Dear Friends,



Last week members of CUPE, Air Canada flight attendants said enough is enough when an overwhelming 99.7% took a strike vote sending a clear message to Air Canada’s leadership. They deserve respect, fair compensation and safe working conditions. Unifor stands in Solidarity with CUPE and it’s members.



If I may ask you all a favour, please take a moment to write to your MP’s and ask them not to interfere with Air Canada’s bargaining process. It is only through this process, with both AC and CUPE at the table, will a fair contract that has benefits for both sides happen. The flight attendants have been with their current contract for 10 years and it has been detrimental as there has been no consideration at all for inflation. 



During COVID, they were not deemed an essential service and they had to wait with everyone else to get vaccinated. However now, many news media agencies, make it sound like they are. If they are, then officially deem them an essential service and pay them the salary for being an essential service. They are not coffee baristas, they are safety professionals that have to maintain that qualification every year. 



Below is a sample letter of what you can email to your MP. Please share with all members and friends.



Thank you for your time!



In Solidarity,

Frank Wright

Manitoba/Saskatchewan Area Director

Directeur Local du Manitoba et de la Saskatchewan



2nd Floor, 1376 Grant Ave.

Winnipeg MB R3M 3Y4

Tel: (204) 487-5593

Cell: (204) 451-2424

Fax: (204) 487-2201

frank.wright@unifor.org







Dear MP Name



I am writing as a constituent to urge you and our government to stay out of Air Canada’s labour negotiations. As a voter, I want to believe that our government truly represents the working people who build and sustain our community. I am deeply concerned that government intervention in bargaining could tip the scales and undermine the principle of good-faith negotiations between employers and workers.



A fair contract can only be reached when both sides have the space to bargain sincerely, openly, and without external pressures that distort the outcome. Employers and workers each have legitimate interests, and a genuine, enforceable agreement should emerge from mutual concessions, trust, and a shared commitment to the common good—not from government interference that may skew negotiations.



I respectfully ask you to:



Advocate non-interference in ongoing labour negotiations.

Support policies that protect the right of workers and employers to bargain in good faith.

Promote a neutral framework that encourages fair, transparent, and collaborative bargaining processes.

Resist actions or rhetoric that could be perceived as tipping the scales in favour of either side.



Our community’s strength comes from fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignified livelihoods for those who work hard every day. Please ensure that any role our government plays in labour matters respects the autonomy of workers and employers to reach a voluntary and fair agreement without undue influence.



Thank you for your attention to this important issue. I look forward to your response and to seeing a commitment to principled, non-interventionist labour policy that upholds the rights and interests of working people.



Sincerely,

NAME

During Paramedic Services Week, May 18-25, Unifor recognizes and pays tribute to the essential role played by paramedics.

This year’s theme, We Care. For Everyone, speaks to the commitment paramedics make every day—to show up, act fast, and provide care without barriers. Their work isn’t confined to the walls of a hospital. They bring care wherever it’s needed—on the roadside, in a home, or at the heart of a public emergency.

Unifor represents paramedics across the country who are there when it matters most. In air ambulances, on the road or in remote and rural areas, paramedics respond with skill, urgency and heart—even in the toughest circumstances.

But paramedics are being pushed to the brink.

Chronic understaffing, long hours, unsafe working conditions and a lack of recognition have made the job harder—and the system more fragile. Public emergency services are being stretched thin, while governments delay the action paramedics have long called for.

In December 2024, Unifor alongside other unions and health care advocates held a media conference at Queen’s Park to demand the creation of an Ontario provincial task force to address the growing crisis in paramedic services.

That call came directly from the front lines—from the workers who know what’s happening on the ground and what needs to change. We called for a task force that includes paramedics, unions, health care experts and government decision-makers, with a clear mandate to deliver real results.

Our demands are urgent and achievable, not just in Ontario but across the country, –  hire more EMS workers, enforce safe response times, ensure full-time stable employment, provide better mental health supports, and recognize the role of paramedics as first responders—not just in name, but in policy and practice.

That news conference sent a message: paramedics won’t stay silent while the system fails around them and Unifor won’t stop fighting for them.

We are calling on all levels of government to act, and to do it now.

This week, we thank all Unifor paramedics for your service and solidarity. Your care makes a difference, every single day.

Unifor extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed, and expresses concern for those injured, in the vehicle ramming at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival hosted by the Filipino community in Vancouver.

Our union is deeply saddened to mourn the tragic loss of a beloved member of Unifor Local 114, whose life was taken in this devastating incident. Their passing leaves a profound void in the hearts of their family, friends, and union sisters and brothers. We know that many in the broad Unifor family continue to be directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy. We stand together in grief and solidarity during this incredibly difficult time.

As a sponsor of the event, Unifor joins with the Filipino community and all Canadians in condemning this shocking and tragic act that has taken the lives of at least eleven people and injured many more.

Lapu-Lapu Day, celebrated annually on April 27, honours the memory of Lapu-Lapu, an inspirational Indigenous national hero who stood against Spanish colonization. This day is a powerful reminder of resilience, courage, and the enduring spirit of independence.

Unifor recognizes and deeply values the countless contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, both within our union and across the fabric of Canadian society.

We are heartbroken that this vibrant celebration of culture and heritage was marred by such senseless violence.

Our union stands firmly alongside the community during this time of mourning and remains committed to offering support and assistance in any way possible.

Resources
For members or their family members who might need assistance, consider the following resources:

Your local union’s Employee and Family Assistance Program

A 24-hour assistance centre that has been established at Douglas Park Community Centre (801 West 22nd). Vancouver Policy officers are Victim Professional services have been deployed to help anyone who has not been able to contact a loved one who was at the Lapu Lapu Day event. If you are not able to attend in person, phone 604-717-3321.

310 Mental Health Line – Provides a toll-free number connecting callers to a BC crisis line. Offers emotional support, information on appropriate referral options, and a wide range of support relating to mental health concerns. Phone: 310-6789

VictimLinkBC – VictimLinkBC is a toll-free, confidential, multilingual service available across B.C. and the Yukon 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be accessed by calling or texting 1-800-563-0808 or sending an email to 211-VictimLinkBC@uwbc.ca. It provides information and referral services to all victims of crime and immediate crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence, including victims of human trafficking exploited for labour or sexual services.

Online chat service for youth (Noon to 1 a.m.)
Online chat service for adults (Noon to 1 a.m.)

BC211.ca – Dial or text 2-1-1 to be connected with a Resource Navigator who will provide information and referral to available social, government, and community supports and services.

If you require any additional support or are not sure where to turn, reach out to your job steward or union representative.

In solidarity,

Lana Payne
National President

May Day is more than a celebration of past victories—it’s a call to action. A day to recommit ourselves to the struggle for justice, dignity and fairness for the working class and to draw strength from the collective power of working people everywhere.

This year, we mark May 1 under the shadow of escalating attacks on working people. We must remain vigilant against the stripping of union rights, slashing of public services, and the targeting of the most vulnerable workers—especially migrants—with policies rooted in exploitation and division.

In the United States, the return of Donald Trump has brought with it a renewed wave of attacks. With a stroke of a pen, nearly one million public sector workers were stripped of their collective agreements—denied the basic right to union representation.

These actions, emboldened by anti-union CEOs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, are not isolated—they are part of a broader strategy to weaken the power of workers and concentrate wealth and control in the hands of a few.

Here at home, we’re facing our own fights.

In Quebec, Unifor members are pushing back against Bill 89, legislation that would curtail the right to strike and limit workers’ ability to bargain fairly. In Windsor, Ontario, hundreds (thousands?) of members, retirees and community members came together at the Unifor Protect Canadian Jobs rally to demand good jobs, fair trade, and a manufacturing strategy that puts Canadian workers first.

This is the energy we need—bold, grassroots action that pushes back against erosion of rights at every level.

Globally, we are witnessing a surge of worker resistance. In Argentina, Belgium, Morocco and Greece, unions have mobilized mass general strikes against austerity, cuts to public services, and rollbacks to pension and bargaining rights.

These movements are not just about wages—they are about defending public institutions and the role of workers in shaping their futures.

In the United States, where migrant workers are increasingly targeted by immigration enforcement, unions are stepping up to defend their members from deportation and detention. These actions remind us that the labour movement must never stop fighting for equity—across status, race, gender and geography.

The stakes are high. But history has taught us that workers do not back down.

From factory floors and hospitals to classrooms and courthouses, Unifor members continue to organize, speak out and demand better—not just for ourselves, but for future generations.

On this May Day, we honour the workers who came before us, whose sacrifices built the rights we now defend. We stand with our international allies, whose courage inspires us to fight harder. And we commit to building a future rooted in solidarity, inclusion and justice.

Unions built this country and together, we’ll protect what we’ve built—and keep moving forward.


In solidarity,

Lana Payne
Unifor National President