Unifor welcomes cancellation of proposal to end statutory holidays

June 19, 2020

TORONTO – Unifor welcomes the decision by the Ontario government to cancel its proposal to eliminate all but three statutory holidays for retail workers.

“We are pleased that the Ford government has changed its mind on this issue. Retail workers have been a vital part of getting our communities through the pandemic, and have been working incredibly hard to keep food on our tables,” Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.

“Coming just days after their pay was cut by major grocers, the possibility that they would lose their statutory holidays just added insult to injury.”

Dias spoke with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Labour Minister Monte McNaughton this morning, who confirmed Ontario would not go ahead with the proposal to eliminate all statutory holidays for retail workers except Christmas, Good Friday and Canada Day.

“This is obviously good news, but the pay cuts are still in place and shows that we must remain constantly vigilant to stand up for the rights of all workers,” Dias said.

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

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.

 

Canada must oppose any reimposition of unfair aluminum tariffs

June 23, 2020

TORONTO—Unifor is calling on the federal government to strenuously oppose any reimposition of punitive tariffs on Canadian aluminum exports to the United States by President Donald Trump.

“I urge you, Prime Minister, to reject any concessionary demands the U.S. requests of Canada on this matter,” wrote Unifor National President Jerry Dias in a letter sent today to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “We must not allow these bullying tactics to succeed. I urge you to stand strong in the face of this misinformation campaign and reject any quotas that would disrupt the Canadian aluminum industry once again and lead to unnecessary layoffs.”

There are reports that the United States is planning to re-impose a 10% tariff on Canadian aluminum unless Canada accepts strict export quotas on primary aluminum. This follows a request from the American Primary Aluminum Association (APAA) to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Secretary Wilbur Ross to repeal Canada’s exemption to the Section 232 tariffs that occurred one-year ago in May 2019.

Canadian aluminum was subject to national security tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration between May 2018 and May 2019 when Unifor launched a campaign against the unfair tariffs.

“Section 232 tariffs were bogus the first time and it’s nothing short of an outrage for the APAA or the Trump administration to pretend once again that Canadian aluminum is somehow a threat to U.S. national security,” said Dias. “We simply cannot allow the tantrums of small-scale American producers to threaten Canadian jobs and the communities that rely on them a second time.”

The APAA claims that primary aluminum exports from Canada have “surged” since the lifting of U.S. tariffs, which breaches an agreement struck between the parties. The “surge” claim is entirely arbitrary, and based on trade flows over a short period. The APAA’s claim also fails to account for headwinds facing the industry, including the economic downswing caused by COVID-19 along with a dramatic rise in non-Canadian foreign imports from places like China and Russia over the past decade.

The reported policy move comes even after the main U.S. industry group, The Aluminum Association, stated in a May 2020 letter to Lighthizer that “even if every U.S. aluminum smelter was operating at full capacity, aluminum manufacturers would still require a mix of domestic and imported primary aluminum as well as secondary production to meet the demands of U.S. manufacturers and consumers for aluminum products.”

“What the APAA neglects to mention is that the U.S. aluminum industry has a domestic capacity problem that is leading American manufacturers to look elsewhere for their aluminum,” wrote Dias.

Dias also warned Trudeau that strong reciprocal measures may be warranted and must be considered should the U.S. act against Canada’s aluminum sector.

1996-O recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day

Indigenous

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples day in Canada which was established in 1996. It is a day meant to recognize and celebrate the rich history of Canada’s indigenous people. We should all make an effort to learn more about the diverse cultures of our indigenous groups. Each group contains its own distinct heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs although they do also share some similarities.

The indigenous are the first inhabitants of “turtle Island” which is the name they used for North America. They deserve both recognition and respect for this and for the contributions they have made to North American society.

In The war of 1812, First Nation and Métis warriors played essential roles in the defence of British held territories against invading American forces.  In Canada the war was fought primarily in the western great lakes, the Niagara and the St. Lawrence regions.  The Indigenous fighters were pivotal in repelling the invading forces in each of those regions. Those battles would not have been won if not for the fearless First Nations warriors according to British commanders at the time.

In World War one approximately 4000 Indigenous warriors voluntarily enlisted in spite of the injustices they faced here to fight for Canada and were deployed overseas. Hundreds passed away on foreign soil fighting for our country and many won medals for bravery on the field of battle.

In world War two, the indigenous once again enlisted and fought selflessly to protect the country to which they are the first inhabitants of.

Local 1996-O recognizes and celebrates both the rich history of our Indigenous Peoples and the sacrifices they have made for our great Country.

 

In Solidarity,

1996-O Equity Committee

1996-O Executive

BlackBerry and Bell to Deliver Enhanced Mobile Threat Defense to Enterprise Customers

WATERLOO, ONTARIO – June 16, 2020 – BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) and Bell (TSX, NYSE: BCE) today announced a new partnership to provide enhanced secure communications to business and government customers, strengthening their longstanding relationship to deliver leading-edge mobile security solutions to Canadian consumers and business customers.

BlackBerry becomes Bell’s preferred Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) partner, enabling Canada’s largest communications company to offer its enterprise customers access to BlackBerry Protect, the MTD solution that uses the power of artificial intelligence to block malware infections, prevent URL phishing attacks and provide application integrity checking.

“We could not be more delighted to partner with Bell, BlackBerry’s preferred telecom partner for BlackBerry Protect in Canada and one of the country’s most innovative companies,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO of BlackBerry. “Together, we will bring the next level of excellence in endpoint security to Canadian enterprise customers across the country.”

“As organizations of all kinds enable remote work solutions for their teams during COVID‑19, it is more important than ever to remain vigilant about security, including network and mobile device management,” said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada. “Bell is proud to be working with mobile security leader BlackBerry to expand the scale of our solutions for the country’s largest organizations.”

To learn more about BlackBerry Mobile Threat Defense, please visit BlackBerry.com/MTD.

https://www.bce.ca/news-and-media/releases/show/BlackBerry-and-Bell-to-Deliver-Enhanced-Mobile-Threat-Defense-to-Enterprise-Customers?page=1&month=&year=&perpage=25

National Indigenous Peoples Day

National Indigenous Peoples Day

Dear members,

Please find below Unifor’s statement on the 2020 National Indigenous Peoples Day. More materials for sharing in your networks can be found at unifor.org/june21.

We’re asking you to share pictures of any activities that you participate in during National Indigenous History Month using the hashtag #IndigenousPeoplesDay and tag @unifortheunion.

Statement: 2020 National Indigenous Peoples Day

Unifor is proud to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day and Indigenous History Month. June 21 provides an important moment to celebrate Indigenous peoples’ diverse and enduring culture, history and achievements.

Unifor also acknowledges that action from our union is needed every day of the year. It begins with a recognition that Canada itself is founded on colonialism and cultural genocide against Indigenous people. And while that pain cannot be undone (or ignored), we can collectively work to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and other efforts to recognize the rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people.

Those rights have been internationally codified in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). Last summer, stalling from Conservative Party caucus members in Canada’s unelected Senate obstructed the long-awaited adoption of UNDRIP as law. Unifor will again join with Indigenous organizations to lobby forcefully to have UNDRIP adopted in 2020.

In addition to the overdue adoption of UNDRIP, Indigenous communities are also still waiting for the Government of Canada to make good on its June 2019 promise to develop a National Action Plan to end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited peoples. Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett has admitted not only was no plan going to be in place by June 2020, but there is no timeline for the plan’s completion. Unifor echoes the concerns raised already by the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, and many others. Unifor members can write to Minister Bennett online to demand better.

Inherent in the fight for Indigenous rights is the fight for access to resources, natural or otherwise. Across the continent, defending freshwater resources has been a top concern for Indigenous communities—and for good reason. Lack of safe water is a major concern for day-to-day health, but it also raises concerns about preventing the spread of COVID-19. Unifor calls on the federal government to ensure there is adequate funding in place to meet its 2015 promise to eliminate long-term drinking water advisories for all Indigenous communities in Canada.

For its part, Unifor re-commits to the national campaign for the adoption of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Download the shareable

Download the Poster

In solidarity,

Jerry Dias
National President