Messages from your President & Secretary-Treasurer
President Tosato’s Message – Year End 2025
Fair Pay, Respect, and a Voice at Work: The reasons that workers keep joining the Union
Statistics Canada reported that the rate of unionization in the country was just 30.4% in 2023. Yet, 2023 also saw 6.6 million days not worked due to labour disputes – the highest level since 1986.
Rates of unionization fluctuate for many reasons, but one of the main ones is that some provinces, like Ontario, have made joining a Union more difficult by eliminating card-check certification. Instead, workers must sign a Union card, and then also vote, placing the burden on workers to prove twice that they want to join the Union.
But working people are courageous and determined. And I am happy to report that our Local Union continues to welcome more workers – over 1,000 this year already – to our great Local Union. There are many reasons our Local Union is 70,000+ members strong, and growing.
Workers continue to see the value in belonging, and understand that our Union has a strong commitment to organizing and a reliable, and substantial, servicing model.
Again and again, our Organizers find that what workers want from their employers is fairness and respect.
UFCW Locals 175 & 633 is a unifying and powerful force at the bargaining table. Joining our Union is the best first step for workers who want to build a better life for themselves, and to achieve that fairness and respect that all deserve.
Your membership brings workers together in solidarity to fight for better things. Through the Union, you will find the support you need to take up these everyday battles to fight for:
- Better wages and benefits,
- The elimination of favouritism,
- A stronger workplace Health & Safety culture, and;
- Improvements to any number of issues that workers face.
The empowerment that comes from having a real voice in your working conditions cannot be underestimated. No matter what industry, joining UFCW Locals 175 & 633 gives workers that united voice to demand respect and fairness at work.
Your Union is here to ensure that our members are informed, supported, and energized to work together and stand up for themselves and one another, knowing that the Union has your back.
You can find all of our newest members’ victories online at ufcw175.com/victories, and head to page 6 in the 2025 Year End issue of Checkout magazine to read about the recent campaign at Kinark Child & Family Services in Oshawa.
I am proud to continue to serve our wonderful members as President of this Union. I look forward to meeting many more of you in the year to come, and I hope everyone enjoys a peaceful and safe holiday season. Stay strong.
In Solidarity,
Kelly Tosato
president@ufcw175.com
Secretary-Treasurer McLean’s Message – Year End 2025
More than $2.9 million recouped this year: Your grievance & arbitration process at work
In 2023, the top 100 CEOs in Canada were paid 210 times more than the average worker’s wage: in 1998, it was 104 times more, and in 2009, it was 150 times more. [source]
This enormous and growing gap in earnings is unconscionable, and is one of the many reasons that workers are turning to our Union to help them stand together and use collective bargaining to negotiate with one voice and achieve more.
And while bargaining is a vital part of having Union representation, over this past year here in Checkout, I’ve been talking about the many other ways that members of this Union benefit from being a part of UFCW Locals 175 & 633. From servicing and real representation in the workplace, to having the financial resources, size, and strength to meet any challenge: your Union is here to support the members and fight for what is right.
There are many ways that your membership puts money back in your pocket every day.
From everyday representation by our field staff, to legal representation at arbitrations, and expert workers’ compensation assistance when you need it for your work injury claims appeals at the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB), the Union is working for you in many ways.
In fact, despite a strike at WSIB this year that delayed some claims and appeals decisions, our Workers’ Compensation staff have won back nearly $600,000 for our members who have been injured at work.
Part of what you gain as a member includes having an official grievance and arbitration procedure built into your collective agreement. The ability to file a formal complaint that your employer is bound by the contract to deal with, is a vital part of your Union contract. It holds your boss accountable for their actions, and for any breach of your collective agreement.
So far this year, the total money recouped for our members through the grievance and arbitration process is well over $2.9 million.
But there’s more to it than the impressive dollar figure alone. Day in and day out, your Union Stewards, our Representatives in the field, and every staff member across our offices work hard to ensure that our members’ concerns are heard, that problems are dealt with, and that employers are held accountable.
Being a member of the Union puts power back in your hands.
Workers deserve better and with the Union behind you, we can continue to achieve great things together.
With the holiday season and a new year upon us, I hope everyone finds time to rest and rejuvenate. Take care.
In Solidarity,
Jim McLean
treasurer@ufcw175.com