Unifor79M

Unifor condemns attacks on journalists Written on a door in the U.S. Capitol Building was a chilling warning about the dangerous state of journalism today: Murder the media. A Texas woman took to social media threatening the mob would move on to the news media after they stormed the Capitol. Outside, journalists were attacked for doing their job, their equipment smashed to the cheers of the mob. The cables from one TV crew were tied into a noose.... All this took place in Washington on Wednesday as Trump loyalists heeded his call to go to Congress, egged on by false claims of election fraud. They view the media as the enemy of a free democracy when they are the ones waging war on democracy. It is a threat to all our freedom when journalists become targets. Journalists have repeatedly exposed the lies and corruption of the Trump administration, and have led all of us through the pandemic with the information we need to stay healthy. Their safety is our safety. The past year at least has certainly shown us that. We must not be complacent in Canada, either. A Trump supporter in Vancouver punched a journalist covering a rally there this week. Even more worrying, and what can never be forgotten, is that the Proud Boys the racist group behind much of the violence in Trump’s Washington this week was founded here in Canada. The roots of what happened in Washington run deep here. The replacement of Trump with a new president in a matter of days will no more mean the end of division in that country as it will in ours, or the threats that come with it. There are those in this country all too willing to engage in the same hate, and far too many right-wing politicians are playing footsie with such groups while too many Conservative leaders, so-called, remain unwilling to call them out for it. The bedrock of our democracy is a free and open media. We have seen this week how fragile all that is. Unifor stands in solidarity with all the journalists risking their own safety to tell us these important stories this week and every week even as we watch in horror. https://www.unifor.org//unifor-condemns-attacks-journalists

Dear Bell Media Members, Our first day with the company was set for December 17, 2020, unfortunately the company was not ready and canceled that date. January 14th was then scheduled to kick off negotiations. Yesterday we were informed that the company was canceling that day as well. Our next dates are scheduled for Feb 15, 16, 22, 23 and March 1-4, 22, 23, 25, 26. The current CBA remains in force until a new agreement is reached.... If you have any questions comments or concerns, please contact me at [email protected]. I n solidarity, Jake Moore See more

GAME ON! Local 79M members, we are sports! we got this. register at www.unifor.org/nhlpool

Happy Holidays from everyone at Unifor Local 79M!! A special thank you to our members who are working through the holidays to keep Canadians informed and entertained.

Remember their names. In the ongoing struggle to end violence against women, much has changed since December 6, 1989 and, unfortunately, much has stayed the same. On that day, 31 years ago, a gunman entered L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal and separated the women from the men yelling I hate feminists. He then systematically murdered 13 students and 1 worker women who were shot dead solely because they were women. As Unifor marks December 6, the National Day of Remembranc...e and Action on Violence Against Women, the trial of the Yonge St van attacker is in progress, an act of misogynist violence that killed 10 people and injured 16 more. At that same time, the Portapique inquiry, on the deadliest rampage in Canadian history, is set to begin. It began with a horrific act of domestic violence. In addition, it has been well over one-year since the release of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry Report, and the federal government has yet to adopt a concerted federal strategy to stop the violence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, gender-based violence is accelerating and inequality is increasing, undermining women’s ability to live lives free of violence. As we reflect on this day, Local 79M has donated $1500 each to two local shelters.