Local 252 reaches tentative agreement with Nestlé Canada

Unifor National President Jerry Dias addresses Nestle Toronto workers on May 20, 2021, after Local 252 reached a tentative agreement with the employer the evening before.

May 20, 2021

TORONTO – After nearly three weeks on the picket line, more than 470 workers who went on strike at a Nestlé Canada manufacturing plant in Toronto, have reached a three-year tentative agreement with the chocolate giant.

“Over the term of this agreement, our 80 junior members in the P0 (contract) classification who are currently making $17.30 an hour will be making over $25 an hour by the end of this agreement and they will be made permanent,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias, during an announcement outside the plant Thursday morning.

Unifor Local 252 workers, who manufacture Kit Kat, Aero, Coffee Crisp and Smarties, have been on strike since just after midnight May 1, fighting for full-time status for its contract employees and improved pension benefits.

“If you’re at a P0 classification, from the date of hire and at the end of three years, you will be at the top rate. This is what solidarity is all about it. Today is an incredible day,” added Dias.

The company also agreed to give a $1 increase contribution into the defined benefit pension plan each year over the three-year agreement.

Among the other gains are wage increases, the consolidation of jobs and many benefit improvements, including eyeglasses and dental increases.

“This means security for workers going forward,” said Eamonn Clarke, the President of Local 252.

Clarke said the tentative deal was reached around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night. On the picket line this morning, he thanked Dias for intervening to expedite the bargaining process for Local 252 members.

“Our members now know the company’s investing in them, which means they’re investing in the plant and investing in everybody’s future. The community came out and supported them,” said Clarke.

The tentative agreement will be voted on over the next two days

Union coalition representing majority of Chartwell workers calls for ouster of board chair Mike Harris

May 19, 2021 – 12:00 AM

The vote against Harris should be part of a broader reform in long-term care

19 May 2021—A coalition of unions, representing a majority of Chartwell’s long-term care (LTC) staff, is calling on shareholders to vote against the company’s Chair of the Board Mike Harris at its annual meeting tomorrow. They hope the withhold vote against Harris will be part of a broader reckoning in the long-term care sector, which was particularly hard-hit by COVID-19 due to long-standing structural problems in the industry.

The unions—UNIFOR, UFCW, SEIU, United Steelworkers, and CUPE—point to Chartwell’s tragically high resident death rates from COVID-19, its implementation of bad practices such as housing multiple residents in one room, and nearly one hundred recent instances of non-compliance with health regulations as evidence of the company’s widespread failures during the pandemic.  Staffing challenges and working conditions are often cited as one of the main causes of poor standards of care in LTC and retirement homes during and prior to the pandemic.

Inspectors from Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care gave notices of failure to meet requirements to 20 of Chartwell’s 23 LTC Ontario homes since the virus hit Canada, including occasions where the company allegedly failed to address abuse, prevent injuries, or contain the spread of COVID-19. At least 393 Chartwell residents have died from the virus.

“Chartwell’s poor performance during the pandemic has exposed long-standing problems in the company’s operations and a breakdown in Chair Harris’s oversight. Shareholders should not reward his failure by allowing him to continue in this post,” said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union—the international umbrella organization for private care sector unions. “The issues at Chartwell exemplify the need for raising the bar across the long-term care industry. We hope investors take a stand here for quality care and quality jobs.”

Last month, UNI coordinated funds with more than US$3.34 trillion in assets under management to engage with long-term care companies to elevate expectations for worker and resident conditions.

In Canada, the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), representing the IBVM Foundation of Canada, is leading the investor effort to remove Harris as the board chair. The group has also filed a proposal asking for greater transparency on workforce practices (Unitholder Proposal No.1), which the union coalition is also supporting.

“The long-term care sector was hit hard during the pandemic, but Chartwell, in particular, is facing material reputational and legal risks due to its inadequate handling of COVID-19,” said Anthony Schein, SHARE’s Director of Shareholder Advocacy. “It’s clear that its operations lack the needed oversight on the board level, and shareholders should have a better understanding of the company’s approach to its workforce.”

In addition to SHARE’s proposal, the unions are asking investors to support a motion by Vancity Investment Management Ltd., on behalf of the IA Clarington Monthly Income SRI Class fund, asking the company to study a living wage for its employees. Often women and migrant workers, long-term care workers are among the worst paid workers in the formal economy. Instead of sustainable pay, Chartwell set up frontline care worker fund for its employees’ “urgent financial needs.” About 450 workers accessed this support in 2020.

Further commentary from supporting unions:

Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.

“Ontario’s Mike Harris has a proven track record in failure. He’s failed Ontarians and now continues to fail seniors, who have already been hard-hit in nursing and retirement homes during COVID-19, as Chartwell Board Chair. He’s getting an inflated annual salary of $237,000 to perform part-time work while most front-line workers in his employ do not earn a living wage. He was never fit for the Premier’s seat and he’s definitely not fit for this role.”

Sharleen Stewart, President of SEIU Healthcare

“Mike Harris was the architect of a health care privatization agenda that put shareholder profits before senior care. The failed system he built is now feared by aging baby boomers who dread when they themselves might enter the four walls of a private nursing home. Canadians, and Ontarians in particular, know that when Mike Harris is involved, the inevitable pursuit of profits via cuts result in dangerous outcomes. After so much death and suffering during the pandemic, putting profits before senior care and worker well-being should come with accountability, which can start with the elimination of Mike Harris as chair of Chartwell. By firing Mike Harris, the controlling interests of Chartwell have a chance to show that lives matter.”

Marty Warren, Director of District 6, United Steelworkers

“Like many workplaces in other sectors, long-term care is a high-risk industry. We are calling on Chartwell investors to treat it like one. Hundreds of residents have died, and an untold number of workers have gotten sick at the company’s facilities. There must be transparency and accountability.”

Candace Rennick, Secretary Treasurer of CUPE Ontario

“Harris chairing Chartwell highlights the incestuous relationship between the leadership of the Conservative party and the for-profit long-term care industry. Chartwell’s high resident death rate, coupled with profit taking and executive bonuses are truly shameful. We urge Chartwell’s shareholders to hold the Chair of its board accountable for its terrible performance during Covid-19”

Shawn Haggerty, President UFCW Local 175

“Our members struggle daily with in high-risk, high-workload, and low-paying jobs at Chartwell long-term care and retirement homes. The board has given itself millions in bonuses, while maintaining a broken system of eldercare with under staffing, part-time and low wage jobs. If the board will not hold the company accountable, shareholders must.  They can begin by voting to remove Mike Harris as Chairman of the Board.”

Chartwell, an unincorporated, open-ended real estate trust, is Canada’s largest operator in the seniors living sector.

Based in Nyon, Switzerland, UNI Global Union represents 20 million skills and services workers in 150 countries—including 2 million in care.

Unifor condemns attacks on Gaza

Unifor unequivocally condemns the atrocities committed on the people of Gaza by the Israeli bombardments that have escalated over the past week.

These deadly assaults have targeted residential buildings and refugee camps, a medical clinic, and international media offices. The death toll, including large numbers of children, climbs daily with thousands injured and homeless.  The utterly disproportionate and indiscriminate military actions on Gaza must be viewed as crimes against humanity.

The latest escalation stems from coordinated political acts of aggression, including the evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the Israeli security forces attack against the Al-Aqsa mosque and the disturbing wave of violence against Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank.

Unifor joins human rights organizations and people who have demonstrated in cities around the world in recent days calling for an immediate end to the military actions in Gaza. In addition, we ask that the Canadian government take the following immediate actions:

  • Denounce the violence against the Palestinian people. Without global political pressure, the occupation, denial of human rights and massive military force against Palestinians will continue.
  • Issue a full weapons ban/embargo on Israel. We should not be supplying arms that Israeli forces are using to commit these human rights atrocities against the Palestinian people.
  • Convince the U.S. to stop stalling and sign the United Nations Security Council statement condemning Israeli violence and calls for a ceasefire.
  • Work with the international community and demand that Israel immediately restore electricity, sanitation and full water access and purification to the people of Gaza. Gaza borders should also be opened to allow for the free flow of medical supplies from international organizations — including COVID-19 vaccines — and those requiring medical interventions.
  • Work with the international community to demand that Israel end all home confiscations, demolitions and construction of illegal settlements.

The military assault on Gaza is the fourth Israeli offensive since 2008. It has shown once again that there can be no lasting and just peace without an end to the occupation of the Palestinian Territories and a political solution based on the respect of universal human rights and democracy.

Human Rights Watch, in its April 2021 report A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution, concluded that Israeli authorities are committing crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.

This renewed intensification of conflict with elements of extreme right-wing racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia also underscores the crucial link between justice for Palestinians, democracy, the right to self-determination and human rights everywhere.

This context was eloquently expressed to us by our partner organization, the MAAN Workers Action Centre, working in East Jerusalem. In the words of Sister Roni Ben Efrat from correspondence to Unifor May 14 2021:

“The spark this time was a renewed attempt by Israel to evict Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.”

“Israeli leaders thought they could continue dominating the lives of 5 million rightless Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, restrict their freedom of movement, and doom them to poverty…We don’t have the luxury to stop struggling for reason and justice. We struggle not because we are sure we will win, but because we have no choice.

Unifor stands with the people of Gaza.  We call on Canada to raise its voice and take all necessary diplomatic, political and economic actions to end the military offensive against Gaza, but not merely to return to the unacceptable status quo of the occupation.

We endorse the Statement by MAAN Workers Association of East Jerusalem:

“Stop the War! We call upon all who can exert influence, civilian movements, public figures and others in both Israeli and Palestinian society, to unite behind the call to end the violence and prevent further harm to innocent civilians on both sides. We call for Israelis and Palestinians to cross the borders, visible and invisible, and work together to prevent the extremists on either side from taking over. Together we can help build a just and sane society without discrimination based on religion, nationality, race or gender.”

Statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

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May 17, 2021

Unifor marks the 2021 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT) with solidarity for people of all sexual and gender minorities.

Unifor remains resolved to continue the fight against homophobia and transphobia through social change and the fight for human rights for all.

As we resurface after the pandemic and begin to build a better world, we must do away with the inequalities and oppression that lead to discrimination.

Unifor calls upon governments of all levels to recognise LGBTQ workers in recovery efforts and for the federal government to finally pass legislation to adopt a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’.

Conversation therapy is a dangerous, unfounded practice that often involves minors’ abuse and leads to lifetime trauma. The basic assumption that a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression is something to be altered or corrected, threatens LGBTQ workers’ dignity and well being. This runs against the union’s position on supporting the rights of all workers.

Unifor is opposed to conversion therapy in all forms and supports efforts to put a stop to the practice through municipal, provincial, and federal bans.

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia and Pride will look different this year. Many local unions are organizing online events to unite community after an isolating year.

 

 

Anti-scab legislation now!

Take action…sign the petition here…

Unifor is calling on all elected officials at the provincial, territorial and federal level to enact anti-scab legislation, in accordance with a set of basic principles based, in part, in existing legislation in Quebec, BC, and international jurisdictions.

  • Prohibit employers from using replacement workers for the duration of any legal strike or lockout
  • Include significant financial penalties for employers who defy the legislation
  • Allow limited use of temporary workers, only to undertake essential maintenance work to protect the integrity and safety of the workplace

Click the link above to sign….