Unifor 112

2026 May Day Statement

April 28, 2026

On May 1 each year, Unifor marks International Workers’ Day, May Day, to celebrate worker solidarity and the labour movement. International solidarity has achieved so much for workers’ rights, and must continue to form the foundation of the ongoing struggle against obscene greed and capital worldwide.

Across Canada and around the world, including Brazil: https://uniglobalunion.org/news/uni-condemns-trump-tariffs-brazil/, Taiwan: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6100514, and India: https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/trade-farmer-unions-to-protest-against-us-tariffs-india-uk-trade-deal-on-aug-13/ar-AA1JS8Zq?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds, workers have been mobilizing against U.S. President Donald Trump's unjust tariffs that have threatened jobs and entire sectors of the economy, from auto, forestry, steel, aluminum and more.

In Canada, Unifor members have been organizing under the banner of the Protect Canadian Jobs: https://www.protectjobs.ca/ campaign, with rallies in Vancouver, Windsor and Brampton, lobbying meetings with MPs in Ottawa, and actions on the ground, such as supporting locked out members at Titan Tool & Die: https://www.unifor.org/news/all-news/titan-tool-lockout-escalates-after-company-uses-scabs-windsor-facility in Windsor, who have fought for over 250 days to resist the movement of their jobs to the U.S.

Trump's foreign policy is based on military aggression and violations of international law. Actions against Venezuela, Cuba and Iran have increased global political and economic instability, humanitarian emergencies, and threats to the lives and livelihoods of workers and communities. These attacks have also exacerbated the affordability crisis with higher prices on fuel, food and other basic necessities.

This approach has little to do with supporting democracy and human rights, but rather it is a deliberate strategy to assert U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere and threaten the sovereignty of nations—including Canada's. Unifor joins the international labour movement: https://www.industriall-union.org/global-unions-ceasefire-middle-east/ to call for an end to hostilities, the protection of civilian lives, and the safeguarding of human rights.

Despite these challenges, workers and unions continue to organize in solidarity against regressive government policies and powerful corporate giants. In B.C., Unifor won a significant victory: https://www.unifor.org/news/all-news/unifor-announces-million-dollar-ruling-against-amazon for Amazon warehouse workers, recovering over one million dollars in back wages owed to unionized workers.

In Quebec, workers' economic and social rights have been under sustained attack, with the CAQ government pushing anti-union policies while the social safety net is deliberately eroded. Unions, community groups and civil society are the bulwark against this erosion—which is precisely why the CAQ is working to weaken them. On May 2, Unifor members will join workers, retirees, students, and community organizations in Montreal for an International Workers' Day march under the theme Droits piétinés, faut resister—"trampled rights, we must resist”.

Nationally, the union has been mobilizing to strengthen Canada's public health care system: https://www.unifor.org/news/all-news/unifor-members-take-fight-public-health-care-parliament-hill and provide greater support for health care workers. Unifor has also stood in solidarity with Air Canada flight attendants, who were fighting: https://www.unifor.org/news/all-news/unifor-condemns-federal-governments-attack-cupe-flight-attendants-right-strike-and to put an end to unpaid work time as well as the federal government's attack on collective bargaining rights.

South of the border, U.S. labour unions and workers are mobilizing against immigration raids: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/12/ice-immigration-union-fundraisers and state-sponsored attacks on migrant workers and migrant worker communities.

Unifor continues to build worker solidarity internationally through the Social Justice Fund: https://www.unifor.org/resources/social-justice-fund, supporting global workers' movements, including domestic workers through the International Domestic Workers Federation: https://idwfed.org/, garment workers across south and southeast Asia through the Asia Floor Wage Alliance: https://asia.floorwage.org/, or public transit workers in Chile, with the Santiago Metro Trade Union Federation: https://www.sindicatometro.cl/ . Creating and strengthening relationships with international labour unions and workers is needed now more than ever, in this increasingly divided and fractured world.

Asian Heritage Month Statement, 2026

April 28, 2026

Each May, Unifor celebrates Asian Heritage Month by recognizing the cultural diversity, contributions and continued struggles of Asian and South Asian communities in Canada.

Asian Canadians have a deep history in the Canadian labour movement after having faced systemic discrimination and exploitation historically and still to this day.

Within Unifor, Asian members have made our union strong, as workplace leaders, advocates and through sharing their solidarity and a deep commitment to community and to justice for all workers.

Workers of Asian descent have time and time again shown a deep resilience in the face of racism and discrimination.

For many migrant workers, including those of Asian descent, recent cuts to federal immigration programs have cost them their livelihoods, or have left them facing years of uncertainty and vulnerability about the future of their jobs and life in Canada.

Unifor is a partner of the Migrant Rights Network, which has highlighted that each day more than 3,000 workers already here in Canada are losing status as a result of federal scapegoating of migrant workers.

More than 9,000 people have already told the federal government: https://migrantrights.ca/equalitynotexclusion/ to do the right thing and offer worker permanent status, not precarity.

Our union commits to creating safer, more inclusive workplaces which challenge anti-Asian racism in all forms, including Islamophobia and xenophobia. Access to permanent status in Canada is the foundation of safety and security on the job and beyond.

Throughout the month of May, members are encouraged to engage in cultural celebrations that highlight the beautiful intricacies of Asian cultures in Canada and in our union, and to keep that spirit of activism alive, fighting for the rights of Asian workers and migrant workers who continue to be left behind.

Day of Mourning Statement 2026

April 22, 2026

On April 28, we observe the National Day of Mourning in honour of workers who have suffered a work-related disability, disease or death.

As we remember the victims of workplace tragedies, their grieving families, coworkers and communities, we recommit to the fight to ensure every worker ends their workday healthy, safe, and whole.

On average, approximately 1,000 workers in Canada are killed or die each year due to workplace-related causes, however, the real number could be higher. Many serious incidents and injuries, sadly, go unreported.

These numbers are frightening. They also serve as a daily reminder of the unfinished work we have left to do.

We must never wait for a tragedy to happen before we act. Our right to know, our right to participate, and our right to refuse unsafe work are not abstract ideas, they are fundamental tools for our protection. Tools that were secured at a high human cost.

As the world of work changes, through artificial intelligence, automation, and digitalisation, these rights remain non-negotiable. We must ensure that workers have a seat at the ever-evolving health and safety table. While technology may offer benefits, workers must not be exposed to new risks. Progress should never come at the cost of a worker’s life, health or livelihood.

When tragedy does strike, workers demand and deserve accountability. It has been over 20 years since the Westray Law was passed to hold employers to account for their criminal behaviour related to workplace health and safety – sadly and regrettably the law is rarely used in workplace incident prosecutions. Workers demand and deserve better.

We fight for justice by holding those in power to account and by ensuring that every worker returns home whole.

Today and every day we mourn for the dead and fight for the living.

Watch the video honouring workers who have lost their lives to workplace incidents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOVVExYPOWo

A message from Lana Payne, Unifor National President:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2P2ti8LnHY

LOCAL 112 TRAP SHOOT

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2026 NOON.
EVENT DATE: SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2026
WHERE: TORONTO INTERNATIONAL TRAP & S***T CLUB

***Limited Space***
REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT $20.00 to Santo Zito at [email protected]