Sectors

Communications

Telecommunications

Unifor is Canada’s largest union for telecommunications workers, representing 24,600 members across the country, in both the private and public sectors. Technological advances in the telecommunications sector have led to expansion into new services by traditional carriers. Unifor members work as telephone, cable and internet installers, maintenance and repair workers, operator service provides, satellite monitors and in call-centres, salespeople among others.

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Media

Unifor represents over 11,900 members in the media sector, working in newspaper, broadcast, film, printing and graphical industries - a tight-knit community of workers within the larger labour movement. Unifor members work as reporters, sell advertising, answer phones, write columns, handle cameras, edit stories, anchor news, run presses, design websites, sew costumes and create special effects. Unifor members also work as foreign correspondents and drive-home radio announcers.

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Transportation

Road

Road transportation is one of Unifor’s largest sectors with over 21,500 members employed as bus drivers, in private trucking, shipping, waste and recycling, logistics as well as taxi drivers and dispatchers and couriers, among others. The largest group there is over 4,000 members who work as drivers and maintenance workers for Vancouver's public transit system. Public transit as a whole is heavily unionized in Canada.

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Air

Unifor represents roughly 12,900 members in the air transportation sector. About half work for airlines (like Air Canada, Jazz, Porter, Sunwing and other regional carriers) as customer service agents and pilots. The other half are employed in support services to the airline industry, including nearly 3000 Unifor members who run Canada's air navigation system (NavCanada). Other support services, including airport maintenance, baggage handling, and airline catering round out Unifor’s membership in this sector.

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Rail

Rail transportation is an important part of Unifor’s membership base. Today there are over 9,200 Unifor members working on the railways. The bulk of Unifor railway members are found at CN Rail, the VIA Rail passenger service and Canadian Pacific. Hundreds of members also work at Ontario Northland Railway.

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Marine

Unifor represents 2,200 members in this fascinating, diverse, but often-overlooked segment of our overall transportation system. Canada is a major coastal power, yet governments have consistently underinvested in our marine transportation infrastructure. Important groups of Unifor members in marine transportation include public ferry services (such as Marine Atlantic and Northumberland Ferries), Great Lakes shippers (such as Algoma), and various support services (including the workers who run the St. Lawrence Seaway, and marine communications and traffic service officers of the Coast Guard).

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Resources

Forestry

With more than 22,100 members, workers in the forestry sector workers make up one of the largest membership categories of Unifor. The forestry sector includes workers in sawmills, OSB plants, panel board plants, pulp and paper mills, packaging, logging and silviculture.

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Energy

Unifor is Canada’s largest oil, gas and chemical sector union, representing over 11,800 members in nearly every province, from offshore platforms off Newfoundland’s outer banks to Suncor in Alberta’s oil sands; from energy crown corporations in Saskatchewan to private refineries in every region of Canada.

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Mining & Smelting

Unifor represents over 9,900 members working in mining and smelting. The sector includes non-petroleum mining, such as potash, as well as aluminum and non-ferrous smelting operations. Today, half of Unifor members in the sector work in Québec and B.C. for the global giant Rio Tinto. Around 1500 work for potash companies in Saskatchewan and another 1000 members work for Xstrata in Sudbury. Workers in a number of smaller mines make up the rest of the membership.

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Fisheries

Unifor represents people working in the fisheries on both the East and the West coasts, and on Lake Erie. Given the uncertain, seasonal nature of the industry, membership numbers can fluctuate dramatically, depending on the flow of work. Unifor also represents members working in fish plants and fisheries operations in Quebec and Ontario. In total, some 7,800 fisheries workers belong to our union.

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Construction

Unifor represents more than 1000 construction workers, all of whom work in projects in Western Canada. Unifor enjoys a partnership with FTQ-Construction through its Canadian Construction Unions of Canada sector council, which recruits unemployed Quebec construction workers on Unifor projects in Western Canada.

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Manufacturing

Auto

Unifor is the primary union and lead voice for auto workers in Canada. The union represents 23,500 members, working at the various facilities of General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford. Most of these members work in one of five major auto assembly plants in Windsor, Oshawa, Oakville, Ingersoll and Brampton, Ontario. Others work in powertrain facilities and related in-house components work, parts depots and security operations. Unifor is also Canada’s lead union for auto parts workers, representing more than 16,000 members at various independent parts facilities.

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General Manufacturing

Close to 90,000 Unifor members work in the manufacturing sector, representing about one-third of the union’s membership base. Most are assigned to specific sub-sectors (such as auto, aerospace, shipbuilding, etc.) but a large number work in a wide range of other manufacturing operations, including food and beverage processing, cabinetry, electronics, and other sectors.

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Aerospace

Unifor has a strong presence in this important Canadian manufacturing industry. The union represents nearly 10,200 members currently employed in major aircraft assembly facilities as well as a range of smaller component and specialized firms.

Aerospace Sector profile

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Speciality Vehicles

Nearly 5,000 Unifor members manufacture heavy trucks, buses, railway and transit equipment and other specialized transportation equipment and machinery. These sectors contribute to an important, and often underappreciated, segment of Canada’s manufacturing base.

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Shipbuilding

Unifor represents about 1,900 members in the shipbuilding industry. Membership numbers fluctuate depending on economic conditions and major contracts. Fortunately, the future looks bright for the industry thanks to the federal government’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

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Services

Education

Unifor represents more than 5,200 members working in the Canadian education sector. Most are employed by universities in a range of functions, including support staff, research and maintenance jobs. Others work for elementary and secondary school districts in Ontario and Alberta. Education is one of the most highly unionized sectors in the Canadian economy, with over 70 per cent of workers belonging to a union.

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Health Care

The health care sector is one of the largest single membership categories in Unifor, with over 29,100 members. This includes a strong concentration of workers in long term care facilities - some of which are publicly owned, but many of which are controlled by private firms. Thousands more Unifor members work in hospitals and other public health care facilities.

To read Unifor's health care newsletter, The Pulse, click here.

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Retail

Unifor represents more than 20,000 members in the Canadian retail and wholesale sectors of the economy, including associated retail warehousing and logistics operations. The majority of Unifor members in this sector work for one of the three largest supermarket chains in Canada including Metro, Sobeys and Loblaws. Other members in this sector work for department stores, pharmacies and other retail outfits.

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Hospitality Gaming

Unifor represents 17,600 members working in the diverse hospitality and gaming sector. Our membership is divided into three broad categories. One-third works in hotels - including major chains (like Fairmont, Radisson and Delta) and stand-alone facilities. Another third works in the gaming industry at casinos, racetracks, and government gaming and lottery operations (Unifor is Canada’s largest gaming sector union). The remainder are employed in restaurants, cafes, and other hospitality facilities.

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General Services

Services represent the second largest classification of Unifor members, just behind manufacturing. This increasingly diverse sector includes Unifor members represented in specific sub-sectors, like retail and wholesale, hospitality and public services (like health care and education). Unifor also represents members who are employed in a very broad range of other service-producing jobs (what we call General Services), including automotive dealerships and garages, the armoured car industry, convention display assembly, security, office and professional workers as well as at cemeteries and credit unions, among others.

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