Thessalon First Nation workers make history as first in Canada to unionize
June 27 2024 - 1:08PM
Employees of Thessalon First Nation in Northern Ontario have joined
the United Steelworkers union (USW), in the process making history
as the first such unionized group in Canada.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has officially
certified the Thessalon First Nation employees as USW members. It
is believed to be the first such union certification of a group of
First Nations community workers in Canada.
Thessalon First Nation (TFN) is located on the north shore of
Lake Huron, approximately 100 kilometres east of Sault Ste. Marie.
The TFN workers fall under federal labour law jurisdiction and
therefore were certified by the CIRB – the federal labour relations
tribunal.
The newly unionized TFN employees work in the delivery of a wide
range of services provided to members in their community, including
children’s mental health, elder support, personal support work,
recreation, student support, custodial services, and water
treatment/public works.
“We’re happy to be joining the United Steelworkers and we’re
looking forward to negotiating a collective agreement that will
legally define and protect our rights and working conditions,” said
a TFN employee and new USW member.
“We love our work and we consider it a privilege to serve the
members of our community. We realize that as union members we will
be in a better position to continue to deliver the quality services
that our community depends on and deserves,” the employee said.
“The United Steelworkers is honoured to have been chosen by the
Thessalon First Nation employees as the union to represent them in
their workplace,” said Myles Sullivan, USW director for Ontario and
Atlantic Canada.
“Our union will provide these workers with all the support and
resources they need to negotiate a collective agreement that
improves their working conditions and helps build a solid future
for their families and their community,” Sullivan said.
“The USW already provides the best-possible representation to
Indigenous workers who are among our general membership in hundreds
of workplaces across the country. This includes engaging,
supporting and empowering our Indigenous members to become
activists and leaders within the union and in their communities,”
he noted.
“Our union also has a steadfast commitment to making
reconciliation a reality and to engage and build relationships with
Indigenous nations and communities,” he added.
About the United Steelworkers union
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic
sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in
North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States
and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because
of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and
more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working
conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits
and pensions.
Contacts:
Myles Sullivan, Director, USW District 6 (Ontario and Atlantic
Canada), 416-243-8792Marc Ayotte, USW Area Co-ordinator,
Northwestern Ontario, 705-759-4945, mayotte@usw.caLorei Leigh De
Los Reyes, USW Communications, 416-544-6009, ldelosreyes@usw.ca