Union leaders are calling on the government to provide immediate financial aid to protect this strategic and critical infrastructure for all Canadians. Specifically, they called for $7 billion of direct financial support which would include:

• A combination of loan guarantees, as well as direct financial aid tied to the resumption and/or maintenance of air services, commensurate to the impact on the industry and consistent with the support extended by other countries.

• Funding dedicated to developing an evolving quarantine and testing plan that aligns with science and ensures safety.

Funding for the resumption and/or maintenance of air services (sometimes referred to as “air bridges”) would address current shortcomings, both domestically and internationally, by preserving routes that will continue to connect communities, countries and commerce to the benefit of all Canadians.

In addition, while the extended CEWS program – an employer-directed program – has provided some measure of job protection for employees, we have seen thousands of layoffs in this sector and a disproportionately large number of furloughed aviation workers, notwithstanding the CEWS. The harsh reality is that airlines are extremely capital-intensive operations with a high cash-burn rate and the requirement to preserve liquidity to maintain equipment, routes and staff. This reality is not considered under the CEWS.

In addition to the call for immediate and direct financial relief, unions are also calling on the government to support the science-based approval and deployment of rapid tests for COVID-19 to facilitate the eventual safe return to travel. This will be key to ensuring employee and public safety going forward.

Aviation and the travel, hospitality and tourism industries are the connective tissue that keep our country together. Regaining air and travel connectivity is essential to the re-launch of our economy, and without immediate support, the job losses and route cancellations stemming from the pandemic risk becoming permanent.

September 23, 2020

TORONTO– Unifor welcomes the economic and social pandemic support policies outlined by the federal government in today’s Throne Speech.

“As Canadians continue to live with the consequences of COVID-19, the federal government has outlined measures that will help workers and their families to endure the immediate crisis and also fix systemic issues to help the country #BuildBackBetter from the pandemic,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.

“Unifor has long advocated for many of these priorities including a commitment to job creation, increased training for workers, new infrastructure spending, and an overhaul of Employment Insurance to close gaps in the existing income security system.”
As part of the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the government pledged to help make zero-emissions vehicles more affordable and to launch a new fund to attract investments in making zero-emissions products combined with a tax cut for companies to create clean technology jobs.
“Unifor has just reached a tentative agreement with Ford $1.95 billion of investments to build five models of electric vehicles in Oakville,” said Dias. “EV is the way of the future and it’s key that Canada attract investment now to ensure that our auto industry is not left behind.”
With the extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program until next summer, Unifor urges the government to maintain the previous level of support of 75% of wages up to a maximum of $847/week while hard-hit entities with revenue declines of 70% or greater should receive a 85% maximum subsidy. Impediments such as including health premiums, pension contributions and other non-taxable benefits in the definition of eligible remuneration must also be removed.
The Trudeau government also announced support for sectors that have been hardest-hit by the pandemic including travel, tourism and hospitality.

“Our airline, casino and other hospitality and travel members have been devastated by the pandemic and it’s clear that these workers will need sustained support while these industries recover,” said Dias.

Unifor will continue to advocate for national industrial strategies to rebuild domestic industrial capacity in critical sectors such as auto, aerospace, shipbuilding and forestry and continues to seek support for oil and gas workers during the transition to green energy.

As Canada’s largest media union, Unifor welcomes the courageous but overdue government action on making foreign web giants like Netflix pay their share to support Canadian news, sports and entertainment, just like our Canadian media companies. If a minority parliament impedes the quick implementation of this bill, the federal cabinet can and should order the CRTC to end its regulatory exemption for American web giants.

The union also supports the increase in funding for childcare that can be used as a springboard to create a national, universal childcare program, and maintains its support of national pharmacare.
Unifor has been a vocal critic of the deficiencies in long-term care that led to the tragic loss of thousands of seniors during this pandemic and hopes the creation of new national standards of care will help to address the shameful conditions in facilities across the country.
“National standards of care are urgently needed,” Dias said. “Our frontline workers have witnessed the heartbreaking outcome when private corporations put profits over lives.”

For more information on Unifor’s plan to #BuildBackBetter from the pandemic view the union’s Road Map for a Fair, Inclusive and Resilient Economic Recovery.

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.

TORONTO – Unions representing health care workers across Ontario held a media conference urging immediate action to end the crisis in long term care.

CUPE Ontario, SEIU Healthcare, and Unifor, unions which collectively represent more than 70,000 long-term care workers, are condemning the inaction of the Government of Ontario and are raising concerns about the significant uptick in cases of COVID-19.

“We’re approaching a second wave and I’m left questioning whether we learned any lessons from the first wave,” said Candace Rennick, Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE Ontario, which represents nearly 35,000 members in the sector. “We’ve been ringing the alarm bells about chronic underfunding, understaffing, and the drive for profits at the expense of the lives of residents and workers. Now its Premier Ford’s second chance to listen and take action.”

Sharleen Stewart, President of SEIU Healthcare added: “Workers, elder care experts, seniors, and families alike are singing the same tune. They all want increased staffing levels for better senior care. They all want full-time jobs for our healthcare heroes. And they all agree PSWs need universal pay because a PSW is a PSW is a PSW—it’s time to give them a raise and give them a pension. These essential policies are not items on a menu to be picked over and the rest discarded, instead, they add up to a real action plan to fix Ontario’s failed long-term care system. Let’s get it done.”

“This pandemic has resulted in thousands of deaths it is now time for the government to address the crisis in long term care,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Our demand is simple – we need the government to work with us, work with the front-line workers and help fix long term care, before we have another tragedy.

The three unions, joined by personal support workers at the media conference, called for a legislated guarantee of a minimum of four hours of care per resident per day, highlighting a private members’ bill that could be passed into law as early as this week.

The unions also made the case for an end to for-profit care, noting that these facilities have been seen the highest number of cases. The profit motive, according to the coalition, has resulted in cost-saving measures, like having 17% fewer staff than non-profit homes.

“No more hollow words,” said Rennick. “Front-line workers are tired of empty promises.  They need more staff, more funding, and more protection to keep themselves safe and their residents alive.”