January 5, 2015 by admin

Local 1996-O makes food donation to Daily Bread Food Bank

43% of the GTA’s food bank clients with disabilities reported not eating for an entire day due to lack of money last year. Today’s priority is shopping to lend a hand!

Local 1996-O was proud to present a large food donation to the Daily Bread Food Bank during the holiday season.

Reports show that hunger amongst people with disabilities is on the rise in the GTA. Low incomes, an inadequate Ontario social assistance system, combined with rising food and housing costs are forcing more people with disabilities to come to food banks to make ends meet. Many clients with disabilities are also dealing with extreme hunger.

Last year, Daily Bread distributed almost 9 million pounds of food and provided food hampers for over 700,000 visits. More than a food bank, Daily Bread also works towards long-term solutions to hunger and runs innovative programs to support people on low incomes.

We all need to make it a priority to help those in need.

Sam Snyders
President, Local 1996-O

December 30, 2014 by admin

Unifor Local 1996-O and the Unifor Social Justice Fund donate $3,000 to Food Share Toronto

Local President, Sam Snyders and Vice President, Lee Zommers presented a $3000 cheque to Food Share Toronto on behalf of Local 1996-O.

People helping People! Thank you Unifor Social Justice Fund for your commitment to our community!

#smallworld #greatday Unifor Local 1996-O Unifor Canada FoodShare Toronto

December 26, 2014 by admin

Local 1996-O Donates Food and Volunteers at The St. Francis Table

On Wednesday, December 17th team UNIFOR Local 1996-O donated the food and served lunch and dinner at The St. Francis Table, a restaurant dedicated to providing meals and a welcoming environment for the needy in our community. It was a great…success providing hot meals for over 240 patrons.

Local President Sam Snyders, “Thank you to all that attended and helped make the day a little special for both the patrons and ourselves. The smiles may last only a day for the patrons but we walked away with so much more!!” Also attending the event was Andrew Cash and Peggy Nash, both Members of Parliament. All are proud to have participated in shedding light on the good work at The St. Francis Table.

December 22, 2014 by admin

Where did our rights come from?

Today our basic rights to freedom of association, democratic representation in the workplace, and free collective bargaining may be easy to take for granted as having always been with us. But these rights didn’t just happen, or arise as gifts from enlightened employers or kindly governments.

Like so many other advances in human rights, each and every step on the path to social progress came through hard-won struggle. The basic labour rights that all Canadians enjoy today were fought for by the generations of working men and women who came before us.

Many have heard about the watershed 1946 decision of Justice Ivan Rand, who was appointed arbitrator to end a 99-day strike at Ford Motor Company in Windsor, Ontario. His decision to address basic union security — including a crucial requirement that everyone who was covered by a collective agreement had to pay union dues — was eventually extended across Canada and became known as the “Rand Formula.” But the struggle for union security in Canada started long before 1946 — and it didn’t end that year either.

At a time when powerful corporations and their friends in government are now trying to roll back the clock on workers’ rights, we have much to learn from the inspiring, and often untold, stories of the workers and activists who came before us, and from learning how our rights were won.

From Where Did Our Rights Come From – The Rand Formula and the Struggle for Union Security (pdf).

December 19, 2014 by admin

$5,000 Donation from Unifor Local 1996-O to The Daily Bread Food Bank

Unifor Local 1996-O joined Breakfast Television and City TV for their annual Spirit of the Season holiday party. Local President Sam Snyders and V.P Lee Zommers made an on-air donation of $5000 to the Daily Bread Food Bank on behalf of the Unifor Social Justice Fund. Daily Bread Food Bank is a registered charity that is fighting hunger in our communities. Every year thousands of people across Toronto rely on food banks. Daily Bread provides food and support to almost 200 food programs across Toronto and is the largest provider of food relief in the GTA.

With Sam Snyders and Lee Zommers