Lana Payne and the Forward Together team clearly offer the best chance for us to collectively reclaim and fulfil the dream that led us to form this great union.

Jennifer Murray is Unifor’s National Executive Board member for the rail sector, and Atlantic Representative to Unifor Council 4000. She is running for Atlantic Regional Director because she wants to bring to life the Forward Together vision for a modern social union for everyone, with everyone.

Gavin McGarrigle is currently Unifor’s Western Regional Director since he was elected in 2019, after serving as B.C. Area Director and as a National Representative since 2006.

Dayle Steadman is the president of Unifor local 1106, based in Kitchener-Waterloo, representing more than 4000 members in health care and manufacturing. Dayle is stepping up to provide rank-and-file leadership in Ontario as Unifor’s next Ontario Regional Director.

Three candidates are announcing today that they proudly endorse Lana Payne and Len Poirier as national leadership to lead our union into the future. Together, they hope to offer strong rank-and-file representation to advance the Forward Together vision as outlined in the campaign platform released this week.

Like all of you, I love this union with all my heart. And my heart is full with the possibilities of what we can build into the future when we are guided by our trade union principles of democracy, transparency, accountability and solidarity.

Len Poirier is announcing he will be seeking the support of Unifor members to become Unifor’s next National Secretary-Treasurer at the upcoming Constitutional Convention in August. Len and Lana share a common vision for Unifor based on the principles of democracy, membership power, and integrity.

We are at a crucial turning point both in Unifor and the struggle of the working class as a whole. The way #ForwardTogether through it is with Lana Payne as our next President!

Lana has committed her entire working career to fight with and on behalf of working people. Using this experience as her cornerstone, Sister Payne, Brother Poirier and the #ForwardTogether team have put forth a plan to deliver their vision of a modern, progressive social union.

The Forward Together Team’s platform ensures we won’t make the same mistakes of the past that we will make all the necessary changes moving forward, and in the end the members win. There is so much more to do, convention is just the tip of that iceberg but we can rebuild this Union to ensure it is a Union for everyone. Let’s all move Forward Together!

For me, a union is our way to fight for fairness at work, justice in the community, and a better place for all workers. I am proud to support Lana Payne as National President because it is high time we have more women representing workers in the labour movement.

Just like Daniel Cloutier did, I invite you to support Lana, Len and their entire team at our convention and that you will take the time to read and reflect on the platform they have put forward.

I have often mentioned to you that a leader should not sit on the fence. In difficult times, a leader must take a stand. While it is not my place to tell you who to vote for, as a leader of the organization, I must tell you who I will vote for.

Her leadership, her relentless commitment, her integrity, her work ethic and the transparency of her actions will bring Unifor back to the top. Unifor will again become respected in the country not only by its members but by the political and business class as well.

As a recently-elected representative out of Local 250A, Labatt Brewery, in Edmonton, I want to share my support for Lana Payne as national president, and for the team of outstanding union activists she has assembled to run as part of the Forward Together team.

All our members deserve a union that they can trust to fight for them in difficult times. We need a team that will bring us Forward Together. Lana and Gavin, and the whole team are the leadership we need now and into the future.

In the wake of a scandal that challenges Unifor’s identity and threatens our reputation, I believe that a commitment to transparency, integrity, and ethical conduct must be our top priority if we are to repair our union and rebuild trust with our members and with the public.

My local agreed to give $1,000 to Lana’s campaign. I challenge all other locals who support Lana to do the same. To be able to contribute to a team that has clear financial guidelines reassures me when it comes to the future of our Union.

Lana and Gavin are two people with a vision and a plan. I support them because we need a real progressive modern social union that fights for everyone. I look forward to the union we can become with Lana as president. In solidarity!

For me, this is a time when people need hope. Lana, Gavin and the Forward Together team bring me hope in a better union and in a better world. I support them 100%.

Being an ally is an act. It requires action. My dear friend Lana lives and breathes this. Every. Single. Day. For all of this and more, I’m with Lana.

I know for certain that Lana is the leader with whom we can achieve gains, take on the greatest challenges and show employers that we’re in the fight for long term good jobs and economic justice for all.

Coming from small provinces, we know that we have to stick together and make sure our voice is loud and strong. Lana has strength of character, tenacity and principled judgment. Lana’s our person. Let’s get her elected president!

This sister will bring experience, militancy, activism, transparency, inclusion, and membership-driven leadership to Unifor. Workers need such leadership and service more than ever.

Lana originally hails from our sister Union, the FFAW-UNIFOR, where she spent 17 successful and highly regarded years. We know Lana to be an excellent communicator, fantastic lobbyist, and incredibly hard worker, and that she has the skill, experience, and dedication to provide solid leadership for Unifor.

I have come to know Lana Payne when Julie White was over at the Women’s Department and our friendship has grown over the years. I respect her professionalism, which is yet another reason why I support Lana Payne for Unifor National President.

From the first moment we met at a women’s conference all those years ago, I knew I was in the presence of someone who was and always will be uniquely inspirational. Over the years, as I grew to know and work with Lana more and more, I recognized in her the most amazing leadership skills.

When I see these women forging a path for others to follow, it fills me with pride. When women attain these positions, it provides a positive example and paves the way for other women and under-represented workers, who may not otherwise put themselves forward for leadership positions.

Lana’s support for reconciliation over the years has only bettered our relationships with our members and indigenous communities across the country. She is respectful and always listens. We continue to work together and she always makes me feel like anything is possible.

Jennifer Murray is Unifor’s National Executive Board member for the rail sector, and Atlantic Representative to Unifor Council 4000. She is running for Atlantic Regional Director because she wants to bring to life the Forward Together vision for a modern social union for everyone, with everyone.

The Atlantic region holds some of our union’s most compassionate, dedicated and active local unions. Thank you to all locals who have endorsed Lana Payne for National President.

Watch Lana Payne welcome delegates to the Atlantic Regional Council taking place this week in her home province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Watch Lana Payne share five ideas that are central to her campaign as Unifor’s next National President.

During the summer season, fields and farms hire migrant workers coming from different countries for seasonal work. While the government regulates some of the conditions migrant workers face, there remain gaps that expose migrant workers to challenging, unsafe, and sometimes deadly working conditions.

To be a strong voice for working people, our union processes must be clear and accountable. Only by leading by example, and achieving the highest standard of collective and individual behaviour, can our union gain the trust of our members and speak in one voice to demand better from employers and governments.

Our union was founded as an act of hope: hope for justice for workers, hope for a better world, and hope for a union that lives up to our dreams for every worker in this country. This is no time to go back to outdated ways. This is a time to be bold and brave, and build a modern social union for everyone, with everyone.

As Pride Month wraps up, it’s important to remember why we have huge celebrations at this time of year and why we, as trade unionists, will always continue to fight for the rights and lives of members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Yesterday brought devastating news as the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. There is no doubt that this decision is nothing short of an attack on women, other child-bearing people, and families and has dramatic consequences on reproductive justice in the United States.

This union is meant to empower members. As we know, a union is a way for working people to come together and fight for justice. It is the power of that collective that propels us forward, that builds solidarity and ultimately creates real change for the working class.

The Care Economy statement suggests that we need to shift our mode of thinking from one that sees care work strictly as an expenditure to one where we understand that investing in people and good jobs actually has a positive impact on society.