Unifor’s Communications Department won seven awards from the Canadian Association of Labour Media on June 10, 2021, including best member mobilization for the #CovidHeroes video series featuring front line workers sharing their experiences during the first wave of the pandemic.

Unifor also won best national campaign, best short video, best photo, best writing in both French and English, and the “Stroke of Genius Award” for the most innovative communications project, setting a new record for the union.

“For Unifor to sweep seven of 23 categories, more than any other union, shows just how hard our team worked this year to be innovative and not let lockdowns and restrictions stop us from connecting with and informing our members,” said Katha Fortier, Assistant to the National President, responsible for the Communications Department. You can watch the entire playlist featuring all 36 #CovidHeroes videos on Unifor’s Facebook page here.

Unifor won the Best Short Video made for broadcast or online distribution category for the mini documentary on “How we saved Oshawa GM”, which follows the union’s three-year historic campaign to bring truck assembly back to Oshawa, Ontario.

A photo taken by National Communications Representative Kathleen O’Keefe at a secondary picket in Ajax Ontario, in support of Dominion workers in N.L. won the Best Photo category.

O’Keefe also won the Ed Finn Award for best writing by staff for her story about Ontario school bus drivers calling for Standardized Safety Protocols.

Unifor shared the top prize in the writing category in French for a story about how Jerry Dias and dozens of Unifor brothers walked in the union’s Hope in High Heels walk and raised a record $137,000 to aid domestic violence victims.

The Dominion/Loblaw Strike Campaign demanding #FairPayForever won best National Campaign.

Unifor’s Communications team also won the coveted Dennis McGann Stroke-of-Genius Award for the most unusual, innovative, novel communications project for our “Stage Ten Virtual Rally for Dominion Workers.” Early on in the pandemic, the department pioneered Stage Ten streaming technology to allow live broadcasts on Facebook from multiple locations with custom on-screen graphics to engage members across the country.

On Labour Day, when Chris MacDonald, Assistant to the National President, and lead Dominion negotiator requested solidarity events at Loblaws across the country, we were able to deliver and bring together actions from five cities to support workers in NL.

“This technology changed the way we build solidarity on many campaigns but especially as we united to fight the billionaire bosses at Loblaw from coast to coast to coast,” said Natalie Clancy, Unifor Communications Director and lead Stage Ten producer at Unifor. You can watch the virtual rally here.

Unifor’s National Secretary – Treasurer Lana Payne received an honourable mention for the best editorial opinion piece for her outstanding OpEd published in the Toronto Star: “How to restore Canada’s Employment Insurance program.”

Unifor-FFAW also received an honourable mention for this video about fish harvesters playing a critical role in science and conservation of the lobster fishery.