The CFNU expresses Canada’s nurses’ solidarity with UNITE HERE! Local 75 members and joins the Canadian Labour Congress in condemning the decision of the Unifor leadership to disaffiliate from the CLC and raid the members of UNITE HERE! Local 75.
Read CLC Canadian Council’s statement.
CFNU’s Open letter to members of UNITE HERE Local 75: Brother Ian Robb
On February 5th, the Canadian Labour Congress called an emergency meeting of the Canadian Council which represent the 51 unions of the CLC, 13 federations of labour and all labour councils. President Hassan Yussuff called on us to unify behind UNITE HERE Local 75 members, and reminded us of your effort to work with others in our movement to put a stop to raiding activities.
On behalf of the nearly 200,000 unionized nurses and nursing students I represent within the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU), I wish to express our solidarity with you in this trying time.
As proud members of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Canada’s unionized nurses believe that we are stronger together. Accordingly, we must focus our resources and efforts squarely on the task of improving working conditions for our members and organizing fellow workers without a union. In the face of great adversity, how else can we expect to win better conditions of work for everyone in Canada?
Democracy must be a fundamental underpinning of our labour movement and, like any, our democracy must be governed by rules and processes agreed to by the collective. Unifor’s actions demonstrate a lack of respect for these collectively-endorsed rules and processes that govern democratic decision-making within Canada’s labour movement.
Rest assured, the CFNU supports you and will continue to do everything in our power to deepen the unity and respect within our labour movement.
In solidarity always,
Linda Silas, CFNU President