Unifor leaders are in shock after Fiat Chrysler announced they are cutting the third shift at Windsor Assembly Plant this fall.

Unifor president Jerry Dias told CTV News Channel Friday that the union knew that sales were “softening,” but the move by Chrysler was a surprise.

“This is pretty drastic,” he said, adding that conversations with Chrysler had been positive even up until last week. “There was no indication that they were going to do something this dramatic.”

The company had “always talked about” adding another vehicle to the production line at the Windsor plant to deal with declining sales, he said. In 2015, the plant underwent $2-billion in upgrades to start building the Chrysler Pacifica. The upgrades installed give the plant “a lot of options” for what it can produce beyond the minivans, said Dias.

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On March 21, 2019, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we pause to reflect on the inherent structures of power that advantage some over others. We also use this opportunity to recognize our union’s work in undoing these discriminatory frameworks and move forward to achieve an equitable society for all.

Built on a history of settler violence and colonialism, our efforts as a nation towards truth and reconciliation leave much to be desired. Going beyond lip service, Canadian policies must allocate adequate resources and funding for programs and services to meet the needs of Indigenous communities, including access to clean water and quality housing. Violence against Indigenous girls and women, and the innumerable lives lost to and impacted by this, demand our attention as a nation.

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TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2019 /CNW/ – Ontario’s largest union in the private sector expresses deep concern for the proposed amalgamation of healthcare oversight and delivery into an unaccountable partisan agency.

“First, Minister Elliot claimed that this bill didn’t exist. Now, this secret agency is just as damning in the light of day as it was when public sector whistle-blowers first released it,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor Ontario Regional Director. “Workers see this agency for what it is: an attempt to bring in privatization through the backdoor and reward the Conservatives’ corporate friends.”

If adopted, the bill will shift decisions about more than $60 billion of Ontario’s public spending and healthcare delivery to a small board of unelected, partisan appointees.

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TORONTO – Workers represented by Ontario’s largest public and private sector unions have joined forces to deliver a message to the provincial government: if priorities don’t shift in the provincial budget, we’re ready to ramp up the fight.

Unifor and OPSEU members from sectors and regions across Ontario are at Queen’s Park this week to meet with Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) and present a vision for well-funded public services and decent work in Ontario.

“Despite all the rhetoric and slogans, Ford’s policies have been anti-democracy and anti-people,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “But political power comes from the people. It’s why we’ve joined forces; our unions know working people’s priorities, we understand that a strong economy depends on cooperation between the public and private sectors, and we support one another.”

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