Brothers, Sisters,
As we enter the holiday season, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on the events of 2023, a year marked by incredible moments of solidarity and exceptional victories for our members.
Our affiliates have moved our union forward. We collectively met the challenge of inflation by negotiating strong collective agreements that protect Canadian Teamsters and their purchasing power.
I would like to welcome the thousands of workers who joined our union in 2023. Their decision to join shows once again that workers want modern, dynamic unions that are adapted to the realities of life.
We always negotiated in good faith, and always looked to reach good collective agreements without conflict. But life isn’t always easy, and sometimes we had to deal with inflexible employers. The Teamsters have never backed down in the face injustice, and we never will. Thousands of Teamsters from coast to coast stood up in solidarity to exercise their fundamental rights under the Canadian Charter. Strikes remain our greatest tool, used only as a last resort, to show that our strength lies in unity and solidarity.
It’s also important to highlight our legislative achievements, particularly the introduction of an anti-scab bill in Ottawa. This is a major victory for the labour movement that will help tens of thousands of Teamster members in the federal private sector to improve their working conditions.
Today, I invite you to celebrate our achievements while keeping in mind that the coming year will bring new challenges and new opportunities to defend our rights and improve our conditions.
I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season. May you find rest, joy and inspiration to continue our fight in 2024.
In solidarity,
François Laporte
President of Teamsters Canada
Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
