For Unifor, Black History Month isn’t an event we only acknowledge in February.
This year, Canada recognizes Black History Month as February and Forever: Celebrating Black History Today and Every Day.
The Canadian government first recognized Black History Month in December 1995 in the House of Commons, following a motion introduced by the Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine.
Unifor has long been advocating that it is vital to acknowledge and recognize Black members everyday.
As a union, we featured Black members from locals for the past few years and allowed the different regions to see the remarkable leadership within our union.
We are committed to more than statements and more than a month of solidarity. We know that Black Canadians have made tremendous contributions and possess the skills, talents, intelligence, innovation and determination to have meaningful impacts within Unifor, across Canada and throughout the world.
It is our daily choices and actions that matter.
This month, we ask our local unions and workplace union representatives to celebrate Black Unifor members and safely support community events.
We also ask them to recognize Black Unifor members, not only in February, but each day of the year, in order to combat anti-Black racism and to continue to remove barriers in institutions that prevent Black members from fully participating.
We need to ensure physical and emotional health for all Black Canadians and continue to celebrate, appreciate and acknowledge Black communities across the country.
Information about Black History Month events can be found here.
***
More than 230 Unifor members in Pictou, Nova Scotia lost their jobs in January 2020 after the Northern Pulp mill was forced to close.
Their pensions, their jobs and as many as 11,000 forestry and related jobs across the province hang in the balance as the company prepares plans for a modernized mill.
Support Nova Scotia forestry workers
We have demanded Northern Pulp and parent company Paper Excellence honour Unifor Local 440 members’ pensions and submit plans to government and to community stakeholders that meet government standards.
What remains a challenge is identifying the standards Nova Scotia’s Department of Environment (NSE) will accept.
Unifor supported the previous Environmental Assessment document submitted by the company to the government, because the stated impacts were well within federal Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations (PPER) and existing Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS). Indeed, it would have been a solid improvement on the previous mill, which also met those federal standards.
In December 2021, Nova Scotia Environment released its revised Draft Terms of Reference (DTOR), which is supposed to serve as a framework to guide Northern Pulp’s creation of an Environmental Assessment for the updated mill project. (The Draft Terms of Reference can be found here on the Nova Scotia government website).
Unifor continues to believe in a solution that will maintain thousands of good, rural forestry jobs, protect the environment, and respect Pictou Landing First Nation.
Read the letter below and submit to Nova Scotia Environment to support Unifor members and workers in the broader forestry sector.
Support Nova Scotia forestry workers
To recognize the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women next month, Unifor is launching a new poster to commemorate the day on December 6, 2021.
The downloadable and printable posters will feature male leadership, including National President Jerry Dias, encouraging other men to speak up about men’s violence against women with a list of ways they can advocate for it.
“The challenge of violence against women isn’t women – it’s men. By naming the source of the violence, we can focus more clearly on the root cause of the problem and finding solutions,” said Dias.
November 25, 2021 – the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – starts a global campaign of 16 Days of Activism. Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women occurs during this campaign, on December 6.
Read Unifor’s statement for December 6 here and signup for the union’s online vigil at 7 p.m. ET. that evening.
“There has been a sharp rise in gender-based violence during the pandemic, a trend which the United Nations has referred to as a ‘shadow pandemic,’” said Dias.
“Research shows that times of crisis, confinement at home, financial stress and economic and natural disasters trigger higher levels of domestic violence.”
“It’s why we must use our collective power to bargain pay equity, employment equity because economic security is key to preventing gender-based violence,” said Unifor Secretary-Treasurer Lana Payne.
“Decent work with decent wages and working conditions, anti-harassment policies and processes, domestic violence leave and family leaves are all part of prevention of gender-based violence because it gives women and gender diverse people options and decreases isolation.”
Lockdowns during COVID-19 meant many people became locked down with their abuser without access to their normal supports. Most recently, a Kentucky girl was rescued in a kidnapping after using a hand gesture – created as a way for women in domestic violence situations to signal for help over video – she had seen on TikTok to a driver in a passing vehicle who called 911.
According to statistics, women face violence predominantly at the hands of men, most often their male intimate partners or family members. Domestic violence can carry over into the workplace, threatening women’s ability to maintain economic independence.
Domestic violence leave, now in law across Canada, can eliminate the need to choose between a job and safety.
Unifor is pushing the federal government to adopt a National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and advocating for the ratification of the International Labour Organization Convention 190 to eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work. The union is also encouraging all locals to negotiate the Unifor Women’s Advocate program.
But speaking out against violence against women and gender-based violence isn’t simply contained to 16 days of action. People can take steps to make change year-round.
“You can address gender-based violence by starting with small acts that disrupt the patriarchy that’s at the core – the sexist jokes, harassment, and objectification,” said Unifor Women’s Department Director Lisa Kelly.
“It’s powerful when men can engage other men in examining negative masculine norms. Trade union men also have opportunities to significantly improve economic security. This is a key component of safety for women and gender diverse people.”
Events on December 6 will be held in communities across the country. Locals are encouraged to hold their own events or join with community events where safe.
If you are experiencing gender-based violence, please contact your local crisis line.
Every year, Unifor marks the World Day for Decent Work on October 7.
As a trade union, we believe that good jobs, fair wages, and improving the many conditions in which people go to work each day is the way to achieve a better world for everyone.
Amidst the challenges and difficulties of working and living through the ongoing pandemic, Unifor’s young workers take this opportunity to remind all Unifor members that our collective future is worth the fight!
Even before the pandemic, the climate crisis was looming and income inequality had reached critical levels. The pandemic exposed our world’s biggest inequalities, and made everything so much more challenging for everyone, including young workers’ and their prospects for the future.
This time last year, our union was calling to support essential rights for essential workers. Throughout the pandemic, many young workers got laid-off. Some did not get their jobs back. Many young workers were looking after their young children while schools were closed. Today, some are still worried about the risks of exposure to the virus in schools across the country. Young workers did their best – just like all workers – to navigate a crisis and to come out of it safely. Some did not.
Young workers today are seriously worried that the world they are inheriting from previous generations is in far worse shape than the one their parents lived through.
Through this pandemic, young workers have come to better understand that safe workplaces, barrier-free access to good, green jobs, and well-funded public services are essential to a better and brighter future.
Today, on the World Day for Decent Work, we face a choice: we can live to see the devastating impacts that will inevitably result from today’s crises, or we can pick up the fight and build a better future.
This week, Unifor’s young workers held a series of online events to gather, strategize, and commit to the long-term fight for a better world. Through virtual events and an email conference, they shared stories of activism, exchanged tools and best practices and were intentional about creating space in our union to foster hope.
They invited young artist Hana Shafi to design three images that represent the commitment of young workers to our collective future. Unifor members can download, print and share these images today.
Let’s not let our young workers hope and fight on their own. Today, and every day, let’s remember that our future is worth the fight.
In solidarity,
Jerry Dias
***
Dear members,
Next week on Thursday, September 30, Unifor members across Canada will be commemorating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) to honour the experiences of former students and survivors of the residential school system and to promote awareness about the residential school system and the harm it has had and continues to have on Indigenous communities.
We encourage you to wear orange and join events in your community!
Unifor commissioned Haisla artist Nathan Wilson to create a design for our 2021 t-shirt and event materials. Learn more about the artist and the design and place your order online at uniforstore.com
There is also a new poster for you to print and share around the workplace.
No matter where you are, you can show your solidarity and be an advocate for reconciliation. Wear orange, take a photo, and share online using the hashtags #unifor and #everychildmatters. Send your photos to communications@unifor.org and we’ll add them to the national album.
Thank you for your commitment,
Jerry Dias
Unifor National President
Unifor commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Monday, August 9 and this year’s commemoration focuses on the theme “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract”.
On this day, we honour and recognize the diverse culture, history and achievements of Indigenous Peoples here in Canada and around the world. We call on all governments worldwide and for all Canadians to recognize and respect Indigenous rights wherever Indigenous citizens reside.
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was first established by the United Nations in 1994 to mark the day of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.On this day, people around the world are encouraged to spread the UN’s message on the protection and promotion of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Covid 19 pandemic has laid bare the inequalities affecting Indigenous communities in Canada and around the world. The United Nations has called for plans to build stronger, equity-focused health systems and to strengthen social protections and public services that are based on the genuine inclusion, participation, and approval of Indigenous peoples.
What would a new social contract between citizens and states that secures rights and dignity for all and leave no one behind look like? That addresses the needs of groups that are often left out? The choices made by world leaders must heed the calls create a just and sustainable future that ensures that all people can share in prosperity. We need a new social contract that delivers recovery and resilience.
In the upcoming year, our union will work to pressure the Government of Canada to act on the following:
• Act for truth and reconciliation by fully implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
• Make urgent, systemic changes to protect Indigenous women and girls and two-spirited people. The 231 calls for justice issued two years ago by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and two-spirited (MMIWG2S). The federal government’s recent response to the report was inadequate and more work is needed.
• Demand that all Members of Parliament be a vocal supporter of the 94 Calls to Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (https://www.unifor.org/…/tell-your-mp-implement-94-trc…). They are an urgent call to action for government and organizations to take meaningful action on a many outstanding issues, ranging from protecting language and culture to education to ensuring justice for the victims of residential school violence.
Online Events
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 2021 Virtual Commemoration
August 9, 2021 9 a.m.–11 a.m. EDT
Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/reg…/WN_I_WCWGQbQjC0K4S3U5bOMQ
The 2021 commemoration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples will feature a virtual interactive discussion on the distinct elements to be considered when building and redesigning a new social contract that is inclusive of Indigenous peoples—where Indigenous peoples’ own forms of governance and ways of life must be respected and based on their free, prior and informed consent and genuine and inclusive participation and partnership.
New Video – Drag the Red campaign
Unifor is a key supporter and sponsor of the Winnipeg community-driven campaign to drag the Red River in Manitoba. When the community organizers needed a new vessel to continue their work, Unifor made a donation from the Canadian Community Fund to supply a new purpose-built aluminum boat.
Watch the new video documenting the Drag the Red Boat launch and the history and context of this important project: https://www.facebook.com/UniforCanada/videos/382296819928844/
***
Dear Sisters, Brothers and Friends,
This has been a National Indigenous History Month like no other. The June 24 announcement of the confirmation of the remains of 751 children at the former residential school site on Cowessess territory in Saskatchewan has further amplified the calls for searches at other sites across the country.
Unifor locals are asking what they can do to support grieving members and nearby Indigenous communities.
While there are no easy answers to undoing cultural genocide and intergenerational pain and trauma it causes to this day, Unifor is part of the movement for truth, justice, and reconciliation. Keeping this on the national political agenda is a top priority.
We’re asking Unifor members to translate anger into action:
- Wear orange on Canada Day. Started by residential school survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad in 2013, orange shirts have become a symbol to honour survivors of residential schools.
- Share these 24/7 helplines:
- National Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
- Missing and murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Support Line: 1-844-413-6649
- Hope for Wellness Help Line and Chat: 1-855-242-3310
- Unifor supports the 94 recommendations issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They are an urgent call to action for government and organizations to take meaningful action on a many outstanding issues, ranging from protecting language and culture to education to ensuring justice for the victims of residential school violence. Contact your Member of Parliament and demand they be a vocal supporter of the 94 Calls to Action within their caucus and to government.
- Unifor’s Education Department has a relationship with San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training. This training fosters a climate that recognizes and respects the unique history of Indigenous peoples to provide appropriate care and services in an equitable and safe way, without discrimination. To find out how your local can participate, please contact education@unifor.org
- Donate to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
- Encourage support for local and regional organizations, programs or initiatives to engage in active reconciliation with Indigenous people.
With all your efforts, please amplify Indigenous voices in your community.
Whichever action you take, please share your work with the National Office and on social media so others can follow our example to do their part in reconciliation.
In solidarity,
Jerry Dias
President
Unifor mourns the loss of the 215 children found on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory who perished in the custody of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
The discovery confirms what community survivors have said for decades—hundreds of children went to the school and never returned home. This is true of at least 6,000 Indigenous children who attended residential schools across the country.
The mass grave is a horrific reminder of the scale of the colonial violence that still haunts survivors and their families today.
Canada is far from done reconciling its murderous history of residential schools. Reconciliation is important for being accountable to both Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and all communities and families that are affected.
Unifor supports the call of Indigenous leaders for a nationwide probe of former residential school sites. The federal government must ensure Indigenous communities have the resources to find answers about missing children as outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s “Missing Children’s Project”.
Unifor understands that solidarity is the key to truth and reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Metis people in Canada. Unifor is committed to using its bargaining power, mobilizing power, and political power to bring about transformative change.
What Unifor members can do:
- Unifor supports the 94 recommendations issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They are an urgent call to action for government and organizations to take meaningful action on a many outstanding issues, ranging from protecting language and culture to education to ensuring justice for the victims of residential school violence.
Contact your Member of Parliament and demand they be a vocal supporter of the 94 Calls to Action within their caucus and to government. - Add to Unifor’s $10,000 donation to the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation to build community solidarity and support:
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc
200-330 Chief Alex Thomas Way
Kamloops BC, V2H 1H1
- Add to Unifor’s existing sponsorship of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) “Honouring the Gifts—MKO Youth Cultural Celebration” youth arts festival beginning June 21 (National Indigenous Peoples Day) and carrying through to June 25.
- Donate to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
- Participate in Indigenous History Month, which starts Tuesday. Unifor is coordinating action and activities across the country to fight for truth and reconciliation. Visit org/ihm2021 to find out more.
- Learn more by participating in Unifor’s Turtle Island webinar series. Next session: “Honouring Treaty Rights” Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.
- Encourage support, by those who are able to, for local and regional organizations, programs or initiatives to engage in active reconciliation with Indigenous people.
- With all of your efforts, please amplify Indigenous voices in your community.
Whichever action you take, please share your work with the National Office and on social media so others can follow our example to do their part in reconciliation.
View the statement on our website here.
Jerry Dias
National President
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 from 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.
Email pride@unifor.org with information about Local Union events, to have your events added to a Pride 2021 Calendar.
This year for IDAHOT, Unifor encourages local unions, committees and members to create original digital posts, memes, and videos to counter homophobia and transphobia and to share positive stories from queer and trans members.
Post these stories online to share with your members, and use the hashtag #UniforPride.
***
Asian Heritage Month throughout May is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the rich history of the many diverse Asian-Canadians and their contributions to Canada and the world.
It’s important, especially during COVID-19, we recognize the invaluable contributions of people of Asian descent to Canada’s social, political, economic, scientific, and cultural landscape.
It is also a moment in which we acknowledge the resilience of people of Asian descent in Canadian history.
In 2021, we are observing Asian Heritage Month as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. During that time, we’ve seen anti-Asian hate and racism fueled by the fear of a virus that attacks our bodies. We want to take that sentiment and flip it – “Hate is a virus.”
During this month in a period of crisis, we can remember and learn from the resistance and activism of people of East and South Asian descent.
As Canadians, we need to stand up to hate and stand in solidarity with Asian communities around the world.
That means standing with the farmers who are fighting back against the Indian government who passed three unfair farm Acts of legislation.
We also recognize and demand “paid sick days” as a reliable solution for those impacted by COVID-19, not because of their race, but because many from the communities are essential workers that have been working through this pandemic.
We used our collective voting power to vote out alt-right politicians, fanning the flames of hate to get ahead and our work ahead is to help eradicate racism and the 600% increase in reported anti-Asian hate here in Canada.
Asian Heritage Month, which began in 1993 in Toronto, is widely celebrated across the country.
Unifor recommits our work towards social justice and human rights to ensure that we can celebrate Asian heritage while combating the hate in society to ensure all people are treated with dignity, respect and solidarity.
Hate is a Virus that will not win.
Unifor will be showcasing a number of Asian and South-Asian voices throughout the month of May on social media. To take action, download our Asian Heritage Month virtual background and use this Facebook frame on social media to show that #HateisaVirus.
Download the virtual background here.
Download the Facebook frame here.
View the statement on our website here.
***
On April 22 we celebrate Earth Day.
This year, we mark Earth Day in a context where the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create an unfair burden on working people all over the world. As a trade union, we know all too well that the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the lives, livelihoods and well-being of working people in Canada and abroad. Similarly, the climate crisis, and our society’s failure to plan for it, will result in a disproportionate weight on working people, especially racialized communities and their families.
This is a day to reflect on the importance of our environment and the clear connection that it shares in the lifelong health of all of us and our families. As well, we recognize with solemn consideration how social activism, humanity and overall concern for a safe environment will ensure our victory over the threat of COVID-19 virus and all other global health challenges to the human race.
We are well aware of our need to build back a green economy and have recognized this in our Unifor Build Back Better campaign.
We are committed to making existing jobs more environmentally sustainable, while simultaneously advocating to create more decent-paying, full-time, safe and healthy green jobs in all sectors of society.
Our recent success in auto bargaining bringing billions of dollars of manufacturing investment to Canada for electric vehicles is proof of our commitment.
Our members demand that we protect their jobs and incomes. At the same time, our members also demand that we work hard to improve the environment. Both demands are reasonable ones and we understand we cannot accomplish this alone.
Therefore we have joined with other labour unions and climate justice organizations in Canada, the United States and Mexico working together to make a green economy reality.
The North American Solidarity Project is a joint effort to transform the labour movement in North America based on democratic, militant, and social unionism, and true internationalism between workers in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The North American Solidarity Project is inviting union members, activists and allies to attend an online exchange called COVID-19 to climate, workers respond to crisis.
The online exchange will take place on Thursday, April 22 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Zoom. Advance registration is required.
The panel will aim to define crisis as experienced by working people today. The panel will seek to envision what labour climate action looks like now and for future generations.
Register here
March 31, 2021
Unifor recognizes and invites all members to celebrate the International Transgender Day of Visibility tomorrow, March 31. This annual day celebrates the value and resilience of transgender people both within the union and around the world.
Trans people are those who identify with a gender other than the one assigned at birth, and exist within all countries, communities and religious groups around the world. This identity is separate from an individual’s sexual orientation.
More than a year into the pandemic, as we turn our attention to recovery, Unifor encourages members and locals to centre trans people in your advocacy. It is well established that workers in already precarious and part time jobs faced instability and financial loss during this pandemic.
A recent Trans PULSE Report found that fewer than 50% of transgender people in Canada are employed full-time.
COVID-19 has interrupted and overloaded our health care systems. The same study, which included survey data from 2019, also found that 45% of respondents reported unmet health care needs and 12% had avoided going to the emergency room, despite needing care.
As we consider both the immediate and long-term affects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Unifor asks members to fight for trans and non-binary workers so that workplaces, health care and other essential services celebrate and welcome trans people.
As we advocate for governments to #BuildBackBetter, trans people must be centred in future fiscal stimulus, job creation and public services must work for everyone, including trans people in Canada.
Unifor wishes to honour trans and non-binary members, who continue to help build our union and strengthen our movement. Through their contributions and labour our union and society is made better, more educated and compassionate.
Unifor asks members to share a message of support and solidarity on the Trans Day of Visibility.
Click here to download shareable
View the statement on our website here.
***
Dear members,
Every March 22 Unifor enthusiastically participates in the United Nations’ World Water Day. In recent years, we have joined the nationwide mobilization to fight for safe drinking water in Indigenous communities.
March 2021 marks an important milestone in our campaign. It was this month that the Trudeau government set as its self-imposed deadline for resolving undrinkable water in Indigenous communities.
Despite this explicit election promise, 57 Indigenous communities remain under a water boil advisory.
This upcoming World Water Day, please join other Unifor member in the U.N. campaign to “Value Water”.
- Participate in Unifor’s webinar on World Water Day (Register here)
- Add this Facebook frame to your profile photo.
- Share this graphic in your social media networks.
- Write Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and demand he fulfil his election promise to Indigenous communities.
Thank you for taking action and please share this email with your friends and family.
In solidarity
Jerry Dias
National President
**
Members,
COVID-19 has brought systemic shortages in Ontario’s healthcare and long-term care systems to the forefront with tragic consequences. Unifor has joined CUPE and SEIU Healthcare in the ‘Respect Us. Protect Us. Pay Us.’ campaign on behalf of the unions’ 175,000 frontline healthcare workers.
Our COVID heroes need your help.
Workers from all sectors are asked to support the thousands of Unifor healthcare and long-term care members by joining the ‘Respect Us. Protect Us. Pay Us.’ action to call for the provincial government to properly fund healthcare to provide decent jobs and improved care for Ontarians.
Please join me at this pandemic-safe action, which will take place a day ahead of the release of the Ontario budget. Make your concerns, and horn, heard at a drive-by action at Queen’s Park on Tuesday, March 23.
March 23 – Drive-by ‘Respect Us. Protect Us. Pay Us.’ action at Queen’s Park
REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE
10:30 a.m. Participants are asked to assemble with their vehicles at Convocation Hall, University of Toronto 31 King’s College Circle. View Google Maps here.
Drive-by action will then circle Queen’s Park. All in attendance will be required to observe COVID-19 safety measures. Please stay in your vehicles upon arrival and wait for instructions.
You can also show your support for healthcare and long-term care workers online using the #RespectProtectPay and #carenotprofits hashtags.
In solidarity,
Naureen Rizvi
Ontario Regional Director
Dear members,
United Nations World Water Day falls on March 22 every year. World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the people around the globe living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis.
Unifor is proud to host a webinar about the state of safe water in Indigenous communities across the county. Join this powerful discussion hosted by Gina Smoke, Unifor Indigenous Liaison with Pam Palmater, Mi’kmaq lawyer, Ryerson Professor and activist.
Learn about actions that Unifor members can take to push the federal government to live up to its Treaty obligations and ensure that all Indigenous communities have clean, safe water.
March 22, 2021 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m. EST
This workshop will be hosted online through Cisco WebEx. Participants will be emailed information on how to join. You must RSVP online.
In solidarity,
Jerry Dias
National President
**
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21st – marred in history when police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in 1960.
Unifor recognizes we must not repeat history and it has been very evident this year, we must be a part of the change needed to redefine public safety and divest from institutions that perpetuate racism and are still taking the lives of Black, Indigenous and people of colour.
This year, Unifor’s message is “Together for Racial Justice.” We understand that we must use our collective power to make change. It is about engaging the communities, trade unions, employers, workplaces and organizations to work together for meaningful lasting change.
#Together4RacialJustice aims to make real meaningful change in cultures that exist in workplaces and a society that devalue any person solely based on the colour of their skin. We often hear the word tolerance. Tolerance has absolutely nothing to do with racial justice, but everything to do with one’s attitude. It is not making the real changes need to end racism, more like ignoring the real issues and claiming to be not racist vs acting in a way that is anti-racist. It is vital that trade unions do not ignore the place in history we are in.
As the Covid-19 virus began to spread in early 2020, a parallel pandemic was unleashed – of hatred, violence and fear against Black, Indigenous and people of colour. Those who identify or were perceived to identify as Chinese were targeted by hate and wrongly blamed for the pandemic. Stark inequities, rooted in racism, quickly became clear. Black, Indigenous and people of colour and women are significantly at higher risk of infection and death.
Unifor is proud to join other unions across North America in a cross-border, multilingual webinar on the fight for racial justice as we near the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
On March 20, activists will come together to redefine public safety, to advance the interest of Black, Indigenous and people of colour in our society, workplaces and union. We will continue to work together to eliminate racism.
Unifor is encouraging members and activists to register and participate in the Together for Racial Justice Webinar on Zoom at 3 p.m. eastern time on March 20, 2021. This will allow us to have moments of reflection and recommit to being Anti-racist using Unifor’s six steps to support racial justice.
Unifor will continue in our quest for equity, equality and anti-discrimination and we call on each and every one of us to stand up against all forms of racism. On social media we will show our recommitment to ending all forms of racial discrimination by using the Unifor frame “Together for Racial Justice.”
View the statement on our website here.
***
Dear members,
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the COVID travel ban. While Unifor supports the measures undertaken to flatten the curve and keep Canadians safe, the travel ban has had a devastating affect on the aviation industry and its workers.
Instead of following the lead of governments around the world with strategic investments supporting the industry, the Trudeau government has been silent. Federal inaction jeopardizes the entire industry and threatens good jobs for tens of thousands of aviation workers.
It is impossible to imagine a safe economic recovery from COVID-19 without a thriving aviation industry. Unifor published a detailed policy paper outlining science-based proposals to get the industry back on its feet and aviation workers safely back to work.
Here’s what you can do to support Canada’s aviation workers:
- Tune into a news conference tomorrow at 11 a.m. Eastern on Unifor Canada’s Facebook page
- Send a message to the federal government demanding action to bolster our aviation industry.
- Show support by adding a frame to your Facebook profile picture here.
- Share this image on your website and social media.
In solidarity,
Jerry Dias
National President
***
To Unifor Locals,
We recognize that everyone has a role to play to eliminate racial discrimination from our workplaces, our communities, and from our world. As a union, we have been working hard to bring about systemic changes that advance the interest of Black, Indigenous and workers of colour represented by Unifor.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we, as part of the North American Solidarity Project, invite you to participate in an upcoming anti-racism round table event https://www.unifor.org/…/event/together-racial-justice on Saturday, March 20th, 2021 at 3:00 pm EST. This session will have the participation of the Union leadership and some key employers doing some progressive work around racial justice. We have also confirmed that Dr. Linda Rae Murray, a respected, tireless activist and advocate, who has been a voice for social justice, anti-racism and health for more than 40 years, will be moderating this event.
Together, with Dr. Murray’s guidance, we will be answering important questions, such as “what are we doing for racial justice?” and “what can we be doing better for racial justice?” The comments from this session will help to build a series of toolkits.
The intention is to come together again in 2022 to evaluate our progress. This round-table will take place in the context of a special federal fund from Heritage Canada to help organizations build an Anti-Racism Action Program, which Unifor has recently secured. These funds will be used over the next 15 months to support a series of activities and initiatives that we have developed to support racial justice across the Union, in our regions, in our local unions, and in a number of communities.
We request that you confirm your participation by filling out the registration form here: https://unifor.zoom.us/…/regi…/WN_y72ZJ9n8SgqzbCyIUIbQ5Q.
We look forward to having you at the table and to having collaborative, productive discussions with you in the near future. This is just the start of the work ahead.
In solidarity,
Christine Maclin
Director, Human Rights Department
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This column originally appeared in the Globe and Mail
The pandemic has demolished many conventional wisdoms when it comes to our economy, equality and work – especially essential work, so much of which is done by women.
Where would we be without the labour of women this past year? And yet as critical as that labour has been to the well-being of the country, we are still fighting for respect and fair pay.
Paid sick days have become the tip of the iceberg for much broader calls to improve employment standards and labour rights across the country. The base of the iceberg is the fight for fair wages and decent work for all. It’s why union women struggle to raise the minimum wage, campaign for the universal right to unionize and demand the right to identify and refuse unsafe work. In Canada, a handful of CEOs declare record profits year after year while the floor for minimum workplace standards is vanishing beneath our feet.
Just as we have seen throughout history, the current crisis weighs heavily on women, as well as non-binary and gender diverse people. Even more so on racialized women. Our workplaces are battlegrounds because bosses take more and more money for themselves while women have to fight for fair wages and access to adequate personal protective equipment. After decades of advocacy, we still do not have a meaningful and accessible system of childcare in this country and the gender pay gap continues to undermine women’s experience of work. All of this has been made far worse through this pandemic.
So when Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, appears to be at his wit’s end because people keep asking about paid sick days, let me share an ounce of truth: we’re not about to stop demanding or organizing.
Frankly, too many politicians have let ideology get in the way of a proper pandemic response. – one that puts people and workers first.
They have allowed the entire weight of a pandemic to fall onto the shoulders of women. Women are working harder than ever on the front line, and yet more than 20% of women are underemployed, evidence of the systemic barriers in our job market. More women than men have lost their jobs amid the crisis, dropping our labour market participation by a full percentage point.
We’re going backwards.
Union women have been fighting for workplace justice for decades. The very roots of International Women’s Day we celebrate on March 8 stem from the fight for fair pay, safe work and the right to a union for all.
More than 100 years after the first celebration of women’s achievements and potential, workplace struggles are just as important. Any personal support worker knows just how tragic and challenging this past year has been.
So while certain politicians will be remembered for having stood in the way of workers, women and everyone who hold up our communities in good and bad times, there are still a few things they don’t know.
One day we will have mandatory paid sick days in every province in Canada and employers will pay for them.
One day, employers will no longer be able to outsource their responsibilities to temporary agencies, scraping every dollar of profit they can from working class communities, leaving workers vulnerable to weakened workplace rights and permanently low wages.
One day in this country, we will usher in a universal pharmacare program that will drastically lower drug costs for average Canadians and secure the next building block of Canada’s public health care system.
Women, women’s democratic movements and workers’ organizations see the connections between decent work, affordable housing, racial justice, access to education, public health care and childcare, and the all-important safety net that lifts everyone up.
Women have been fighting for these things for a long time and we are not about to give up now.
While politicians come and go, the sisterhood continues uninterrupted – and so do our demands for gender justice.
And in these times of crisis, politicians can listen and act – or they can step aside.
Lana Payne is Unifor’s National Secretary-Treasurer.
View this column on our website here.
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March 8, 2021
International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate women and women’s achievements and to continue the push for gender justice. It was started by working women to call attention to poor pay and working conditions. It grew to include a call for women’s rightful place in leadership and safety from violence. Today, it is a day to celebrate equality gains and recommit to action and persistence towards full equality for all equity-seeking groups.
When we work collectively, across our diversities, we are a force that makes change.
This year marks nearly one full year under the pandemic. This crisis has shone a light on pre-existing inequality and, in many cases, has widened it: racism, gender-based violence, unpaid care work, inadequate elder support and more. We need to address these inequalities and come out from the pandemic with a new society.
We did not let the pandemic stop us from organizing for a better world, getting elected to bargaining committees and local executives. We continue to fight for racial justice advocates, paid sick days, fair pay, pharmacare, better long term care and child care, against gender-based violence and much more.
This year we will celebrate the women of our union and the work they do every day to push back and make a difference.
View statement on our website here.
In solidarity,
Jerry Dias Lana Payne
National President National Secretary-Treasurer
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