The recent wage data provided by Statistics Canada, from their monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS), is encouraging. The data for March 2018 confirms the trend we began to see emerge in late 2017. After stagnating for much of 2016 and 2017, wage growth appears to be finally accelerating. For the sixth month in a row, […]
The following op-ed column, co-authored by USW National Director Ken Neumann and author/academic Steven Bittle, was published by the Ottawa Citizen. April 28 marks the annual Day of Mourning. Across the country and around the world, union members, politicians, workers and their families and loved ones will gather to pay homage to those killed or […]
It seems that every time you open a newspaper or turn on the six o’clock news these days, you’re surrounded by bad news. Whether it’s the chaotic sideshow of American politics or the latest political scandal here at home, it can make you deeply cynical about the state of our world. That’s why it’s even […]
The millennial generation spans two decades, 1981 to 2001. We all grew up with technology. The first wave grew up with personal computers, cell phones and video game systems. The second is known for their tablets, smartphones and apps. We have the edge over our parents and grandparents when it comes to communications, media and […]
As NAFTA renegotiations drag on, Steelworkers and our allies across the continent are dogging the governments of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico with a clear message: if this trade agreement is worth saving, it must serve the interests of working people. An open letter co-authored by leaders of the USW and Los Mineros, Mexico’s mineworkers union, […]
Speak Out. Speak Up. Believe Survivors. The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have revealed just how prevalent and pervasive sexual harassment is. More and more women are bravely coming forward with stories of sexual harassment by men in positions of power. Why do we call these women ‘brave’? Because the least-common response to harassment (of any […]
Health care workers in western Canada are all members of amalgamated locals, which brings a unique set of challenges. Health care is not typically the dominant sector in these locals, and there are not always opportunities for health care workers to connect as a group. This is why meetings like the one that took place […]
Violence seriously impacts women workers’ lives around the globe, with sexual harassment its most reported form. Violence against women is a violation of women’s human rights. It is an obstacle to gender equality. Violence against women at work is a core trade union issue affecting workers’ rights, safety, health and dignity. All forms of violence […]
HOLLYWOOD, FL, Feb. 27, 2018 – Quebec Steelworkers have travelled 2,800 kilometres to Florida to confront Alcoa CEO Roy Harvey for the seven-week lockout of employees at the ABI aluminum smelter that is damaging an entire region’s economy. Locked-out ABI employees from Bécancour, Que., are demonstrating today outside the BMO Global Metals and Mining Conference, where Harvey […]
This Black History Month, the podcast SMOKE & MIRRORS: Uncovering Truths about Human Rights in Canada names critical issues in the state of human rights in Canada and what Canada’s unions can do to address them. Real conversations about race, anti-Black racism, and the realities lived by Black workers are more important now than ever before. […]
Like too many health care workers in Canada and the United States, health care members in District 6 struggle with short staffing, a problem that can quickly escalate into higher rates of workplace violence and patient injuries. Last year, the District 6 Health Care Council decided to put some hard data behind their concerns, creating […]
On January 17, 2018, Unifor announced it was leaving the Canadian Labour Congress. Within hours of that decision, Unifor had started a concerted campaign to raid the members of UNITE HERE Local 75 in Toronto. It subsequently emerged that Unifor hired the former president of Local 75, Lis Pimentel, and a number of staff from […]
Op-ed column by Ken Neumann For more than a decade, against a backdrop of targeted killings, sexual violence, ecological damage and exploited workers, a coalition of civil society groups pressed the federal government to take meaningful action to oversee and investigate the behaviour of Canadian mining companies operating abroad. The unrelenting campaign by the Canadian […]
On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the Bank of Canada announced that it was raising the target for the overnight rate by .25 basis points, from 1.00% to 1.25%. With this adjustment to the overnight rate, the third rate increase in the previous six months, the Bank of Canada seeks to put the brakes on what has […]
Waterloo Region March9amOpen Sesame220 King St. W.Kitchener, ON N2G 1A9 Thunder Bay March10am – 12pmThunder Bay City Hall500 Donald St. E.Thunder Bay, ON P7C 5K4 London March10am – 1pmVictoria Park, NW Corner580 Clarence St.London, ON N6A 3N1 Windsor March11am – 1pmWindsor City Hall350 City Hall Sq. W.Windsor, ON N9A 6S1 North Bay March11amNorth Bay City […]
SASKATOON – The United Steelworkers Potash Locals have concluded two days of successful and productive meetings in Saskatoon, Sask., where local unions came together to discuss a number of issues important to Steelworkers who work in potash mines in the province. USW Locals 189, 7458, 7689, 7656, 7552 and 7916 were joined by District 3 […]
By Marty WarrenOntario and Atlantic Director, United Steelworkers Ontario coffee drinkers are rightfully dismayed that the owners of some Tim Hortons franchises have chosen to cut back on their workers’ benefits, paid breaks and even tips in response to the minimum wage increase to $14 an hour. Ontario workers are right to be concerned that […]
For the first time ever, the USW conducted “Lobby Days” at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton. USW District 3 put out the call to our local unions in the province, and 23 members from four local unions participated in the training and lobbying. Download the PDF