UFCW attends migrant workers conference at Queen's University

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Kingston, Ont. – May 4, 2018 – UFCW recently joined academics and advocates from across North America at a conference exploring issues facing migrant workers in Canada and the United States.

Hosted by the Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, the conference examined labour migration, the enforcement of labour rights, and migrant workers’ efforts to unionize.

At the event, activist Santiago Escobar explained that over the past three decades, UFCW Canada has helped tens of thousands of migrant agriculture workers enforce their labour rights through collective agreements and services provided by our Agriculture Worker Support Centres.

“In Manitoba, through UFCW Canada Local 832 collective agreements, roughly 3,000 migrant workers employed at Maple Leaf Foods have gained access to permanent residency,” Escobar told conference participants. “For these workers, the union has literally changed their lives,” he added.

Attendees were particularly interested in UFCW Canada’s submission, A New Vision for a Sustainable Immigration System, which outlines ways in which the Canadian federal government can improve working conditions and living standards for migrant workers labouring in Canada.

As Canada's leading and most progressive union, UFCW operates numerous Agriculture Worker Support Centres that provide essential support and services to thousands of migrant and agriculture workers across the country. To learn more about these services, visit UFCW Canada’s Agriculture Workers website.