Resolutions
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Resolution No. 1 Building a Modern-Day “Buy Canadian” Campaign
Unifor National will:
- Launch a campaign to advocate for a new industrial policy that includes a modernized approach to public procurement for transportation vehicles, equipment and other goods, and increased Canadian content across the value chain, including in Unifor-represented
- Provide for the development of a position paper, in collaboration with local unions, outlining potential policy measures affecting members in the heavy vehicle manufacturing sector in Quebec and across the country, including in aerospace, shipbuilding and bus and rolling stock production.
- Make direct contact with municipal, provincial and federal government representatives to discuss policy solutions aimed at protecting existing jobs and creating new jobs in the transportation vehicle and heavy equipment manufacturing sectors.
Because:
- Unifor represents approximately 46,000 members in the air, rail, road and maritime transportation sectors across the country, in addition to thousands more in the aircraft, rail car, passenger transportation vehicle and ship manufacturing industries.
- Delegates at the 2023 Canadian Council unanimously endorsed the National President’s recommendation to pursue campaigns aimed at leveraging government procurement in order to localize supply chains, grow the footprint of Canadian-made products, stimulate job creation and maximize local economic development as part of a broader industrial
- The federal, provincial and municipal governments are often responsible for purchasing or financing the purchase of transportation vehicles and equipment, and this role should come with certain obligations aimed at maximizing the economic and social benefits of such purchases for Canadian workers.
- Free trade treaties, deregulation, privatization and the lack of innovative and relevant policy directions have limited the use of public procurement as an effective tool to strengthen Canada’s overall economy.
Respectfully Submitted by: Locals 700, 1004
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Resolution No. 2 Made in Canada Matters: Purchasing Transportation Made in Canada
Unifor National will:
- Implement a municipal, provincial, and federal lobbying campaign, in order to convince governments to modify legislation, and introduce new legislation, to better protect jobs in the transportation sector through multiple measures, including Made in Canada
- Raise awareness among all locals about buying Made in Canada vehicles in the transportation sector.
- Make available to all locals model Collective Bargaining Agreement language promoting Made in Canada purchasing for transportation.
Because:
- The delegates unanimously endorsed the President’s recommendation to encourage local purchasing during the 2023 Unifor Canadian Council.
- Unifor represents approximately 46,000 members in the transportation sector across Canada, including many members in vehicle and specialty vehicle manufacturing.
- Unifor must fight to maintain and create quality jobs in the transportation sector in Canada, through local purchasing.
- Industrial competition from many other countries makes the market more difficult for local businesses and endangers many of our good jobs.
Respectfully Submitted by: Local 111
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Resolution No. 3 Building Canada’s Aerospace Industry for the Next Generation
Unifor National will:
- Actively promote the recommendations as outlined in Unifor’s new Aerospace Policy: A Workers’ Strategy for the Aerospace Industry.
- Provide full support to the Unifor Aerospace Council in their campaign to ensure the federal government adopt Unifor’s recommendations to secure and grow the industry while ensuring the growth delivers good jobs and other economic benefits.
Because:
- Canada has historically been a global leader in the aerospace industry but has been losing its advantage to other countries.
- The aerospace industry has great potential to grow exponentially in the next decade and Canada needs a plan in order to capitalize on that growth and deliver good jobs to Canada’s workers.
- There is no coherent plan to counteract the losses and the federal government’s piecemeal approach is keeping the industry on stand-by.
- The Union’s aerospace locals have worked together with the National Union to develop a comprehensive strategy for the aerospace sector.
Respectfully Submitted by: Locals 522, 673
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Resolution No. 4 Supporting the Unifor Energy Sector’s “Keep it in the Pipe” Campaign
Unifor National will:
Support Unifor energy sector’s Keep it in the Pipe campaign for the reduction of methane leaks along Canada’s natural gas infrastructure and for that campaign to include:
- Lobbying governments to convene meetings with companies along the gas supply chain and their unions to examine the issue of methane leaks.
- Producing public education materials on natural gas, related chemical products, and methane leak mitigation.
- Lobbying for resources for NRCan and National Research Council to assist in the deployment of established technology and development of new technology in identifying and limiting leaks along the gas supply chain.
- Publically promoting reguations enforcing and financial support for mitigation technology in all sizes of companies through hiring and training union workers.
- Supporting union representation of gas supply chain workers inclusion in development and refining regulations.
Because:
- Many natural gas companies are reducing investment in methane leak identification and mitigation along their infrastructure.
- Methane is considered toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) and listed under the List of Toxic Substances.
- Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG) and it has a global warming potential that is more than 70 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2), over a 20-year period.
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are air pollutants that are linked to adverse human health impacts, such as premature death, chronic and short-term respiratory and cardiac
- Reducing methane and VOCs release along the gas production and supply chain will reduce climate change impacts and provide better air quality for Canadians and outdoor workers who are significantly more affected by poor outdoor air quality.
- In house, Unifor members are professional, highly skilled workers in the natural gas and chemical products sector and are better placed to identify and fix issues or leaks in our infrastructure than contractors.
Respectfully Submitted by: Local 975
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Resolution No. 5 Prioritizing Unifor Represented Printers
Unifor National will:
- Whenever possible encourage the use of printers represented by Unifor throughout Canada for items including but not limited to booklets, pamphlets, posters, tent cards, signage and information sheets. Such items printed would include the Union Label.
- Encourage Unifor locals to use unionized print shops for their printing needs including their Collective Agreements in their home provinces whenever possible.
Because:
- Unionized printers have been an important part of the labour movement for over 100
- Printers have been negatively affected by the pandemic and changes in the industry; and Unifor owns the rights and licensing of the Union Label for materials printed in unionized
- Unifor should support the proud craft of printing excellence produced by our
Respectfully Submitted by: Locals 87-M, 111, 191
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Resolution No. 6 Regulating Artificial Intelligence
(amended)
Unifor National will:
- Lobby the federal government to set up a federal register documenting the use of artificial intelligence in Canada’s production services and communications industries.
- Study the AI issue further to draft, develop and enforce collective bargaining language that will preserve and protect the workforce as well as journalistic integrity and democracy.
BECAUSE:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being explored by our employers as a way to create efficiencies and possibly to eliminate jobs; and
- AI even has the potential to do harm to our employers, for example by leading to the unfair and unlicensed use of copyrighted materials; and
- The rapid development and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in every industry has the potential to replace unionized workers or reduce their roles, leading to job displacement and insecurity; and
- The register should be used to monitor the growth of automation and artificial intelligence.
Respectfully Submitted by: Local 62
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Resolution No. 7 Support of Injured and Ill Workers Due to Workplace Accident or Exposure
Unifor National will:
- Encourage all local unions and Regional Councils where possible, to advocate on behalf of injured and ill workers within their respective communities by building capacity amongst organizations and affiliates.
- Lobby prospective governments to support legislative enhancements for the protection of injured and ill workers and advocate for systemic reviews to address the significant gaps and challenges for workers, especially marginalized workers that prevent them from successfully navigating the system, as well as fair compensation and income replacement.
- Continue to educate members on the workers’ compensation systems in Canada to further empower members to advocate on their own behalf and for others. These tools must be regularly updated and reviewed for current legislation as legislation changes and can have negative effects on a claim.
- Participate in National Day of Mourning, April 28th and Injured Workers Day June 1st to recognize the suffering and loss due to workplace accident or illness.
Because:
- Support and advocacy of injured and ill workers shows compassion and empathy that is a fundamental building block of our union.
- Prioritizing injured and ill workers through lobbying and community activism with attention to marginalized workers is essential in building a more inclusive and diverse union.
- Meredith’s Principles were clear and concise in the protection and support of
- Recognizing the struggles of injured and ill workers is imperative to creating effective solutions for safer workplaces for all.
Respectfully Submitted by: Local 636
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