By Scott Price In the early nineties, two TV stations (CKY\CKND) in Winnipeg, Manitoba locked out their workers. Both of these lockouts would start lengthy disputes – rare for the Canadian broadcasting industry. The two lockouts demonstrate that while workers in the Canadian broadcasting industry face similar issues as workers in other industries (wages, benefits, Continue reading“Machines can do a better job than you and this is what you get for asking questions”
Unifor
By Wael Afifi, Unifor Local 2025 Vice-President, Human Rights and Senior Analyst at the Public Service Alliance of Canada With more than 310,000 members, Unifor isn’t just Canada’s largest private sector union, but it is also one of 15 bargaining agents that represent federal employees in their negotiations with the Treasury Board. Air traffic controllers, Continue readingWhen Trudeau shows up at the workers’ convention
By Denise Leduc, Rankandfile.ca writer For three months, Colonialism No More activists in Treaty Four territory have maintained a solidarity camp outside the Regina offices of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). In fact Tuesday marked 100 days of protest outside of INAC. The camp setup in April as one of a handful of occupations Continue readingIn solidarity with Colonialism No More: A place for labour in anti-colonial struggles
By a GM Oshawa assembly line worker On Friday, June 10th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a celebratory visit to Oshawa, Ontario for the announcement of 1,000 new Canadian engineering jobs– an announcement that drew both praise and ire from the production workers of General Motors’ car and feeder plants, who find themselves in a Continue readingGM holds Oshawa hostage after bailout & concessions
by Brad Walchuk CUPE Local 1281 member Upwards of 100 workers and community allies gathered in Hamilton, Ontario on February 29, 2016 for a rally in support of the roughly 170 unionized workers (Unifor Local M-1 Hamilton) at “CH”, a local Hamilton television station, who were terminated without cause in mid-December 2015 as part of Continue readingCancelled: How a local TV station destroyed a union
What is prolonging Ottawa’s airport taxi dispute? by Joel Harden CUPE Local 4600 Chief Steward and delegate to the Ottawa & District Labour Council If you believe the mainstream media, Ottawa’s airport is under siege by a an unruly mob of tax drivers since the lockout began on August 11. For the most shrill commentators, Continue readingOttawa’s ‘Unruly’ Cabbies: Explaining the Lockout
By Tania Parker Talks between Unifor Local 1688 and Coventry Connections broke down as of 11pm on Monday, Aug. 31, with Coventry refusing to budge on the new per-ride fee structure. While last Wednesday’s meeting with Ottawa mayor Jim Watson was successful in bringing Ottawa’s airport taxi drivers’ union and Coventry Connections, the city’s largest Continue readingToken Table Talk: Negotiations begin and end abruptly with Coventry Connections
By Chad Stroud, President of Unifor Local 2182, representing coast guard communication officers. Canada has the longest coastline on the planet. It is a sensitive — and often unique — collection of ecological zones that provide a living for commercial fishers, tourism operators and First Nations. The Canadian Coast Guard is our first line of Continue readingMarine safety thrown overboard by Tories
By Andrew Stevens In the waning months of 2014, Air Canada’s pilots signed an historic 10 year agreement. The settlement included wage increases of more than 20 percent over the life of the contract along with and a profit-sharing formula, among other benefits. Both Air Canada and the Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) saw this Continue readingAdvances for Air Canada workers or an opportunity lost?
by Gerard Di Trolio The April 15 announcement that production of the top selling Toyota Corolla would no longer be built in Canada has reignited the union drive at Toyota’s assembly plants in Cambridge and Woodstock, Ontario. The current drive was launched in late 2013, and began to cool down late last year. However it Continue readingToyota organizing drive renewed as Corolla production stops
by Doug Nesbitt With management and scabs crossing a picket line limited by a court injunction, the 34 striking workers of SGS Canada in Sarnia are facing a tough battle. “There should definitely be some sort of legislation or some kind of criteria where you can’t just fill all our jobs in a couple weeks, Continue readingScabs & Injunctions: Solidarity needed in Sarnia strike
On February 25, 2015, Bill S-221 became law after unanimous all-party support in the House of Commons. The bill is designed to allow judges to issue stronger sentences when transit operators are assaulted. The new law covers drivers of public and school buses, trains, subways, streetcars, taxis and ferries. At least two thousand assaults against Continue readingWeekend Video: Ending violence against transit workers