420,000 public-sector workers — including members of UE’s close ally the Confédération des Syndicats Nationaux (CSN) — began a one-week strike across the province of Quebec today.

UE’s officers wrote in a solidarity letter to the CSN that “Public sector workers are the backbone of our communities, maintaining our infrastructure and public spaces, teaching our children, and supporting our social services. We know most of these workers persevered throughout the pandemic to keep our communities safe because UE represents many public workers around our country. These essential roles deserve better pay and respect, just as you are demanding in your negotiations.

“The collaboration and joint resolve across the unions in the Common Front is particularly important so that the government cannot pit different public workers against each other. Our employers are adept at creating division, yet your coordinated solidarity in the two prior warning strikes this fall shines as a beacon for the working class. We wish you continued resolve in the upcoming one-week strike, and we hope that it brings the government to the table with serious offers for an improved contract.”