It’s official! Unifor has left the Canadian Labour Congress, the body dedicated to advocacy, education and research to advance workers’ rights. While unfortunate, it is not surprising. Faced with a dwindling membership, it appears Unifor prioritizes union raiding to survive. Unifor left the CLC with a mere notice on their website and now it appears they can raid unrestricted – a move that will force precious union resources to be spent fighting other unions, not protecting workers.
ATU Local 113, and the over 10,000 transit workers it represents, has always been focused squarely on its members. Strong advocacy on air quality, pensions, wages and workplace safety have brought real change to the lives of workers.
Unifor should stay true to its principles as articulated by former CLC and Canadian Auto Workers President Bob White. “We hadn’t set up a new organization in order to be cannibals in the Canadian labour movement,” he said. In 2018 this is exactly what Unifor is doing. They have turned their back to Canada’s labour movement. We are stronger united.
Read more about Unifor’s self-serving decision: http://rankandfile.ca/2018/01/17/unifor-clc-split-demands-unity-from-below/