Unifor Explained

Unifor
Founders:-->
Defunct:-->
Type:Trade union
Headquarters:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Location:Canada
Field:-->
Membership:310,000
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:Lana Payne

Unifor is a Canadian general trade union founded in 2013 as a merger of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions. It consists of 310,000 workers,and associate members in industries including manufacturing, media, aviation, forestry and fishing,[1] making it the largest private sector union in Canada. In January 2018, the union left the Canadian Labour Congress, Canada's national trade union centre, to become independent.[2]

The union elected Jerry Dias, a former union leader at de Havilland's facility in Downsview, as its first president on August 31, 2013.[3] He announced his retirement on March 12, 2022, for health reasons.[4]

Split from the Canadian Labour Congress

On January 16, 2018, the National Executive Board of Unifor decided unanimously to discontinue affiliation with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and become independent. In a notice posted on their website, they stated their reasons for the split were due to CLC and its affiliates lack of action and will in addressing alleged aggressive and undemocratic tactics of US-based unions towards Canadian locals.[5] The CLC accused Unifor of leaving the congress in order to engage in "raiding" (soliciting members of another union) following an announcement that UNITE HERE Local 75 in Toronto would leave UNITE HERE and join Unifor.[6] CAW, one of Unifor's predecessors, had previously been expelled from the CLC in 1998 due to accusations of raiding.

Local 1285

Unifor Local 1285
Location:Ontario, Canada
Members:7,242 (Sept. 2008)
Parent Organization:Unifor
Headquarters:Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Former Name:Canadian Auto Workers Local 1285
Founded:May 12, 1961

Unifor Local 1285 (previously Canadian Auto Workers Local 1285) is a merged local that represents automotive workers in Brampton, Canada. It is the biggest private sector union local in Brampton.[7]

Unifor appeared on the Canadian broadcast of Super Bowl LIII in February 2019 to air an advertisement opposing General Motors' decision to shut the Oshawa Car Assembly factory. Unifor received a letter from General Motors (GM) Canada two days before the game. The letter told Unifor to stop airing the commercial and to discontinue an online advertisement on boycotting Mexican-manufactured GM vehicles, stating that this was an attempt to tarnish GM's reputation along with their own. Despite these requests, the campaign ran as planned, with Unifor intended to continue airing it at subsequent significant events.[8] [9]

Saskatchewan Crown corporations

Most of Saskatchewan's Provincial Crown corporations employ Unifor members.

On September 30, 2019, approximately 5,000 Unifor members from all of the above locals began a work-to-rule campaign after failing to negotiate new contracts with the provincial government. By October 4, the job action had escalated into a strike, as all of those workers walked off the job and began picketing, with the exception of those workers working essential roles such as 911 operators, power outage dispatchers, and natural gas leak responders.[14] [15]

Notes and References

  1. News: ‘Unifor’ will be name of new super union that combines CAW and CEP. May 30, 2013. Toronto Star. May 30, 2013. October 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018143317/http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/05/30/unifor_will_be_name_of_new_super_union_that_combines_caw_and_cep.html. live.
  2. News: Unifor breaks with Canadian Labour Congress. 24 January 2018. CBC. Canadian Press. January 17, 2018. 23 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180123161733/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/unifor-canadian-labour-congress-1.4492169. live.
  3. He politically supports the liberal party of Canada and is a vocal proponent of Justin Trudeau and a staunch critic of opposition leader Andrew sheer "New super-union Unifor’s first president vows to start pushing back if governments, employers don’t heed." . Toronto Star, August 31, 2013.
  4. Web site: Unifor . Unifor National President Jerry Dias retires . 2022-03-13 . www.newswire.ca . en . 2022-03-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313213749/https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/unifor-national-president-jerry-dias-retires-895622310.html . live .
  5. Web site: Notice to Members on Unifor’s Disaffiliation from the Canadian Labour Congress. 2018-01-17. Unifor. 2019-10-03. 2019-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20191230224311/https://www.unifor.org/en/whats-new/news/notice-members-unifors-disaffiliation-canadian-labour-congress. live.
  6. Web site: CLC accuses Unifor of leaving lobby group to raid another union. 2018-01-19. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2019-10-03. 2020-11-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20201109043217/https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/clc-union-unifor-workers-1.4495389. live.
  7. About Unifor. (2017, October 13). Unifor National. https://www.unifor.org/en/about-unifor
  8. Web site: GM trying to 'intimidate' union from airing Super Bowl ad, Unifor says. CBC News. en. 2019-02-03. 2019-02-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20190204102247/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gm-unifor-oshawa-super-bowl-ad-1.5004190. live.
  9. Web site: Unifor airs Super Bowl ad despite GM's cease and desist letter. CBC News. en. 2019-02-07. 2019-02-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20190204102247/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gm-unifor-oshawa-super-bowl-ad-1.5004190. live.
  10. Web site: 1-S. 2017-11-10. Unifor National. en. 2019-10-19. 2019-10-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20191019065444/https://www.unifor.org/en/about-unifor/locals/1-s. live.
  11. Web site: 2-S. 2017-11-10. Unifor National. en. 2019-10-19. 2019-10-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20191019043801/https://www.unifor.org/en/about-unifor/locals/2-s. live.
  12. Web site: 649. 2017-11-10. Unifor National. en. 2019-10-19. 2019-10-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20191019043847/https://www.unifor.org/en/about-unifor/locals/649. live.
  13. Web site: 820. 2017-11-10. Unifor National. en. 2019-10-19. 2019-10-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20191019043804/https://www.unifor.org/en/about-unifor/locals/820. live.
  14. News: Striking Crown workers and their supporters hold rally, march through downtown Regina. Atter. Heidi. October 11, 2019. CBC News. October 18, 2019. October 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191019111055/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/unifor-strike-rally-friday-1.5317641. live.
  15. Web site: Impasse reached, Unifor set to strike against Saskatchewan Crowns. Global News. en. 2019-10-19. 2019-10-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20191019042250/https://globalnews.ca/news/5985674/impasse-unifor-strike-saskatchewan-crowns/. live.

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