UFCW Canada @ Hamilton Day of Action: The People vs. U.S. Steel

UFCW Canada activists gathered in Hamilton on Jan. 29 to join over 10,000 people from across Ontario to stand in solidarity with locked out Steelworkers and to send a very strong message to the Stephen Harper government about pension rights.

Despite snow, a strong wind and frigid temperatures, the massive group of demonstrators braved the cold winter day to assemble at city hall and march down Hamilton’s Main Street to protest the federal government’s refusal to protect good Canadian jobs and pensions from the callous interests of multinational corporations.  

“With federal and provincial elections on the horizon, now is the time to mobilize and to demonstrate to politicians that the needs and interests of working families must be the top priority for our governments,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “Working families in Canada need political leaders who aren’t afraid to stand up to huge corporations like U.S. Steel, Walmart, and Vale, and stop them from coming into our country and riding roughshod over our rights, values and hard-fought living standards.”

The Hamilton Day of Action took place while members of Parliament returned to Ottawa for what will likely be the last session before the next federal election.  UFCW Canada members and their communities will also have a chance to vote and campaign for political parties that prioritize the interests of working families in upcoming elections in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, P.E.I., and Newfoundland & Labrador.

To find out more about UFCW Canada political action, and to subscribe to the weekly bulletin Politics NOW!, go to ufcw.ca/politicalaction.