Unifor National President Jerry Dias to lead march against Bill 37

HALIFAX, April 4, 2014 /CNW/ - Unifor National President Jerry Dias will lead a march to protest Bill 37 on Friday, April 4 in Halifax. Dias, with a group of activists from across the Atlantic Provinces, will march to speak out against the anti-worker legislation.

"This bill takes away the collective bargaining rights of more than 40,000 Nova Scotians, including 4,000 of our own members," said Dias. "Unifor won't be standing idly by."

The march will begin at the World Trade and Convention Centre at noon and finish at Province House.

"This legislation doesn't just affect nurses, but thousands more across the province who work in hospitals and long-term care facilities," said Lana Payne, Atlantic regional director at Unifor.

Unifor leaders and activists from across the Atlantic Provinces are gathered at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax from April 3 to 6 to meet as a regional council for the first time since the formation of the union.

Payne and Dias along with Unifor Secretary-Treasurer Peter Kennedy will be presenting. The Regional Council will hear from guest speaker Mahlon Mitchell, the president of the Wisconsin Professional Firefighters Union, about the widespread attack on unions, worker rights and the middle class in the United States.

The Council will also hear from Gary Stackhouse from the "Saint John 7", a group of radio broadcasting employees who have been attempting to bargain a first collective agreement with their employer and have been on strike since 2012.

Other featured speakers include Canadian Federation of Students president Jessica McCormick, Cheryl Maloney from the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association, and Nova Scotia Federation of Labour president Rick Clarke.

AGENDA:
Friday,	April 4
	10:30 a.m.	Mahlon Mitchell, Wisconsin Firefighter's Union president
	11:30 a.m.	Cheryl Maloney, NS Native Women's Centre
	12:00 p.m.	March to Province House
	1:45 p.m.	Jerry Dias, Unifor national president
	4:15 p.m.	Gary Stackhouse, Saint John 7
Saturday,	April 5
	9:15 a.m.	Rick Clarke, NS Federation of Labour president
	10:00 a.m.	Jessica McCormick, Canadian Federation of Students president
	1:30 p.m.	Presentation on health care
	2:30 p.m.	Peter Kennedy, Unifor secretary-treasurer

For more information about the event,
visit: http://www.unifor.org/en/whats-new/event/atlantic-regional-council

Unifor was founded Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged. With more than 300,000 members, Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector.

SOURCE: Unifor

Shelley Burgoyne, Communications Representative
902-717-7491 (cell)
[email protected]