Unifor joins parents, educators, and child care advocates across Ontario who are calling on the provincial and federal governments to keep their promise and fully fund $10-a-day child care.

On Nov. 10, the Ontario government announced a one-year extension of the Canada-Wide Early Learning & Child Care agreement (CWELLC). The primary goal of the agreement was to reduce average child care fees to $10 per day by March 2026. Unfortunately, the agreement reached between Ontario and the federal government, will stall the reduction of fees at $19 per day.

“This freeze on fee reductions leaves working families struggling with child care expense that remain higher than promised,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. “At a time when affordability is a top concern, we urge the provincial and federal governments to commit to negotiating a comprehensive, fully funded multi-year agreement.”

While the one-year extension of the program provides some stability for families by protecting against an immediate rise in child care fees, it signals a regrettable pause on the progress toward the goal of $10-a-day child care.

The short-term extension also fails to address several key issues impacting child care in Ontario. Without a clear plan for increasing wages and developing a wage grid, the system will continue struggling to attract and retain the Early Childhood Educators required to deliver quality care. The extension also offers no immediate path for accelerating the creation of new, affordable child care spaces or reinforcing the commitment to prioritizing a 70% non-profit service ratio – vital measures to address quality and accessibility.

“In times of economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever to invest in our public services,” added Hashi. “At a time when Ontarians are bracing for the impact of Trump’s trade war, publicly delivered, affordable services like $10-a-day child care are fundamental to supporting workers and maintaining economic resilience.”

Windsor—Unifor Local 195 members were joined by national union leaders, fellow union members, and community allies to hit the streets of Windsor today in a vehicle caravan to support locked-out Titan Tool & Die workers as their dispute exceeded the 100-day mark, surpassing the city’s historic 99-day Ford strike of 1945.

“When a Canadian-owned company like Titan Tool & Die can empty out its plant, ship materials to the U.S., hide behind court injunctions, put massive concessions on the negotiating table and lock out its workforce for more than 100 days, that’s not bargaining in good faith. That’s an abuse of power,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Day after day, the owners of this company are choosing to prolong this dispute instead of negotiating a fair deal. Our union will not back down in this dispute. We will continue to act as long as it takes.”

Members of Unifor Local 195 have been locked out since August 11 as the Canadian-owned company continues to demand that workers accept punitive concessions, while the company appears to be relocating work from its Windsor facility that has operated since 1956 to other locations including one owned by Titan Tool & Die in Warren, Michigan.

“When Titan Tool & Die attacks one group of workers, they’re attacking all workers,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. “From all across Southwestern Ontario to the entire province, Unifor members have the backs of Titan Tool workers. Employers need to understand that if they try to starve workers out with drawn-out lockouts and harsh concessions, they’ll be met with a wall of solidarity from every Unifor local in Ontario.”

The caravan brought Unifor members together from across Windsor and other surrounding communities in a show of solidarity and to raise awareness in the city about the actions of Titan Tool & Die’s owner and CEO.

“Titan Tool & Die once prided itself on being a Canadian-owned company founded by a Windsor autoworker, Joseph Szecsei. Since he passed, that pride in the people who built this plant has vanished completely,” said Unifor Local 195 President Emile Nabbout. “Our members are facing dishonesty from managers, three workers have already been injured on the picket line, and families who gave decades to this company are being pushed to the brink. These are people with mortgages, children and bills to pay. The way this company is treating our members is disrespectful and devastating to our community, and that’s why we’re taking this message across the city of Windsor.”

The company continues to demand concessions that are beyond unreasonable. They include:

• A three-year wage freeze.
• New permanent lower wage grid for employees hired after ratification.
• Elimination of the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) and annual lump-sum wage supplements.
• Reduction of company pension contributions:
  • From 7% to 5% for employees hired before October 2012.
  • From 4% to 3% for employees hired after October 2012.
• New pension qualifier:
  • company contributes only if employees contribute — despite the wage freeze.
• The combined effect of the company’s pension demands could result in a loss of nearly $13,500 in pension contributions over a three-year contract.
• Elimination of retirement health care benefits for those retiring at age 55+ with at least 10 years of service.
• Mandatory overtime.

“Titan Tool’s legacy began in Windsor in 1956. It ended on August 11, 2025 when this company chose to lock us out and shift production to the United States. It is an absolute shame that a proud Canadian business ended like this,” said Randy St. Pierre, Unifor Local 195 Plant Chairperson at Titan Tool & Die. “This lockout is a test for Canada. Will we continue allowing companies to drain our communities of their livelihoods or will we demand real action to protect Canadian workers and Canadian industries.”

The union believes Titan Tool & Die’s behaviour throughout this dispute has been about hiding its intent to move jobs from Windsor to the United States all along.

“We do not believe Titan Tool & Die’s owner and managers ever came to the negotiating table intending to reach a contract with our members. Throughout these talks the company has removed equipment, and raw materials from the plant, leaving only a pile of concessions on the table,” added Payne. “We believe their intent is to move our members’ work to its U.S. facility and leave its Canadian workforce behind. Titan Tool & Die must come clean about its future plans for the Windsor facility and disclose to everyone what its true intentions are.”