Canadian HR Strategy

7 Workers attend a rally held by Unifor to protest against the possible entry of U.S. telecommunications fi rm Verizon into the Canadian wireless market, in Toronto, earlier this year. T he country's newest mega-union is sending private sector em- ployers a message: ey're coming for your employees. Unifor — the newly named union formed by a merger be- tween the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and the Communi- cations, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) unions — has solidi- fi ed its title as the largest private sector union in Canada, now representing about 300,000 workers across 20 industries. e move signals a cultural shi in the labour movement. Gone are the days of bleeding membership and dwindling union drives — Unifor plans to target typically union-free workplaces. By harnessing the resources of both groups, the new super- union will be in a better position to spread its message into uncharted territory, rather than just to repair the hit many unions have taken over the past few decades. On the docket for rookie national president Jerry Dias, former assistant to CAW president Ken Lewenza, is the recruitment of non-traditional members, such as young workers. "Young workers are coming to us. If you take a look at what's going on, young people feel betrayed. ey're furious. ey're saying, 'Listen, if I'm going to be stuck here for a few years, stuck here working for some of the wealthiest corpora- tions, then I'm just not going to accept minimum wage,'" said Dias. "Look at what young people are doing. ey're organizing at Second Cup cof- fee shops; look at the student movement in Quebec; frankly, it played a role in the toppling of the Charest government, there's no question about that; the Occupy movement — young people have had it, they're not going to take it." And the proof is in the pudding. Earlier this summer, baristas at a Second Cup coff ee shop brewed up a bid to unionize — something that's never been done before at the café. e baristas argued young and so-called precarious workers should be entitled to the same benefi ts under a collective agreement, such as wage adjustments and a safe work environment. at drive has snowballed south of the border, where U.S.-based employees at fast food chains such as Wendy's and McDonald's launched a strike to demand better paycheques. PHOTO: MARK BLINCH / REUTERS

• Cover