Unifor, one of Canada’s largest unions, launched the strike at 11 a.m. ET on June 8, 2025. This past action affected approximately 2,100 employees across 7 provinces. The union’s members include truck drivers, couriers, and warehouse workers who are protesting against a German-owned carrier’s proposed changes to the driver pay system. This labor action is indicative of a much larger struggle going on within the parcel delivery sector.
The ridesharing giant feels emboldened to influence the market and change driver’s pay from an hourly wage to a per-ride payment. Unifor contends that these changes erode fair wage principles. The carrier says it’s going to replace the pay structure. They’ve announced plans to hire replacement scabs during the strike, a move that has further inflamed tensions.
Unifor had little choice then to strike back at the threat of such legislation. California’s new law, which will ban the use of replacement workers, goes into effect on June 20. The union’s leadership views this timing as critical in their fight for workers’ rights and equitable pay. Their goal is to use the new law to keep their members from being permanently replaced during this labor dispute.
According to Vanstiphout, this strike marks further escalation in the months-long talks between Unifor and the German-owned carrier. With negotiations still underway, the potential effects of the strike on Canada’s parcel delivery sector are expected to be significant.
