Last updated September 20, 2026. This page is updated every two weeks.
Recent updates from unions representing workers in Nova Scotia and across Canada. Links go to the union or labour organization that published the information.
Federation of Labour points workers to provincial budget consultations
September 18, 2026 | Nova Scotia Federation of Labour
The Federation is encouraging workers and community members to take part in Nova Scotia’s pre-budget consultation. Its page gathers the consultation links in one place so people can have a say before the next provincial budget is written. View the consultation information
PSAC asks members to back PA bargaining team
September 18, 2026 | Public Service Alliance of Canada
PSAC’s PA bargaining team returns to mediation with Treasury Board on September 21 and 22, and again September 29 and 30. The union says nearly 15,000 members have received workforce-adjustment notices and more than 70 per cent of them are women. Its priorities include fair wages, job security, remote-work protections, safeguards around artificial intelligence, better leave, and stronger mental-health and workload language. Read the PSAC bargaining update
Unifor condemns closure of New Brunswick pulp mill
September 17, 2026 | Unifor
The closure of the AV Nackawic mill will put 228 Unifor Local 219 members out of work and hit forestry workers, contractors, suppliers and businesses across the region. Unifor says it will support its members and keep pressing the company and governments for a long-term solution. The closure matters across Atlantic Canada because the Nackawic and Atholville mills together account for 70 per cent of the container exports moving through the Port of Saint John. Read the Unifor release
Amazon raises Canadian wages as Unifor presses for a first contract
September 16, 2026 | Unifor
Amazon has announced a wage increase across its Canadian operations while Unifor pushes for a first contract at the company’s YVR2 warehouse in British Columbia. Unifor says pay is only part of the issue and workers also need a voice on benefits, health and safety, workloads and production speed. The first agreement is moving through binding arbitration after months of bargaining. Read the Unifor update
Steelworkers say Canada-U.S. trade conflict is hurting workers
September 15, 2026 | United Steelworkers
The Steelworkers are calling on Canadian and American trade representatives to return to the table and reach an agreement that puts working families first. The union says the conflict is hurting jobs, facilities and communities in both countries, while unfair global trade in steel, aluminum and manufactured goods remains the larger threat. Read the Steelworkers’ statement
NSGEU launches campaign against provincial budget cuts
September 11, 2026 | NSGEU
NSGEU has started a province-wide campaign against the spring budget cuts, which the union says have brought staffing reductions, voluntary severance offers and program changes. The union says the cuts leave members uncertain about their jobs and thin out the services Nova Scotians count on. Read the NSGEU release
CLC report warns against airport privatization
September 11, 2026 | Canadian Labour Congress
A new CLC report says privatizing airports tends to push up passenger charges and squeeze labour costs through outsourcing and thinner staffing. That matters at Halifax Stanfield, where airport work supports hundreds of union jobs. Read the CLC report
CUPE calls for privacy rules on workplace AI
September 11, 2026 | CUPE
CUPE is asking Ottawa to strengthen the Privacy Act as employers bring in AI tools that collect information about workers and help decide hiring, work assignments and discipline. The union wants notice to workers and their unions, limits on sensitive data and a ban on biometric and emotion-tracking monitoring. Read CUPE’s submission
Unifor presses for worker voice in trade response
September 10, 2026 | Unifor
Unifor and FFAW-Unifor took part in Newfoundland and Labrador’s first provincial tariff roundtable and pushed for answers that put workers first. Their asks include income protection, reliable Employment Insurance, more local production and keeping skilled trades workers in the region, all of which apply in Nova Scotia too. Read the Unifor update
CLC warns Labour Code review could weaken the right to strike
September 10, 2026 | Canadian Labour Congress
The CLC says the federal Labour Code review’s What We Heard report leaves the door open to more government interference in strikes. The congress is calling for the right to strike to be protected, section 107 repealed, paid sick leave kept, and firmer rules on wage theft, misclassification and bad-faith bargaining. Read the CLC statement
Court says EI rules discriminate against new parents
September 10, 2026 | CUPE
The Federal Court of Appeal found that Employment Insurance rules denying regular benefits to some parents coming back from parental leave are discriminatory. The court gave Ottawa one year to fix the EI Act, and CUPE wants the change made now. It is a direct win for Nova Scotia parents who lose a job soon after a leave. Read the CUPE report
CUPE sets out worker priorities for the federal budget
September 10, 2026 | CUPE
CUPE’s federal budget submission calls for public money to go into child care, health care, long-term care, home care, public infrastructure and post-secondary education instead of privatization and tax cuts. Staffing in public services, care-worker wages and college funding are live issues in this province. Read CUPE’s budget submission
Province tables changes to the Labour Standards Code
September 8, 2026 | Nova Scotia Federation of Labour
Bill 256 would drop the overtime threshold from 48 hours a week to 44, ban tip theft, close the loophole that let employers skip overtime by calling extra hours voluntary, and make company directors liable for unpaid wages. The overtime and tip changes are set for April 1 if the bill passes, and construction and agriculture workers are left out. The Federation of Labour calls it real progress and credits years of campaigning by workers, the Halifax Workers’ Action Centre and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Nova Scotia. Read the NSFL post Read the Canadian Press story
Federation of Labour marks Labour Day with a look at the year’s wins
September 7, 2026 | Nova Scotia Federation of Labour
President Melissa Marsman pointed to the court ruling that found Bill 148 unconstitutional, the three-month long-term care strike that ended in a contract, WestJet flight attendants winning pay for all hours worked, and NSCAD academic workers ratifying a first agreement. She said the ambulance dispatchers are still in their fight for a fair contract. Read the Labour Day statement
CLC president Bea Bruske marks Labour Day
September 7, 2026 | Canadian Labour Congress
CLC president Bea Bruske marked Labour Day by pressing governments to defend workers’ jobs, livelihoods and rights. Read the CLC statement
CUPE NS members offered home and auto insurance discount
September 7, 2026 | CUPE Nova Scotia
CUPE Nova Scotia members are being offered a home and auto insurance discount through the division’s partner programs. Read the CUPE NS update
NSGEU Local 111A and 111B start bargaining preparations
September 4, 2026 | NSGEU
The bargaining committee for Local 111A Kendall Lane Housing Society and Local 111B Victoria Park Guest House Inc. met on September 3 to start bargaining preparations, including drafting proposals and a member survey. Read the NSGEU update
Treasury Board SV bargaining resumes in September
September 3, 2026 | Public Service Alliance of Canada
PSAC has set bargaining dates of September 14 to 17 for more than 10,000 Treasury Board SV group members, including federal workers here. The union lists job security, pay gaps, callback pay, performance reviews, workplace conditions and long-service pay among its priorities. Read the PSAC bargaining update
NSGEU invites members to apply for fall 2026 bursaries and scholarships
September 2, 2026 | NSGEU
The NSGEU Education Committee is inviting members and their dependents to apply for the union’s fall bursaries and scholarships. Read the NSGEU release
Canada’s unions back firm stand on trade
September 1, 2026 | Canadian Labour Congress
The CLC reported on a meeting between president Bea Bruske, the Prime Minister and other union leaders about trade and supports for workers. Read the CLC statement
NSGEU Local 62 Chisholm Services reaches tentative agreement
August 31, 2026 | NSGEU
Following bargaining and conciliation on August 25, the Local 62 committee reached a tentative agreement and set information sessions and a ratification vote. Read the NSGEU update
Canada Post wage increases and retroactive pay land on pay statements
August 28, 2026 | Canadian Union of Postal Workers
CUPW told members that increases of 6.5 per cent for 2024, 3 per cent for 2025 and 2 per cent for 2026 take effect on pay statements dated September 10, along with retroactive pay. It applies to postal workers here as everywhere else. Read the CUPW notice
Atlantic Academic Union hosts public meeting on CPP
August 26, 2026 | Atlantic Academic Union
The union shared an invitation and registration link for a public meeting about the Canada Pension Plan. Read the AAU notice
WestJet flight attendants ratify a new agreement
August 24, 2026 | CUPE
WestJet flight attendants have ratified a new collective agreement. CUPE says members approved the deal with a strong mandate after a closely watched round of bargaining. The agreement matters to workers and travellers across the country, including at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Read the CUPE update
Unions call for stronger protection as trade tensions grow
August 22 to 24, 2026 | CLC, United Steelworkers and UFCW Canada
Canadian unions say the federal government must protect jobs and industries as trade tensions with the United States grow. The Canadian Labour Congress supported Ottawa’s decision to walk away from a deal it considered bad for workers. The United Steelworkers called for a stronger response to protect Canadian jobs and industry, while UFCW Canada stressed the need to protect workers who keep the country’s food system moving.
CLC statements
United Steelworkers statement
UFCW Canada statement
Atlantic Academic Union flags NS Teachers’ Pension Plan change
August 20, 2026 | Atlantic Academic Union
Notice to members about a regulation change affecting the Nova Scotia Teachers’ Pension Plan. Read the AAU notice
NSGEU seeks equal treatment for provincial housing workers
August 20, 2026 | NSGEU
NSGEU is calling on the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency to offer all its unionized workers a rollover agreement. The union says these workers have not received the wage increases that other public-sector workers have received since the regional housing authorities were combined in 2022. NSGEU is seeking economic adjustments retroactive to April 1, 2024, and April 1, 2025. Read the NSGEU release
CUPW marks Labour Day under the theme “Workers Together”
August 20, 2026 | Canadian Union of Postal Workers
CUPW’s 2026 Labour Day message calls on union members to stand together for jobs, rights and public services. The message comes while CUPW Local 015 emergency medical dispatchers in Nova Scotia remain on strike over wages, staffing and working conditions. Visit CUPW News and Events
Neptune Theatre front-of-house workers join IATSE
August 19, 2026 | IATSE Local 680
Box-office workers, ushers and bartenders at Neptune Theatre in Halifax voted 78.6 percent in favour of joining IATSE Local 680. The certification brings roughly 30 front-of-house positions into the union at Atlantic Canada’s largest theatre company. Read the IATSE Canada update
Women face a larger share of federal public-service job cuts
August 18, 2026 | Public Service Alliance of Canada
PSAC research says women account for 71 percent of members who received workforce-adjustment notices, although women hold 57 percent of federal public-service jobs. The union based its findings on more than 14,000 affected letters issued since January 2025. Federal job cuts can affect both employment and access to services in Nova Scotia. Read the PSAC research
2026 Labour Day events across Nova Scotia
August 17, 2026 | CUPE Nova Scotia
CUPE Nova Scotia listed the Labour Day gatherings it joined across the province, including Sydney, Kentville and the Halifax rally and march. Read the CUPE NS post
CUPE Nova Scotia opens fall All Committees registration
August 5, 2026 | CUPE Nova Scotia
Standing committee members planning to attend the fall All Committees Meeting at Digby Pines are asked to complete the registration form. Read the CUPE NS notice
IBEW Local 1928 posts NSPI vote result
July 31, 2026 | IBEW Local 1928
Results of the members’ vote on the Nova Scotia Power offer. Read the IBEW 1928 notice
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