Toronto – August 14, 2019 – Statistics Canada’s first quarter retail food sales by channel survey showed total retail food sales and supermarket food sales were up by 4 percent.
For the fourth consecutive year, Unifor members can download our mobile app to aid delegates in getting the most out of convention.
Available in both languages, the app is designed help delegates connect with each other, follow the agenda, access convention documents, navigate the convention centre, learn more about speakers, and find social media channels. It is accessible from all devices with an Internet browser: smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.
The password to the app’s splash page is 2019QUEBEC.
Delegates should then log in to the app using the email address with which they registered for convention. If you don’t know what address was used or if you have any questions, a help desk will be located near the registration table.
Presentations and keynote speakers, including National President Jerry Dias, will all be streamed on Unifor’s Facebook page beginning on August 19.
As always, social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will help connect the events at convention to Unifor members and allies across the country. The Twitter hashtag for convention is #Unifor19 and #WhateverItTakes, which is this year’s theme.
Health care and community social service workers are often on the front lines of high stress, traumatic events and violence.
Fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador held two demonstrations on Monday in response to an illegal lockout from fish processing companies. In Old Perlican, fish harvesters came together to protest processors’ refusal to purchase cod the opening week in 3KL. Both Quinsea (Royal Greenland) and Quinlan’s refused a fresh catch landed at the wharf in Old Perlican. At the St. John’s waterfront, harvesters offered their catch free to the public rather than let the cod go to waste. Both events garnered significant attention from the media and the general public, and as a result of these actions provincial Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne announced the province would open up the cod fishery to outside buyers.
On Friday, FFAW-Unifor submitted a formal request to Minister Byrne to use all available legislative and regulatory tools to prevent this lockout from occurring as well as to discourage future action by issuing new processing licenses and opening the cod fishery up to buyers outside of the province.
“This cartel-like behaviour by processing companies sets a dangerous precedent that must be addressed so that these actions cannot be replicated in the future. FFAW-Unifor will pursue all possible remedies to resolve this blatant violation of the Master Collective Agreement. The livelihood of fish harvesters cannot be held hostage by the actions of a few large fish processing companies,” says David Decker, FFAW-Unifor Secretary-Treasurer.
The only member of the Association of Seafood Producers that is confirmed to be buying cod this week is the Labrador Shrimp Company, which provides no relief to the thousands of harvesters on the island that planned to start fishing this weekend.
Of particular concern is Icewater Seafoods in Arnold’s Cove, which received nearly $6 million in provincial and federal funding last year for new groundfish equipment only to ship in frozen cod for processing this week while refusing to purchase fresh, local product.
“It’s appalling that a company would receive millions in taxpayer dollars for investment in their plant only to turn around to take illegal action that shuts out Newfoundland and Labrador fish harvesters,” says Decker. “It seems like processors want a fishery of 50 years ago, where merchants ruled and unilaterally dictated how the fishery was prosecuted. We will not go backwards.”
Convention 2019 is only a few days away and it promises to be a jam packed week of union building in Quebec City. The packed agenda includes keynote speeches by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, the founder of the #metoo movement and renowned author Nancy Maclean, a Duke University professor. General Romeo Dallaire will receive the Nelson Mandela Award presented by Stephen Lewis and members of the Canadian women’s hockey team will share their struggles for pay equity.. Plus caucus meetings, elections, and of course a few surprises. Topping it all off, Blue Rodeo will perform at a gala on Thursday night.
Those who cannot make it to Quebec City August 19 to 23 can watch all the keynote speakers, streamed live on Unifor Canada’s Facebook Page, or just follow @UniforTheUnion on Twitter. Daily updates will be posted on www.Unifor.org.
Toronto – August 13, 2019 – Workers at Dependable Maintenance Janitorial in Toronto have joined the union after voting to become members of UFCW Canada Local 175.
