Unifor Local 302 President’s Report-October 23, 2023

Unifor Local 302
Presidents Report
General Membership Meeting
October 23,2023.

Take Back The Night

The Sisters of Local 302 along with other area Local Sisters and National Reps took part in the London Take Back the Night walk, on September 28,2023. Take Back the Night is an internationally held march and rally intended as a protest and direct action against sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence.

Every Child Matters

September 30th is a national statutory holiday to recognize the widespread abuse at residential schools, honour survivors, and work for reconciliation. The event has been known as Orange Shirt Day since 2013, named after the clothing taken from Phyllis (Jack) Webstad when she was six years old on her first day at residential school.

Unifor recognizes Orange Shirt Day using the slogan "Every Child Matters"—a plea to value and care for all children, something that was not the standard held by the churches administering residential schools, nor provincial governments nor the Government of Canada.

Since the Tk t emlüps te Secwépemc First Nation announced the discovery of unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in May 2021, other nations have undertaken their own searches with similar appalling results.

While more recent discoveries have not received the same attention as earlier announcements, they are every bit as traumatic for the communities and the living relatives of the children who never came back from residential schools.

It is a reminder of the scale of colonial violence that still haunts survivors and their families today Reconciliation is not possible until Every Child Matters.

Manitoba Election

On October 3, 2023, the Province of Manitoba elected Wab Kinew of the NDP as the first First Nations Premier of a Canadian province. During his first speech as Premier Kinew stressed that fixing health care remains his government's top priority and called on health care workers to stick around to make the necessary changes. Kinew also said with the members of his cabinet and caucus, members of Manitoba's LGBTQ community will have many voices in government at a time of increasingly harmful rhetoric.

MGM Rally

After negotiations ended because Marshal Gowland Manor refused to give workers at least the industry standard pattern for wages, the Committee and the Membership decided something had to be done. They organized an information picket to be held at the municipal building in Wyoming to greet the Councillors as they came in for their meeting.

So, on October 4, 2023, after a pizza night writing up placards in Michelle Stewardson's garage, they came out to demonstrate, and they came, and they came, many straight from night shift. Over 90 members of Marshal Gowland Manor showed up, along with CUPE and other allies. They lined the street and the driveway of the municipal building with great enthusiasm and handed out information flyers to all the cars that came in. It only took an hour before Rusty and Michelle were invited to have a meeting that day to discuss the issues they were having with the Employer.

A huge congratulations to the Committee and Members of Marshal Gowland Manor.

No More Stolen Sisters

October 4 serves to commemorate the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, an Twospirited Persons (MMlWG2S), and to extend our heartfelt solidarity to their families.

Today Unifor renewed its support for the families calling on the Government of Manitoba to prioritize the immediate search of the Winnipeg landfill for the bodies of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran.

While the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls has laid out an extensive 231 Calls for Justice, it is crucial to emphasize the urgency of searching the Winnipeg landfill as a tangible and immediate action. This is a critical step in addressing the ongoing cycle of violence and systemic discrimination that has its roots in Canada's colonial past and has been perpetuated by successive governments.

The Inquiry's final report serves as a guide for all Canadians to put an end to this violence. It is our collective responsibility to heed its recommendations and to act swiftly. Elected officials must recognize the gravity of the situation and waste no time implementing the recommendations.

Health Care Conference

The Health Care Conference was held in Halifax Nova Scotia this year and Unifor Local 302 sent 20 delegates to the event which ran from November 11-14, 2023.

The event had several guest speakers, including National Treasurer Len Poirier, a video message from National President Lana Payne, and a presentation from Local 302 Member and Co-founder of #i'vegotyourback911 Shaun Taylor.

The event was kept light as Health Care workers need a break. The event was capped off with a Harbour cruise just before the weather turned bad.

Persons Day

The Persons Day gala was held this past Saturday at Local 88 and was attended by Members from several Unifor Locals, the Ingersoll Depuy Mayor Lindsay Wilson, Ingersoll Ward Councillor Khadijah Haliru, and London- Fanshawe MPP Teresa Armstrong.

Persons Day is an annual celebration in Canada, held on October 18th. The day commemorates the case of Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General), more commonly known as The Persons Case— a famous Canadian constitutional case decided on October 18, 1929, by the Judicial Committee of the Imperial Privy Council, which at that time was the court of last resort for Canada. The Persons Case held that some women were declared persons under the law.

Bargaining Updates

Ongoing: McCormick Care, McCormick Recreation Specialists, Norfolk General Hospital. Medavie EMS, Marshal Gowland Manor.

Ratified: Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region

Upcoming: None

In Solidarity,

Kevin Phillips
President
Unifor Local 302