Canadian Labour Movements

In my heart Labour Day is May 1 but I will certainly celebrate this concession made to the working people of this country.

TORONTO— A tentative agreement has been reached between Unifor and Metro, following a month-long strike action by 3,700 frontline grocery store workers.

“Our union was able to negotiate this new tentative agreement due to the unwavering commitment of our Metro grocery members who were united in their goal to improve their wages and working conditions,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “I commend the workers and the bargaining committee for their solidarity and also the customers who supported them during this difficult time.”

Unifor Local 414 members at 27 Metro stores across the GTA have been on strike since July 29, 2023. Details of the tentative agreement will not be released prior to being presented to members at ratification votes, which will take place in the coming days.

"This tentative agreement acknowledges the economic struggle that many of our members face,” said Gord Currie, Unifor Local 414 President. “I am very proud of these members and their determination.”

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector and represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

It is extremely rare that a major labour leader like Fred would weigh in on a tentative agreement made by another union. It is even more rare that he appears to be advocating for rejection. Tentative agreements are rarely rejected by union members in Canada, although there has been a slight uptick recently.

Context: The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) has reached an agreement with the Ontario government to use binding interest arbitration, avoiding the potential for a strike. Interest arbitration is typically used for essential workers, such as firefighters or nurses, that can't legally strike. It is strange that a union with the right to strike, like high school teachers, are proposing this. While arbitration has been seen as a promising alternative, due to recent positive arbitration outcomes for nurses in Ontario, many in the labour movement are wary. Critics argue that relying on arbitration can weaken the union, deprive members of their voting power, and potentially lead to more bargaining impasses. It can also make unions dependent on the success of other unions in setting good wage standards. Additionally, choosing arbitration might inadvertently undermine the bargaining position of other unions. The choice by OSSTF is especially puzzling to some given the current favorable conditions for unions to achieve significant gains at the bargaining table.

Article with lots of information: https://theconversation.com/for-ontario-teachers-arbitration-is-no-substitute-for-the-right-to-strike-212432

Source tweet: https://twitter.com/FredHahnCUPE/status/1696731147365913071