May 17, 2018

Unifor calls to End the Ban

The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, May 17, is an annual reminder that although progress has been made, there is further to go. Unifor joins the international call for action to address the inequality that too many, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in our workplaces and communities face.

Unifor encourages all people to recognize and embrace May 17 as a day to support the ongoing struggles for inclusion, acceptance and respect of all LGBTQ people, including supporting the call to end the discriminatory blood donation policy here in Canada and Quebec.

LGBTQ people all across the country and around the world are faced with legal, social, and institutional barriers. It is these barriers that isolate and divide us. And it is time to tear down the barriers that we know to be discriminatory.

Trans women and men who have sex with men are barred from donating blood in Canada. This persists despite Justin Trudeau’s 2015 election promise to, “bring an end to the discriminatory ban that prevents men who have had sex with men from donating blood.” (Source: Ending MSM Blood Donation Ban, liberal.ca)

Historically, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) and Héma-Québec (HM-QC) imposed a lifetime ban on blood donations from men who had sex with other men at any point in their life time, and this ban dates back to the HIV/AIDS epidemic of 1977.

Today, the ban continues to exist despite science, research and an understanding of HIV/AIDS. It is a form of upfront discrimination.

Some changes have been made. The change has come from the thousands of voices that spoke up and took action. Today, instead of a lifetime ban, there is a one-year deferral, regardless of actual level of risk or health status. Unifor acknowledges that a one-year deferral is still a ban in principle, requiring celibacy for a year in order to make a life-saving donation.

This policy discriminates because it bans gay and trans people from donating based on their identity, not based on the nature of their sexual relationships, such as protected sex or monogamy. This policy is not based on science, and perpetuates homophobic and transphobic assumptions about HIV and AIDS.

 

Workers’ Comp is a Right!

 

Injured Workers Rally & March

 

Friday June 1^st, 11:00am

 

Queen’s Park

 

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/180833029238226/

 

Injured workers are rising up. Refusing to be held down by the cutting edge of austerity, the injured worker movement is building power, gaining momentum, and demanding transformative change. We are taking back our compensation system.

 

Between the province-wide Workers’ Comp is a Right campaign and the Real Healthcare campaign, we have organized across Ontario to force the Liberal government to respond to our demands. With Injured Workers’ Day coming just a few days before the provincial election, we have one more opportunity to show our collective strength and put all the Parties on notice.

 

No matter who is elected on June 7^th, injured workers will be there, standing up for our rights, and calling for dignity and respect.

 

So join us on June 1^st, as we take to the streets and say:

 

Workers’ comp is a right!

We will not give up the fight!

 

Organized by the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG) injuredworkersonline.org

 

@ONIWG /OntarioNetworkIWG

 

Accessibility options will be available so that those with mobility difficulties will be able to join the march.

 

Please also join us for other Injured Workers’ Day events:

 

• May 31, 7pm – 9pm, Queen’s Park

Overnight Vigil led by the Women of Inspiration Injured Worker Group

Cultural showcase to celebrate the resilience of injured workers. Join us for an evening of music, poetry, storytelling, and satire. The 11^th annual overnight vigil will follow the cultural event, to remind MPPs that injured workers cannot sleep at night due to pain and poverty, so how can our politicians?

 

• June 1, 2pm – 4pm, OCAD U Auditorium – 100 McCaul Street, Room 190

Candidates Town Hall Meeting

We are inviting representatives from the Liberals, NDP, PCs, and Green, to a town hall meeting to answer our questions, and to tell us what they will commit to doing for injured workers

Injured worker rally poster

May 10, 2018
TO: ALL ONTARIO STAFF AND ONTARIO LOCAL UNIONS
Niki Lundquist, Unifor Staff Lawyer and human rights activist is
running for the NDP in the riding of Whitby. Niki has worked with us
for 15 years and has been an incredible asset to our Union. She has
fought and won important victories for workers and now she is
fighting just as hard to give the people in her riding the same quality
representation. I know she will be a tremendous representative in
the provincial legislature and an ally for working people which is why
Unifor is endorsing her and it is why I am endorsing her as well.
Niki has been campaigning for months while working full time, raising a family, volunteering her
time with children that have cognitive, physical disabilities and with a shelter for street-involved
youth. Her hard work in Whitby is paying off, but she needs support, that’s why I’m calling on all
Unifor staff, activists and members, who are able, to lend support by making a donation and
volunteering time to help get our great Sister, friend and colleague elected.
Individual donations can be made here:
https://secure.ontariondp.ca/page/contribute/whitby?source=ONDP_DONATE_NAVBAR
Campaign Office: 131 Brock St. S. Whitby
Campaign Office Phone: 905.668.4141
For further information, please contact Roland Kiehne – Member Mobilization and Political Action
Director at roland.kiehne@unifor.org
In Solidarity,
Jerry Dias
National President

Sister and Brothers,
We wanted to follow up on discussions which began last fall regarding the performance management program, formerly called “Performance Road Map” or “Stacked Ranking”.
In the meeting last fall we provided many examples to the company about the unfairness of many aspects of the performance management program. We gave examples where expectations were not clear, metrics for evaluation had not been communicated and coaching was virtually non-existent, and in many cases the programs seemed to be focused on discipline vs actually creating a fully trained and efficient workforce.
On Monday, we, along with the National Representatives who lead bargaining for each of the Bell Canada companies, along with the Telecommunications Director Tyson Siddall, met with the company.
This meeting was not to replace the contractual obligations Bell has to our Atlantic and Clerical committees as a result of recent bargaining. Nor was it to resolve the grievances filed in the different bargaining units.
What was clear about this presentation is that efforts have been made to consider our input into creating a program which they have called “Coaching for Success”. It does appear that a lot of internal examination of the previous program has taken place and to the credit of Bell, they were quite honest with us about the short comings of the former PRM and particularly the unwelcome effects on our membership.
Admissions regarding unclear evaluation criteria, ill trained supervisors on coaching techniques and a system that seemed to be focused in some cases on discipline instead of coaching were some of the things Bell talked about and expressed a desire to change in the new program they are calling Coaching for Success.

Read More …Click the link below
In solidarity,
John Caluori                        Chris MacDonald
Assistant to the Quebec     Director Assistant to the National President

Follow-up Letter to Telco Locals re Performance Management Systems