Unifor fights to save five Canadian mills from Trump

TORONTO, April 11, 2018 /CNW/ - Unifor has published a video with interviews of Canadians directly impacted by the new U.S. tariffs levied against paper mills in Newfoundland & Labrador, Québec, and British Columbia.

"Right now Donald Trump is poised to do irreversible damage to five small communities across Canada," said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. "The Canadian government needs to act, and it needs to act now to protect local economies and good jobs."

Unifor says the Trump government's combined 28–32 per cent "anti-dumping" tariffs on products produced by Kruger Inc. in Newfoundland and Québec and Catalyst Paper in British Columbia will force the mills out of business. Communities immediately impacted include Corner Brook N.L., Trois Rivières, Que., Crofton B.C., Powell River B.C., and Port Alberni B.C.

The video, launched as part of the union's campaign, speaks with mill workers on both coasts and exposes how U.S. tariffs designed to undermine Canadian mills to benefit American competitors will affect their lives:

"The mill will close. If somebody doesn't do something, not in August, not in September, if somebody doesn't start speaking up now, we're done," Donna V., Mill Security, Corner Brook.

"These tariffs are not only going to shut down these mills but they are also going to shut down these communities," Brett V., Instrument Mechanic, Powell River.

"My job would be over and I'd have to go somewhere else. I'd have to pack up and move and hope for the best," Shannon P., Electrical & Instrumentation Technician, Corner Brook.

"There's 1500 jobs on the line with a stroke of a pen from the United States Government," Eldon H., Paper Machine Operator, Powell River.

Unifor is calling on the federal government to take immediate action to stop these unfair duties and support the communities affected by Donald Trump's bully tactics. For more information on the union's campaign and the risks that the tariffs have on Canada please visit unifor.org/stoptrumptariffs

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

SOURCE Unifor