Name: Unifor Local 27 General Membership Meeting
Start: 2025-06-19
End: 2025-06-19
Location: Unifor Local 27

Next Upcoming Event

19 June 2025

Unifor Local 27 General Membership Meeting

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To our members who are former accuride canada inc. employees

We are writing as your Union to provide a report on the status of the insolvency proceedings of Accuride Canada Inc. (“Accuride Canada“) and how Unifor is helping the union members who lost their jobs due to the closure of the London plant.

On October 10, 2024, Accuride Canada was insolvent and obtained protection from its creditors under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA“). This follows the insolvency filing of Accuride in the United States under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on October 9, 2024. The accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. (“PwC“) was appointed by the Court as the “Monitor” of Accuride Canada in its CCAA proceeding.

Although the CCAA is a law intended to allow a company to restructure and avoid a formal bankruptcy, Accuride Canada closed down and did not restructure. After obtaining CCAA protection, Accuride Canada informed all 218 full-time employees, including 180 Local 27 members, that its London plant would shut down and their employment would be terminated. Accuride Canada did not pay the unionized (nor the non-union) employees with severance pay nor pay in lieu of notice and other amounts owing to them.

The Monitor ran a sales process to sell Accuride Canada, but it has reported that no sale was concluded.

In order to help the Local 27 members, Unifor negotiated a closure agreement under which the unionized employees would receive additional production and retention bonuses during the closure process, in addition to maintaining other rights in the Collective Agreement. Accuride Canada also provided Local 27 with a lump sum payment of $50,000 to provide members with job search counselling services.

To date, Local 27 employees have not received any payment from Accuride Canada in respect of termination pay, severance pay, and other amounts, including unpaid benefit contributions owing during each employee’s notice period. Payments from Accuride Canada to employees in respect of their claims for these unpaid amounts is currently unknown.

On January 27, 2025, since all the Accuride Canada employees were terminated, the Ontario Superior Court ordered the Wage Earner Protection Program Act applies to this proceeding. This means that the terminated employees could apply for a payment of up to a maximum of $8,844.22 toward amounts owing to them, including severance pay and termination pay.

Wage Earner Protection Program (“WEPP”)

The Monitor prepared a calculation of the amounts it believed are owing to the employees. On our review of the Monitor’s calculations, we found several errors and omissions that would result in many members not receiving the maximum amount they are legally entitled to under WEPP. We also identified two priority claims that also benefit the union members. Unifor has recalculated the members’ claims along with the priorities and have sent them back to the Monitor who is reviewing them. We will report further as soon as we hear back from the Monitor.

Unifor is committed to resolving these disputes as quickly possible, however, we want to ensure all members’ legal entitlements are calculated correctly, so that all members will receive the maximum amount they are legally entitled to.

Enhanced Vacation Pay for Employees with 1000+ Hours of Service

Under the Collective Agreement between Local 27 and Accuride, unionized employees who have worked for more than 1,000 hours are entitled to receive weekly vacation pay equivalent to their regular straight-time hourly rate multiplied by 40. This pay is significantly higher than standard vacation rates and was intended to recognize employees who have contributed greater hours of service.

The Monitor is now disputing the employees’ entitlement for enhanced vacation pay as a result of the insolvency proceeding. Local 27 maintains the employees continue to have a claim in respect of this amount, and by overlooking enhanced vacation pay, the Monitor will minimize the amount of the employees’ claims.

Pension Plan for Hourly-Rated Employees

The unionized employees of Local 27 are members under the registered Pension Plan for Hourly-Rated Employees of Accuride Canada Inc. This Plan was originally a defined benefit pension plan but was converted to a defined contribution plan on December 31, 2022. As a result of Accuride Canada’s CCAA filing and shut down, the termination of the Plan is expected to occur this year. As of December 31, 2022, the company actuary reported that the plan has surplus assets (i.e., more assets than are required to pay the benefit liabilities of the plan members). As part of the wind up of the plan, the surplus will also need to be addressed.

Local 27 is in correspondence with the Monitor to address the employee and retiree pension entitlements, including the entitlement to the surplus. We will report further as soon as we hear back from the Monitor.

Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Plan (“Sub Plan”)

The unionized employees are also members of the Sub Plan. This Plan was formed to provide benefits to employees and currently has funds of approximately $50,000. Local 27 is in correspondence with the Monitor to determine the employees’ entitlement to these amounts.

Local 27 is committed to assisting its members throughout the insolvency proceeding as quickly as possible and will provide further updates on the above noted matters.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the information provided below

Brian Chapman | President, Unifor Local 27

Brian.chapman@local27.ca 519 319 3657

Western Fair Discount Rates

Unifor's Membership Appreciation Day at Canada's Wonderland

Tickets for Unifor’s membership appreciation day at Canada’s Wonderland are now available!

This year’s membership appreciation day will take place on Sunday, July 13. Tickets can be purchased at www.canadaswonderland.com/unifor2025day [canadaswonderland.com]. Members who participate will have access to the park from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Discounted tickets are as follows:

$51.64 Ages 3 and up. Includes parking, admission, rides, and lunch at the Courtyard Buffet.
$17.69 for Courtyard Buffet only (park admission required to gain entry).
Free for kids under age 2.

We anticipate this will be a well attended event so please make sure to secure your tickets early.

This year’s event is sponsored by Unifor National and Unifor Ontario Regional Council. We encourage all participants to wear their Unifor colours/swag.

For more information visit the event page [unifor.org]. Order Wonderland tickets here: www.canadaswonderland.com/unifor2025day [canadaswonderland.com].

Download the event poster to circulate to members here [unifor.org].

In solidarity,

Samia Hashi
Ontario Regional Director

General Motors’ Announcement

To all Auto and IPS Locals and Delegates:

As many of you have heard, General Motors announced plans today to cut its third shift of truck production at Oshawa Assembly. Although specific timeline details are being worked out, this shift reduction is expected to take place later this year, in November.
This decision is largely to do with U.S-imposed tariffs on Canadian vehicles. All Canadian vehicles exported to the U.S. face a 25% tariff on the value of their non-U.S. content. This is a damaging, unjust policy enacted by the Trump Administration precisely to hurt Canadian auto production.
This move will directly impact 700 Unifor members of Local 222 at the Oshawa plant, in addition to job impacts affecting thousands of workers at numerous Unifor-represented and other supplier parts facilities and support service units.
This news is deeply alarming — though, unfortunately, not surprising
Our Councils has been warning for months about auto sector job losses due to tariffs. We’ve seen fellow workers in other industries, already impacted in different ways. Our National Union, led by our National President Lana Payne, has been ringing the alarm with government and industry officials as well as the public that job loss, in Canada, is a likely outcome and that governments, everywhere, needed to act fast. We cannot stand by and watch good paying jobs get uprooted.
Earlier today, the National Union issued a strong statement on the GM announcement, which you can read here.
It says that conversations are taking place between the National Union, Unifor Local 222 and the company. Under the terms of the Unifor-GM collective agreement, the company must provide at least 6 months’ notice before any layoff can be implemented, and to engage with the union to consider all options to mitigate layoffs. It’s the union’s position that this decision violates the collective agreement and must be reversed.
In the meantime, governments must step up and defend autoworkers.

We welcomed promises in both federal and provincial election campaigns to support autoworkers and the industry. But now it’s time to put those words into action.
Unifor is calling on governments to immediately remove GM’s tariff-exempt status on vehicles imported from the United States and sold in Canada.
The union is also urging Prime Minster Carney to call an emergency meeting with the heads of all major automakers to publicly reaffirm their commitments to Canadian investment and production.
General Motors has benefitted greatly from the Canadian economy. They are the top-selling automaker in the country and sold nearly 300,000 vehicles in Canada last year, most of those vehicles having been imported from the U.S.
Our fundamental principle as a union is ‘build where you sell’. And GM, right now, builds far less than they sell in Canada. Today’s announced plan, if executed, means they’ll build even less.
Earlier this year our Councils issued a joint statement, condemning U.S. tariffs on Canada. It also said that we would defend Canadian jobs, by whatever means necessary. We stand by this commitment.
In the coming days we will convene another joint meeting of the Auto and IPS Councils, to update delegates on the GM situation, and the U.S. tariff attack more broadly. Please stay tuned for more information.
Right now, our thoughts are with our members – those who are staring down this period of uncertainty and wondering what it means for them and their family.
Rest assured we are in this fight together – in solidarity.

John D’Agnolo

Chair, Unifor Auto Council

Emile Nabbout

Chair, Unifor IPS Council

Skilled trades bursaries

In memory of Brother Eric John (1923-2009), who passed away on December 5, 2009. Eric dedicated his working life to making the world a better place in any way he could. He held many elected positions in the UAW and CAW, from 1954. The most recent position he held was as Vice-chair of the CAW National Retired Workers Advisory Executive. He was active in Co-op housing developments and constant government lobbying for pensions. Eric was employed by the Ford Motor Company for 32 years of dedicated service, starting as a Tool and Die Maker.

The Unifor Skilled Trades Council is offering three (3) Eric John Memorial Bursaries in the amount of $2,000 each. These bursaries are awarded to sons and daughters of Unifor Skilled Trades Members in good standing, entering their first year of post-secondary education (university, community college, technological institute, teachers’ college, nursing school, etc.).

Submissions should include:

An official application form (attached)
Letter of recommendation from a teacher, principal or community activist
Transcript/record of marks

Documents indicating acceptance at one of the institutions described above and proof of registration must be submitted before the bursary can be awarded. Submit your completed application before June 6, 2025, to:

Unifor Skilled Trades Council
c/o Sandra Ireoha and Selection Committee
115 Gordon Baker, Toronto, ON M2H 0A8
or E-mail to sandra.ireoha@unifor.org

Those with disabilities, women, persons of colour, and Aboriginal Canadians are especially encouraged to apply. Incomplete applications will not receive consideration.

In solidarity,

Ken Anderson, Chairperson

Unifor Skilled Trades Council

National Union Scholarships

Greetings!

Please note that the 2025 Unifor National Scholarship application period is open!

Unifor recognizes that the cost associated with post-secondary education is a challenge for many working families. To assist in making education more accessible, we have established 28 scholarships of $2,000 each to children of Unifor members and a Unifor member entering their first year of post-secondary studies. Five of these scholarships are administered by the Quebec Council with a separate application process and deadline Residents of Quebec must use that application process. See www.uniforquebec.org

More information about this popular program including details on how to apply can be found here.

THE APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSES ON FRIDAY JUNE 20, 2025.

In solidarity,

Unifor Education Department

Unifor Auto and IPS Councils hold emergency meeting on ‘fight of our lives’

LONDON— The Unifor Auto Council and Independent Parts Suppliers (IPS) Council held an emergency joint meeting today to address the ongoing tariff threat and U.S. President Donald Trump’s open demand for Canadian auto and parts jobs to be moved to the United States.

“This is the fight of our lives. We’re going to have to lay it all on the line and be prepared to do whatever it takes. This entire industry is at risk, our plants, our jobs, everything that you have fought to achieve for years. Everything that the people before you fought for,” Unifor National President Lana Payne told the Councils.

“Our members have been living under economic warfare by the President of the United States. The threats grow by the day, the goal posts move by the day, and every day brings chaos. Trump’s plan from day one is to steal investment and jobs from this country,” Payne warned.

More than 120 Council members attended the emergency meeting to represent the 20,000 Unifor members at the Detroit Three automakers and 17,000 members employed at independent parts suppliers.

The Councils endorsed a joint statement condemning the unjust imposition and ongoing threat of tariffs and committed the full resources of local unions and the National Union to take direct action to support Canadian jobs, by whatever means necessary.

The Councils stated that the temporary pause granted to the auto industry is insufficient and is not supported by Canadian autoworkers. Until there is a full and unequivocal lifting of these unjust, punitive, and illegal tariffs on all Canadian goods, Unifor Auto and IPS Councils oppose this Trump policy, and stand in full solidarity with Canadian workers.

Read the full statement here.

“If they think they can shift production to the U.S. and not face the wrath of this union, they have another thing coming. You don’t build here, you don’t sell here,” said Payne.

Read Unifor’s recommendations on tariff response and economic measures here.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

Unifor members,

Yesterday, after months of threats and intimidation tactics, Donald Trump triggered tariffs on Canadian goods and energy imports to the United States.

It’s abundantly clear that the U.S. Administration is looking to steal away Canadian jobs and investment. This has been Trump’s game plan from the beginning. Canada has no choice but to fight this trade war with everything we have.

And if there was any doubt, this trade war was never about the border. In fact, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce suggested a deal to lower tariffs could be reached if Canada gave into other, unrelated demands, around the CUSMA trade pact. This isn’t about saving people’s lives from the scourge of fentanyl. It’s about extorting Canadians, giving into American economic demands.

Donald Trump has dragged us into an open economic war with the U.S., but he has seriously misjudged the resolve and unity of Canadians. Unifor has publicly warned any corporation that thinks it can take the easy way out by shifting production south of the border that they will have one hell of a fight on their hands.

Your union has been actively advocating for workers on federal and provincial trade councils, in meetings with employers and in conversations the Prime Minister, the Premiers and politicians at all levels.

While Unifor has been clear of the real danger and the terrible impact tariffs will have, we have also stressed that together we can act to control our own economic destiny.

We know just how difficult these developments are for our members. We share your concern and anger. We share your fears and your worry.

Together, we will stand strong. Our country has economic leverage and now it must use it. There has never been a better time for Canada to rise to the challenge of rebuilding our industries and trade relationships and implement measures to reset our economy to secure jobs and develop a more diverse and resilient economy for the future.

We have called for emergency supports for all working people through this process and will maintain this as a key demand of our union to governments.

Unifor has called for the following:

Targeted and strategic tariff retaliation including dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs.
Enhanced income supports for workers
Strategic management of national resources through industrial policy
Establish Reciprocal Procurement Policies for U.S. Suppliers; Leverage Public Purchasing for Industrial Development
Emergency relief to mitigate risk of layoff, sustain operations

Unifor members can do our part by choosing Made in Canada products, by staying engaged and supporting each other, particularly those in sectors who will be hardest hit.

For more information on Unifor’s work visit our Protect Canadian Jobs campaign site here.

View Unifor’s media interviews on tariffs here.

In solidarity,

Lana Payne, National President
Len Poirier, National Secretary-Treasurer
Daniel Cloutier, Quebec Director
Jennifer Murray, Atlantic Regional Director
Samia Hashi, Ontario Regional Director
Gavin McGarrigle, Western Regional Director

labour appreciation awards May 2024

Imagine BUild - "Thank you unifor" video

Doug Tarry Homes Limited is committed to building a home for Knowledge Sharer Ray John Jr and we are inviting you and your staff to get involved.

In Doug’s own words “My goal is to show respectful support for the greater Oneida Nation of the Thames community, while at the same time bringing the best of the best together to create something really magical.”

We knew that if we imagined a way forward together, we would find our way to build affordable accessible homes with Oneida leadership. We are inviting UNIFOR Locals to get involved with this specific build dubbed the Blitz Build.

Imagine Build’s Progress

Initial goal was to raise enough funds to build one home.
Since January, 2021, we have raised over $800,000 and have 2 homes currently being built (photo below of home #1), Ray John Jr’s home is home # 3 and the homeowners of home # 4 a family of 5- mom and 4 children under the age of 16.
2 of the families will move out of rental units and 2 more families will move in.
By the end of the year, 6 families will be homed.

How Does the Imagine Build work?

All funds raised go directly to building the homes.

Once a family has been identified through an application process led by Oneida Nation of the Thames Housing department and representation from the Imagine Build team, they are responsible for the infrastructure costs which includes: the driveway, septic tank and utilities hook-ups.
Oneida Nation of the Thames will provide a loan to the family to pay for the infrastructure costs at a rate of $400/month.
This monthly payment goes back into the funds to pay for the next home’s infrastructure costs.
We imagined a way forward to create a circular economy and we got there.

If you like what you are reading and want to get involved, let us know.
There is lots of work to be done and there are lots of ways to support.

Yaw^ko/Thank you for walking this far with us.

Facebook Pages

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Unifor Local 27 Partners with oneida Nation of the thames for imagine build

On October 22, 2021 Unifor Local 27’s Brian Chapman and Jim Wilkes joined Chief Adrian Chrisjohn at a press conference to announce the Imagine Build. Local 27 is working in collaboration with Oneida Nation of the Thames on an affordable and accessible housing project.

The Imagine Build is everything reconciliation is meant to represent. An acknowledgement of the past with a solid solution to make life better for the Indigenous Communities

Working together with Chief Adrian Chrisjohn, the Band Council and a number of committed community activist’s we are building bridges between our communities working together to build four accessible homes by this summer.

At the news conference, President of Unifor Local 27 Brian Chapman pledged $10,000.00 to the Imagine Build and also pledged that we would help anyway we could, whether through help finding additional funding or by supplying volunteers who can help with the build.

Donations www.imaginebuild.ca

To view pictures from the press conference, follow the link https://review.bellmedia.ca/view/1245543190

Confirmed partnerships and funding so far:

Elected Chief, Adrian Chrisjohn and Band Council working side by side with the Imagine Build Committee.
Pillar Non-Profit- will provide administrative support to assist with issuing tax receipts.
Bell Media- promotional and editorial support of the Imagine Build.
$100,000 confirmed from a private donor.
Imagine Art Auction- a fundraiser planned featuring Indigenous and Non-Indigenous artists.
Justin Bardawill, building contractor
Unifor Local 27 $10,000.00 donation
We invite any organization or individual that would like to be a part of the Imagine Build to contact us at Local 27

CTV:

https://london.ctvnews.ca/partnership-to-build-accessible-homes-on-oneida-nation-1.5676632

LFP

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/group-rallies-to-build-affordable-accessible-homes-one-house-at-a-time

ontario regional council & unifor Locals support imagine build

In a moving cheque presentation, Ontario Regional Council donated $150,000 towards The Imagine Build, an initiative – partnering with the Oneida Nation of the Thames Band Council – to build four accessible and affordable houses for families along the eastern shore of the Thames River south of London, Ont.

Mandi Fields of the Imagine Build said she became friends with an Indigenous man named Ray John Jr., who faced leg amputation surgery and during his recovery, she learned he was living with his wife and two sons in a 500-square-foot home, heated by a stove. They had been on an Oneida housing wait list for 20 years with 47 other families.

“This is the day I saw everything and now, I can no longer unsee,” she told the council.

Unifor locals then contributed more donations during ORC, with the amount totalling more than $200,000. The union’s skilled trades offered support for the building projects.

“Our members understand that reconciliation has to be more than just putting on an orange shirt,” said Unifor Local 27 Secretary-Treasurer Jim Wilkes. “We have to do more and sometimes, we have to donate our time and money to really make the change to establish relationships, build bridges and change lives.”

Fields, choked up after hearing about the donations tally and said, “We all know what having a home means I’ve never experienced something good like this for so long. This is not about throwing up houses and walking away – this is about reconciliation.”

Lana Payne said Unifor National will also contribute $50,000 towards the Imagine Build initiative, which ORC and other Unifor locals raised over $200,000 at a cheque presentation on March 9, 2022.

Notice for all Unifor Local 27 RPNs

Greetings,

It’s my pleasure to let you know that the Executive Board of Local 27 has approved a plan to reimburse Local 27 RPNs 10% off their membership into WeRPN (formerly RPNAO, Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario). This new initiative will begin with the new membership year for WeRPN that starts in July 2020.

We think this is an important initiative and encourage all RPNs to visit the WeRPN website at www.werpn.com to look at what the membership has to offer nurses. This protection is available if you are involved with disputes or claims with CNO and require advise and representation which your employer or union may not be able to provide directly. One of the most important components of the Membership includes the professional liability protection insurance, with a $1,000,000 limit for each loss per nurse and $3,000,000 limit for all losses per year per nurse. It provides protection against malpractice claims arising from real or alleged errors or omissions, including negligence. As a member you are covered for the following: subpoenaed to appear before a legally constituted tribunal in Ontario; subpoenaed to appear as a witness in matters arising out of the Regulated Health Professional Act (1991) and any amending or superseding legislation; subpoenaed to appear as a witness in an incident relating to his/her profession of nursing; received a letter of complaint from the College of Nurses of Ontario as a result of a complaint, laid under Regulated Health Professions Act (1991) and any amending or superseding Legislation.

Please email Jerry Skinner (email address below) to apply for your WeRPN 10% before tax rebate. Be sure to include your name, mailing address , employer , local Union # ,CNO# and a copy of your membership receipt / transaction details. Your rebate will be sent to you by mail, so please allow some time for processing – Your patience is much appreciated. Please note, this offer is only available to Unifor Local 27 RPNs.

In Solidarity,

Brian Chapman

President Local 27

please send all required info & file to the following email address – jerry.skinner@local27.ca