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Unifor launches ‘Shame on Bell’ campaign

Shame on Bell graphic

Dear Unifor Bell members:

Last month, when Bell made the callous decision to cut 4,800 jobs – 9% of its workforce – affecting 800 of you, our members, we called them out.

The recent terminations are the latest move by Bell to eliminate our work, as the company continues to contract out, offshore work and erode jobs across Bell units.

As one of the country’s oldest companies, Bell played a historic role in connecting Canadians with a trusted place in homes across Canada. They have broken that trust with the betrayal of their dedicated workers.

We warned them we were going to fight back. And we’re ready to bring it to them in full force.

Today, we launched our new campaign, appropriately called, Shame on Bell.

View the campaign website here.

Sign the petition on the campaign website and tell the Bell Board executives how disgusted you are with them and spread the word on social media with these shareables.

We will have worker testimonials coming soon on the site.

On March 19 in Ottawa, Bell execs will be called before the House of Commons’ heritage committee to answer for the job cuts.

Unifor will be there.

We will be holding a media conference and then we will take our voices to the streets of our nation’s capital to show Bell, their execs, politicians and the public that the company cannot hide, duck and run for cover.

We invite Bell locals in Ontario and Quebec who are within driving distance to join us. More details will be provided in the coming days.

In solidarity,

Lana Payne
National President

Len Poirier
National Secretary-Treasurer

Daniel Cloutier
Quebec Director

 Bell graphic shame on Bell a montage of people's profiles

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Unifor celebrates advancement towards universal pharmacare

A group of people stand in front of Parliament Hill holding signs calling for pharmacare

February 29, 2024

 

OTTAWA – Unifor welcomes the federal government’s tabling of new pharmacare legislation that lays the groundwork towards the realization of a universal pharmacare program in Canada.

“Today’s historic victory is important for many reasons and especially during these challenging

economic times. Too many Canadians fall through the cracks and are not getting the medicine they need,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We expect governments to step up and work actively to improve the lives of people, and this deal does just that – by expanding Canada’s universal public health care system.”

The Liberal/NDP pharmacare plan will cover specific contraception and diabetes prescription drugs and related medical equipment.

Unifor calls on federal and provincial governments to put politics aside and for the provinces of Alberta and Quebec to commit to dedicating any federal funds received towards pharmacare.

“This first step towards universal pharmacare will make a real difference in the lives of working people and their families,” said Payne. “We can’t forget that an expanded public health care will also contribute to Canada’s economic competitive advantage. We see the benefits of that routinely at the bargaining table.”

Since the Liberal Party’s 2019 campaign promise to establish pharmacare, there has been a significant journey toward its realization.

“This win was carved out through the tireless work of activists, coalition partners, labour unions and working people across the country. By championing a universal pharmacare plan, we are not just closing the gap in care but also ensuring that access to health care is a right for all Canadians,” said Payne.

Unifor has been advocating for a universal pharmacare plan through its Pharmacare Now campaign where thousands of Unifor members signed petitions demanding universal pharmacare . The union has also continuously met with members of parliament and sent a letter to the Prime Minister demanding he keep his promise to universal pharmacare. The union worked closely with the Canadian Health Coalition and its partners to pressure the federal government to deliver on its promise.

Unifor members have been actively engaged in the union’s Reproductive Justice Now campaign to protect and expand access to sexual and reproductive health care.

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GreenShield Canada workers go on strike

 

WINDSOR – The over 600 members of Unifor who work at GreenShield Canada’s Windsor and Toronto offices went on strike just after midnight on March 1.

“It is extremely disappointing that a deal could not be reached,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.

“Our bargaining committee worked hard to get there, but it takes two to tango. We expect the employer to come to the bargaining table with the goal of actually getting an agreement that our members can support.”

Members from Unifor Locals 240 in Windsor and 673 in Toronto hit the picket line after the company refused to offer a fair wage increase and to address the key issue of job security and contracting out.

The locals say the strike will affect plan members, as there was already a staff shortage.

“The main concerns are job security and contracting out language. Our bargaining committee worked hard to get to an agreement, but the employer simply would not provide assurances that our members’ work would not be taken away,” says Unifor Local 240 President Jodi Nesbitt.

Over the past three years, the company has eroded the locals’ bargaining unit work, provided no growth or commitment to our members, and has outsourced bargaining unit work.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Unifor Local 673 President Maryellen McIlmoyle. “GreenShield purchased a lot of entities over the years, and we just want to ensure job security isn’t being outsourced. This is the first time in 65 years in GreenShield’s existence there has been a strike.”

The affected members are adjudicators, call centre representatives, work in accounting, client administration and provide IT services.

There are over 580 union members in Windsor and 24 union members at Local 673 in Toronto.

The union and the company have been negotiating a new collective agreement since Jan. 15. The last contract expired on Feb. 29, 2024.

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Rogers, Bell and Telus CEOs summoned by MPs to testify

Source:https://globalnews.ca/news/10326336/mps-summon-bell-rogers-telus-ceos-committee/

By Staff –  The Canadian Press
Posted February 29, 2024 12:31 pm
1 min read
MPs have voted unanimously to summon the chief executives of Canada’s three largest telecommunications companies to testify at a federal committee as it studies the accessibility and affordability of wireless and broadband services.
Click the source link for full article

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Vice, Bell Media, CBC: Here’s a look at recent media layoffs in Canada

Source: https://www.thestar.com/business

After massive job cuts at Bell Media and CBC, Vice Media announced last week that it would also be laying off hundreds of its employees, joining other media companies in the U.S. that have recently announced cuts.

By Mark ColleyStaff Reporter
3 min to read
Article was updated
After layoffs at Bell and CBC, Vice Media announced last week that it would also be laying off hundreds of its employees. (From top to bottom: Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press, Eric Thayer/Getty Images, Nick Lachance/Toronto Star) Compilation

It’s been a tumultuous year for journalism in Canada and the U.S.

After massive layoffs at Bell and CBC, Vice Media announced last week that it would also be laying off hundreds of its employees, joining other media companies in the U.S. that have recently cut jobs, including the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post.

Here’s a look at recent media layoffs that impact Canadians.

Read the full article click the source link at the top