United Steelworkers Canada News Feed

  • Steelworkers Vote Fuels NDP Momentum
    Wow, what a campaign this election has been! With just a few days left in the federal election, the NDP is surging and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is riding an upswing of support in all provinces. The rising polls and positive momentum in the election’s final days put the NDP and Jagmeet in a good position no matter the outcome on Monday. There is no doubt that the NDP will be playing a strong role in the next Parliament. USW members have been volunteering in ridings across the country, knocking on doors and talking to our members about the NDP policies that will make a difference for workers and the candidates who are on our side. Jagmeet has had an incredible campaign. He performed well in both the English and French television debates, showing how both the Liberals and the Conservatives are letting people down. The NDP has the best platform and policies for working people. And Jagmeet has been consistent throughout the campaign on who this election is about: it’s about people – not corporations and the wealthy. From Pharmacare, dental care and good jobs, to tackling housing affordability and putting retirees first, the NDP is the party that is on our side. Justin Trudeau has shown he’s not who he appears to be. For four years, Trudeau and the Liberals have not been on our side. The Liberals have broken their promises to us. Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives will revive harmful Stephen Harper policies and corporate-friendly trade deals that hurt workers and unions. He’ll make cuts to important public services to balance the budget. No matter who wins the election on Monday, Jagmeet Singh and the NDP can be proud of their positive, hopeful campaign that’s put people first. Our Steelworkers Vote schools gave our members a chance to learn more about the connection between politics and our workplaces, and why it’s important to be involved as working people. “The Steelworkers Vote school taught me a lot about how the political structure works, also that we as Steelworkers need to support the party that has our interest. It opens your eyes to the political world to get involved in,” said one of our vote school participants. “I truly believe our Steelworker activism and involvement makes a difference. Elections matter and Steelworkers vote. No matter the outcome on Monday, we can be proud of our engagement and hard work on behalf of our members to elect NDP candidates who will be a strong voice for workers and the working-class in the next Parliament,” said Ken Neumann, USW National Director. Thanks to all our members who have been volunteering, putting in long hours and working hard in campaigns to help contribute to the positive momentum for Jagmeet Singh and the NDP team. — Oct 18
  • Election 2019 Voting Guide
    Election 2019 Voting Guide Online Election Tools Steelworkers make a difference when we vote! Visit the Steelworkers Vote Election 2019 website for Steelworkers Vote election materials to share with members, links to connect to your local NDP campaign, Elections Canada information and more. www.usw.ca/steelworkersvote Advance Voting If you can, avoid the rush and vote early. Advance polls are not as busy and some of the advance polls are held over a weekend. Find dates and locations for advance voting on the Elections Canada website www.elections.ca.  Bring Identification You can use the Elections Canada website to register to vote or confirm that you are registered to vote: www.elections.ca. Bring identification when you go to vote. Bring one piece of identification with your photo, name and address, for example, your driver’s licence. Or bring two pieces, one with your name, and one with your name and address, for example, your voter information card and a utility bill. Visit the Elections Canada website to see a list of acceptable identification: www.elections.ca. You do not have to be on the voters’ list to vote. You can take identification with you to the polling station, register and vote on election day. Election Day: Monday, October 21 Polls are open for 12 hours on Election Day, Monday, October 21. By law, everyone who is eligible to vote must have three consecutive hours to cast their vote on election day. If your hours of work do not allow for three consecutive hours to vote, your employer must give you time off. Remember to bring identification with you when you go to vote. Help Your NDP Campaign Steelworkers are known for our activism for the NDP. While unions can’t donate directly to political parties at the federal level, we encourage our members to volunteer and make individual donations. Bring a friend or co-worker with you and help out in your local NDP campaign.
    • Distribute and post Steelworkers Vote election posters in your workplace.
    • Organize Steelworker plant gates to distribute Steelworkers Vote election materials.
    • Invite your NDP candidate to a union meeting, event or plant gate.
    • Include information on your local NDP candidate and USW election issues in your newsletters, emails, website and Facebook page.
    • Talk to your friends and family about voting pro-labour.
    This article appears in the October 2019 edition of [email protected]     — Oct 9
  • District 6 Council Partners with Ontario Agency on Worker Training and Recruitment
    Richard Leblanc’s work on the District 6 Health Care Council has shown him many things, including the dire need for more health care workers in Ontario—specifically, more personal support workers (PSWs). PSWs provide care to patients at hospitals as well as long-term care homes, private residences, and additional employment settings. Just like in the United States, short-staffing and increased workloads are common in Canada for health care workers, and PSWs are no exception. “Long-term care facilities are usually funded by residents and the government,” Leblanc said. “And the government funding often falls short to hire enough staff to take care of their residents, so it just becomes a vicious cycle.” Figure 1: Courtesy Pexels.com Even though the PSW trade is regulated by the government and requires a certificate, Leblanc realized last year that even if the industry was successful in obtaining more funds, the training itself has not been up to par. So, he reached out to the Employment Services Centre (ESCPR), a local employment agency in Ontario that works with the government, in order to start a conversation about increasing funds for PSW training, and improving the training itself, along with recruitment. Earlier this month, the connection paid off, and the agency brought together a working group of local labor unions, health care providers, workers, and members of the Ministry to talk about these issues. It was the first of many conversations the working group will have as they seek to improve the industry. “One of our goals is to make the trade more accessible financially and to promote it better,” Leblanc said. “This will be good for everyone because we need bodies, we need workers.” The problem is an old one unfortunately, according to a February 2019 CDC article featuring a former PSW, Ashley Hopkins, who believes funding is a major factor of the chronic shortage, along with fatigue. “There's a lot of high turnover in those types of jobs cause the job is just so stressful and workers get burnt out at alarming rates," she said. This affects overall patient care as workers are overloaded and often handling up to thirty residents alone, leaving patients in vulnerable, sometimes inhumane, conditions. All of these things need to be considered when updating training and curriculum, and improving working conditions for caregivers. Dave Lipton, a USW staff representative in Ontario, was glad the council was able to bring a labor perspective to the meeting and remind the stakeholders to keep workers’ rights at the forefront of their minds. “We pointed out that a community effort to tackle the problem is laudable, but part of the problem that can’t be ignored is poor working conditions, including work overload, and low pay,” said Lipton. To watch a video of a long-term home resident speaking on how the worker shortage affects patients and why things must change, click here. — Sep 23
  • Steelworkers Humanity Fund Supports the Rebuilding of the Casual Workers Advice Office, Destroyed During Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa
    TORONTO – The Steelworkers Humanity Fund has contributed $3,000 to rebuild the Casual Workers Advice Office in Johannesburg, which was ransacked and looted during the most recent wave of xenophobic violence that has taken place in the country. Earlier this month, South Africa’s migrant population has been the target of a series of attacks targeting mainly foreign-owned shops, in what has become an increasingly common occurrence, linked with the country’s high unemployment rate. In the midst of those deadly attacks, the destruction of the office of the Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO) appears to be no coincidence. Founded in 2011, CWAO is a non-profit, independent organization that has been providing free advice and support to workers, privileging casual, contract, labour broker and other precarious workers – many of them undocumented. In a statement issued the day after the attack, the CWAO reiterated its steadfast commitment to the human rights of workers, whatever their race, religion or place of origin: “Our strength is not in the things we lost in the fire. Our strength comes from the solidarity, organizing and struggles of the thousands of workers […]” “Scapegoating migrants for economic problems blinds people to the real issues. Xenophobia has no place in South Africa, in Canada, or anywhere else,” said Ken Neumann, President of the Steelworkers Humanity Fund and Canadian National Director of the United Steelworkers. “Steelworkers stand strongly against any attempt to pit workers against each other. This is why we are proud to do our small part to help an organization that has been targeted for doing the right thing.” Founded in 1985, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund is a registered charitable organization that focuses primarily on development projects and emergency aid in developing countries, but also supports Canadian communities. USW members contribute to the fund through clauses negotiated into collective agreements. In some cases, employers make matching contributions to the fund. — Sep 19
  • Health Care Worker Spotlight: Misty Lafond Finds Voice in Union as an Organizer
    Although Misty Lafond has only worked in health care for five years, she has taken advantage of that time as a Steelworker to become an activist, on top of being a licensed practical nurse (LPN). As unit chair for Youville Home, a long-term care facility part of Covenant Health located in St. Albert, Alberta, and as a budding organizer, she is taking her passion for helping others outside of health care to fight for workers’ rights. Lafond first became involved with the union four years ago, in 2015, when the previous unit chair asked her to attend her first shop steward training. “From then on, I’ve been active in trying to help employees have better workplaces free from abuse,” Lafond said. Her experience with external activism began when she had the opportunity to work on a campaign to organize workers at a Walmart in December 2018. As a result of the multibillion-dollar corporation’s anti-union tactics, the effort was unsuccessful as the workers were scared to lose their jobs. But the moment was far from a wash for Lafond, who walked away with more knowledge than she could have hoped for. “It made me realize that the majority of employees in their workplaces don’t know their rights,” Lafond said. “I learned how to engage with what workers really want and that it doesn't matter what industry you are in—everyone wants decent wages and benefits, and to be treated fairly.” Lafond took her new skill set and ran with it, eventually helping to organize two assisted living facilities into her local union. For her, organizing this industry is something that comes naturally. “I understand firsthand the challenges workers face in health care—short-staffing, injuries, and abuse from within the workplace and from families because the employer has made promises that cannot be met when people are working short,” Lafond said. Workplace violence, unfortunately, is an all-too-common reality now for health care workers thanks to staff rollbacks by employers who like to say the hazard is merely part of the job. “Health care teams working on the floor then can’t properly deal with aggressive patients as we can no longer restrain them chemically or physically,” she said. “This leads to aggressive residents who verbally and physically abuse staff on a daily basis.” Despite the challenges, being a member of Local 1-207 has offered Lafond the chance to grow and have a voice when it comes to righting these wrongs. “I am grateful that the Steelworkers recognize activists and provide education so that they, too, have opportunities within the union,” she said. When she isn’t organizing or working, Lafond enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. Left to right: Misty Lafond, LPN, Unit Chair, Youville Home with Ruby Sab-it, HCA, Unit Chair, Chartwell St. Alberta; Maria Stantos, LPN, Unit Chair, Chartwell Sherwood Park; Shirley Clark, LPN, Bargaining Committee, Chartwell Sherwood Park. — Sep 16