A LESSON IN LABOUR LAWS
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) issued a statement on the British Columbia port workers’ strike saying the work stoppage serves as a “case study in the urgent need to rethink Canada’s labour laws” to ensure the needs of the broader economy are met. The organization said that, while it is relieved the port workers have accepted a new deal, it will take weeks for the backlog to be addressed, causing significant financial consequences for small businesses across Canada.
WITHHOLDING WALKOUTS
After reaching an agreement with Ford Motor Co. two hours before its second strike deadline, Unifor announces a tentative deal that will ensure Canadian auto assembly plant workers avoid striking. On September 19, Unifor President Lana Payne released a statement saying that the “tentative agreement addresses all of the items raised by members in preparation for this round of collective bargaining.” In avoiding immediate strike actions after six weeks of bargaining processes, Unifor has averted what would otherwise have been the first automotive strike in Canada for the past 33 years. Unifor did not release details of the agreement, but sources did confirm that Unifor was asking for a “substantial wage increase north of 20 per cent.”
POWERED BY PARTS
Canadian retail sales grew ever so slightly in June (0.1 percent from the previous month), and that growth was mostly driven by car sales, according to data released by Statistics Canada in late August. The gain was led by increases at motor vehicle and parts dealers (2.9 percent gain and 2.5 percent gain, respectively), as well as gas stations and fuel vendors, said Stats Can. When auto and auto parts sales are removed from the equation, retail sales declined by 0.9 percent.
