Toronto, ON – The evening was called Labour, Justice, Our Future. It was the first opportunity for union members and labour activists to put their issues before the five hopefuls vying for the leadership of the federal NDP. The five candidates were Manitoba MP Niki Ashton, Ontario MP Charlie Angus, Quebec MP Guy Caron, British Columbia MP Peter Julian and Ontario NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh. ‘This was our night,
Ottawa, On – IAM Grand Lodge Representative in charge of Political Action – Lou Pagrach – was a witness to history being made in Canada’s Senate last week with the passing of Bill C-4. Bill C-4, which eliminated anti-union legislation brought in by the former Harper Conservative government, received Royal Assent in the Canadian Senate on Monday June 19, 2017. The old legislation, both created by the Harper Conservatives through
Ottawa, ON – True to their word, the Trudeau Liberal Government has eliminated anti-union legislation with the passing of Bill C-4. The old legislation, both created by the Harper Conservatives through private members bills from backbenchers, were a sore point with the IAM and other unions. Bill C-377 required labour organizations to make a series of public financial disclosures including all transactions of more than $5,000.00. Bill C-525 replaced the
Toronto, ON – “All the people in this room should be proud of the work they have done to make changes to Ontario Labour laws a reality but I’m here to tell you that our work isn’t done yet,” explained IAM Canadian GVP Stan Pickthall. Speaking to delegates at the 56th conference of the Ontario Council of Machinists, Pickthall said the changes to the Ontario Employment Standards Act and the
Toronto, ON – There are three Machinists Councils in Canada, the Maritime Machinists Council, the Quebec Machinists Council and the Ontario Machinist Council or OPCM and this past weekend, the OPCM celebrated its 56th conference. It began with a welcoming speech from Jim McDowell – President of the Peel Region Labour Council. The conference came on the heels of the changes to the Ontario Employment Standards Act and the Ontario
By Lou Pagrach – IAM Grand Lodge Representative for political Action The Special Advisors to the Changing Workplaces Review have released a 419-page Final Report. A Summary Report has also been issued. The Report, which proposes amendments to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Labour Relations Act, 1995, contains 173 recommendations. In 2015 Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn initiated the Changing Workplaces Review by appointing C. Michael Mitchell and John
In 2015 Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn initiated the Changing Workplaces Review to undertake the largest review of Ontario’s labour laws conducted for decades and report back to the Minister. The review was to consider issues brought about, in part, by the growth of precarious employment. The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) has made important recommendations to the Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act. The IAM believes that it is crucial to
As of June 1, 2017, the IAM will kick off our national “Anti-Airport Privatization” campaign with the support of all Local Lodges within District Lodge 140. Our preparations for this campaign began at the recent IAM Transportation Conference held on April 2017. Delegates discussed the reasons why privatizing airports is bad for our members, the flying public, and the national airlines in Canada, and developed a unified message to deliver
Montréal, QC – Federal NDP candidate Jagmeet Singh did not waste any time trying to drum up support in Québec for his leadership bid and he went straight to the Quebec Machinists Council to test the waters. Formally announcing his candidacy on May 15th, he met later in the week with members of the QMC. “He spoke to us about issues which occupy much of our time,” explained IAM Quebec
Austin, TEX – Texas has long been known as ground zero of the anti-union movement in the United States and two recent senate bills display just how low republican dominated states are willing to go to eliminate unions. In his address to the 2017 IAM Communications Conference delegates, Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick described two particular nasty pieces of legislation aimed at eliminating unions. “In Texas, the
