Messages from your President & Secretary-Treasurer
President’s Message – Summer 2025
Federal election marks turning point for working families: And the Ontario government seeks unchecked power in Bill 5
Thank you to the many UFCW Locals 175 & 633 members who volunteered and voted in this election. Your participation strengthens our democracy and reflects our shared commitment to building a better future for all working families.
In order to support our members and all working people, the Local Union is committed to working with the new government to advance issues that matter most to workers and their families. This includes urgent action on affordable housing, rising living costs, universal healthcare, good jobs, accessible childcare, and trade policies that prioritize workers.
Here at home in Ontario, the recently passed Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, presents a lot of potential concerns.
With this legislation, Doug Ford is attempting to undermine existing rights and protections. The language of Bill 5 grants wide-ranging power for the government to establish ‘economic zones’ in the province, and to suspend or override any and all existing laws and regulations within those zones in the name of economic growth.
Bill 5 is dangerous for working people.
The laws they can ignore under Bill 5 include workers’ rights under the Employment Standards Act and the Ontario Labour Relations Act, the Occupational Health & Safety Act, environmental protections, municipal regulations, and more.
UFCW Locals 175 & 633 represents more than 70,000 working people in Ontario, and every one of our members deserves to have their rights upheld, their safety and health protected, and their labour compensated fairly.
Labour laws exist for a reason. These laws are a result of decades of hard-fought battles lead by Unions, labour and health and safety activists, and workers’ rights advocates.
While our laws aren’t perfect, without them employers have no minimum standards they have to meet. And instead of improving worker protections, Bill 5 seeks to upend your hard-won rights with an unprecedented power grab.
Bill 5 is a prime example of why we must stay vigilant and hold our government accountable so that its power does not go unchecked.
And while the Bill did pass, your Union made sure to make a submission to the government, along with numerous other labour organizations, outlining our serious concerns with Bill 5. Visit ufcw175.com/bill5 to read the full submission made by UFCW Locals 175 & 633.
As we move forward, your Union will continue to fight back, and always stand strong to protect the workers’ rights we have, and build upon those rights to ensure a better future for our members and workers across the province and beyond.
I look forward to seeing our members out to celebrate Labour Day in a few months, and in the meantime, have a wonderful summer.
In Solidarity,
Kelly Tosato
president@ufcw175.com
Secretary-Treasurer’s Message – Summer 2025
70,000+ members strong: Your Union has the resources to meet any challenges ahead
At the Education & Finance conference, I was proud to stand in front of our Stewards and tell them that the Union is in sound financial health. With more than 70,000 members and counting across the province, your Union has the resources and strength to tackle the tough fights and go to bat for our members’ best interests.
One of the topics I touched on during my report was the in-house legal department we have here at the Union. President Tosato’s report also noted the number of ways our legal team is an integral part of the high level of membership servicing on which we pride ourselves.
Not every Local Union can say they have in-house legal counsel, but our members at Locals 175 & 633 benefit from this service in a number of ways, including first-rate representation, and the Local Union actually saves money by keeping a lot of work in house, instead of sending everything to outside counsel.
Having experienced and dedicated labour lawyers on staff makes our Local Union more agile, allowing us to act quickly and decisively on important matters. The team plays a vital role in protecting our members’ rights and building solid strategies to face any challenges that come our way as working people.
Having in-house legal counsel means we are more capable of holding employers accountable through grievances, arbitrations, or in court, and they also handle cases at the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) which, over the last two years, amounted to 34 hearings.
With more than 7,000 grievances filed for our members since early 2023, 360 of those were sent to arbitration. With each arbitration, our legal department examines the details of the grievance, and delves into case law and employer research, so that when the hearing date arrives, we have solid groundwork and strategy when presenting our members’ cases.
While arbitration can seem daunting to members, especially to those who have never experienced the process before, our legal team is there alongside your Representative to support and guide you. At the end of the day, your Representative’s work and the efforts of our in-house legal team help put more money back into the pockets of our members.
In past issues of Checkout, I’ve touched on the many specialists and in-house resources this Union is able – and proud – to provide to our members every day. Our staff across the Local Union is passionate and knowledgeable, and works hard to ensure we achieve the best results for our members.
I hope you enjoy an incredible summer with friends and loved ones and keep an eye out for Labour Day celebrations in your community!
In Solidarity,
Jim McLean
treasurer@ufcw175.com