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Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2019
Ontario
Cannabis
Store workers
join UFCW
TORONTO — Workers at the
call centre for the Ontario Can-
nabis Store (OCS) voted on
March 13 in favour of unioniza-
tion with the United Food and
Commercial Workers union
(UFCW) Canada.
The workers became the first
union members attached to
Ontario's rapidly growing legal
cannabis sector, said UFCW.
The issues that drove the em-
ployees were lack of hours, lack
of consistency in scheduling and
the need for job security and
just-cause protection. Workers
first contacted UFCW Canada
after learning that the union al-
ready represents thousands of
workers in the cannabis sector,
said the union.
The call centre is operated by
Line One Contact Centres, a
Calgary-based company. Work-
ers at the call centre, located in
Toronto, provide customer sup-
port and mail-tracking services
for Ontario's online cannabis
store, said UFCW.
UFCW represents cannabis
production and retail workers
in California, Oregon, Washing-
ton, Colorado, Minnesota and
New Mexico. UFCW Canada
represents cannabis retail work-
ers in Quebec, at SQDC loca-
tions in Rosemont, Rimouski,
and Mirabel, according to the
union.
Credit union
workers give
strike mandate
TRURO/AMHERST, N.S. —
On March 8, workers at two
branches of the Community
Credit Union in Nova Scotia
voted 100 per cent in favour of
giving their bargaining commit-
tee a strike mandate ahead of
conciliation talks in April.
"Workers coming together
like this to stand behind their
bargaining committee says a
lot about their current working
conditions," said Darlene Mc-
Ivor, Unifor national representa-
tive.
"Every single person in this
unit wants to see their working
conditions improve and they've
empowered their bargaining
committee through this vote"
said McIvor.
Unifor, Local 2107 members
at Community Credit Union
branches in Truro and Amherst,
are currently in bargaining with
the employer, said the union.
"Bargaining has been difficult
and drawn-out and it's clear the
members are frustrated with
how challenging it has been to
get straight-forward and simple
improvements to their contract,"
said McIvor.
Montreal
FedEx Freight
drivers join
Teamsters
MONTREAL — Teamsters, Lo-
cal 931 filed a request on March 9
for union certification on behalf
of about 30 owner-operators at
FedEx Freight in Montreal.
Teamsters have been orga-
nizing FedEx drivers from coast
to coast to coast. Workers at
a FedEx warehouse in Surrey,
B.C., also chose Teamsters Local
Union 31 to represent them, said
the union.
"That was our first major or-
ganizing victory, after FedEx pi-
lots joined in the United States,"
said François Laporte, Team-
sters Canada president. "These
workers want better and they
deserve better."
The formal request for union
certification was filed with the
Canadian Industrial Relations
Board, said Teamsters.
Teamsters represent al-
most 125,000 workers across
Canada.
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Dutch teachers and lecturers at all levels hold their rst-ever strike to press demands for wage hikes and
better working conditions in The Hague, on March 15.
