Canada’s Newest Union Is Ready For Change

The local national representative for Canada’s newest and largest private sector union says it’s time to move forward.
The Canadian Auto Workers and Canadian Energy and Paperworkers Union officially merged to become Unifor this weekend.
Stephen Boon says their members will see a more aggressive approach in the months ahead. He adds the focus will be recruiting new members, securing better contracts, using their power to influence both levels of government and fighting a growing anti-union movement. Here in Northwestern Ontario, Boon says folks won’t see a huge difference other than the new identity and a little more integrated approach going forward. One of the priorities for the new union is fighting “anti-union” talk, and Boon says they will do whatever they have to in order to stop some legislation that’s coming forward. Boon says some Progressive Conservative doctrine sounds more like a right-wing Republican plan instead of a Canadian plan. Jerry Dias is Unifor’s first president, and Boon says he is all about offence and pushing back.
Unifor now represents almost 310,000 Canadians, including 7,000 in the northwest, in 20 key sectors.