The Guardian
OCTOBER 2016
Volume 72
Issue 2
Windsor - Essex
Bargaining on a Teeter Totter
By
CHRIS
TAYLOR,
President,
Unifor Local 200
o say that bargaining has been
a challenge this year would be
an understatement of epic proportions. We all know that Ford
Motor Company can be a difficult
corporation to deal with and in Windsor in particular we know what is at
stake. Our goal going into this round
was to secure product and investment
for our site. We are on the edge of
closing another plant with the ensuing
job loss tied in at approximately 400
members. We are starting to see down
time at Essex Engine and the real
threat of losing a shift is hanging over
our heads with another loss of 160
members.
Think about those numbers and
what that means to you, your families
and our community, You would need
early 1994 seniority to be at work at
Ford in Windsor. Drive down Walker
Road and look at the site of the GM
transmission plant and think of what
is at stake here!
We once had 6,300 members, six
plants and considered ourselves as
being on top of the world, it took only
nine years to reduce our site to three
plants and 1500 at work and the point
T
is that you never take what you have
today for granted! Ford is extremely
profitable and they know it and yet in
Canada we are down to 1 assembly
plant, 2 parts depots, and 3 plants in
Windsor all running at less than capacity and with just as much available
floor space as what we use to produce
engines. This round of bargaining has
been about maintaining the Auto sector in Canada and the first piece of
that puzzle was achieved by the GM
bargaining committees. There isn’t an
analyst in the industry that didn’t tell
us that GM Oshawa would close and
there is nothing that can be done.
“That ship has sailed” they said but
with a lot of work and determination
that plant now has a future and we
should all be giving our thanks to the
GM bargaining committee and the
National for what they have accomplished. Whether you chose to believe
it or not, everyone is weakened when
we lose another plant and securing
Oshawa and St. Catherines is securing
our future as well!
Bargaining is a process of give
and take. It requires the solidarity of
all of the local committees to ensure
that we are successful and our past
has proven this. In 2002 the Windsor
site was thriving with six plants and
6300 members, St. Thomas was
running two shifts with 2600 mem. . . cont’d on next page
Unifor Local 200 and 444 Presidents Chris Taylor and Dino Chiodo along
with National President Jerry Dias, national representatives Peter Kennedy,
Shane Wark, Bill Murnighan and Whitey MacDonald are seen addressing
the media at a press conference pertaining to Detroit Three bargaining.
Chris Taylor
. . . cont’d
bers and in Oakville the company announced the closure of the Truck
Plant. The future of both assembly
plants was of concern and the bargaining committees of the day took
the opportunity to ensure the future of
the Oakville site and came away with
commitments to revitalize the
Oakville Site and set it up for a major
investment in 2006. The solidarity of
the bargaining committees made this
happen and nobody went with their
own agenda ensuring a better future
for all.
2005 bargaining presented another challenge for the Ford bargaining committees and that year saw the
start of the demise of the Windsor site.
The closure of the Windsor Casting
plant was announced and it did close
in 2007. Essex Engine was to lose the
3.9/4.2 and hoped to be awarded another product. St. Thomas was given
reprieve for the life of the agreement
but was not awarded new product and
in Oakville the company followed
through with the commitment made in
2002.
During the life of the 2005 agreement things changed, Ford mortgaged
the house to stay afloat and in Windsor we were told that Ford had an exit
plan in place for our site with no future product commitments for either
Essex, Windsor or the Annex.
In 2007 the Windsor bargaining
committee was faced with the option
of do nothing or make sweeping
changes. This is where the 2007 COA
came into place on our site and with
that agreement we were able to convince the company to invest $700 million dollars for the 5.0L program.
Everyone wishes that we could
forget about 2008/09 but that is not
the case and again the bargaining
committees were faced with extreme
challenges, the industry was turned
upside down with the fallout of the
housing bubble and our worst fears
about bankruptcy were brought to
fruition at both GM and Chrysler.
In 2009 at Ford we were faced
with the closure of the Essex Aluminum and the potential of closing of
Windsor Aluminum plant (changed to
Nemak in 2010) and at the bargaining
table in 09 Ford announced the closure of the St. Thomas plant.
The St. Thomas plant is of great
significance for more than just the
fact that it was closed; this plant was
born out of the Auto Pact and lost as
a result of the trade agreements that
we were and are still dealing with
over and above the issues brought
forth by the companies that we deal
with.
Again in 2009 with the full support
of the entire bargaining committees of
all Ford locals we took the opportunity to put a closure agreement in
place for St. Thomas and secure the
investment and future of Oakville by
ensuring the launch of the Lincoln
MKT along with a significant refresh of the Edge and the MKX and
Ford also committed a global platform for the OAC site. This round of
bargaining was heartbreaking when
we watched the leadership for both St.
Thomas and Windsor try to put their
best foot forward when dealing with
plant closures, but we all knew that
outside of the issues that faced our
sites, it was crucial that we ensure the
INVEST IN CANADA!
The Guardian – 2
. . . cont’d on next page
Chris Taylor
. . . cont’d
future of our Canadian Assembly
footprint with the commitments to
Oakville.
We made it through the financial
crisis of 2008/09 but not without
some major sacrifices by all three bargaining councils and the locals of
those councils. Coming out the dark
years we saw Ford start to turn large
profits again in 2010, 2011 and 2012
and heading into talks in 2012 we
committed that we would defend any
further concessions and attempt to return all laid-off members to the active
roles.
Ford led bargaining in 2012 and
it wasn’t long before we were told that
the company had major investments
for Oakville but no new engine programs for the Windsor site. The bargaining committees were faced with a
company that was demanding that we
find a way to match the UAW two tier
system and stay competitive into the
future if we wanted investment. It
took weeks of discussion, brainstorming and determination but we found a
way to ensure that Oakville would
be successful in getting investment
thus allowing our laid-off members in
Windsor the opportunity to transfer to
Oakville since there would be no opportunities in Windsor for them to be
recalled.
The new Ten Year Wage Grow-in
came out of that round of bargaining
with the company recognizing that
this new language put us in position
for new investment now and into the
future. The New Hire program along
with some further concessions in the
way of reducing long term care premiums allowed us to land the CD4.2
platform for Oakville with a $700
million dollar investment and along
with some other insourcing actions
this has led to the hiring of over 2200
new members in Oakville. These
were tough decisions to make but
again the entire bargaining committees from all Ford locals understood
what was at stake and stuck together
to ensure that we maintained a future
at our last remaining assembly plant
in Canada.
Now we are in 2016 bargaining
and once again our futures are in jeopardy in Windsor. The 6.8L program is
all that remains at Windsor Engine
Plant and that product does not have
a long shelf life left. At Essex we are
dealing with reduced volumes of 5.0L
for a lot of reasons but mainly because of the introduction of smaller
ECOBOOST engines that have been
introduced. The Ford Council along
with the support of the Master and
Local bargaining committees at each
location came into bargaining supporting Local 200 by telling Ford that
there will not be an agreement unless
there is product and security for the
Windsor Site.
Easy words to say but it will take
the same commitment, determination,
solidarity and sacrifice that has been
shown in the past to achieve this for
the members in Windsor. The New
Hire program in its entirety will play
an integral role in ensuring a future
for the Windsor site and it would be
easy to tell Ford that they have bil-
lions and we want everything back
that we have given up, but that just
isn’t possible nor is it responsible for
any site. The future of Ford in Canada
depends on the commitment of the
bargaining committees to deliver an
agreement that includes some gains
for our members while cementing the
future of Windsor, Oakville and our
depots and the GM agreement did just
that for their members.
Our sisters and brothers in
Oakville have a future that was born
out of sacrifice and solidarity but that
future is only as good as the next collective agreement and we cannot be
so short sighted as to think that we are
better off on our own. Pattern Bargaining worked for all of us and in
2002, it certainly worked for Ford
when GM set pattern. The Chrysler
Windsor Assembly plant was
awarded billions in investment in
large part based on the New Hire program that the Ford bargaining committee established as pattern in 2012.
There is one saying that always rings
true to me in bargaining and it is this
“You may not always get what you
want but if you are truly doing your
job as a leader, you will get what you
need”.
When you have a leadership role
. . . cont’d on next page
Seen at the 2nd Constitutional Convention which was held in Ottawa are
delegates from Local 200 along with Jerry Dias. President of Unifor along
with Bob Orr who was elected as Unifor's Secretary-Treasurer. Bob will be
replacing Peter Kennedy who has been a life time leader and we wish him
well into his retirement.
The Guardian – 3
Chris Taylor
. . . cont’d
in bargaining you hold an awesome
amount of responsibility to your
members, their families and the communities we live and work in and with
that responsibility comes the opportunity to do it right or do it wrong and
we have lost enough plants, jobs, and
families over the past 20 years in our
industry and this round of bargaining
cannot be about getting it wrong and
jeopardizing the future of Ford in
Canada!
Solidarity is a two-way street and
we will need the solidarity of all of
our members and leadership to keep
our jobs in Canada! Ford is a Global
company and our operations here are
one bad move from being shut down
and moved to other countries.
There are many out there that
would like nothing better than to see
us fail and end up on strike and believe me when I tell you that at this
point that would be an easy solution
but we cannot allow the voices and
opinions of a few destroy the future
for all of us! Going out on strike is the
easy part, getting back to work is difficult and the lasting effects of a strike
will not bode well for those that think
that a strike will somehow get us
more! One day you are at the Top
(Windsor in 2002 with 6300 members
and six plants) and the next day you
are at the bottom (Windsor today with
1500 members and three plants). No
one is bigger than the members who
depend on us to do what is right and
they all deserve a future based on
making good decisions, not based on
egos and promises.
I want to thank our members
along with the Guardian Board Locals
that have given us their 100% support
and to those in the membership that
think they can divide us for their own
agendas, STOP messing with others
futures and keep it to yourself!
The Guardian – 4
Librarians need
our support
The Essex librarians have been on
strike for an incredible amount of
time and we need to help send a message to the powers that be at municipalities across this region that they
need to get back to the bargaining
table and negotiate a fair contract for
these workers.
If you can call your town councillor in your municipality and voice this
concern it would help to go a long
way in helping this happen.
Also, if you are out and happen to
see these striking workers picketing,
stop in for a few minutes, let them
know you support them and give
them a boost.
Trans Pacific
Partnership Agreement
Once again we have a Government
that continues to back peddle on commitments made in the past. Although
the Trudeau Government has done
many good things for labour since
coming into power; they are still staying silent or opposed on some major
issues for the labour movement as a
whole.
The Government has stated publicly many times that they support the
TPP and think it will be valuable to
Canadians even though the research
shows quite the opposite; it shows
that this agreement will benefit the
rich and powerful and the multi conglomerate corporations but will not
help Canadians in any way.
Our very Canadian identity is in
jeopardy with this agreement and we
must continue to oppose it at all cost.
Congratulations
to CUPW
The Canadian Union of Postal
Workers were able to secure a good
contract for their members and it was
ratified overwhelmingly and I wish to
express my congratulations on behalf
of the Guardian Board for their commitment and their success.
Congratulations is in order as members from Local 200 competed in the
United Way RAM Tough Truck Pull. Through a combined effort of 24 teams
and 360 participants they were able to raise $77,639 to help some of the
most vulnerable members of our community.
LOCAL 444
Bargaining is not easy
A
t the time of this writing
your master bargaining
committee is in negotiations with FCA to secure a number
of the priorities that were expressed
by the membership utilizing our
bargaining surveys put out in
March.
Investment is a top priority in
our union but also as referenced by
our members in those surveys. We
know that without future investment in the Brampton Assembly
Plant and the Etobicoke Casting
Plant they will have a very limited
life span left. Without a new paint
shop, Brampton will not be able to
secure a new product past this
agreement. This is a major problem for all of us. Any reduction in
the footprint in Canada that FCA
holds will further put our facility in
the spotlight as the only place pres-
sure can be applied.
The Canadian operations are set
up for investment and we fully expect to attain this top priority during bargaining. We will also be
fighting hard for improvements to
the new-hire program as well as
wages and lump sum payments
throughout the contract.
The solidarity of the GM bargaining team as they went through
the process in Toronto was second
to none. We as an FCA committee
have also become very close as we
work every day to make things better for our members in the various
facilities.
The GM Master Committee
was able to do some remarkable
things within their facilities. Just
imagine, a plant that was scheduled
for closure in 2019 by every single
auto analyst in the country that
By
DINO CHIODO
Unifor
Local 444 President
[email protected]
looked at it as well as the corporation saying their was no product or
future for the plant. This group
then was able to secure $554 million dollars in investments as well
as payment improvements in the 10
year grow-in grid that means you
make more at a faster rate than
what an eight year grid would look
most likely to look like. They secured large lump sum bonuses and
the highest signing bonus ever in
Canadian auto bargaining, possibly
in all contracts of any industry in
Canada. The achievements they
have been able to make are groundbreaking and will secure that facility, those jobs and help the
communities of Oshawa, St.
Catharine's and Woodstock for
many years to come.
. . . cont’d on next page
Seen are delegates from Local 444 which was well represented at the 2nd Constitutional
Convention which was held in Ottawa.
The Guardian – 5
Retiring
Members
The following members retired from the
workplaces. The Executive & Membership of 444 wish these members the very
best in their new life.
This list of Retirees includes inactive
members (S&A and EDB) of Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)
April, 2016
James Grass...............................FCA
Allan Phillips......................Integram
Teresita M, Mallare ...............Casino
May, 2016
Isaac Klassen.............................FCA
Angele M. Lafontaine ...............FCA
Anne L. Mackenzie................Casino
Anna Policella .........Peterson Spring
Judith Rivard ......................Integram
Wilhelm Wiebe ..................Integram
June, 2016
Terry Burrell .............................FCA
Angela Hartley ..........................FCA
Ronald Meloche ........................FCA
Surjit Virk .................................FCA
Sinclair Wickham......................FCA
July, 2016
Larry Cheff.................Vickard Bros.
Michele Joworski.....................TRW
William King...........Peterson Spring
Brian Lucier ..............................FCA
Arthur Manchester...Peterson Spring
Daniel Rose...............................FCA
Chhang Taing .....................Integram
Pekka Tanninen.........................FCA
August, 2016
Ben Galiboso ......................Integram
David Cowgill...........................FCA
Marcel Dault .............................FCA
Richard Gagnier ........................FCA
Leonard Jones ..............A.W.C. FCA
September, 2016
Larry Cheff................................FCA
Roger Goulard...........................FCA
Dalton MacDonald....................FCA
Bruce Ducharme .......................FCA
Douglas Hand............................FCA
Scott Havercamp.......................FCA
Richard Horne...........................FCA
Annette MacDonald ..................FCA
The Guardian –6
Obituaries
We are sorry to report the passing of the following members since the last issue.
The Executive and Membership of Unifor Local 444 extend their heartfelt
condolences to the bereaved families.
Steve Hammer. . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Giovanni “John” Caruso . . . Retired
Antonions “Tom”Nohra. . . . Retired
Willard “Bill” Reardon . . . . Retired
Tim McKeen . . . . . . . . . . . . . Active
Ugo Fortuna . . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Alfred “Fred” Lachance. . . . Retired
Paul Lenahan . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Keith Garvey . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Claude Clement . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Walter “Wally” Gulko . . . . . Retired
Michael Allsop. . . . . . . . . . Chrysler
Edward Bellemore . . . . . . . . Retired
Leslie Verber . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Aldo Perlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Ronald Lalonde . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Jan (John) Spitse . . . . . . . . . Retired
Hoarst Ballethin . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Harold H. Miller . . . . . . . . . . Retire
Gary Newman . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Rudolph Solar . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Michael Quimby . . . . . . . . . Retired
Alfred “Fred” Burton . . . . . . Retired
Gary Versnick . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Mario Verselli . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Jack Gardiner . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Abe Harder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Dave Blais . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chrysler
Rick Reaume . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Wayne Girardin . . . . . . . . . . Retired
William Lankin . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Ludino Carvalho . . . . . . . . . Retired
Joseph O’Quinn . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Pietro “Peter”Pettinato. . . . . Retired
Stanley Niec. . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Ken Mercer . . . . . . . . . . . . Chrysler
Lawrence Corlett . . . . . . . . . Retired
Stewart Jinkerson. . . . . . . . . Retired
James Simpson. . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Petar Fuduric . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Samuvlo “Samuel” Kovacs . Retired
Myles McDougall . . . . . . . . Retired
Thomas Windibank . . . . . . . Retired
John Urquhart . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Henry Maden . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Raymond Soulliere . . . . . . . Retired
Charles Zammit . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Daniel McGinlay . . . . . . . . Chrysler
Nick Stanciu. . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Gary Vollans . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Robert Stevenson . . . . . . . . Chrysler
Dusan Dosen . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Donald Chapski . . . . . . . . . . Retired
William H. Moody. . . . . . . . Retired
Vito Tassielli . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Jimmy Clark. . . . . . . . . . . . Chrysler
Dennis J. Tofflemire . . . . . . Retired
Camille Gagnier. . . . . . . . . . Retired
Marcel Brasseur . . . . . . . . . Chrysler
Sylvio Bezaire . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Rudolphe Carriere . . . . . . . . Retired
Morley Kimball . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Javk Oslovcan . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Jakob Pfeiffer. . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Antonio Rossi . . . . . . . . . . . . retired
George Steinhoff . . . . . . . . . Retired
Patrick Stewart. . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Richard Terron. . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Ronald Martin . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Benjamin Westfall . . . . . . . . Retired
William Ouimette . . . . . . . . Retired
Borden White. . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Gregory Forbes . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Jessica Meloche . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Mikhael “Mike” Malkoun . . Retired
Michael “Mickey” Rankin . . Retired
Carlo Mannina . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Richard Shearon. . . . . . . . . . Retired
Leslie Stevenson . . . . . . . . . Retired
Dario Castellucci . . . . . . . . . Retiree
Rathasisouk Sayarath. . . . . . Retired
Savo Urukalo . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
John Shuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Chet Berkes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Gerald Garant. . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Giovanni Angotti . . . . . . . . . Retired
Llija Gledic . . . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
Theresa Jamieson. . . . . . . . . Retired
Joseph B. Najem . . . . . . . . . Retired
Nil Desmarais . . . . . . . . . . . Retired
John Souchereau . . . . . . . . . Retired
LOCAL 444
Government Interventions Needed
t the time of this writing I am
reflecting on all the work and
traveling that has gone into
laying the ground work for our contract. I appreciate the work everyone
is doing and appreciate your patience
with me as my efforts are needed in
bargaining. We recently received
news that we are next up at the tables
and I could not be more eager to sit
down and fight for our membership!
There is something about the process
of two sides sitting across from one
another with a deadline in dialog
proving why our membership deserves more. It is tough work , it's
hard to be away from my family but
I do enjoy it. I go with old adage:
Win by persuasion when possible.
Beat them at the table when necessary.
And give 'em HELL generally. . .
A
I want to acknowledge the great
accomplishment of Jerry Dias and
the GM bargaining unit in bringing
Dias Getting it Done
work back to Ontario. Canada lost
more than 53,000 automotive jobs
from 2001 to 2014, (according to a
study by Ontario’s Automotive Policy
Research) and what that bargaining
team executed was right on! Hoping
to stay on that path as we continue
bargaining
Though the company has not
changed their ways, we are bargaining from much better ground than in
previous years. Not only does our
workforce continue to get it done,
our sales are strong, our dollar is low
and also the political climate is perfect!
Better Footing
Liberal Mess
Our Advantage
Wynne and her Liberals are well,
a mess! Currently 14 points behind
the PC party. That's huge! More interesting is the fact that when polled
with an unnamed new leader the Lib-
By DAVE CASSIDY
Unifor Local 444 Secretary Treasurer,
President of Windsor-Essex Skilled Trades
[email protected]
erals regain the polling advantage.
Wynne needs to find new friends.
The last thing Wynne and her Liberal
party needs is a dip in our economy
or worse yet more jobs leaving .
The auto industry though shrinking has been a mainstay of the
provincial economy. Yet relies on
cheap electricity, which we once
had, but which we all know the Liberals have utterly ruined!!! Utterly!!
For example power users in Toronto
pay 123 percent more than Chicago
customers, 50 percent more than
Nashville and 37 percent more than
Detroit.
Now we’re looking down the
double barrel of a cap-and-trade system and a debt that’s closing in on
$350 BILLION dollars. Needless to
. . . cont’d on next page
Unifor Local 444 officers are seen donating on behalf of the membership $5000.00
to the 58 CUPE 2974 striking library workers.
The Guardian –7
Dave Cassidy
. . . cont’d
say Wynne and her Liberals are
NOW more than willing to play ball
and help auto manufacturing jobs . . .
to save Ontario. . . and her bacon.
“The labour relations
atmosphere in Canada
has changed” Trudeau
At the Federal level, Trudeau is
at the top of the polls. One poll saw
the Liberal Party at an astonishing
70% with Trudeau at 65% and
climbing. A Prime Minister could
not be in a better position the exact
opposite of Wynne. Before Trudeau
was elected and fate chose us to be
seat mates on a plane to Ottawa
Trudeau told me he would be a
friend to labour . Easy to say before
you are elected yet just recently at
our Unifor convention while sitting
very comfortable in polls, he again
said to all of us who were in attendance he will be a friend to labour.
Tax dollars to companies is often unpopular but unfortunately it's a must
if we are going to compete. Not driven by fear of the polls (unlike
Wynne), Trudeau has stepped up and
offered Federal help in our negotiations. So much different then the
other guy who occupied 24 Sussex
Drive.
Before I sign off here and get
back at it I just wanted to add:
The give and take that occurs at
the bargaining table requires negotiations to remain nimble and ready to
move on issues that weren't in play
the day before or even an hour before.
Negotiations also keep bargain-
FCA Bargaining Info
ing deals close so that rumours don't
spread in the work site (where supervisors also work) and sensitive
strategies remain protected to get the
best tentative agreement for our
members. You could imagine the
chaos and loss of bargaining leverage that could result with a rumour
mill in high gear filled with stale information because events change so
quickly during the negotiation
process .
In a divide and conquer dynamic
...only the COMPANY wins.
You all know, I make a habit of
getting info too you. During bargaining like the above text explains we
have to keep bargaining info close
until a tentative is achieved . Have
faith in your bargaining team this is
what we do. I will post when I can
and always remember our strength is
in our SOLIDARITY .
Local 444 Secretary-Treasurer Dave Cassidy who was on the Resolution Committee is seen
addressing the delegates at the National Unifor 2nd Constitutional Convention held in Ottawa.
The Guardian –8
LOCAL 195
By
GERRY
FARNHAM
President’s Report
Greeting Sisters and Brothers:
Recently GM and our Unifor
members have ratified a new 4-year
collective agreement. As our National
President Jerry Dias said - "The gains
made in this Agreement are historic
and more than what has been
achieved in the past ten years. Unifor
has shown what is possible when
workers have a union, and a united
bargaining committee to speak on
their behalf."
"I am proud to say today that we
have secured a bright future, one that
includes good full-time jobs with benefits and wage increases for future
generations, and a solid economic
base for our communities and all our
members," said the Unifor-GM Master Bargaining Committee Chair,
Greg Moffat of Local 222.
The new Agreement with 4,000
Unifor members in Oshawa, St.
Catharines and Woodstock includes:
• $554 million in investment in
Canada that provides job security
with new product for Oshawa as it
begins to produce cars and trucks,
stability to St. Catharines as volume is shifted to the plant and improvements at the parts distribution
centre in Woodstock.
• Conversion of 700 temporary positions to permanent full-time job
status including benefits, a pension,
a signing bonus, a $1,000 lump
sum increase and wage progression.
• General wage increases totaling 4%
over the life of the contract and a
lump sum totaling $12,000 over
four years.
• A signing bonus of $6,000.
• An improved new hire program that
provides thousands of dollars of
new money in income earnings.
Obviously anytime we hear investment is coming to Canada it is good
news for the parts sector as it gives
those companies the opportunity and
ability to bid and obtain new work.
Therefore on behalf of all our
members at both Local 195 and the
entire Independent Parts and Suppliers sector, we want to congratulate the
entire GM bargaining committees on
a job well done! And we wish FCA
and Ford similar success, moving forward.
On another note, on Wednesday
August 24th a Tornado touched down
both in LaSalle, Ontario and here in
Windsor, Ontario. Two of our facilities that we represent were affected by
this event, Syncreon Automotive
where the far end wall blew out and
damage was done to the roof of this
facility, we are very thankful that no
one was injured at this site. As well
Kautex Textron was hit extremely
hard blowing out two walls and ripping the roof off. There was a few injuries however. It is my understanding
President,
Unifor Local 195
that they were minor in nature. Once
again we are very thankful that there
was no serious injuries even deaths
that occurred throughout this ordeal.
As well, the employer continued to
pay a full 40 hours to all workers
throughout this ordeal and has since
achieved getting this facility up and
running at full capacity.
•
•
•
Below is a list of newly ratified
Collective Agreements since our last
Guardian Report:
NICKLESON
TOOL & DIE
Our members at Nickleson Tool
& Die ratified a new 3-year agreement. Highlights include: numerous
language improvements, improved
representation time, increase to their
safety shoe allowance and shop
coats/aprons will be provided upon
request, improvements to their health
and welfare benefits. COLA at the
sum of .89 cents per hour was folded
. . . cont’d on next page
Local 195 FCA Fire and Security representatives Keith Lauzon, Joe Denardi
and Mario Moceri are seen having dialogue with Local 444 President and
FCA Master Bargaining Chairperson Dino Chiodo during the recent set of
negotiations.
The Guardian – 9
Gerry Farnham
Report . . . cont’d
into the base rates for all classifications. The COLA will be capped at
1% and folded into the base wages on
each anniversary date of the collective
agreement August 2017, 2018 &
2019. Increases to their mileage when
performing work that they travel to
with their vehicle and increase to their
meals at such time. Increase to their
pension of an additional .10 cents in
each year of this agreement. This
agreement will bring the wages over
the life of this agreement on the high
end to $32.09 plus COLA of 3% and
on the low end of $20.17 plus 3%
COLA. Congratulations to the Bargaining Committee: Shaun Manning,
Chairperson, Darren Roy, Committeeperson, John Toth, 1st Vice President, Local 195 and Mike Renaud,
Nat’l Staff Rep.
Our Members at Titan Tool ratified a new 3-year agreement by a 88%
margin on Wednesday, July 27-16.
Highlights of this agreement are: Numerous Language improvements, one
additional holiday, a lower qualifier to
achieve vacation, increases to Ortho,
Vision, Life Insurance, AD&D, Dependent Life Ins, Skilled Trade-Tools
will be replaced as necessary. Pension
increase to 5%, a Retiree supplement
of $500.00 each year, to 5 current retirees. An early Retirement incentive
program with two options will be
available to those that qualify, As a result of the CWIPP wind up and the
outstanding monies owed to those
employees effected, a $2,000.00 payout will take place on the last year of
this agreement. Wage supplements of
$700.00 in August-2016, $400.002017 and $400.00-2018. Wages at this
facility equal $21.00 on the low end
and $29.39 on the high end. Plus
C.O.L.A. of $1.32. Congratulations to
the bargaining Committee which consisted of Randy S t . P i e r r e –
C h a i r p e r s o n , P a t Hickey–Vice
Chair, Bassam Bashir – Rec Secretary. Mark Mallot–Skilled Trade Rep.
TITAN TOOL
The Guardian –10
Tony Ciampa–Financial Secretary,
Unifor 195. Collette Hooson – National Staff Representative.
crease, wage increases of year one
$1300.00, year two .25 cents per hour
and year three .35 cents per hour.
PAPP PLASTICS
UNIVERSITY
OF WINDSOR
CAMPUS POLICE
Our members at Papp Plastics ratified a new 3-year agreement on Sunday, July 24th. Highlights include the
following: improvements in language,
increase to vision care, paramedical,
medical service and supplies, shift
premium increases and increases of
.50 cents in year one, .30 cents in year
two and .30 cents in year three of this
new agreement, as well as $1.50 cent
increase to the semi-skilled trades
workers. Marta Nesin, Chairperson,
Octavian Ioanesiu, Committeeperson,
Manuela Lagura, Committeeperson,
John Toth, 1st Vice President, Local
195 and Mike Renaud, Nat’l Staff
Rep.
Our members at Comfort Suites
Downtown ratified a new 3-year
agreement. Highlights include: numerous language improvements, afternoon shift and night shift increases,
new uniforms in each year of this
agreement. Wage increases which
equal 10% over the life of this agreement, .50 cent increase immediately
upon the ratification, .40 cents in May
of 2017 and a .35 cent increase in
May of 2018, with an additional .25
cents effective November 2018. Congratulations to the Bargaining Committee of Jason Rainone, Chairperson,
John Toth, 1st Vice President, Unifor
195 and Mike Renaud, Staff Rep.
COMFORT SUITES
CANADIAN
ENGINEERING
Our members at Canadian Engineering ratified a new 3-year agreement. Highlights of this agreement
are: numerous language improvements, shift premium increases, travel
and meal allowance increases, the
employer will cover all costs associated with trade related courses.
COLA of .87 cents rolled into the
wages and COLA continues to run,
vision increase, life insurance increases, pension increases, LTD in-
Our Members at the University of
Windsor Campus Police ratified a
new 3 year agreement on September
20-2016 This was achieved by around
the clock negotiations and an extension of approximately a half hour
after the strike deadline. The highlights of this agreement calls for numerous language improvements,
additional time giving for the Recording Secretary, shift premium increases, increases to physiotherapy,
hearing test, increases to life insurance to $170,000.00 for active workers. Wage increases of 1.5% year one,
1.25 in year 2 and 1.5 in year 3 of this
agreement. As well as special adjustments increases for Senior Special
Constables. Congratulations to the
bargaining committee of John Dekok
- Chairperson, Mike Rapaich - Committeeperson, Christine Fitzgerald –
Committeeperson, Gerry FarnhamPresident Unifor 195 and Mina Sarajcic-Staff Representative.
Our members at Emrick Plastics
ratified a new 3 year agreement on
October 2-2016 this agreement also
calls for numerous language improvements, new-8 hour shifts, a new holiday-Family Day, improvements to
bereavement leave, increase to P.E.L.,
increases to tool allowances, special
adjustment of $1.00 per hour on the
grow in on wage schedule. New-Retirement incentive, Signing bonuses
of $1000.00 year one, $750.00 year 2
and $750.00 in year 3 of this agreement. Congratulations to the bargaining committee of Vicki
Westworth-Chairperson, Judy GrantCommitteeperson, Kyle Chew-Comm i t t e e p e r s o n , To n y C i a m p a Sec.-Treasurer, Unifor 195, Gerry
Farnham - President, Unifor 195 and
Mike Lovric - Staff Representative.
EMRICK PLASTICS
Investing in Future
Generations of Retirees
LOCAL 195
n my last Guardian report, I
wrote about the ORPP (Ontario
Retirement Pension Plan) which
was to begin in 2017. Since that article was published, the Federal
Government engaged in discussions
with the provincial Finance Ministers around reforming the CPP. On
June 21, 2016 a historic agreement
to expand the CPP was reached. As
a result of this agreement, the Ontario government put the ORPP on
hold and fully supported the agreement to expand the CPP.
In a communication released in
June, our president brother Jerry
Dias welcomed the changes despite
falling short of Labour's goal to double CPP benefits. In the press release
he stated “We would have preferred
if the Finance Ministers had gone
further, but this is still a significant
gain. Higher benefits will result in a
tangible impact on the day-to-day
quality of life for future retirees."
I
This is a testament of how, when we
come together, we can make a difference. These changes will not benefit
retirees today but is a legacy for future generations.
Why is this agreement impor-
tant?
• More than 60 % of working Canadians do not have a workplace
pension plan.
• Most Canadians struggle to save
enough money for retirement.
This is becoming more challenging as hydro bills and the cost of
living continue to increase and the
number of well-paying jobs continue to decrease.
What changes are being proposed?
The following is an overview of
the changes that are part of this historical agreement:
By
TONY
CIAMPA
Secretary Treasurer
Unifor Local 195
• CPP expansion will be phased in
over seven years starting in 2019.
• Starting in 2019, mandatory contributions will be gradually increased.
• The changes will be fully implemented in 2025. At this time, it is
estimated that Canadians will pay
between $9 and $42 more into the
plan every two weeks.
• The maximum amount of income
subject to CPP will increase by 14
per cent, to $82,700.
• There will be a tax deduction on
the increased contributions by employees.
• Future retirees will see their CPP
benefit increase from 1/4 of their
average annual income to 1/3.
Do you want to know how the
proposed changes will impact your
projected CPP benefit and
. . . cont’d on next page
Our Ontario Regional Director,
Katha Fortier (now assistant to the
president) in the press release recognized the key role of the Ontario
government. “The Ontario government deserves credit for making it
clear they would go on their own if
need be. I'm certain we would not
have a deal today without the leverage provided by the ORPP, however
a stronger, universal, portable CPP is
the best outcome for the majority of
Canadians. "
Unifor members across Canada
should be proud of this historical
agreement. The campaign launched
by Unifor has led to the first benefit
increase in the plan’s 50 year history.
Proud members from Local 195 in this year’s Labour Day Parade recognizing injured workers throughout all workplaces. An Injury to one is an injury
to all!
The Guardian – 11
TONY CIAMPA
contributions?
. . . cont’d
Use the online calculator found
at http://www.cppenhancement.ca/
to estimate the effect of the proposed
changes on your projected CPP contributions and benefits. This calculator projects benefits under both the
original CPP rules and the proposed
enhanced CPP rules.
reaching the 80th anniversary of the
Charter that led to the birth of our
Local. Early in 1936, the United
Auto Workers Union in Canada
began its campaign to organize auto
workers in our community in what
was then known as Kelsey Wheel.
On December 11, 1936, the first
Charter was signed which contained
the names of the first 16 members of
Local 195. We are proud of these
members for all the risks that they
took, the sacrifices they made and
their vision. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank all of our members, past and present for your contributions to the labour movement
and particularly our Local. You
make our union strong!
Has the agreement been finalized?
The changes to the CPP are not
yet a done deal. In order for the Federal government to table legislation
in the House of Commons, it requires the signatures of a minimum
of seven provinces representing at
least 2/3 of Canada's population.
In June, all provinces agreed to
the deal in principle and set July
15th, 2016 as the deadline for ratification. As of today, B.C and Quebec
have not yet ratified the deal. B.C
has expressed that they need more
time to seek public feedback. Our
president, brother Jerry Dias sent a
letter to the Finance Minister of B.C
urging the government to ratify the
deal. In the letter, brother Dias states
“Expanding the CPP is an important
investment for the hard-working
people in Canada. It’s time to provide more for the future. Action
taken today to enhance the CPP will
ensure an adequate and secure retirement income for British Columbians
and millions of Canadians”. The
Federal Government hopes to introduce legislation later this fall.
Let’s continue to pressure the
government to move forward on
these changes. Our activism will result in more adequate retirement income for future generations of
retirees.
As the fall approaches and 2016
comes to an end, our Local will be
The Guardian – 12
Unifor Local 195 Secretary-Treasurer Tony Ciampa along with Local 195
delegates are seen at the National Unifor 2nd Constitutional Convention.
At the Constitutional Convention held in Ottawa, an emotional Emile Nabbout supported by Sister Nichole Simpson from Accucaps Industries addresses the convention floor about his workplace. There’s 200 workers at Kautex, an auto parts plant
where the roof was torn off by the recent twister and was concerned if the plant was
going to be closed. We are pleased to announce the plant is up and running.
LOCAL 2458
Gordie Howe International
Bridge
oday’s subject matter is
one I believe to be of the
utmost importance to
every resident of this region. I
think it should be important to
all in Ontario and indeed nationwide. It is something that
will have a tremendous economic impact on this region and
Canada’s economy as a whole.
T
That something is the new
bridge crossing for the Detroit
River. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is or was to be
completed by 2020. That now
looks very doubtful. It has been
called the most important infrastructure project in Canada.
The Harper Conservative government pushed for a new
bridge for years and the
Trudeau Liberals agreed, pledging to complete the job, yet here
it is stuck in neutral.
Canada and the U.S. have the
largest bilateral trade agreement
in the world. It is valued at
$600 billion a year. Over $500
million a day crosses between
Detroit and Windsor over the
Ambassador Bridge. It is by far
the busiest border crossing in
North America.
The Herb Gray Parkway was
constructed at a cost of $1.4 billion to facilitate getting truck
traffic from the 401 to the new
bridge free of traffic lights and
congestion. It was designed to
get the trucks off of Huron Line
where there are about 18 traffic
lights between the end of the
401 and the Ambassador
Bridge. The west end of Windsor has been divided by that
mess of traffic for more years
than most of us can remember.
DRIC, The Detroit River International Crossing project was
established in 2004. It was an
Retired National Director of Health Care Ken Brown addresses the audience
at the recent National Constitutional Convention congratulating newly
elected Bob Orr as Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer.
By
BRUCE
DICKIE
President
Unifor Local 2458
international project that involved multiple levels of government on both sides of the
border. We had the federal,
provincial and municipal governments at the table. The U.S.
had the same. There was agreement across the board that it had
to be done. Everyone was all
in. A study done for DRIC at
the time showed that 150,000
jobs in the region and $13 billion U.S. in annual production
depended on the Detroit Windsor Crossing.
The Ambassador Bridge
opened in 1929, which makes it
87 years old, roughly the same
age as its billionaire owner,
Manual “Matty” Maroun.
Matty, seemingly through no
more motivation than greed and
his own personal interests, has
been fighting this project from
the outset. He has no concern
for the cities of Detroit or Windsor, no concern for the neighbourhoods that are destroyed,
just a concern about keeping a
monopoly that he never should
have had in the first place.
Matty has been able to influence some American political
decisions on the bridge, but fortunately he doesn’t have that
kind of influence here (at least
we hope that’s true). He has
launched 24 legal actions
against this project and he has
lost them all. He has been
thrown in jail along with the
. . . cont’d on next page
The Guardian – 13
BRUCE DICKIE
. . . cont’d
President of his Bridge Company for defying a court order
yet he continues to hinder this
project.
Dwight Duncan is the interim chair of the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority. It is the
Authority’s mission to get the
bridge built. Since Duncan has
been appointed, he has backed
off of the 2020 completion date
and has been talking about
Canada buying the Ambassador
Bridge from Maroun. That
doesn’t sound like a guy who is
focused on getting the new
bridge built.
We have spent too much
time and money and effort on
this project not to complete it.
It is too important to the economy not to complete it. If Duncan can’t do it then get
somebody who will?
I certainly don’t believe we
should be dealing with Matty
Maroun but if it will be quicker
and less expensive to buy him
out rather than fight him, so be
it, buy the damn thing. The ancient Ambassador Bridge is in
need of so much work and the
constant traffic delaying repairs
won’t change a thing.
It’s time to form a coalition
with citizen groups in Detroit
and Michigan and raise holy
hell with the political establishment to get the new bridge built
NOW.
As I said at the outset, I
wrote about this because I think
it is of vital importance, because
I believe we need a call to action to put some feet to the fire
and frankly because our economic livelihoods depend on it.
The Guardian – 14
First Vice-President Mike Kisch along with his wife Annie are seen at
Parliament Hill in a rally to recognize the National Day of Reconciliation
for Aboriginal persons during the recent 2nd Constitutional Convention.
Unifor Local 2458 Secretary-Treasurer Tullio Diponti along with Shelly
Smith are seen at the podium nominating Bob Orr for Unifor's
National Secretary-Treasurer.
Seen are members from Unifor Local 2458 who attended the recent
National Unifor 2nd Constitutional Convention.
LOCAL 2458
Extendicare
Bargaining Update
he following bargaining
update was sent to our
members at Extendicare
this week and expresses the
frustration of the entire nursing
home sector in this 2016 round
of negotiations. Workers have
seen very meager wage enhancements; totalling only
2.8% over the last four years.
Despite this, their workload
continues to increase and they
are exposed to some sort of
workplace violence on an almost daily basis. Unifor nursing
home
workers
are
confident we can count on the
support of our entire membership as we work towards a fair
settlement.
T
The Unifor Master Bargaining Committee is continuing its work to achieve a fair
collective agreement on your
behalf. On September 8, 2016,
bargaining representatives attended Conciliation hearings
with Extendicare overseen by
Ontario Ministry of Labour
Mediator Diane Parson. At that
time, Extendicare offered a
new monetary figure; one that
the union did not feel would
satisfy the membership. Subsequently, a teleconference was
held with the Local Presidents
for Extendicare units who
unanimously rejected the employer's offer.
"We simply were not going
to bring a substandard offer to
our members," said Unifor Assistant to the President Katha
Fortier. "We're committed to
achieving a fair pay increase,
that's been very clear from the
beginning and it should be
crystal clear to Extendicare
now."
Following the rejection of the
offer the bargaining committee
filed a "no board" request,
meaning the committee does
not believe further negotiation
will lead to a new tentative
agreement.
Options going forward include taking the unresolved issues to binding arbitration. On
September 23, SEIU will enter
arbitration with a large number
of nursing homes in its central
group. As this arbitration may
be precedent setting, our union
and CUPE have extended research support to SEIU. Your
bargaining committee will
carefully follow these proceedings as we determine our next
action.
By
TULLIO
DIPONTI
Secretary Treasurer
Unifor Local 2458
To recap what has happened, members are reminded
of the following:
• negotiations for a new collective agreement began on
June 21
• non-economic issues were
agreed upon shortly after
talks began
• to date no a g r e e m e n t on
wages could be reached,
leading to the failed conciliation process
During this period, an
awareness campaign was
launched and we asked the
membership to continue to
proudly wear the lanyards and
wristbands distributed to carry
the message that we are united
in our demand for a safe, respectful workplace, improved
conditions and fair wages.
Dignity 4 Residents Fairness for care givers!
"This has been a long
process but we will keep working until we achieve our
goals," said Unifor Health Care
Director Corey Vermey. "Now
is the time for us to stand
shoulder to shoulder as we see
this through the final stages."
The Guardian – 15
By
SCOTT
RICHARDSON
The members of SouthWestern Ontario Recreation Council are from various
Windsor & Essex-Kent County Locals representing their respective members.
They volunteer and work within this Council to ensure Unifor sponsored tournaments run effectively so that our members can benefit from them. All
SWORC members volunteer their own time to attend monthly meetings and
events.
Our website www.uniforsworc.ca is a useful tool to download tournament
applications and to check the results of past tournaments. You may also contact
your Recreation Chairperson and/or the tournament director through our website. Therefore, if you don’t see any postings of tournaments in your workplace,
you will see it on our website. Join our group on Facebook at “UNIFOR
SWORC” for more information.
We encourage all Unifor members to participate and join in our friendly
competitions.
Another successful fishing tournament organized by Mal McIntosh
and his volunteers. The weather was
absolutely beautiful for the Annual
Bud Jimmerfield Memorial Fishing
Derby held on May 22, 2016. A total
of 110 entries were received and
approximately 40 fish were measured. All those attended enjoyed
great food, refreshments and swapping fish stories. Final results are as
follows:
Special Prize Winners:
Perch
1st Jim Walker, Loc. 195
13. 1/2”
2nd Rob Dotto, Loc. 444
13. 1/4”
3rd Debbie Dotto, Loc. 444 12. 1/2”
Pickerel
1st Brenden Gignac, Loc. 444 30. 1/8”
2nd Peter Gignac, Loc. 444
28”
3rd Len Pillon, Loc. 89
26. 7/8”
We hope to see you all, once
again, on the May long weekend
next year.
FISHING TOURNAMENT
REGIONAL GOLF
TOURNAMENT
On May 29, we held our Regional Golf Tournament. Congratulations to the low rounds of the day,
The Guardian – 16
on the women’s side, Patty Marcus
of Local 200 shot 86 and on the
men’s side, Jordan Davison of Local
444 shot a 68. The following qualified for the National tournament to
be held on August 13 in Windsor:
Women’s Flite
Gross - 1. Patty Marcus, Local 200
2. Heather Brunelle, Loc 200
Net - 1. Michelle Lapointe, Loc. 444
2. Karon Brennenstuhl, Loc. 1498
Men’s A Flite
Gross - 1. Jordan Davison, Loc. 444
2. Marvin Wilson, Loc. 444
Net - 1. Curtis Campbell, Loc. 594
2. John Maurina, Local 1973
Men’s B Flite
Gross - 1. Jeff Stewardson, Loc. 1001
2. Wray Pollock, Loc. 127
Net - 1. Gerry Bump, Loc. 1959
2. Mike Brown, Loc. 200
Men’s C Flite
Gross - 1. Roman Zakrajsek, Loc. 222
2. Vince Bavetta, Local 1973
Ne - 1. Jim Cousineau, Local 1959
2. Dan Derenoski, Local 1959
Men’s D Flite
Gross - 1. Jeff Brundage, Local 200
2. Cory Sammon, Local 127
Net - 1. Ted Gagnon, Local 444
2. Danny Derose, Loc, 1959
Chairperson
Upcoming
Events
E-mail:[email protected]
S
W
O
R
C
• UNIFOR NATIONAL TEXAS
HOLD’EM TOURNAMENT
•
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Deadline: November 4, 2016
Local 200/444 Hall
UNIFOR REGIONAL
BOWLING TOURNAMENT
January, 2017
Applications available
November 15th
Check our Website at
www.uniforsworc.ca
and/or
“UNIFOR SWORC” on Facebook for
applications, future tournaments and
Past Tournament Results
UNIFOR NATIONAL GOLF
TOURNAMENT
The Unifor National Golf Tournament began on August 13th with
great potential and high hopes for
massive drives and championship
puts. Unfortunately mother natural
took control and cast down several
bursts of showers and storms. Play
was suspended several times and
eventually the decision was made
to call off the event. In the end,
everyone had a great meal, good
times and good cheer. Everyone received a prize for participating.
Thanks to all the volunteers and
golfers who made the best of the
situation.
LOCAL 240
By
JIM
ANGUS
Changes at the Local
Greetings,
This is my very first report for The
Guardian. Some of you may know me
as the Vice-President of this Great
Local Union. Well, that has changed
significantly, and there is a bit of a
story.
To sum up, our terrific, much loved
and respected President has left the
building. Theresa Farao was appointed
as a Unifor National Representative effective Sunday, July 24th, which I
must say left some very big shoes to
fill. I want to congratulate Theresa on
this wonderful development. It has
been her commitment t o w o r k e r s ,
equity, inclusiveness, human rights
and the members of our Local Union
along with so many other things that I
know she did in our community and
beyond that checked all the boxes for
Unifor and she answered the call.
Sadly the call came from Toronto
where Theresa now finds herself based
out of. Too far for my comfort level,
but as close as a phone call or email
away which she has promised to always take. This overdue and more than
well deserved appointment was one of
Theresa’s dreams and something she
worked very diligently for. Our loss
here at 240 is many workplaces gain in
the GTA. On behalf of the executive
and membership of our Local Union, I
thank Theresa for her mentorship, her
support that she always has been so
generous in giving to me. We have
been through many battles together
and I’ll always have her example to
guide me going forward. Good Luck
and Much Love my President. You are
missed.
As you might be noticing, the
theme recently at Local 240 is change.
Our executive committee vacancies
were filled just this week, Congratulations to our newly elected 1st Vice
President, Sister Jodi Nesbitt,
Trustees:, Sisters, Stacey Ferguson, Jolayne Janisse and Tena AttwaterMacLean and Guide, Sister Tammy
Dunford, our recently appointed 2nd
President,
Unifor Local 240
[email protected]
[email protected]
Vice President, Sister Julie KotsisWilder and our newly acclaimed
Recording Secretary Sister Paula
Bastien Stedman. Our Executive board
is now compete and ready to meet the
needs of our members. I look forward
to working closely with all of them as
we enter a very busy period of bargaining on the horizon.
May I offer my sincere thanks to
all our candidates who stood up and
were counted in this election and for
understanding the process and the
learning we all went through as a
Local Union and will ultimately benefit from. It is not easy to come to the
decision to stand for election and we
appreciate and salute that commitment.
The learning just mentioned will
come from our dedicated Elections
Committee, a truly professional, organized, thoughtful and thorough group
of sisters who packed three weeks of
. . . cont’d on next page
Proud Unifor members from Local 240 are seen marching in the Labour Day Parade
The Guardian – 17
LOCAL 240
. . . cont’d
work into as many days. We all owe
them our gratitude for a job well done
and they will be a very valuable resource to future committees and to our
Local Union in providing an excellent
template for elections to come. Thanks
to Sister Courtney Rup, Chairperson
and her committee, Sisters: Monica
Anzolin, Brooke Bondy, Shelley
Gouin and Trish Longson.
To a d d i t i o n a l v o l u n t e e r s ,
scrutineers and activists who helped
campaign, carried ballot boxes, stayed
very late to observe counts and
process, a vote of thanks as well. To
employers who allowed us to poll our
members on their premises, we thank
you too.
Finally, to our members and retirees who participated in the democratic process and voted, attended
nominations meetings, had thoughtful
discussion and rendered a decision,
thank you for your solidarity and continued support. We will all do our best
to make all members and workplaces
feel included as part of this great Local
Union. This Local Union is about you
and you are your Local Union.
We recently ratified Collective
Agreements at Freeds of Windsor and
our newest unit Harmony In Action.
Congratulations to Sister Karren
Burdge, Chairperson and her committee Brothers Ian Craigmyle and Brian
Bobbie on a new three year agreement
ratified by 83 percent of the members.
The committee’s dedication resulted in
an agreement being achieved in just
three days. Special thanks to Theresa
Farao for her participation and leadership in this last negotiation before her
appointment and National Representa-
tive Colette Hooson for her guidance
and support.
Some improvements were: Long
Overdue Wage Increases and Pay Equity Resolutions, Improvements in Ber e a v e m e n t , S e n i o r i t y, U n i o n
Representation and Recognition and
Coverage. Sick Pay and the addition of
PEL to the new agreement.
Congratulations to Sisters: Tonya
Hennin, Chairperson and Bargaining
Committee Members, Sister Denise
Baxter and Sister Sara Chenier. This
all new First Agreement was ratified
by 100% of the Bargaining Unit. This
was a long struggle with a very tough
set of many meetings with the Executive Director and Board of Directors of
this Non-Profit day facility for Developmentally and Physically Challenged
clients. Many thanks to Regional Director, Brother Jack Robinson, assisted
by Sister Jodi Nesbitt and past President, Sister Theresa Farao.
The collective agreement achieved
will serve the members well and remedied some issues that precipitated the
organizing of the bargaining unit including the restoration of Paid Sick
Time. In addition, wage increases were
also bargained along with a host of
things that will allow the membership
some leverage in dealing with the em-
HARMONY IN ACTION
ployer. The newly elected committee
of Sisters Tonya, Sara and Denise are
also working to make their workplace
better in conjunction with our Local
Union. The progress has been slow,
but they are a fearless group who will
win the day.
We will move ahead into additional
bargaining rounds with The Windsor
Star, Canadian Salt, Hudson’s Bay and
Green Shield in the months ahead as
well as Ford where our Local Union
represents salaried workers. As I write
this, Ford awaits their turn in engaging
the employer in the Detroit Three bargaining now under way. The Ford
group under the leadership of Brother
Mark Radvanyi will take part in the
challenge our Union faces to enhance
and preserve the historic Ford footprint
in Windsor/Essex and indeed Canada.
All this bargaining will be challenging,
but I am confident our solidarity and
hard work will carry us through to
achieve our goal to protect our members.
In closing, I look forward to leading the dedicated members of Unifor
Local 240 through the challenges that
will face us in the upcoming year and
anticipate another milestone anniversary we will celebrate in 2017.
BARGAINING SEASON
FREEDS OF WINDSOR
The Guardian – 18
Seen joining in on the rally to recognize the National Day of Reconciliation
for Aboriginals which was held in Ottawa are Retired National CAW President Ken Lewenza, Sisters Paula Bastien Stedman, Jodi Nesbitt and Angela
Divitaris
LOCAL 240
Len Campbell Bursary Award
Recipient: Brayden Houle
ongratulations to the 2016
Len Campbell Bursary
Award recipient Brayden
Houle. Brayden is the son of Green
Shield Canada member Kathie
Houle. He is a student that goes
above and beyond to help others in
need. Over the years he has helped
with numerous community organizations and regional and international
events including the Unemployed
Help Centre, Downtown Mission,
Ontario Summer Games and the International Children’s Games. Brayden has just started his first year at
the University of Windsor in the
nursing program and we wish him
all the best in his studies.
By
ANGELA DIVITARIS
Secretary Treasurer
Unifor Local 240
C
We had a great turn-out at the
Labour Day parade. It was great to
see everyone come out and walk in
solidarity and strength to celebrate
Labour Day
the contributions that working people have made in our community as
well as the struggles we continue to
face.
Supporting our Library
Workers – CUPE Local 2974
Our library workers have now
Angela Divitaris, Jim Angus, Len Campbell, Brayden
Houle, recipient of the Len Campbell Bursary Award,
Kathie Houle and Jodi Nesbitt.
been on the picket lines for over 90
days. Local 240 has been out walking the picket line, at town council
meetings and standing by their side
during their Solidarity Rally. Please
join them on the picket line to show
your support.
. . . cont’d on next page
Unifor Local 240 members getting ready to march.
The Guardian – 19
Busy Times Ahead
For Local 1959
LOCAL 1959
Greetings,
The next couple of months for the
membership and committees of
Local 1959. Quarry bargaining is
first up for the members and bargaining committee in the upcoming
weeks. The membership held their
amendment meeting in September
and identified some concerns for
their membership moving forward.
The bargaining committee is scheduled to meet later in September to
correlate their demands and prepare
for the upcoming round of bargaining. Labour relations here have certainly evolved since the sites
acquisition by Walker Industries.
There is one grievance slated for arbitration at this workplace.
Precision Plastics continues to
remain steady even in the times of
Detroit Three bargaining. There has
been some new presses moved into
the plant. The plant has recently had
some of it's members retire, so on
behalf of the membership and executive of the Local, I'd like to congratulate them on their service and
wish the retirees all the best in their
new careers as a retirees.
Preparations continue for K+S
Windsor Salt bargaining beginning
in January of 2017 at both facilities.
Both sites are gathering employee
demands and concerns regarding
their respective sites in preparation
of the upcoming bargaining. The
Windsor facility has a new committee working on their behalf and are
doing a very good job respecting
their membership and working on
their behalf. Both sites have seen a
change in top management positions,
and in conjunction to these changes
both bargaining committees continue
The Guardian – 20
By
BILL WARK
President,
Unifor Local 1959
to work to represent their respective
memberships. Production has remained steady at the Fine Salt Facility and the Ojibway mine prepares
for safety max production and some
tech updates for the new machinery
acquisition.
Virtually everyone knows someone or has a direct connection to a
relative or neighbour affected by the
current round of Detroit Three bargaining, I remain confident that the
leadership teams for all the committees can negotiate collective agreements that will satisfy the
memberships needs and secure the
necessary product allocation that
will continue to see Canada as a
major player in the global automotive sector.
Shifting the focus a bit, our
Local is being a lead sponsor for the
upcoming years United Way campaign. Remember the many facets of
the United Way affects our community in a positive way through many
services. Whether it be peer mentoring, creating sustainable food
sources, through various counseling
services or making life easier for our
senior population, the United Way
helps. Unifor traditionally plays a
very large role in the success of the
campaign. Whatever your gift, be it
financial or volunteering, your part,
our part, doesn't go unnoticed and
helps better Windsor Essex County
in many ways. Together we can all
help the United Way make a positive
impact in bettering our community
together.
Angela Divitaris
. . . cont’d
Children’s Christmas
Party – SAVE THE DATE
The Children’s Christmas party
will be on Sunday, November 20th
at the Serbian Centre. Details and
sign-up information will be posted in
your workplaces in October.
Retirees Christmas
Banquet SAVE THE DATE
We will be having our annual
retirees Christmas banquet on Friday, December 9th at 12:00 pm. The
banquet will be at the Giovanni
Caboto Club. Invitations will be
mailed out in early November with
ticket information.
LOCAL 1941
President’s Report
Plant population is currently at
174 with 3 members on layoff due to
the Coating Department not switching from 8 hour shifts to continental.
A new coating line will be added to
the operations at this facility beginning October 1st, 2016, the eta for
full production is April 1st, 2017.
There is a lot of activity in the facility of relocating equipment. On September 29th and October 1st there
will be an open house, and are requesting donations to go to the
Hospice of Chatham-Kent. Congratulations to Kathy Ritchie on her retirement.
Autoliv
Plant population is currently 127
with no layoffs. This unit recently
ratified a new 3 year agreement
which saw language improvements
to the grievance procedure and overtime. Over the life of the agreement
they will receive a 5% increase in
wages, special increases were obtained for skilled trades and new
hires, and increases to their pension
contribution. Also included in this
agreement was strengthened EFAP
and Women’s advocate language.
Congratulations to Steve Millyard
(Chairperson), Paul Fraleigh ( Committeeperson), Pat Stuart (Committeeperson), and Jason Johnson
(Skilled Trades), job well done.
Accurcast
This retirement home has 28
members. Recently they ratified a
new collective agreement at 100%.
Included were increases included 4%
over 3 years, improved uniform allowance, increased vacation, and the
addition of a drug card. There continues to be three outstanding grievances, one of which is slated for
arbitration. I would like to congratulate Edna Larsh (Chairperson), Janice Guy (Committeeperson), and Jen
Drummond (Committeeperson), –
you have provided great representation for your members.
This unit has recently hired 11
new members, bringing the plant
population to 192. Business remains
busy resulting in mandatory Saturdays and voluntary Sundays. There
continues to be a lot of activity in the
installation of new assembly lines
and injection molding machines.
Elections are slated for October 4th,
Mahle
By
BOB ASHTON
President,
Unifor Local 1941
2016 for all in-plant positions, I
would like to wish all candidates the
best. The current Collective agreement expires August 2017. Congratulations to Tom Toma on your
retirement.
Tilbury Manor Nursing
Home
This long term care home currently has 80 members with no layoffs, with full census. Ministry of
Health has been in doing their annual
inspection. The workplace committee was successful in retaining one of
their full time lines. There is one outstanding grievance that has to deal
with the job posting procedure and
not awarding to the most senior applicant. Best wishes to Lynn Beausoleil on your retirement.
Hudson Manor
President Bob Ashton looks at the podium as National President Jerry
Dias address the delegates at the recent convention held in Ottawa.
The Guardian – 21
LOCAL 1498
President’s Report
argaining is in full swing with
the Detroit Three and at the moment, Unifor has a tentative
agreement with GM that will go before
their membership shortly. During this
set of negotiations, the consistent message that has been set before the Detroit Three is that product commitment
and investment are top priorities. The
union has identified a need of product
and investment from each company to
help keep the automotive producing
footprint from disappearing in Canada.
The details of the GM tentative agreement have not been released yet, but it
appears that National President Jerry
Dias and the GM Master Bargaining
teams has been successful in protecting their facilities. The deal includes
investments and product commitments
at GM’s Oshawa, Ontario, assembly
plant and new production volume at
the St. Catharines, Ontario, engine and
transmission plant. Also, approximately 700 temporary workers at GM
would be given full-time status under
the deal. The investments fulfill a key
goal, particularly at Oshawa, where no
vehicles were slated to be made beyond 2019. For something of a first,
the St. Catherines portion of increased
production volume is based on taking
engine production currently in Mexico
and bringing it back to Canada.
B
What an achievement it is to be
able to say that it is possible to take
product from Mexico and bring it back
to Canada! For the longest time,
whenever product was moved or outsourced to Mexico, it was never expected to come back. The low labour
wages, plentiful free trade deals and
investment incentives from the Mexican government were too great of a
The Guardian – 22
By STEVE MORASH
President, Unifor Local 1498
benefit to give up. Sure there were the
costs of doing business, like the perception of low quality and that you had
to send out Human Resource managers
in pickup trucks to round up enough
workers to fill in gaps to keep production running. But the benefits outweighed the downside of it all, right?
Perhaps at one time, but not any
longer.
During the recent GM negotiations, there was an article by Brent
Snavely of the Detroit Free Press reporting that the Canadian Federal government was looking to change the
terms of the Automotive Innovation
Fund program. It currently offers automakers low interest loans to support
investments in Canada. The problem
is that no automotive company was
using this fund. But now the government is considering changing the terms
from being a loans program to a grant
program. This is exactly what Mexico
is doing to attract investment, it gives
money to companies to setup shop,
provide labour and cut through all the
red tape. If by changing the program
and helping out with reducing the red
tape, the Canadian government can
help create some headways in attracting investment to this country and become a competitor in attracting
investment. Some people don’t think
that governments should get into programs like that; they believe companies should want to invest in a country
on their own without assistance.
But the world doesn’t run that way
anymore. Our government has to play
a role in attracting business – not only
automotive, but other sectors as well.
A well designed investment program
to attract company’s investment and
fair trade policy are fundamental to the
health of the Canadian economy. The
workers of this country need this
change to keep this glimmer of hope
of bringing back work from Mexico,
to keep good paying jobs here in this
country, for the future of our kids and
their kids.
If the Liberal government acts
like the Harper government and sits on
their hands on the sideline, they’ll be
watching this country wither on the
vine while other countries flourish and
prosper.
Established 1952
The Guardian
INC. OF WINDSOR, ON
The Directors are:
Local 195–Gerry Farnham, Tony Ciampa
Local 200–Chris Taylor, Dan Cassady
Local 240–Jim Angus, Angela Divitaris
Local 444–Dino Chiodo, Dave Cassidy
Local 1498–Steve Morash, Charmaine Turton
Local 1941–Bob Ashton, Dean Mitchell
Local 1959–Bill Wark, Clovis Côté
Local 2027–Steve Taylor, Darryl McLean
Local 2458–Bruce Dickie,Tullio DiPonti
FINE TOUCH
GRAPHICS
COMMERCIAL
PRINT-CRAFT
LTD.
GORD GRAY, Editor
The Guardian, 1855 Turner Road, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 3K2
Telephone (519) 258-6400, Fax 258-0424. Address changes should be directed to your Local Union Office
LOCAL 2027
By
STEVE
TAYLOR,
President’s Report
urrently at Local 2027 we
have no one on layoff and we
have an afternoon shift in
many departments. The afternoon
shift started up again on August 15th
2016 after a brief (6 week) afternoon
shift that ran back in May-June
2016. This is in preparation for the
Christmas rush as well as keeping up
with orders. It seems like we are getting closer to running an afternoon
shift on a steadier basis.
New member orientation went
very well. We have had all new
members that got their seniority go
thru the orientation, except 3 so far.
We have seen awesome participation
from our new members. We have a
new Youth Committee Representative (Luc Limoges), Health and
Safety Rep. (Jason Verbeem),
Human Rights Rep. (Ted Groen),
Women Committee Rep. (Terrie Farrand) which are all new members,
and also a Worker with Disability
Rep. (Steve Moon) and the second
Health and Safety Rep. (Wayne
Dresser). Thanks to all of you for
taking the time and making an effort
to help your fellow union brothers
C
and sisters here at work and the people in our community!!
The hiring spree continues at
Hiram walker, but not in a good
way! The company continues to hire
what they refer to as temps, which
means that they are hiring employees
with no intention of allowing them
to get seniority even though we have
a lot of work for them. The company
has hired 57 people this year alone,
10 of which have gotten seniority.
The others have worked anywhere
from a couple days to 85 days and
then let go and replaced with another
group with the same result.
We have had a total of 132 people hired since 2014, 24 of which
have gotten seniority and we have
had a total of 32 retirements in the
same time frame. We feel the company is abusing our probationary period to accomplish this shameful
way of treating people living in our
community.
On behalf of these workers we
held a small protest at this year’s
labour day parade, thanks to all the
members for their participation.
President,
Unifor Local 2027
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Shop Wisely – Shop
Union – Shop Unifor
The Bay
Sears
Freeds of Windsor
Windsor Star
CAA (Canadian Automobile
Association
Hiram Walker (Spirits)
Diageo (Seagram’s Crown
Royal)
Motor City Chrysler (Only fully
unionized dealership in
Windsor)
Radisson
Provincial Chrysler (Service)
Caesars Windsor
FCA Canada
Ford
General Motors
Motor City Credit Union
Performance Ford Service
Travelodge Hotel
Veteran Cab
Jamieson Laboratories
(Vitamins in stores)
• Tilbury Cement
• Windsor Salt
• Beach Grove Golf and
Country Club
• Comfort Suites
• Green Shield Canada
Rob Sabourin, Steve Taylor and Gaby Ghazali
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the membership and their families for
patronizing the facilities we
serve and buying the products
we build. Buying Unifor unionized products re-inforces our
commitment to our community.
Thank you!
The Guardian – 23
Windsor Area
Office Update
By
JACK ROBINSON
Unifor Canada Windsor Area Director
sions to working Canadians if this trade deal goes through.
The campaign “Imagining a fair trade future” is an on-going
campaign allowing our voice to be heard. We are watching
United States very closely, if the U.S. does not approve such
a trade deal it will end the deal, however we are continuing
to be prepared with this campaign if the U.S. does participate and the trade deal moves forward.
WINDSOR AREA
OFFICE UPDATE
It has been approximately nine
months since John Biekx, member
of Local 444 and Shelley Smith,
member of Local 2458 have been
utilized as member organizers working under the direction of Aaron Neaves, National Area Organizer in our office. In this short period of time, they have organized nine
new workplaces in the Windsor and Chatham area totalling over 600 new Unifor members. These members
work in Auto plants, Health Care, Gaming, and Retail.
This is a great example of the diversity in our Union.
Great work by Aaron, John and Shelley and congratulations and welcome to these 600 new members in joining our Union and obtaining a voice in their perspective
workplaces. The organizing department is having ongoing discussions at numerous other workplaces who are
interested in becoming organized and joining Unifor.
I want to congratulate the Hiatus House on their 40th
Anniversary on behalf of the Windsor Area Office and
Unifor in our community National Representative, Colette Hooson from our office accepted an award on behalf
of our office recognizing Unifor for its long standing contributions to this organization.
Unifor has been participating in the “Make it Fair
Campaign” which is being led by the Ontario Federation
of Labour (OFL). The Ontario Government is currently
reviewing our Provinces Labour Laws. This campaign is
our opportunity to Make it Fair for millions of workers
across Ontario. It’s a campaign for decent work, safe
working conditions, decent hours, vacation entitlements,
access to unions, precarious work, to end discrimination
in a $15.00 minimum wage and much more, and to raise
awareness about the terrible impact this trade deal will
have on all Canadians. At the time at writing this article
a rally is planned by the Ontario Federation of Labour
(OFL) for October 1st at Queen’s Park in Toronto. The
rally will be well attended by Unifor members in our
community and is an opportunity to let our Ontario Government know we are committed to the “fight for $15.00
and fairness”.
MAKE IT FAIR CAMPAIGN
Unifor is also continuing to be vocal on the repercus-
TPP TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
The Guardian – 24
Unifor participants at CUPE Local 2974 Essex County
Library Workers picket line, in Leamington. Picturedabove are; Area Director Jack Robinson, Jodi Nesbitt,
Chris Buckley, President of the OFL, Angela Divitaris
and Paula Bastien-Stedman.
The Windsor Essex County BSO (Behavioural Supports Ontario) is the Lead Team providing support programs to Long Care Homes and our Pictured-above are
our Unifor members on this team; Kelly Schiefer, Jack
Robinson, Stefanie Laraime, and Isabell Taylor.
MP Tracey Ramsey was a Guest Speaker at our Constitutional Convention held in Ottawa, in August. Pictured-above are; Jack Robinson, Jodi Nesbitt, Tracey
Ramsey, Angela Divitaris and Paula Bastien-Stedman.
Unifor Windsor Regional Environmental Council
Windsor Essex Community Right
To Know (WECRTK)
Remington Park White
Flags Campaign Study
Results
A sample of the white flags placed
in the Remington Park neighbourhood
and analyzed for particulate by the University of Windsor show particles related to industry, auto and train traffic.
The World Health Organization based
International Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC) declared particulate a
Class 1 human carcinogen in 2013. Particles 10 micrograms or smaller can be
inhaled into the lungs and cause cancer.
The results of our WECRTK study
show that 41% of the particles analyzed
were below this size.
Windsor Essex County
Health Unit (WECHU) Remington Park Cancer Cluster
Study
The major concern of residents and
the WECRTK in this area is exposure to
air pollution.
The WECHU stated that “Air pollution from nearby industry, motor vehicle
traffic, and rail transportation were concerns shared.” The WECHU released
their study results at a town hall meeting
on Sept. 8. One of the conclusions of
the report was “tobacco smoke was the
only lung cancer carcinogen that all 12
people were exposed to in this study.
Other risk factors were present, but not
consistent among all people. The Health
Unit will continue to monitor lung cancer rates in Remington Park and will
continue to work with our partner agencies to inform our community on how
to lessen their risk of developing cancer.”
The media reported that many resi-
dents were upset and angry that, once
again, their lifestyle was being blame
for their illness. Many asked why other
cancers weren’t studied.
I strongly believe we should demand that a more comprehensive study
of the effects of pollution on residents
of Remington Park and all of Windsor
should be funded and undertaken by our
government.
I think the WECHU did the best
they could with the resources allocated
but I agree with Ward 7 Councilor Irek
Kusmierczyk who said air quality concerns were a problem for all of Windsor
and called Remington Park the “canary
in the coal mine”. He asked if a more
thorough report could be compiled to
provide “the gold standard of study results.”
Medical Officer Dr. Gary Kirk said
a longer term study could potentially
By MARK
BARTLETT
President,
Windsor Regional
Environment
Council
provide better results. “I think we’re
convinced, it was the best work we
could have done,” he said. “A more longitudinal report would require significant resources and allocation of energies
and funding to make something like that
work.”
The WECHU also acknowledged
that they did not measure residential
radon levels (radon is the 2nd leading
cause of lung cancer after smoking) and
that “Job-related exposure may be relevant for 11 people (92%) and that “five
people had hobbies that could increase
their risk of lung cancer.
Ojibway National Park
Campaign Ribbon Cutting
Ceremony on World Snake
Day
. . . cont’d on next page
Artwork and information on display at Ojibway Park for World Snake Day.
The Guardian –25
Regional
Environmental
Council . . . Mark Bartlett
The Ojibway Prairie complex and
Greater Park System has been designated an IMPARA (Important Amphibian And Reptile Area) by the Canadian
Herpetological Society (CHS). On July
16, Unifor WREC and Local 444 part-
nered with the CHS to launch a discussion on connecting the greater park
habitat by improving or preserving
wildlife corridors. The event attracted
hundreds of people and lots of kids.
We presented the ribbon signed by
citizens of Windsor and area supporting
Ojibway and the concept of a National
Park. We partnered with Photographic
artist Sherry Campeau who presented
the thought-provoking “MortuariumUnder Our Feet” series. She displayed
10 prints that used the photos of snakes
and turtles killed on the road surrounding Ojibway collected in Jonathan Choquette’s Ojibway Prairie Complex Road
Mortality Study — which shows some
2,000 snakes a year are killed by cars on
neighbouring roads in the natural area.
She discovered compelling patterns and
digitally repeated the pattern to produce
what looks like oriental carpets. The artwork reminded us that we should be
careful not to harm these important and
endangered reptiles.
Gordie Howe International
Bridge Environmental
Advisory Committee-
Mark Bartlett and Jonathan Chocquette on World Snake Day
at Ojibway Park
University of Windsor Engineering Students display their concept
for the Gordie Howe Bridge
The Guardian – 26
We continue to advocate for Green
Energy on the new bridge. As I reported
last issue, I met with the Green Corridor
class at the University of Windsor and
the Detroit Windsor Bridge Authority
on engaging students in the design
process. This collaboration resulted in
Green Corridor Students proposing environmentally sustainable design for the
new bridge and the School of Engineering students participated in a structural
design competition.
Invasive Asian Carp
in the Great Lakes!
A fertile male Asian Grass Carp was
caught in Lake Erie near Point Pelee!
This prompted a frantic search in the
area for others. None were found but if
these fish manage to establish themselves it could devastate our fisheries
and affect our members in fish processing. Brian Masse has been leading on
this issue and we will continue to work
with him, ERCA and the IJC to raise
awareness on how to stop these invasive
fish.
A spokesperson for the MNR said,
“We are encouraging any boaters or
fishermen that find anything they think
is an Asian or grass carp to let us know
right away… They are a problem fish
and will out-compete others for food.
They are an invasive species.”
IDENTIIFY THE NEXT
MOTOR CITY MEMBER
R!
Refer a friend and
d you will both receive $50!
MCCCU
U.COM
TECUMSEH ROAD BRANCH
MARKET SQUARE BRANCH
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6701 Te
ecumseh Rd. E
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519 944 7333
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The referring Member’s account must be in active status. The new Member is required to open an account. Fulfillment of the $50 for both new Member and referring
ferring Member will be withing 4-6 weeks from date of new Member’s account opening. Some
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The Guardian – 27
The Guardian – 28
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and
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The Guardian –29
Millions of people yearning for a
"Brexit" from destructive trade deals
Written by Maude Barlow
U.S. President Barack Obama’s
recent visit to Canada, against the
backdrop of Brexit and the U.S.
presidential campaign, had many
opinion leaders trying to dismiss
concerns about free trade.
Now, we’re told, people who
are against free trade are isolationists who want to entrench themselves in the past, in a parochial
nostalgia for the nation-state. The
ideology of free trade opponents
can only lead to an inward-looking
mentality that fosters wars and destroys the economy.
So say the free traders who
have been fostering wars and destroying the economy.
But is it that easy: a fight between free trade, on the one hand,
and isolationism on the other?
This false binary construct
leaves little room for a third choice:
the progressive concept of “fair
trade” and the aspiration to build
economies and trading relationships that are based on social and
ecological justice, on the primacy
of democratic rights over the profits of transnational corporations,
and on the free movement of people rather than capital.
Free trade is a fundamental tenet
— along with privatization, deregulation and austerity — of the
agenda that is driving deepening
inequality around the world.
The “investment protection”
clauses in free trade agreements are
what allow transnational corporaThe Guardian – 30
tions to directly sue national governments that pass laws against
fracking, pipelines and other climate crimes. These provisions also
trample on indigenous rights and
their ability to say no to major resource extraction projects. And it’s
the “intellectual property rights” in
free trade agreements that allow
highly profitable pharmaceutical
corporations to secure the delay of
cheaper generic and biosimilar
drugs at the expense of human
lives.
It is inexcusable for some politicians and newspapers to use the
demagoguery of Donald Trump
and the bigotry of Nigel Farage —
who led the Brexit campaign for
the United Kingdom to leave the
European Union — to obscure this
valid progressive critique of the
power free trade agreements give
to transnational corporations and
how those powers undermine our
rights.
Opposition to the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP), the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
(CETA), the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and
other agreements is not “antitrade.” It is a rejection of “free
trade” and the powers these deals
bestow on transnational corporations over our democratic and
human rights. This rejection of
these destructive trade deals is part
of a positive vision of “fair trade.”
Far from antiquated, this sentiment is on the rise, highlighted by
the recent Angus Reid Institute poll
that showed only one in four Canadians support NAFTA.
This isn’t about trying to return
to some imaginary past before
global trade, with white picket
fences and no immigrants where
“foreign ideas” are rejected. This is
about shaping globalization in a
way in which our cosmopolitanism
and openness to the world is not
shaped by corporate interests but
by democratic impulses.
And while the votes for Brexit,
and the support for Trump, may not
always choose the best political
framing, politicians and elites
would be arrogant to dismiss the
widespread discontent with the status quo.
We must reject the attempts to
stoke racism as a way of misdirecting blame away from proponents
of business as usual. It’s not immigrants, refugees or racialized communities that have caused the sharp
rise in economic inequality. The
blame rests squarely with cuts to
public services, privatization and
the fallout of so-called free trade
deals that have cost hundreds of
thousands of jobs.
There is a massive wound in our
economy. Free trade agreements in
their current form are not going to
fix it since they are a central part of
the problem. There needs to be a
massive shift in the way trade
agreements are conceived and implemented so that the benefits of
global trade are shared by all.
The Guardian – 31
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