There have been pushes to unionize Toyota manufacturing plants in Cambridge and Woodstock in the past, but the current drive feels different, union officials say.
John Aman, Unifor’s director of organizing, says more than 3,000 workers between the two plants have signed membership cards – meaning they’ve expressed interest in getting the company unionized.
According to Aman, that represents about 40 per cent of all employees at the two plants – the threshold at which a certification vote can occur.
“We were approached by the Toyota workers who … had some concerns and issues in the workplace, and wanted to see some changes in the workplace,” Aman tells CTV News.
“They like their jobs, they like working at Toyota, but they feel that things can be better. We feel that we can help make things much better at Toyota.”
In a stamement issued to CTV News, Toyota Canada says it doesn’t see the need for a union but doesn’t have any issue with Unifor’s involvement at the plant thus far.
“Toyota and its team members have been successful without a union for more than 25 years,” the company says.
“Unifor is free to accept support from whomever they please.”
The Canadian Union of Public Employees is holding a rally in support of the union drive Sunday in Kitchener.
Organizer Lisa Edwards, president of CUPE Local 2512, says she expects labour advocates from Waterloo Region and across the province to attend.
“We’re really going to stand in solidarity and support those brothers and sisters,” she says.
Aman says Unifor aims to protect wages, benefits and working conditions at Toyota from worsening the way he says they have at U.S. automakers.
