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Across Canada, the labour movement is experiencing a renewed wave of activity. After years where unions were often forced onto the defensive, workers are pushing back against rising costs, changing workplaces, and power imbalance.
From new labour laws to high-profile strikes and emerging legal battles, the past few years have produced important developments that could shape bargaining tables across the country—including right here in Saskatchewan. These are five developments every union member should have on their radar:
Anti-Scab Laws Are Finally Expanding: For decades, one of the biggest frustrations for unions during a strike or lockout was the use of replacement workers, commonly called “scabs.” When employers could continue operating with replacement labour, it weakened workers' leverage; that’s beginning to change.
In 2025, the federal government implemented legislation banning the use of replacement workers in federally regulated industries such as airlines, railways, telecommunications and ports. The change followed decades of lobbying by Canada’s labour movement. While this legislation would not apply to us at the Co-op Refinery, it is widely seen as a major step forward in restoring some balance to the worker-employer relationship.
We have seen Manitoba recently pass provincial anti-scab legislation to align with BC and Quebec. And labour organizations across Canada are pushing for similar protections in the other seven provinces, arguing that meaningful collective bargaining requires employers to negotiate rather than simply operate through a labour disruption.
Workers Are Winning Long, Tough Fights: Persistence is still one of the labour movement’s greatest strengths. Hotel workers at the Radisson Blu near Vancouver International Airport recently ended what became the longest strike in Canadian history, 1,411 days. The dispute began during the pandemic after layoffs, despite the hotel operating as a quarantine facility. After nearly four years on the picket line, workers secured a new agreement that included:
· Higher wages
· Improved medical benefits
· Stronger job-security protections
· Recall rights based on seniority
The victory became a powerful reminder that solidarity and persistence can still produce results, even in extremely difficult disputes.
Unifor made history in 2025 when workers at an Amazon fulfillment centre in Delta, B.C., won union certification after the B.C. The Labour Relations Board ruled the company had interfered with the organizing drive. The decision automatically certified the union, allowing workers to begin negotiating their first collective agreement with Amazon. The victory marked one of the first successful Amazon warehouse union drives in Canada, showing that even one of the world’s largest corporations can be organized when workers stand together.
Unions Are Challenging “Unpaid Work”: Another growing focus for unions is work that employers expect employees to perform without compensation. In many industries, workers are required to perform duties before or after their scheduled shifts, everything from safety checks and paperwork to preparing equipment or assisting customers.
A major example came when flight attendants pushed to be paid for time spent boarding passengers and performing duties on the ground, work that historically went unpaid. Their dispute helped bring national attention to the issue and resulted in new compensation provisions recognizing that work is work, whether it happens in the air or on the ground. Across multiple sectors, unions are now pushing to ensure that every hour worked is properly compensated.
Governments and Unions Are Clashing Over the Right to Strike: Another major trend in recent years is the growing tension between unions and governments over the use of back-to-work legislation and strike intervention. When major industries face labour disruptions, governments sometimes step in and force disputes into arbitration or order workers back to work. Labour organizations argue that these interventions undermine collective bargaining by removing the leverage workers need to negotiate fair agreements.
These cases are currently moving through the federal court system, but many legal observers believe they could eventually reach the Supreme Court of Canada, where judges would be asked to clarify how far governments can go when intervening in labour disputes. The outcome could have major implications for unions across the country by determining:
· when governments can force workers back to work
· how strong the constitutional right to strike truly is
· how much leverage unions have in difficult negotiations.
Unions Are Building Broader Solidarity: Another encouraging development is stronger cooperation across unions and sectors. Labour federations and coalitions across the country have been coordinating support during major disputes, organizing boycotts, public campaigns and cross-union solidarity actions.
The idea is simple: when workers stand alone, employers often hold the advantage. But when unions support each other across industries, they can apply far greater pressure.
This renewed focus on solidarity echoes the roots of Canada’s labour movement, where collective action helped secure many of the rights workers rely on today.
What This Means for Workers
The labour movement is not dying. Unionism is only getting stronger as workers realize their value and no longer settle for scraps. It is only reasonable to expect our fair share of our company’s success.
Every gain, whether achieved through bargaining, collective action, legislation or the courts, helps set a precedent that other workers can build on.m The strength of any union ultimately comes down to the same principle that has powered the labour movement for generations: an injury to one is an injury to all, and a victory for one is a victory for all.
In Solidarity, Richard Exner, President
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