Ontario Regional Council Day Two: Unifor National President Lana Payne vows to protect Canadian jobs as Trump presidency inches closer

Unifor National President Lana Payne didn’t hold back when it comes to Donald Trump and the uncertainty and fallout his U.S. presidency could have on Canadian workers.

In her address on the second day of Ontario Regional Council – held Dec. 6 and 7, 2024 in Toronto – Payne said the world is a very different place even since delegates last met at Canadian Council in Montreal in September.

“Last week, [Trump] threatened to impose a 25% tariff on everything we produce here in Canada that goes south of the border. In auto, that’s 90% of what we build,” said Payne. 

“I can’t possibly overstate the disastrous impact this would have on Canadian workers, Canadian jobs, and our economy. And it some ways, it is not even about the tariff or the size of the tariff. It’s the threat that is just as dangerous. It’s the constant threat at any point in the next four years. It’s chaos strategy.”

Payne said two days ago, she spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and told him that he has one job now – to bring the nation together and protect workers, their jobs and the Canadian economy. In short, workers need a united Team Canada and not the political theatre that is currently unfolding in the House of Commons.

“We need politicians like Pierre Poilievre and the premiers to understand that showing Trump that we, divided as a nation, will not win. It will hurt workers,” she said. 

“Capitulating to his first demand is not the smartest negotiating move…Rome is burning and they are playing politics. It’s disgraceful.”

Big businesses that attempt to use Trump’s inauguration to try to exploit this moment to turn back the clock on workers’ rights in Canada should be prepared to “do so at their peril,” she said.

“Make no mistake, our union is ready for this battle. We have been building our power for a moment just like this,” she said. 

Payne championed Unifor’s organizing wins at Amazon and Walmart in Canada, but also warned Walmart, the giant big box retailer, that the union has filed unfair labour practices complaints for the corporation’s response to give everyone in the company a pay raise except the ones who joined Unifor.

“Workers at Walmart are done with your union busting tactics and despite everything you throw at them, they are still signing union cards,” she said.

“And Unifor is never ever going to give up on them. Because their courage is so much greater than your greed.”

Payne encouraged delegates to keep embracing friendship, kindness and solidarity, but to also keep fighting collectively.

“We have power. We have each other. And we have this incredible union,” she said. “And there is nothing we can’t do when we do it together.”

ORC day two opened with a panel about how workers can navigate an economy in transition through Action Centres funded by the provincial government and run by Unifor members and staff.

Unifor Action Centres help union members on layoff access different resources, including resume building, Working at Heights workshops, helping members with job interview skills and other peer-led support to help guide them to their next job.

“When faced with unfortunate job loss, what we’re finding is individuals are having a hard time finding work. They’re finding a lot of low paying jobs with no benefits and no security…that’s some of the challenges they’re facing,” said Linda Poho, Unifor Local 195 member and project coordinator.

Derrek Kimmerly, who works at the Unifor Cascades Action Centre, that supports members impacted by the Cascades plant closure in Belleville and Trenton, said the takeaway is for members not to feel like they’re going through the job transition process by themselves. 

“Take the opportunity to retrain yourself, so you don’t get stuck in an underemployed position, because when you quit, you lose all that stuff,” he said. 

“Keep up with the Action Centres, don’t do it alone.”

In his presentation, Unifor Research Director Angelo DiCaro said the current unemployment rate in Ontario at 7.6% is the highest it’s been since 2014, not including the pandemic years.

“If people are feeling a bit insecure, there’s good reason for that. This is trending in the wrong direction,” said DiCaro.

DiCaro said there’s also an underinvestment by business in productivity skills training, machinery and public sector investments and delays in promised industrial transitions, creating additional economic insecurity for workers. The silver lining, he said, is that governments are realizing that investing more in industrial strategies may be the path forward.

“There is reason to be optimistic,” he said. “Since the pandemic, there has been a shift in economic development strategy and thinking in Canada with governments choosing to invest directly in strategic, targeted sectors of the economy. More of this if work is needed.”

The Council recognized striking workers, including at Clear Medical Imaging in Windsor, in which workers rejected the company’s “final offer” by 96%. The strike began Oct. 25, 2024, over wage disparities and inequitable treatment of administrative and clinical staff.

Members from cancer-treating medical device maker Best Theratronics in Kanata, which have been on strike since May after their boss refused to give anything but 0% increases over a two-year proposed contract, came on stage to share their story.

“I know I’ll never cure cancer, but I can do this much to help,” said Unifor Local 1541 strike captain Dale Roth. 

“We’ve spent 219 days on strike now, because of one individual not caring about Canadian labour laws, not caring about his global customers with broken equipment who can’t get them repaired…This is what a greedy coward does.”

Roth said workers at this facility were deemed essential service in 2020 during Covid-19.

“Why are we no longer essential?” he said. “Members of our local, 1541, are approximately 20% behind the rate of inflation…Local 1541 is tired, but not tired enough to quit.”

The ORC gave the striking workers $5,000, with around $45,000 from other individuals and locals, while the national union made a $50,000 donation.

The ORC made additional donations of $5,000 each to three causes – I’ve got your Back 911, the Sarah Bulle Foundation and Project Malawi, and invited members to contribute. They also contributed to the union’s toy drive and call for funds for a children’s charity.

The Council adopted all six of the Ontario Regional Director’s recommendations – Support to victims of intimate partner violence in Ontario, advocating for public health care in Ontario, to sharping the future of work, responding to U.S. threats and defending Canadian jobs, to organizing for a new Ontario and Working together for a better Ontario.

During the ORC’s elections, Jon Binns was elected to Workers Compensation Standing Committee, Carrie Smith was elected to the EFAP Standing Committee, Tony Sisti for the Retired Workers Member-at-Large position, Saúl Santiago for the LGBT Committee, and Max Ramsey to the Young Workers Committee.

Unifor Organizing Director Justin Gniposky provided an update of new bargaining units who joined the union this year, including F&P, Flex-N-Gate, Toromont Industries, St. Andrew’s Terrace, Pelee Island Winery, Concorde Airport Services and Porter Airlines, and Goodwill, among others.

The union celebrated the huge organizing victory at the Mississauga, Ont. Walmart distribution centre in September, followed by Walmart truck drivers in Surrey, B.C. last month.

“This campaign was driven by a dedicated group of workers known as ‘Team Red,’” he said. 

“They remained steadfast, even in the face of unprecedented wage increases for only Walmart’s non-union supply chain workers. And while now these workers are fighting at the bargaining table with Local 252, negotiations that begin just this week, we’re also taking action at the labour board.”

Gniposky said with the recent wage increases for non-union workers reaching $5 or $6 per hour, while the union workers were handed a wage freeze, this is clearly a union-busting scare tactic.

“This is a one-time attempt to buy loyalty by ignoring the real concerns of workers,” he said. “What I’m happy to report here – is that these workers will not be fooled.”

As ORC wound to a close for another year, Council Chair Shinade Allder thanked all delegates for participating and wished them a restful holiday.