Labour and education in the news
Below are recent news stories on labour and education related issues. Click the headline to be taken to the article. Some may require a subscription. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for article text.
July 30, 2026
Manitobans will feel the pinch: union leader
Winnipeg Free Press
About 10,000 federal public servants have applied for the government’s early retirement program, launched as part of a plan to cut the number of bureaucrats.
Canada’s gender‑based violence laws are improving. Frontline worker conditions are not
The Conversation
When it comes to gender-based violence (GBV) Canada has made legal and policy strides over the past decades, and indeed the past few years. Once viewed as a domestic matter, GBV is increasingly recognized as a public safety, public health and human rights issue.
WestJet Issues Lockout Notice Following Cabin Crew Strike Notice
TravelPulse Canada
WestJet has issued a lockout notice to the union representing its cabin crew after receiving a 72-hour strike notice from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), as negotiations continue toward a new collective agreement.
WestJet flight attendants' union serves 72-hour strike notice
CBC
The union representing 4,400 flight attendants at WestJet says it has issued a 72-hour strike notice, paving the runway for a possible strike during a busy summer travel season.
Working past 65 in Alberta? Your health benefits could soon cost your employer more
CBC
Peter Hurd-Watler didn't use to think about health insurance or benefit plans for older workers as part of the hiring process.
NextStar Energy workers to vote on new collective agreement Aug. 6, union says
CBC
Workers at Windsor’s NextStar Energy battery plant will vote on a new collective agreement on Aug. 6.
Two major U.S. unions call for return to ‘stable’ trade relationship with Canada
Globe and Mail
Two major American private-sector unions – representing hundreds of thousands of manufacturing workers – have announced their strong opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s new suite of tariffs on Canadian goods, calling on the White House to reverse course.
CUPE health care workers plan strike vote after contract offer
CTV News
A large group of CUPE health care workers rallied outside the Regina General Hospital, angry they’ve gone years without a new contract. They’ve been offered a five year, 12 per cent deal, seven points below the five year inflation rate.
Unifor opens collective bargaining with General Motors
Sarnia News Today
Unifor and General Motors officials are opening contract talks today at a hotel in downtown Toronto.
Basic Income and solving the polycrisis
Rabble
The Basic Income Canada Network (BICN) is hosting the 2026 Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) from August 19 to 22. This year’s list of impressive presenters will address the theme, Basic Income & the Polycrisis: The key to unlocking the puzzle.
France is slowly embracing older workers, driven in part by pension reform
Le Monde
A new report by the Directorate for Research, Studies and Statistics (DATES) and the Ministry of Labor found the share of people aged 60 to 64 who were employed reached a 50-year high in France. Employment among this age group climbed to 44.4%, an increase of 2.1 percentage points from 2024, according to the report, released on Wednesday, July 29. But still, despite making gradual progress, France remains near the bottom among European countries.
Wisconsin appeals court overturns ruling that had restored collective bargaining power (video)
Northern News Now
A Wisconsin appeals court on Wednesday restored a 2011 anti-union law that abolished collective bargaining rights, in a setback for unions and public workers.
Columbia student workers’ union drops Israel divestment demand amid contract negotiations
Columbia Spectator
The Columbia student workers’ union dropped its demand for the University to financially divest from Israel at a bargaining session Tuesday.
July 29, 2026
Temporary foreign workers rally to stay
Winnipeg Free Press
Close to 100 temporary foreign workers, mainly from China, whose time in Canada is running out, rallied on the steps of the Manitoba legislature Tuesday to raise awareness of their situation.
Staff at the San Francisco-Based Foundation Behind Wikipedia Demand Union Recognition
KQED
Workers at the Wikimedia Foundation — the San Francisco-based foundation that hosts Wikipedia — demanded voluntary recognition of their union, Wiki Workers United U.S., on Monday.
Shopify CEO publicly calls for greater concentration of power in the hands of the wealthy
Rabble
Shopify is the Canadian company with the third highest stock market value. Its CEO Tobi Lutke is worth over $11 billion US. In a recent exchange on X.com, he expressed that he feels that billionaires should hold all of the political power in society.
Government disputes union claim of deep job cuts at federal emergency centre
Yahoo
The federal government says the emergency operations centre that helps co-ordinate the national wildfire response is maintaining full operational capability and has cut less than 10 per cent of its full-time positions, after a public service union said last week that nearly half the jobs at the centre had been eliminated.
Powerful unions boycott Labour Women’s Conference over trans ban
Metro
Major Labour unions will boycott the party’s women’s conference this year in protest at the exclusion of trans women, Metro can reveal.
Train drivers in Great Britain consider strike action over lack of toilets
The Guardian
Train drivers are considering strike action over a lack of toilets, with unions saying basic needs are still not addressed a year after the rail regulator told operators to provide more facilities and breaks.
Death of young salmon farm worker ‘confirms’ union’s safety fears
MorningStar
THE death of a salmon farm worker in Orkney “confirms” health and safety concerns across the industry, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) warned today.
Hyundai union strikes again this week as labor unrest spreads from chips to cars, ships and steel
Korea JoongAng Daily
Hyundai Motor's union struck for four hours across two shifts on Wednesday and will walk out again on Thursday and Friday, the latest turn in a labor dispute that began in the chip industry and has since spread across Korean manufacturing.
University of Waterloo dissolves departments in favour of ‘schools’ in Faculty of Arts shift
CTV News
The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Arts has dissolved 15 departments into six schools in a move the university believes will improve collaboration while leaving students’ programs and degrees unchanged.
UWindsor to pause cross-border department, despite Gordie Howe's opening
CBC
The union representing University of Windsor workers (CUPE 1393) says the University of Windsor's decision to pause the work of its Cross-Border Institute is "incredibly ironic" given the timing, as the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens.
TA union files for mediation, saying university not ‘engaging seriously’ with their proposals
The Ubyssey
The union local representing UBC teaching assistants, graduate academic assistants and exam invigilators has applied for non-binding mediation with the university through the Labour Relations Board.
In the age of AI, how do we teach young people to think critically?
CBC
The idea of boosting young people's critical thinking skills is receiving renewed attention amid the steady creep of generative AI into digital spaces already overloaded with information.
B.C. university gets trades training boost, adds 462 seats
CityNews
Another 462 skilled-trades training seats are being added at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey this year to prepare people to become plumbers, millwrights and electricians.
U.S. Education Department threatens to cut funding for two school districts over transgender policies
Globe and Mail
The U.S. Education Department threatened two school districts in Michigan and Maryland with federal funding cuts over their transgender policies, marking the latest attempted crackdown by President Donald Trump’s administration over the issue.
Harvard teachers union authorizes strike amid stalled contract negotiations
Boston Globe
Researchers and teachers represented by the Harvard Academic Workers union (HAWUAW) have voted to authorize a strike over stalled contract negotiations with administrators at the Ivy League university, according to a statement from the union.
July 28, 2026
Quebec’s private education sector wants to help public schools by taking in students with disabilities
CTV News
Quebec’s Federation of Private Educational Institutions (FEEP) is offering to help the public school system by taking in more students with severe learning or adjustment difficulties.
End to B.C.’s $2K nursing tuition grant ‘like a shot in the back,’ says student
CBC
Andreas Kamp started his nursing education in 2023, the same year the province introduced the Nursing Tuition Grant. But as Kamp enters his program’s final year, that grant is set to expire.
Indian students arranged marriages of convenience for spouse work permits to Canada, warned New Delhi migration official
Globe and Mail
The number of Indian undergraduate students applying to come to Canada has dropped over the past few years, in part because Ottawa ended a program granting the spouses of international students work permits, an internal government communication shows.
New Brunswick prof reaches settlement with National Post over ‘defamatory’ reporting about Palestine solidarity activism
NB Media Co-Op
A University of New Brunswick professor who travelled to Egypt last year for the Global March to Gaza has agreed to drop a lawsuit against the National Post after reaching a settlement agreement that includes a $3,500 payment and a lengthy correction.
Yale backs Harvard in suit alleging illegality of Trump funding freezes
Yale News
Yale joined dozens of colleges and universities backing Harvard in its fight against the Trump administration in an amicus brief filed Wednesday. The move comes nearly a month after separate settlement talks between Yale and the federal administration were first reported.
Ottawa, Ontario invest $7.2 million to retrain workers hit by tariffs
HRD
The federal and Ontario governments are jointly investing more than $7.2 million to help over 500 workers in northern Ontario retrain and transition into in-demand careers.
WestJet flight attendants could strike as early as Sunday
Winnipeg Sun
WestJet flight attendants have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike that could ground the airline over the August long weekend.
Nurses' union praises app that alerted St. Boniface staff to presence of sex offender
CBC
The Manitoba Nurses Union says a recently implemented app is making St. Boniface Hospital safer, days after staff at the Winnipeg facility received an alert a convicted sex offender had been found on its premises.
Union representing Nova Scotia Power workers files 48-hour strike notice
Global News
The union representing about 800 Nova Scotia Power workers has filed a 48-hour notice of intent to strike with the Nova Scotia Labour Board as of Monday.
The Four-Day Office Mandate Begins Today: Our Fight Continues
Union of Taxation Employees
Sisters, Brothers and Friends,Today, July 27, thousands of Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) members are being forced back to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) offices up to four days a week.
'This case will be remembered in labour history forever,' union president says after 11 month lockout
CBC
Unifor Local 195 president, Emile Nabbout says the nearly year-long lockout workers at Titan Tool and Die faced is "unheard of,” as workers receive their severance packages after being on picket lines since August 2025.
Quebec paramedics reach tentative labour agreement after years without contract
Globe and Mail
Quebec and a union representing 3,500 paramedics have reached a tentative labour agreement after more than three years without a collective agreement.
The War on the UAW
The Nation
Over the past few years, the United Auto Workers, a union representing workers at auto plants, aerospace manufacturers, universities, and more across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, has undergone a transformation from a demoralized, shrinking union to the vanguard of the fighting wing of the labor movement. Led by president Shawn Fain and his slate of reformers, the union has taken on bold, member-led organizing projects from the historic Stand Up Strike at the Big Three automakers in 2023 to unionizing Southern auto plants, including workers at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2024. This dramatic shift was precipitated by a 2020 corruption probe by the Justice Department that resulted in convictions of more than a dozen union officials and three Fiat Chrysler executives on charges including racketeering, embezzlement, and tax evasion, and ushered in a democratic revolution that put Fain at the helm of the 400,000-member union.
July 27, 2026
Bonuses for some — but not all — tradespeople forcing some to consider leaving sector, welders say
CBC
Trades workers in a Newfoundland and Labrador government depot say policy is paying some of their colleagues tens of thousands more dollars while leaving others with nothing for the same amount of work — and it's driving new and veteran hires alike to look elsewhere.
Lockout at Titan Tool and Die is finally over — and ends with severances
CBC
A long-standing lockout at Titan Tool and Die has ended with the workers — some of whom have worked there for 40 years — getting severances, says the union representing them.
1 in 10 emergency physicians leaving Canadian ERs, national survey suggests
CBC
Dr. Kaitlin Stockton has watched far too many patients suffer in overflowing emergency departments.
Quebec paramedics reach in-principle agreement with government
CityNews
Paramedics and the Quebec government have reached an agreement-in-principle after more than three years without a collective bargaining agreement.
B.C. Nurses’ Union to end strike, accept mediators’ recommendations
Oak Bay News
The B.C. Nurses’ Union has agreed to end job action and accept a mediated settlement with the Health Employers’ Association of B.C.
Unionized workers at NextStar Energy vote 98% in favour of strike action to back contract demands
CTV News
Unionized workers at NextStar Energy support strike action if needed to back contract demands.
Paramedics reach a tentative agreement with the Quebec government
CTV News
Quebec and a union representing 3,500 paramedics have reached a tentative labour agreement after more than three years without a collective agreement.
WestJet Flight Attendants Are Ready To Make History
The Maple
Nearly a year after Air Canada flight attendants forced unpaid work in the airline industry onto the national agenda, the issue is once again at the centre of a brewing labour dispute.
Burnout among emergency room doctors high, one in 10 left the specialty, study finds
Globe and Mail
Burnout among Canadian emergency room doctors is high, with almost half of respondents in a recent survey reporting they had reduced their work hours, while 10 per cent had left the specialty, a newly published study says.
Anti-Data Center Movement Is on Collision Course With Labor Unions
Newsweek
Calls for a data center moratorium have surged across the country amid concerns about their impact on local communities and the environment—but labor unions are embracing their construction.
Around 7,000 Haitian workers to be removed from Indiana’s workforce on Monday
Indiana Public Media
Weedberline Cetoute owns a flower shop in Indianapolis and studied business at Ivy Tech Community College, but her father is the main breadwinner for the family.
Students continue to criticize handling of MITT’s closure
Winnipeg Free Press
Students at a Manitoba trade college say their education has been hampered as a result of its impending closure and they blame government for a poor transition.
Manitoba teacher's certification revoked after sexual messages sent to U.S. police officer posing as teen girl
CBC
A western Manitoba educator has been stripped of his teaching certificate after Minnesota police said he sent sexually explicit messages to a social media account he believed belonged to a 15-year-old girl, but Mounties say there's not enough evidence to charge him.
Universities should stop treating AI as a cheating problem
Globe and Mail
My two children are undergraduates, one at McGill, one at the University of Toronto. They have made opposite bets on AI. One refuses to touch it, convinced that real learning only happens without the machine. The other, who uses it daily and carries a quiet mix of shame and worry, wonders: Am I still learning anything at all? Neither has received meaningful guidance from their university. They are improvising their education alone.
Protect Teacher Education: Listen to Experts, Stop Political Interference through Bill 101
Action Network
Ontario's government is rushing major changes to teacher education programs through the Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026, (or Bill 101) without meaningful consultation, adequate planning, or respect for the expertise of Ontario's educators.
Higher Ed Can’t Be Neutral in an Age of Brutality. It Must Choose Democracy.
truthout
Across the United States, and increasingly in other democracies under siege, higher education faces a coordinated assault unlike anything witnessed in generations. State governments are prohibiting the teaching of histories that confront slavery, colonialism, Indigenous dispossession, structural racism, and widening inequality. Books are disappearing from classrooms and libraries. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are being dismantled. Faculty are encountering political intimidation, ideological surveillance, and threats to their employment. Students who have protested Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza have been suspended, arrested, disciplined, and treated less as citizens exercising democratic rights than as enemies of public order. Universities themselves are facing threats of financial retaliation if they refuse to conform to the demands of increasingly authoritarian governments.
After Trump’s order, West Point curbed faculty speech. One professor said no.
Washington Post
The longest-serving law professor at West Point rose to declare the school’s new rules unconstitutional. Within moments, a uniformed colonel stood to challenge him.
White House Science Report Calls For Reducing University Research Funding
Forbes
After criticizing the current state of science in the United States, a new White House report, released this week, calls for reduced funding for the nation’s research universities and argues that the government should re-allocate much of that money to the “individual scientist” instead of “legacy institutions.”
