A Letter From François Laporte

Sisters, Brothers,

A year ago, I had the honour of being elected President of Teamsters Canada.

I know that you work hard for a living, and you deserve a union that works just as hard for you. That’s why I’d like to update you on some of the work we’ve been doing in collaboration with the officers of your local unions.

With the arrival of a new federal government, our union was quick to connect with the decision-makers in Ottawa who impact our day-to-day lives. In fact, we were one of the first organizations to meet with Prime Minister Trudeau to discuss how to improve the lives of our members.

I am also committed to communicating more openly and more often with the membership. Today, there have never been so many ways to stay informed about the activities of our union.

For example, my election as President of Teamsters Canada coincided with the launch of a new website, and we are now more active than ever on social media. We also recently sent our first ever annual report to our 120 000 members.

As we move forward, it seems clear that the more we grow our organization, the more people we can help. Because ultimately, being part of a union has concrete effects on our lives. On average, women in a union earn 7.10$ per hour more than non-union women. And as for union men, we earn on average an extra 5.28$ per hour compared to men without a union.

We especially reached out to immigrants as they can be particularly vulnerable on the job market, usually because of cultural or linguistic barriers, or simply because they don’t know their rights as workers in Canada.

At the end of the day, being part of Teamsters Canada is a way to build a better world. A richer, fairer world.

If you have friends or family who want to join our movement, tell them to get in touch with us. Everyone deserves a union on their side.

I am proud to be helping build a better world with you, and for you.

In solidarity,

François Laporte
President of Teamsters Canada