As the union dedicated to advancing equity in every workplace, we can be proud of the considerable importance that Unifor places on bargaining equity gains, investments made in advancing women’s representation at every level of our union, and supports the union provides for women to take leadership roles in their workplaces, in politics, and within their communities.

The United Nations theme for IWD 2024 is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress” – a call to corporations and governments around the world to address alarming gender inequalities that remain one of the greatest human rights challenges.

Recently, Unifor joined the calls to the Federal Government to end Employment Insurance (EI) gender discrimination for those accessing maternity and parental benefits. Unifor and allies called for the government to eliminate the 50-week limit on combined special benefits and unemployment benefits and extend the reference and benefit period to at least 104 weeks.

This is a simple fix that would end the discrimination against parents – overwhelmingly women – who are being penalized if they suffer job loss within a year of taking their parental leave by having their EI maternity or parental benefits not contribute towards their qualifying weeks.

The list of projects, programs, education and supports in the workplace that the union drives is growing but we still have more to achieve.

 

Women are drastically under-represented in the Skilled Trades, making up only 5% of those working in the trades, according to Statistics Canada. Unifor works to increase participation in these good-paying jobs through partnerships like the one announced this past January alongside Sheridan, Durham, Fanshawe and St. Clair Colleges in Ontario.

With Unifor’s $300,000 grant to the Women in Red Seal Trades – Advancing the Ecosystem program, support from the Unifor Skilled Trades Council, and $2 million from Employment and Social

Development Canada, the colleges will establish a Women in Trades Network, provide career education and work to increase organizational ability to retain certified women in Skilled Trades.

Canada needs a strong Skilled Trades workforce, and there are millions of capable workers denied these positions, not due to technical abilities, but because of outdated structures and biases.

Investing in women also means an investment of time in political and community advocacy. Women’s voices must be heard at every level as we push for change to these outdated and biased systems and break down barriers for women who also identify as non-binary, and transgender workers, workers of colour, and workers with a disability. When all women are included, we all rise.

Unifor takes concrete steps to ensure this inclusion within ourown structures, from Education programs to help women prepare to participate in collective bargaining, to establishing the National President’s Gender Equity Advisory Group in the auto sector and  creating equity positions on the National Executive Board to ensure all policies and plans are developed and evaluated through an equity lens.

Equal opportunities for equity-seeking workers is a good thing for everyone. When women are fully participating in our union, we are all better for it.

Different perspectives are always needed to solve problems and we need all hands on deck as we face the big challenges of climate change, an affordability crisis, dramatic shifts in the political landscape, and emerging technologies that will change many aspects of our daily lives.

This IWD, we ask all members to reflect on what they are doing in the workplace to advance equity and to invest in women.

• Does your Local have a Women’s Committee? Does your workplace have a Women’s Advocate?
• Are there women on your Local Executive and bargaining committee?
• Does your Local work to ensure equity-seeking members are offered opportunities to attend union education and union councils?

To learn more about how to advance opportunities for women in your workplace, sign up for the Unifor Women’s Department monthly update or connect with the department by email at women@unifor.org.

We invite you to hang IWD posters in your workplaces and union halls to mark March 8 and participate in IWD events in your region – or start your own!

Send photos of your events and of members proudly displaying IWD posters and from your events so we can share with Unifor members across the country.

Our collective support for feminist changemakers in our union and community will make a world of difference.

HALIFAX — Autoport is attempting to strike bust with the use of scabs, some brought in from out of province, who are violating the legal picket line of Unifor Local 100 members who commenced strike action at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

“The planned use of scabs shows Autoport was not serious about reaching a fair agreement. The use of scab labour is proven to lengthen disputes and the company’s actions have only increased the difficulty of obtaining a deal,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “This highlights the need for the federal government to move quickly to pass anti-scab legislation to prevent companies, like Autoport, from trying to bully workers instead of negotiating a fair contract.”

Negotiations between the union and the employer began on September 28, 2023 and were ongoing up until the strike deadline.

“Our priority has always been to secure a fair deal that reflects the value of our members’ work,” said Cory Will, President of Unifor Local 100. “While this was not the outcome we hoped for, our resolve remains strong and we are fully prepared to engage in strike action to uphold the rights and fair treatment of our members.”

The union remains open to resuming negotiations and hopes that Autoport will return to the table with a renewed commitment to finding a viable resolution.

Unifor has long advocated for anti-scab legislation. The use of scabs undermines workers’ collective power, unnecessarily prolongs labour disputes, and removes the essential power that the withdrawal of labour is supposed to give workers to help end a dispute, which is the ability to apply economic pressure. The union urges the federal government to pass Bill C-58 as quickly as possible and to accelerate the implementation of the ban on replacement workers.

Unifor Local 100 represents 239 employees at the Autoport vehicle processing and transshipment hub, situated in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. Operating under CN Rail, Autoport stands as one of the most extensive facilities of its kind in North America, processing and transshipping close to 185,000 vehicles annually.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

Unifor is appalled by the callous decision by Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (BCE)to terminate 4,800 jobs – 9% of its workforce – affecting 800 Unifor members in telecommunications and media, while deliberately putting shareholders ahead of workers with increased dividend payouts.

Bell has slashed news programming, eliminating the jobs of 100 media members at newsrooms across the country. Deep cuts in telco will result in job loss for 700 members, from clerical, to sales, to the boots on the ground, with hundreds more affected by modifications in their hours of work.

And the union is fighting back.

Unifor National President Lana Payne sent a direct message to Bell executives and its board of directors.

“Bell has chosen to put profits over people in the middle of an affordability crisis. Bell, you have now put Unifor squarely on your path. You need to know our members recognize a fight when they see one. And so do I,” said Payne.

Watch Lana Payne’s message to Bell executives

This is the largest mass layoff by the company in 30 years and delivered at a time when the company is on sound financial footing, able to continuously raise dividends year-over-year during the past decade and buy back shares which helps to feather the nests of shareholders and executives.

The fight continued at the House of Commons when Payne fiercely spoke at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage about the grim landscape and “news deserts” inflicting the media sector in Canada.

“Canadian telecommunications and media companies have a responsibility that is bigger than shareholders,” said Payne in her speech. “They have a responsibility to Canadians and to Canada. And to journalism.”

Watch the testimony

The company is also cancelling the noon news broadcasts on all CTV stations, except in Toronto, and its dinner and evening weekend newscasts on all CTV and CTV2 stations, except in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. The loss of local news across Canada is devastating to our country and our democracy.

This follows the elimination of 1,300 media jobs last June by Bell.

While Bell continues to pass the buck, blaming the federal government and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s slow roll to provide financial relief for media companies through The Online News Act (Bill C-18) and updates to the Broadcast Act (Bill C-11), the company still reported a whopping $2.3 billion profit at the end of last year.

In his video message to Bell, Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier expressed the deserved anger felt by those impacted by the job losses towards the company and its executives.

“This is a company with money. On the same day that it announces cuts to 4,800 jobs, including 800 at Unifor, it also announces an increase in the dividend to shareholders,” he said.

“It’s clear that they’re trying to maximize the return to shareholders, but at the same time, maintain the structure with the big salaries at senior management level with big bonuses on the backs of workers, and that’s totally unacceptable. For that alone, we are right to be angry.”

Daniel Cloutier calls Bell.

Unifor is mobilizing ahead of Bell executives being summoned to testify at the House of Commons Heritage Committee in Ottawa in the near future. Further details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Unifor represents 26,000 telecommunications workers, including more than 19,000 members at BCE Inc. and its subsidiaries. The union also represents more than 10,000 media workers, including over 2,100 members at Bell Media.