Greetings to all,
The past year has been a busy one for Unifor Local 199. I would like to welcome former Local 523 members to our local. These workers from ASW (formerly Atlas Steel), Canada Forgings, City of Welland Parks and Recreation, Vesuvius, and Welland Forge have joined Local 199 as the result of a merger with Unifor Local 523.

We are presently in the process of bargaining a first agreement for a group of Health Care administration specialists at ParaMed Home Health Care. Welcome to organized labor.More and more, as employers attempt to maximize profits with misguided direction, frustrated,good, hard working people seek to collectively organize their scopes of work, and dignify their workplaces.Too bad the boss didn’t think of doing that in the first place:)

Many contracts have been bargained, and ratified in our units this past year. Many thanks to the various leadership who step up to fight for their peers. Even though you’re rarely acknowledged, you really do make a difference and are appreciated.

It’s really nice to see young people taking an interest in our union. Your involvement, whether representation of your fellow workers,  sitting on standing committees of our local,or volunteering your time at various events, enriches all of our members lives. Unifor offers many interesting education programs for members who are interested in becoming advocates for their fellow workers. We encourage your participation. Find your passion!

This past year has seen the introduction of a new Local 199 retirees executive. Congratulations to all. Retirees meet the third Wednesday of the month at 1:00 pm.The locals retirees run many activities, and i would like to encourage all recent and past retirees to come out and see what is available to them.

In closing, I would like to wish you and your families a good and safe summer, and hope next year is even better than the last.

In Solidarity,
Dave  De Marco