image: courtesy of Unifor

After months of organizing, today Unifor announced it has officially filed to be the certified bargaining agent of Toyota workers at two plants in Cambridge and one plant in Woodstock, Ontario.

Workers will vote next week on whether they want Unifor to represent them as a bargaining agent. Should the vote pass, the three plants would become the first organized Toyota plants in North America. 

“When Unifor was asked by Toyota team members to work with them to make this successful company even better, I was delighted,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President, in a written statement. “Unifor was built to ensure good jobs and strong communities now and in the future. When I met with the thoughtful and proud Toyota team members it was clear to me that we share this commitment.”

At Toyota in Cambridge and Woodstock, workers are fighting for higher wages, as well as an improved benefits package and protections for contract workers.

Organizing the more than 6,500 workers at the three plants has become the flagship campaign for Unifor since their founding convention in September of last year. In an interview with rabble earlier this month, John Aman, director of organizing at Unifor, noted that the union has devoted significant resources towards organizing the Toyota workers.

“But that’s the mandate that our union has received from our membership and leadership,” said Aman. “We’re not throwing good money away — we’re utilizing the resources in a smart fashion trying to assist employees at Toyota.”

 

H.G. Watson

H.G. Watson

H.G. Watson is a multimedia journalist currently based in Waterloo, Ontario. After a brief foray into studying law, she decided that she preferred filing stories to editors than factums to the court....