has six weeks to present an alternative to layoffs.
“There is no doubt the pandemic has negatively impacted revenue, but it has also highlighted the need for Canadian-owned businesses to support Canadian workers as we build back together from COVID-19,” Dias said.
For media inquiries please contact Unifor Communications Representative Kathleen O’Keefe at kathleen.okeefe@unifor.org or 416-896-3303 (cell).
Canadian actors Annie Murphy, Noah Reid, and Dani Kind latest to support the campaign to reform Ontario’s long-term care system
TORONTO — SEIU Healthcare, CUPE Ontario, and Unifor, unions that represent healthcare workers across the long-term care sector, are proud to welcome Annie Murphy (Schitt's Creek), Noah Reid (Schitt's Creek), and Dani Kind (Workin' Moms) to the “Care Not Profits” advocacy campaign. They are the latest Canadian artists taking to social media to add their names to the growing chorus of voices calling on Premier Ford to end for-profit senior care.
“Care Not Profits” is an invitation to everyone in our province to call on Premier Ford to end the failed experiment of for-profit long-term care delivery. As COVID-19 numbers begin to rise again and we approach the upcoming flu season, our deepest appreciation goes out to these Canadian actors for using their voices for good. Along with Chantal Kreviazuk, The Sheepdogs, Basia Bulat, Born Ruffians, Tokyo Police Club, and Sarah Harmer who last month performed a “Care Not Profits” Facebook Live session for nearly 80,000 viewers in support of long-term care reform, their voices are making an immense impact.
QUOTES:
“The effects of the pandemic on our long-term care system have been nothing short of tragic. It's time that we advocate for safer conditions for our aging parents, grandparents, and the workers who care for them: we must act urgently to end for-profit long-term care now.” - Annie Murphy
“In Canada, we pride ourselves on a health care system that leaves no one behind, and yet some of our most vulnerable citizens and their caregivers have been living and working and dying in unthinkable circumstances during this pandemic, while companies who own the long-term care facilities are profiting at an alarming rate off their backs. Our elders and the people who look after them deserve better.” - Noah Reid
“This campaign is important to me because our seniors paved the path for so many of us and it’s our job to advocate for them at this stage in their lives.” - Dani Kind
“Culture and the arts have a way breaking through and reminding us what’s important as a society—and when it’s time for change. When it comes to long-term care, the time for change is now, and we’re so excited to welcome these talented actors to our advocacy campaign. Annie Murphy, Noah Reid and Dani Kind are using their platform to shine a light on the change we need to finally put senior care before the profits of big nursing home corporations. COVID-19 has opened our eyes to what really matters in society. It’s time for Premier Ford to listen and choose whose side he’s on: the side of families working and living in long-term care, or the side of wealthy executives and shareholders profiting from Ontario’s broken system.” – Sharleen Stewart, President, SEIU Healthcare
“This pandemic has only exposed and deepened an existing crisis in long-term care. And one thing it revealed is that the for-profit homes were the most dangerous sites for our elders. We need to do better – we need a complete overhaul of the system so that this never happens again. That’s why I’m so happy to see that the message is spreading and that more artists are joining us in this effort. Together, we will end for-profit care and create a system that our elders deserve.” – Candace Rennick, Secretary-Treasurer, CUPE Ontario
“The support that our Care Not Profits campaign has received from Canadian musicians and actors has been incredible to say the least. The Ontario government and particularly Premier Doug Ford needs to start making concrete changes to Ontario’s long-suffering long-term care system to end for-profit care for our most vulnerable.” – Jerry Dias, National President, Unifor
BACKGROUND ON THE “CARE NOT PROFITS” CAMPAIGN:
During the COVID-19 crisis, Ontario’s worst hit nursing homes were all for-profit facilities. Data tells us that for-profit long-term care corporations have 17 per cent fewer staff than non-profit nursing homes. Yet, while families and care staff were dying throughout the pandemic, three of the largest long-term care businesses combined paid shareholders more than $58 million in dividends in the past three months alone. These are facts.
The new, 60-second ad called “Care Not Profits” originally launched on July 23rd.
To view the ad and learn more, visit carenotprofits.ca
The full, high-definition broadcast from this morning’s campaign launch, including the 60-second ad, is available for media to download here: https://bit.ly/39lxVfU
For media inquiries, contact:
Corey Johnson, SEIU Healthcare at c.johnson@seiuhealthcare.ca or 416-529-8909
Daniel Tseghay, Communications Representative, CUPE at dtseghay@cupe.ca or 647-220-9739
Hamid Osman, National representative – Communications at Hamid.Osman@unifor.org or 647-448-2823
Today, the MGEU released the 2020-21 Membership Education Course Guide with some new options for learning-at-home.
Guelph, Ont. – September 9, 2020 – After winning unionization early this spring, UFCW Local 1006A members working at NexCycle in Guelph have ratified their first union contract, achieving wage increases, improved vacation language, and more.
September 8, 2020
TORONTO—Unifor National President Jerry Dias has chosen Ford Motor Company as the union’s strike target to set the pattern agreement with the Detroit Three automakers.
“I selected Ford because we think the company is prepared to reward our members, make a commitment to continue manufacturing in Canada, and has a vision that we think is in the best interest of the industry and the economy,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President, speaking at a news conference streamed live on Unifor’s Facebook page. “Worldwide we have seen more than $300 billion dollars announced for electric vehicle production and not one dime is destined for Canada. Our members want that to change.”
For decades, it has been the union’s practice to strategically choose which of the three Detroit Three companies the union will negotiate with first—setting a pattern agreement for auto workers in Canada. There are multiple factors considered by the union, in consultation with the master bargaining committees, in making this decision, based on two key goals: building Canada’s auto industry and achieving the union’s bargaining objectives.
Once an agreement with the target company is ratified by members, bargaining shifts to a second company, and then the third.
“The Oakville assembly plant is the last of Ford’s assembly plants left in Canada and has no firm product commitment beyond the current generation of the Ford Edge. This is a significant problem for our members and it should be a concern for all levels of government,” said Dias.
“Our members are pleased to go first and want to forge their own destiny, which is why we have worked hard to build a productive relationship with this employer,” said John D’Agnolo, Chair of the Ford Master Bargaining Committee and President of Unifor Local 200.
Unifor represents 6,300 workers at Ford Motor Company, 9,000 workers at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and 4,100 at General Motors.
Unifor opened formal contract talks in Toronto on August 12th, with the theme The Future is Made in Canada. The union has repeatedly urged the federal government to create a comprehensive manufacturing strategy for the auto sector, given that every auto assembly job creates or supports as many as 10 additional jobs throughout the economy.
A digital media kit be found on this website and a downloadable 4K version of today’s news conference is available to media upon request.
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
For media inquiries or to arrange interviews via Facetime, Zoom, or Skype please contact Unifor’s Director of Communications, Natalie Clancy at Natalie.Clancy@unifor.org or 416-707-5794 (cell).
Toronto – September 8, 2020 – UFCW Canada's ground-breaking online education program, webCampus, is launching a range of new On-the-Go, Digital Skills, and core webCampus courses that can help you gain more knowledge and acquire new skills for the fall season.
The September 2020 edition of the MAHCP Newsletter is now available, which features a message from President Bob Moroz, our Scholarships winners, and an article on the 50th anniversary of MAHCP.
You’ll see that this edition of the newsletter has an entirely new and modern look, a project that we spent much of the summer working on and hope that you enjoy it!
“Provinces must play their part in inflating the economy, not contribute to the further deflating of our economy." — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
“The pandemic has shown the critical importance of protecting and strengthening labour rights.” — Larry Brown, President, NUPGE
(Ottawa – September 7, 2020) This Labour Day, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) joins in celebrating the contributions of the trade union movement to improved working conditions, health and safety protections, and social programs.
COVID-19 has amplified inequities in society and within our own post-secondary workplaces. Today, we urge academic staff to take this Labour Day to reflect on what has been achieved through our collective action and on what more needs to be done to get through this crisis and to build better universities and colleges.
“We need to move forward to a more just and fair post-COVID Canada for all workers. In the academic workplace, this means putting an end to casualization and discrimination, and improving working conditions for all,” noted CAUT Executive Director David Robinson.
“We are stronger together. Only through collective action will we improve working conditions for all and address the issues of precarity and inequity in the academic workplace and in our communities,” says CAUT President Brenda Austin-Smith.
