News releases

Statement: Labour Day 2019

August 30, 2019
Labour Day is a celebration of workers, unions, and of our movement and a chance to reflect on our incredible achievements. By any measure, 2019 was a banner year for workers and their families in BC. Thanks in part to our ‘Workers Deserve Better’ campaign, the labour movement was instrumental in... more

BC Federation of Labour welcomes consultation on paid domestic and sexual violence leave

August 30, 2019
Vancouver-Today, the BC NDP government announced a consultation on paid domestic and sexual violence leave. “The BC Federation of Labour (BCFED) welcomes the consultation and will use the opportunity to strongly advocate for employers to provide at least 10 days paid leave to their... more

BCFED commends government for ending use of self-help kit for employment standards complaints.

August 28, 2019
Vancouver - Today, the BC NDP government announced that the Employment Standards Branch will no longer require workers to use the so-called “self-help” kit to resolve employment standards complaints. The self-help kit forced workers to first file workplace complaints with their... more

Landmark ruling by Labour Relations Board a victory for BC’s labour movement

July 30, 2019
Vancouver - BC’s Labour Relations Board (LRB) has upheld the right of the BCFED to use a “hot edict” to put economic pressure on unfair employers during labour disputes. On July 29, the LRB ruled on a challenge by Western Forest Products (WFP) that sought to limit the scope of the... more

BC Federation of Labour steps up pressure on Western Forest Products, issues “hot edict”

July 10, 2019
Vancouver – The BC Federation of Labour (BCFED) announced a “hot edict” today on Western Forest Products (WFP) in a show of solidarity with striking forest workers. The move, welcomed by the United Steelworkers (USW), means that members of the BCFED’s affiliated unions have been asked to no longer... more

Statement from the BC Federation of Labour on National Indigenous Peoples Day

June 20, 2019
This year, National Indigenous Peoples Day comes at a critical moment for Indigenous rights recognition in Canada and BC. Key legislation to entrench Indigenous rights, Bill C-262, is stuck in the Senate and Prime Minister Trudeau has abandoned his commitment to ensure it passes it into law. “This... more

BCFED 2019 Pride season statement: Leave no one behind

June 14, 2019
For the 2019 Pride season, the BC Federation of Labour is renewing its call for no one within the LGBTQ community to be left behind. “All equity-seeking groups within the Pride community should be welcomed, heard, and celebrated. Pride began as a protest, as a mechanism to free an oppressed... more

Injured workers encouraged to speak up during Workers’ Compensation review

The BC Federation is Labour is calling on injured workers and their advocates to speak out and share their experience at a public hearings of the workers’ compensation review panel. Injured workers are strongly encouraged to attend a public hearing in their community or to complete an online... more

Conservative Senators’ Filibustering Threatens the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

June 10, 2019
FIRST NATIONS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL AND THE BC FEDERATION OF LABOUR - JOINT NEWS RELEASE (Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and the BC Federation of Labour (BCFED) are deeply frustrated by recent attempts to filibuster and... more

BC Federation of Labour President Laird Cronk speaks with Jennifer Palma on Global TV about minimum wage increase

June 5, 2019
BC Federation of Labour President Laird Cronk spoke with Jennifer Palma on Global TV on Saturday June 1 about minimum wage increase to $13.85/hour effective from that day.