by

Court victory in Manitoba could spell end for Ontario’s Bill 124

June 12, 2020 – 12:00 AM

TORONTO – Ontario workers who had their bargaining rights attacked by Ford’s wage restraint law, find hope and vindication as similar legislation was struck down by the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench.

“Ford’s attack on Ontario public sector workers’ bargaining rights, including thousands on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a common tactic by conservative politicians, but that does not make it right,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Ford should repeal 124 and give Ontario workers the respect they deserve, because his law will be struck down just like Pallister’s.”

Earlier this week, a Manitoba judge ruled that the so-called Public Services Sustainability Act violates the right to collective bargaining protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In Ontario, Unifor is engaged in a similar court challenge against the legislation in Ontario, along with many other unions representing workers across the broader public sector.

“We said it in 2019, that this law would not stand up in court. After this week’s ruling that confidence has grown, Ford cannot continue to pay lip service to public sector workers while stifling their rights,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor Ontario Regional Director.

Ford’s wage restraint bill has forced a one per cent wage cap across the public sector in Ontario, including unionized and non-unionized workers, for any currently expired or expiring collective agreements over the next three years.

This applies to the public service, as well as hospitals, Ornge, some long-term care homes, boards, commissions, agencies, school boards, universities and colleges, and children’s aid societies. Police and firefighters, excluded from the legislation, received wage increases of two per cent or more.

by

End the Discriminatory Blood Ban panel

blood_ban_social_media_shareables_web_banner_eng

June 25, 2020 –

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Unifor is proud to partner with the Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson (CESAR) on an online opportunity for learning, engagement, and activism for LGBT+ students and community members.

Tune into an equity-focused educational panel bringing together LGBT+ community members, activists, academics, healthcare workers, human rights advocates, and students.

Our hope is to provide historical background and a better understanding on this issue in the context of the current pandemic and to join together as a united voice calling for an end to Canada Blood Service’s discriminatory practice of rejecting blood donations from men and transgender people who have had sex with men and transgender people within the last 3 months.

Watch the event live here: facebook.com/ryecesar/live

by

W Hotel Toronto delay will not affect unionized jobs

 

June 17, 2020

TORONTO – This week’s announcement that Marriott International will delay plans to complete renovations and re-open its Yorkville location as a W Hotel citing the COVID-19 pandemic will not affect unionized jobs, Unifor has ascertained.

“As the worst effects of the pandemic may be behind us and workplaces begin to re-open, the last thing we want is for workers to find they have no job to come back to,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “We knew this renovation would be lengthy and were sure to protect our members’ job security in the event of delays, changes, or, as it turns out, emergencies that would halt the project.”

In July of last year, Marriott announced it would undertake a $40 million redevelopment project that will transform its current Marriott property located in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood in to the first W Hotel in Canada. The development plans involve a significant upgrade to the property, particularly in its food and beverage services and a near-doubling of unionized hotel jobs at the site.

Marriott International, Inc.’s announcement to delay the re-opening of the hotel property adds to the difficulties workers in the hospitality industry have already faced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, Unifor’s collective agreement provisions put in place last year provide essential protections for hospitality workers including:

  • guarantees that the employer could not convert the property to condominiums;
  • prevention of any subcontracting of union members’ work;
  • elimination of incentives to refuse housekeeping service with harmful programs such as the ‘Green Choice;’
  • protections of workers’ fundamental rights to return to their jobs after lengthy renovations.

“The bottom line is that no matter how long it takes to complete the W Hotel’s renovations, existing workers are guaranteed the right to return to their old job or a comparable job, without having to reapply,” said Dias.

As hospitality workers continue to face some of the most devastating layoffs across the country, Unifor continues to engage with all levels of government to advocate for necessary supports to workers affected by the pandemic including expanding direct financial assistance programs as well as providing pharmacare for all.

by

Grocers wrong to cut pandemic pay

Unifor opposes the decision by Canada’s leading grocery chains to end pandemic pay for their workers at retail outlets across Canada.

“The pandemic is not over. The danger has not passed. These workers are no less at risk and are no less essential today than they were yesterday. There is no justification for ending pandemic pay now, or ever,” Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.

“Retail workers have always been essential, and they have always deserved much better. The fact is, the pandemic did not make these workers essential and did not create the inequities in retail, it simply exposed them.”

Loblaw was the first to announce it would end the $2 premium paid to workers in its grocery stores effective this past weekend, and was soon followed by other major retailers, including Metro and Sobeys.

In an open letter to Sarah Davis, the President of Loblaw Companies Limited, Dias told the company the pay premium must stay permanently to show a commitment to employees during the pandemic and to rectify decades of repressed wages.

Unifor is leading efforts to make fair pay permanent as the country slowly emerges from the pandemic. The Fair Pay Forever campaign calls for historic inequities in the sector to be corrected. Many workers are forced to take more than one part-time job to get by.

Unifor is holding a Fair Pay Forever virtual rally on Friday at 1pm EST, accessible through the Unifor Canada Facebook Page. Dias will be among the speakers.

Unifor is also supporting an initiative by Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith to summon the heads of Canada’s largest grocery chains to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry why they are cutting their workers’ pay.

“We have seen in long term care how dangerous it is for these essential workers to be bouncing between jobs. It’s no different in retail,” Dias said.

“We have a chance to fix this. We can’t let this opportunity pass.”

Dias pointed out that grocery stores, which have consistently opposed efforts to raise the minimum wage and instead moved more and more to part-time work, rightly continue to limit customers in its stores and enforce social distancing inside.

“Loblaw and the rest know the risk is not over. It’s just trying to boost profits on the backs of its most vulnerable workers, and that’s just wrong,” Dias said.

“Unifor is putting all retail employers on notice – the return to normal for these workers is not happening, because normal was not good enough.”

Unifor is currently in negotiations with Loblaw-owned Dominion Stores in Newfoundland and Labrador, attempting to reverse a 2019 company decision to eliminate one in five full-time supermarket jobs.

by

Revivre goes digital to support even more Canadians during COVID-19

Bell Let’s Talk donation kicks off fundraising campaign

Montréal, June 16, 2020 – Revivre, a leader in the field of mental health, is going digital with the launch of virtual services to help meet growing demand for mental health support while respecting social distancing measures linked to COVID‑19, supported by a new fundraising campaign SolidaiRevivre. Thanks to a commitment of $650,000 from Bell Let’s Talk and the support of many other stakeholders, including National Bank, Echo Foundation, Fondation Casse-Tête, Hewitt Foundation, and Power Corporation of Canada, the campaign is well on its way to achieving its $3,000,000 goal.

Revivre’s virtual service offering:

  • Workshops based on e-learning and on-line interventions – both individual and group – using interactive tools
  • Developed using Revivre’s in-house expertise with the support of mental health researchers
  • Based on the concept of self-management support, empowering people to assume responsibility for their own health to:
    • Reduce symptoms
    • Prevent relapses
    • Improve their day-to-day well-being
    • Available in French and English

Quickly offer clinically validated tools to all who need them

Every year, 1.6 million Canadians report having unmet mental health needs. This figure is increasing as the current health and economic crisis is causing growing numbers of people to experience insecurity, uncertainty, and grief. At the same time, social distancing rules now in place make it impossible to hold face-to-face meetings and workshops. The use of digital technology will enable Revivre to safely offer much-needed support to more Canadians during the pandemic as well as during the ensuing mental health crisis.

Workplaces with growing needs

As employees see their working conditions change the need for mental health support is also growing in the workplace. Unfortunately, during this time of crisis, few companies have the means to invest in the mental health of their staff. Revivre’s virtual services will help them provide the necessary tools to support their employees and managers.

Read full article here