Pittsburgh, Toronto – The United Steelworkers union (USW) released the following statement identifying its position on rules of origin in the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations. Rules of origin are a critical part of the renegotiations and identify the percentage of content that must be included in products to be eligible for […]
WINDSOR, Ont. – Freedom Mobile, owned by telecom giant Shaw Communications, has threatened to lock out its call centre employees in Windsor next Friday, September 22. Freedom Mobile’s threat to lock out employees comes on the heels of its refusal to improve a collective agreement offer that was firmly rejected by those employees in a […]
Today, the vast majority of workers struggle to make ends meet at the centre of Canada’s worst ever income gap, where average CEO earnings are 180 times the income of an average employee.[1] In this kind of work environment, it’s easy to imagine that more people might be seeking the protection of unions to push […]
United Steelworkers Directors Ken Neumann, Marty Warren and Stephen Hunt released the following statement on 1 September 2017: As leaders of the United Steelworkers, we believe that the next leader of the NDP must be a strong voice for working men and women across Canada. To that end, we have sought to engage our members […]
Labour Day is a time to come together and celebrate our achievements, our friendships and our solidarity. Labour Day marks the end of summer and return to school; it also marks the ramp-up of labour’s activities that may have slowed down over the summer. In 2017, let’s make sure Labour Day is also about how […]
TORONTO – The Steelworkers Humanity Fund is contributing $8,000 to assist hillside communities in the outskirts of Freetown, Sierra Leone, impacted by severe mudslides. “Mudslides have taken the lives of hundreds of people. In addition to the loss of life, many already poor families have lost everything. This calamity has received limited press coverage in […]
TORONTO – United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard and Canadian National Director Ken Neumann released the following joint statement today as the United States, Canada and Mexico begin discussions to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): “A significantly strengthened regional ‘rules of origin’ requirement should promote production in the NAFTA region, […]
TORONTO – The United Steelworkers (USW), joining with the Steelworkers Humanity Fund, are contributing $100,000 to ongoing relief and recovery efforts for the continuing wildfire crisis in the B.C. Interior. “The wildfires and evacuations have deeply affected individuals and families, and continue to create uncertainty about the future impacts on jobs in affected communities,” said […]
OTTAWA – Only two days from the opening of North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations, Canadians are still waiting for meaningful commitments from the federal government on jobs and labour and environmental standards. “The U.S. and Mexico have for several weeks presented their detailed NAFTA priorities, while the Canadian government’s ‘progressive’ negotiating objectives remain high […]
WINDSOR – Seeking more respect and fairness from a successfully rebranded and growing telecom business, Freedom Mobile’s call centre employees in Windsor have voted to reject a substandard contract offer from the company. “These employees make a huge contribution to Freedom Mobile’s success and this vote should kick-start renewed talks toward a fair collective agreement,” […]
Ken Neumann Op-EdPublished by the Huffington Post Canadians are justifiably appalled by the plight of thousands of employees and pensioners who are being victimized by the bankruptcy protection manoeuvring of Sears Canada. Thousands have been laid off and even more stand to lose the severance, benefits and pensions that they earned, while Sears pays millions […]
WINDSOR – Negotiations for a first collective agreement between the United Steelworkers (USW) and Freedom Mobile for its call centre employees in Windsor have stalled. Despite an intense last 19 hours of talks and the efforts of a federal labour conciliation officer, there is not yet a settlement. Freedom Mobile, previously known as Wind Mobile, […]
VANCOUVER – Leaders of the United Steelworkers (USW) say Canada has lost a fighter for justice with the death of Brian Fitzpatrick, whose 24-year-old son was killed on a Kiewit Construction site at Toba Inlet, B.C., in 2009. “Brian became a champion in our campaign to Stop The Killing, Enforce the Law,” said Stephen Hunt, […]
The United Steelworkers (USW) is concerned about Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda and its potential effects on Canadian working families, USW National Director Ken Neumann says on the Business News Network. Pharmacy-Montreal.com “Canada has to take a strong stand” in NAFTA renegotiations to defend Canadian jobs, industries and communities, Neumann says. View the entire interview […]
TORONTO – With hundreds of thousands of jobs across Canada at stake in the North American Free Trade Agreement’s renegotiation, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government is in the embarrassing position of being less transparent with Canadians than U.S. President Donald Trump is with Americans. “We have yet to see meaningful, transparent and open discourse with the […]
As the federal Liberal government enthusiastically explores free trade talks with China, there is ample reason for Canadians to feel a sense of foreboding over the potentially disastrous impact on jobs, key industries, national security, human rights and the environment. Since the Liberals were elected in 2015, concern has grown across the country over this […]
Domestic violence against women and girls continues to be a problem in Canada, with one in three Canadian women over the age of 16 experiencing sexual assault in their lifetimes. With incidence rates this high, chances are someone in your workplace is a domestic violence survivor, even if you don’t know about it. Recent research […]
In early 2016, Ian Lavoie’s life was changed forever. Today, to hear Ian recount these traumatic events is to recognize the story of an extraordinary fighter and survivor. A member of Steelworkers Local 8897, working as a finisher at the ArcelorMittal steel mill in Longueil, Que., Ian suffered catastrophic injuries on the job on Feb. […]