Canadian labor movement is poised for a resurgence after decades of stagnant wages, not to mention the health and safety nightmare that was the pandemic. At the head is Unifor, the largest private sector union in the country, representing more than 315,000 employees. Recently, Unifor made headlines for its own internal conflict: In March, former President Jerry Dias was accused of violating Unifor’s code of ethics after he allegedly accepted $50,000 from a Canadian supplier of rapid COVID-19 test kits and promoted the product to the union. employers (Dias denies the allegations).
Restoring solidarity won’t be easy for Lana Payne, but luckily it’s one of her strengths. In August, the 57-year-old activist, who previously served as secretary-treasurer of Unifor, was elected the organization’s first female president and, in her words, seeks to “turn the page.” Until now, that has meant recruiting members from growth industries, such as electric vehicle production and storage, and pushing for pay rises to match those the rapidly rising cost of living. As strange as it seems, she is getting them. Here, Payne talks about her version of work-life balance and the new wave of worker action.
You initiated the external investigation into Jerry Dias after he allegedly accepted money to promote COVID testing to union employers. Tell me about how that felt.
I had many feelings. After the initial shock of the complaint, it became quite clear that the only way forward was to make sure thatprotected the union. The creation of Unifor in 2013 was an act of hope to build the power of workers. Accountability and transparency: those principles are in the preamble of our constitution. All of this happened before my eyes.
What led you to decide to run for president?
Well, a lot of people asked me to do it. I am an unconventional leader. For too long, the typical image of a union leader has been that of a loud man at one side of the bargaining table. I am a woman and I have a different leadership style: I work in collaboration with people. I see it too What my responsibility to make sure that workers are part of the economic and social debates of the day. It is not enough for a union to enter and bargain in specific workplaces. I learned early while working to the eastern fishermen’s union that if you want to make real change, you had better have political influence.
What does that influence look like, practically speaking?
You have to know how to deal with politicians, whether they are Conservatives, New Democrats, Liberals, or Greens. When I was president of the federation in St. John’s, we had a progressive conservative government and yet made significant progress in the workplace. in the middle of2000, we led a massive campaign to raise the minimum wage. I think we saw a 67 percent increase in five or six years. We also improved health and safety laws for the first time in 30 years. A lot of that is because he knew how to build a big top.
Didn’t your interest in the labor movement arise as a result of your dismissal?
I was a very young journalist in the Telegram from Saint John, I had just been paroled and I made a mistake on my report. I remember calling my dad that night very upset. He had lost my first real job. My dad said, “Don’t you have a union?” He was a lifelong welder and trade unionist. I think I was the first person to file a complaint with the Telegram.
Did you get your job back?
Yes. I covered childbirth after that. Later I got a call from the fishermen’s union, who offered me a job in communications. It was 1991, just before the fishing crisis, which ended up being one of the greatest organizing feats in Newfoundland and Labrador history: harvesters, plant workers, and hundreds of communities under one union. It was a turning point in the province.
(Photograph by Wade Hudson)
What makes this moment such a flash point for worker activism?
Every day during the pandemic, we saw news about how we depend on workers to survive. For the workers, there was a feeling of, I am valuable again. But they weren’t seeing that spillover effect in the form of compensation or better working conditions. We still had front-line workers who, let’s face it, weren’t paid anywhere near what they were worth. The pandemic also capped 40 years of wage stagnation and households that needed two incomes to survive. Together, these things are a recipe for renewed worker militancy.
Why have salary increases exceeded one percent for nurses, given the national shortage?
Because, in Ontario, House Bill 124 caps wage increases for public sector workers at that maximum. As a result, we are having a massive crisis around work in health care and education. It’s a big mistake. In fact, that will be one of the first things I bring up with Doug Ford when we meet this fall.
In the US, public support for unions is the highest it has been since 1965. People are taking on companies like Amazon, Starbucks, Apple, Google, and they are winning.
It is definitely a time of organization. It is also happening in the UK with rail and dock workers. It is everywhere. Unifor has just signed its first collective agreement with WestJet workers in Calgary and Vancouver. We are also seeing an increase in strike activity. Last year, Unifor had more disputes than in any year since 2013.
Do you see this momentum continuing?
People say that Canada has a labor shortage. In some cases, it is a shortage of decent wages. And this malaise is not going to change. “Be satisfied with any shitty job we can offer you” is not going to work anymore. If employers want to hire and retain workers, they must provide the kind of environment workers ask for: higher wages, pensions, collective bargaining. And respect, which is difficult to negotiate.
Are there any changes in the workplace that really surprise you?
One thing I find very interesting is “quit smoking quietly”. Of course, you don’t want to have to answer emails the rest of the time, or work 20 minutes late every day for no extra pay. But quitting quietly is an individual response to a problem within the entire workplace. I’m like, okay, well that’s great, but if you really want to wield proper power in the workplace, do it collectively.
Would you say that you yourself have a balance between work and personal life? You want work-life balance?
I don’t want anyone to feel like they need to be like me, but I want to change the world. Sometimes you have to work 16 to 18 hours a day to do that. However, I started walking during the pandemic. I go down by the water in Toronto, which, for an East Coaster, is good for the soul.
Maybe running would be more your speed.
Fast way. And I just ran for president.