The recently announced workforce cuts have directly impacted UNE membership. Many of you are facing uncertainty, reduced opportunities, and unfair treatment. You are not alone.
To protect your rights and hold the employer accountable, UNE is filing a group grievance on behalf of all affected Passport members. By standing together, we amplify our voices and strengthen our case.
🖊️ We are inviting you to sign on to this grievance. ✅ Your participation ensures your concerns are formally represented and that management hears us loud and clear.
👉 Visit the Passport Corner for the latest updates and the link to sign on to the grievance.
📩 If you have questions or need support before signing, please contact your Local President or email us at PPT@une-sen.org.
Please note that the next National Executive meeting will be held October 28-30, 2025, at the Hilton Lac Leamy in Gatineau from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Locals are welcome to send observers to attend the executive meetings; however, all associated expenses will be covered by the respective Local.
In accordance with UNE Bylaw 2, Sec 7: “Locals may send observers to executive meetings, at the expense of the Local”.
Should your Local have any item to be placed on the agenda for this meeting, please contact your Regional Vice-President and provide them with the necessary information in order that they could be in a position to place this matter before the Executive.
Are you a young worker looking to make a difference, build connections, and shape the future of your union? Come join the Union of National Employees (UNE) Young Workers Committee!
This is your space to:
Amplify your voice
Learn your rights in the workplace
Build leadership skills
Organize fun and powerful campaigns
Be part of a vibrant community of changemakers!
The Young Workers Committee is a place to grow, support one another, and act on the issues that matter most to us; workers’ rights, mental health, climate justice, equity and inclusion.
You do not need experience, just your passion, curiosity, and ideas. The future of the labour movement needs YOU!
Our union recognizes anyone 35 and under as a young worker. To express your interest in joining the Young Workers Committee, please send a short message to Éric Poitras, Chair of the committee, at this address: eric.poitras@une-sen.org.
Interested? Let us know by Friday, September 19, 2025. Our first meeting will be held before the end of September. Do not miss this chance to help shape the future of our union and connect with other inspiring young workers!
Labour Day is a day to honour the achievements of workers and the labour movement, and to recognize the ongoing efforts to improve fairness, equity, health and safety, and respect in the workplace.
We encourage you to take this opportunity to reflect on the importance of workers’ rights, the value of solidarity, and the progress that has been made through collective action.
Whether it’s attending a community event, learning more about the history of the labour movement, or simply taking time to rest and recharge, we invite you to mark the day in a way that is meaningful to you.
Air Canada workers are on the line fighting for fairness and they deserve our full support. Instead of defending the workers and upholding the basic right to free and fair collective bargaining, the government has chosen the opposite path: silencing workers, siding with corporate interests, and undermining the very principles they claim to stand for.
Let us be clear: this kind of interference is no better than the strong-arm tactics of the Conservatives. It is Trump-style politics, heavy-handed, anti-worker, and beneath any government that pretends to value democracy. The Liberals have lost their way. They no longer represent their own values, and the shame of that failure falls squarely on them. Minister Haju’s decision to force workers back sets a dangerous precedent for future negotiations with this government.
We must stand shoulder to shoulder with the Air Canada workers. Their fight is our fight. When collective bargaining is trampled in one workplace, every union and every worker is weakened. But when we unite, when we denounce injustice loudly and publicly, we show that workers cannot and will not be ignored.
Acadians, early 17th century French settlers who founded Acadia (now known as Nova-Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island), are often known as the “Neutral French” due to their refusal to take sides during the French-English conflicts. The Acadian people were generally known as being friendly to everyone and sought allyship with all rather than allegiance to one.
Once Acadia was ceded to Britain, the Acadians became the subjects of the “Great Upheaval.” They were removed from their homes and deported to Britain as well as various French settlements and British colonies. Some who settled in Louisiana formed their own distinct cultural identity as Cajuns after adapting to their new environment. Of the ten thousand expulsed Acadians, approximately half lost theirs lives.
Over time, some Acadians were allowed to return to Acadia after agreeing to the contentious oath of allegiance, but not to their original dwellings as those had been gifted to American Loyalists, especially New England planters. Most Acadians who returned had either escaped deportation by finding refuge in the forests or had been prisoners held in Beauséjour, Pigiguit, Port-Royal and Halifax and had finally been released.
The Acadians had close relationships and ties with both the French and Indigenous peoples. The very reason they refused to take the unconditional oath of allegiance in the first place. Upon their arrival to the new colony, the new French colonists were assisted by the Mi’kmaq with food and other resources and the two groups remained close. They shared the territory and resources and worked together efficiently and harmoniously. The Acadians traded tools and goods with the Mi’kmaq for fur, fish, and other resources.
The Acadians never made any effort to displace the Mi’kmaq. However, once Britain seized Acadia, the relationship between the two became strained due to the pressures placed upon both by the British. It did not, however, deter them from working together to resist the British rule and attempts at assimilation.
After the deportation, the Acadians and Mi’kmaq continued to work together to preserve their cultures, to promote reconciliation and to address the historical injustices of colonialism. Some Acadians and Mi’kmaq formed families with each other, creating what is known as the Acadian Métis. We can also see Indigenous practices, terms and values that were incorporated into the Acadian culture and language. Some examples of this in terms of language:
French
Mi’kmaq
English
Matelot
Matlot
Sailor
Adieu
Atiyu/atiu
Bye
L’assiette
Lasiyet/lasiet
Plate
Ma poche
Mapos
pocket
Noel
Nuwel
Christmas
SHARED VALUES
Democratic practices
Community well-being
Desire for peace
Importance of Oral Traditions
Importance of Music, Dance, and drums
Harnessing of natural medicines
Mireille Jaillet is the UNE National Equity Representative for Women.
On this Emancipation Day, the Union of National Employees (UNE) honours the strength, resistance, and enduring legacy of those who fought for the abolition of slavery across the British Empire, which legally came into effect on August 1, 1834.
We recognize that while emancipation marked a legal end to slavery, the deep-rooted impacts of colonialism, anti-Black racism, and systemic inequality persist to this day. As union members, we reaffirm our commitment to justice, equity, and dignity for all workers, especially Black workers who continue to face barriers in the workplace and in society.
UNE stands in solidarity with the Black community in the ongoing fight for true liberation, fair representation, and reparative justice. Emancipation is not a moment in history; it is a call to action. Together, we must dismantle the structures of oppression and build systems rooted in accountability, healing, and radical hope.
We invite all UNE members to take time to reflect, educate, and engage in actions that honour this day and push forward the work of liberation.
