Today is Labour Day.

For many people, it marks the unofficial end of summer and a well-earned long weekend.

But Labour Day exists because generations of workers decided that they deserved a voice in their workplaces and that by standing together, they could make things better.

The weekend. Overtime pay. Health and safety protections. Paid vacations. Pensions and benefits. The right to organize. The right to bargain collectively.

None of these things were simply given to workers.

Workers organized to win them.

Your work makes these halls come alive

Every performance at Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall depends on the people working behind the scenes.

Before the audience arrives, while the performance is underway and long after the lights come back on, workers make these venues operate.

Your skills, experience and commitment are part of what has built the reputation of these iconic halls.

And the people who do that work deserve a meaningful voice in their workplace.

Labour Day is about more than celebrating the past

In our last update, we talked about what happens when workplace rules change and whether workers have a say in those decisions.

That question goes to the heart of why unions exist.

When workers organize, they gain the ability to sit across the table from their employer and negotiate the terms and conditions of their work.

Schedules. Hours. Overtime. Seniority. Job classifications. Benefits. Health and safety. Discipline. Job security.

Instead of those decisions being made only by management, workers have the opportunity to negotiate clear rules and put those rights into a legally binding collective agreement.

What will we build next?

Labour Day celebrates what generations of workers before us accomplished.

But the labour movement has never just been about looking backward.

It is also about workers looking around their own workplace and asking:

What could be better?

What should be protected?

What should change?

And what could we accomplish if we stood together?

Those are questions only you and your coworkers at Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall can answer.

Unifor cannot decide what your first collective agreement should contain. You do.

You elect your bargaining committee. You determine your priorities. You negotiate with your employer. And ultimately, you vote on whether to accept the agreement.

That is what having a union voice means.

This Labour Day, we celebrate the workers who came before us and everything they fought to achieve.

Now we have an opportunity to think about what comes next.

If you haven't signed your Unifor membership card yet, take a few minutes today to add your voice.

Together, you can build something stronger at Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall.

Sign your card and help build a stronger voice at Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall.

Scan or CLICK to Sign your Unifor membership Card

Billy O’Neill
Unifor National Representative, Organizing
📞 416.605.1443
✉️ [email protected]

Lucy Alessio
Unifor National Coordinator, Organizing
📞 416.998.3189
✉️ [email protected]