Fall, 2016
Volume 6
UNIFOR LOCAL 6004
l
Issue 25
The Membership
In This Issue:
1.
Convention 2016
2.
President’s Report
3. Winter Family Fun Day
4. Electoral Reform
nd
It’s Time! Unifor 2 Convention
“Unifor has given back working people their voice in the politics of the nation”, Unifor
National President, Jerry Dias said as he opened Unifor’s second convention. The
event took place at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, August 22-26. Over 1800 delegates
from across the country came to celebrate our accomplishments in the past three
years since the largest private sector union was founded. While citing the defeat of
the Conservatives federally and provincially as victories for the labour movement,
Dias cautioned that poor economic conditions could be a breeding ground for the
same political fear mongering as in the U.S. “It could happen here, unless the labour
movement stands up to make it clear-immigrants are not the problem and racism and
scapegoating have no place here or anywhere”
5. Labour News
6. Make It Fair
7. Collective Bargaining
8. Local 6004 News/Contacts
“My government
is pleased to be a
solid partner
with workers” –
Prime Minister,
Justin Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, addressed
the convention and pledged to work with the labour
movement to reverse the damage of the previous
Conservative government and to build a better
Canada.
“My government is pleased to be a solid partner with
workers”, Trudeau told the overflow crowd. “The
labour movement believes in justice, compassion, and
the growth and success of Canada’s middle class. And
on that, our government shares common ground with
you.”
National President, Jerry Dias, said he has already
seen a difference in Unifor’s relationship with the
federal government as doors have opened to regular
dialogue.
“Prime Minister Trudeau recognizes that labour has a
huge role to play in shaping the economic and social
fabric of this country,” said Dias. “Unifor is pleased to
be part of the dialogue with the Prime Minister and
his government.”
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President’s Report
3rd Quarter, 2016
2016, 2nd Quarter
Update on Ottawa Surplus announcements – As reported in the summer newsletter there were two surplus announcements
in Timothy Knolla & Josee Peron’s organizations. We are happy to report that we were able to work with Josée Perrron’s
group to create new employment opportunities for most of the employees, and the other employees were able to find new
jobs or started a new life in retirement. In August there were two new announcements that impacted a total of six
employees. Three employees in Jill Gibson’s organization & three employees from Kenyon Shoebridge’s organization lost their
jobs due to a relocation of work from Ottawa to Montreal. Thankfully in both of these announcements affected employees
were able to find other employment opportunities in different business units.
Ottawa Pride – August 21st, 2016 - Unifor has always been a proud supporter of our LGBTQ community and this year we had
members of Local 6004 participate in Ottawa’s Capital Pride parade on Sunday August 21st. This year they were joined by
hundreds of other Unifor members from across Canada who were in Ottawa for Unifor’s 2nd Convention which started on
August 22nd.
Unifor Convention August 22 – 26 - As you read in the introduction to this newsletter Unifor’s 2nd Convention was held in
Ottawa from August 22 – 26 2016, and of particular note to our Local was the proposed “Telecommunications National
Bargaining Program” that was introduced during Convention. Did you know that more than 30,000 Bell employees are
members of Unifor? This number makes Bell Canada the largest single employer in Unifor. The bargaining program that is
being proposed is designed to make better use of the combined bargaining power of those 30,000 employees. Imagine if even
for one day those 30,000 employees did not come in to work? The Company would not function and could not continue to
function for any period of time. So how do we make better use of this combined strength? Well the proposal is have a form
of pattern bargaining or a form of master bargaining. In pattern or master bargaining big ticket items like – wages, benefits,
job security, etc. – are set by the pattern or the master agreement and applies to every other round of bargaining. So when
each unit goes to bargain their individual agreement the negotiations would focus on items particular to that unit – so for us it
could be performance management, days off, seniority, work life balance etc.. The benefit to this type of structure is that it is
designed to more effectively use the combined power of the unionized workforce at Bell – 30,000 employees. It is also
designed to remove the company’s ability to weaken units by dividing or creating other certifications – like they did with Aliant
& BCE. There are many discussions that still need to take place and Local 6004 will continue to be an active contributor to
those discussions. We’ll share more as things develop.
Bargaining in 2017 – Bargaining for the renewal of our contract will start sometime in 2017 and should be concluded by
November 30th 2017. In anticipation of this everyone should start thinking about the important items that they would like
changed or added in the next collective agreement. We will be asking for people`s input early in the new year. Since we have
about one year to go people should start planning for how they will support themselves in the event of a strike or lockout. We
are a long way from that, and there is no indication that a strike or lockout might happen, but any time we go to bargaining it
is important to prepare for the worst. One of the ways you can prepare is to put a little bit of money away every month in
case it`s needed. We all hope that it isn`t needed and if it isn`t you`ll have a little bit set aside for yourself or your family at the
end of the year.
Clerical Employee Mobilization – The five Clerical Locals from across Ontario have been talking about ways to increase your
participation in the bargaining process. We are also looking to have a more cohesive, united membership base. All of us are
dealing with issues and concerns in our work places. It’s important for us to know that we are facing the same issues as other
groups in Ottawa and in other groups across the province. The best way for us to get real change to the very real items that
we are dealing with is by uniting and working together. If we are divided we will not achieve the change we need. We need
to support our colleagues in other Clerical worksites and we need to support our colleagues in other bargaining units. To that
end many of you would have received an - It’s Time button. These buttons are a small way that we as Clerical employees
across the province can show our support for one another and for our colleagues in other bargaining units. I’ve seen some of
you wearing your buttons or displaying your buttons and we want to see everyone wearing them or displaying them at their
desk. Wearing a button or displaying a button may seem trivial, but the show of solidarity does not go unnoticed and we need
to show the company that we are united in our struggle to make our workplaces better. There will be more initiatives to come
as we get closer to bargaining and we will be sharing information on those initiatives as they develop.
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Unifor is calling for
Canada to adopt a
Proportional
Representation
model which
would create a
government that
more accurately
reflects the will of
all Canadians.
Our current electoral system is flawed. Canada is one of the last western democracies that
continues to use the antiquated system called First-Past-The-Post.
In 2011, The Conservatives formed a majority government, but only received 39% of the
popular vote. Last fall, the Liberals were elected to a majority government, but again they
only received 39% of the vote. Less that 40% doesn’t equal a majority. Yet, in our current
voting system that is exactly the result.
Electoral reform is an equity issue. Under Canada’s current voting system, every vote is not
represented and consequently many people are choosing to not participate. The largest
demographic of those not participating in elections include young people, women, people of
colour and Aboriginal people. The voices and needs of equity-seeking groups are vital to a
strong democratic government.
The Liberal government has promised to reform our electoral system. A special parliamentary
committee on electoral reform was established to consult with voters from coast to coast,
and report on recommendations to Parliament by December, 2016
Unifor is calling for an electoral system in Canada that does
the following three things:
1. Makes every vote count.
2. Forms governments in proportion to the number of
votes cast per party; and
3. Upholds local representation.
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LABOUR NEWS
Food Basics Workers Ratify New Contract
Unifor members of Local 414 at 20 Food Basics stores in communities across Ontario ratified a new
four-year collective agreement. The new contract includes annual wage increases for full and part-time
employees in each year of the contract, a revised part-time wage grid, benefit boosts and improved
scheduling among other gains. Full and part-time members will receive a $1.00 per hour pay increase
over the term of the contract along with a new minimum wage plus provision for part-time clerks,
which guarantees automatic adjustment to hourly pay in the event of an increase in the minimum wage
rate. The bargaining team also successfully negotiated the implementation of Unifor's ground breaking
Women's Advocate Program. The program trains representatives to assist women facing intimate
violence and abuse with the aim to create healthier workplaces, secure homes and safer communities.
"We bargained tough with the full weight of Unifor behind us, and we achieved our goals," said
Christine Connor, President of Unifor Local 414. "The gains made here are an example of why being in a
union matters."
Unifor Autoworkers Ratify Deal With Ford
On November 6th Unifor concluded negotiations with the Detroit Three automakers, after members
ratified a four-year contract with Ford securing $713 million in investment, new product, more than 500
jobs, and wage improvements.
"With the Ford ratification, our union has secured more good, unionized jobs at all of the Detroit Three
automakers," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. "We solidified a footprint for the future of auto
in Canada and none of this would have happened if our union was not willing to fight for principles and
to do it together."
The Labour Advantage
At the Unifor national convention in August, delegates heard the story of Chris Giles, a Unifor member
of Local 34-0 in Ottawa. Mr. Giles suffered a workplace accident, injuring his back. The recovery period
was long and painful. When he returned he was on prescribed medication that caused drowsiness.
This led to him being late for work several times and Bell responded by terminating him. His local filed
a grievance to fight the termination and it was denied all the way up to arbitration. It was during
arbitration that Chris was diagnosed with stage four cancer and given only months to live. Knowing
this, Bell made efforts to delay the arbitration hearing aware that the grievance would be abandoned if
the member died before the hearing. Meanwhile, Mr. Giles is a member with a wife and three children
having to undergo cancer treatments but cut off from medical benefits and an income because of his
termination. Efforts to have him reinstated fell on deaf ears.
Within one hour of sharing this story, Local 34-0 had raised $15,000 just from the delegates at
convention. And two hours after that Jerry Dias, President of Unifor, contacted George Cope's office
and Chris Giles was reinstated with compensation for 1 year of no medical benefits
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Today in Ontario, more than 1.7 million workers are earning at or around
minimum wage and many Ontarians are trapped working precarious parttime, temporary, contract and subcontracted jobs, without a union.
The Government of Ontario has initiated its “Changing Workplace Review”
to examine the out-dated Employment Standards Act and the Labour
Relations Act. In order to seize the once-in-a-generation opportunity
presented by the provincial review, the OFL has launched the “Make It
Fair” campaign to push for employment reform.
As part of this campaign, the OFL and unions across Ontario have
launched a survey on precarious work - an issue that is fast becoming the
‘new normal’ for Ontario’s seven million workers. The goal of the survey is
to speak to union members about their experiences and the experiences of
their families with precarious work. Lend your voice - participate in the
survey here:
http://www.makeitfair.ca/precarious_work_survey
“Inequality and precarious work are on the rise across our growing
province, but collectively each of us has the power to change the law and
help Ontario workers out of poverty,” said OFL President Chris Buckley.
Unionized workers have a long history of incredible gains at the bargaining
table, including the 40-hour work week, maternity/parental benefits and
unemployment insurance, which have become the law of the land.
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For many people the bargaining process can be quite confusing,
but in reality it is quite straight forward. Between now and the
completion of bargaining Local 6004 will be providing information
on the various parts of the bargaining process to help employees
get a better understanding of how it works and how you as union
members form the most important part of that process. In this
issue we want to provide a basic overview of how the process
works and in future newsletters we will provide more detail on
each of the major components of that process.
So how does it work?
Your collective agreement is an employment contract between Bell and Clerical employees. Every contract has a term –
th
in our case that term ends on November 30 2017.
The first crucial step in the process is collecting your input on what you feel needs to change or what needs to be
added to the agreement. In the new year we will be sending you proposal forms that you can complete and send back
to us. You can submit as many proposal forms as you want on as many subjects as you want. No proposal is trivial and
every item is taken seriously. Submitted proposals will be compiled and refined by your elected bargaining committee.
Your bargaining committee is made up of employees who work for Bell and Unifor staff. During this process the list of
items that will be addressed at bargaining is formed. This list is comprised of the proposals that you sent, information
on other collective agreements, industry trends, the employers’ finances and trends in grievances. In our situation the
bargaining committee for the 2013 negotiations has been meeting with Bell every quarter and has also been compiling
a list of items of concern since the 2013 bargaining was completed. So this preparation started as soon as the last
contract was ratified!
The second step is the face to face bargaining with the employer. During negotiations periodic updates will be sent at
the conclusion of every week of bargaining. These updates will not provide a play-by-play of everything that has been
said, but it will provide some insight in to how things are progressing.
The third step in the process occurs when the employer and the union have reached a “tentative agreement”. This is
brought to a special meeting where the bargaining committee would talk about the tentative agreement. This is also
an opportunity for you to ask the bargaining committee any questions about the agreement and where you get to
decide whether to accept (ratify) it or whether to reject it. In the case of a rejection the bargaining committee returns
to negotiations or possibly goes on strike to force a better deal.
Remember More than 98% of all contract negotiations in Canada are settled without a strike or lockout. Nobody
wants to go out on strike – a strike only occurs when workers in a workplace decide together, for themselves, that
enough is enough and a strike is the only option. In Unifor 10% of your dues money goes toward a strike fund. The
fund is ready to support you and your family if the employer locks you out or if you and your coworkers have to strike
to win a fair settlement. A Unifor member on active payroll when a strike begins and who participates in strike activity
may draw weekly strike benefits of $250 per week. Although this is not a lot of money, with planning on your part it
can contribute to any additional money you have been able to set aside before bargaining. We all hope it won’t come
to that but if it does it helps to be prepared.
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LOCAL 6004 NEWS
Good & Wellness
We anticipate that several of our members will decide to retire by the end of 2016. If you or someone you know is
retiring please contact The Good & Wellness committee so that they can arrange to deliver a gift of appreciation
from Local 6004. If you or a member you know is in need of assistance from this committee please feel free to
contact the committe by email to the following address. [email protected]
Local 6004 softball game & BBQ in Ottawa scheduled for July 09th
Unfortunately the softball game and BBQ scheduled for July 09th had to be cancelled due to inclement
weather. The deposit the Local paid the city for the field was refunded and due to scheduling conflicts
the executive decided not to reschedule the summer event for this year.
Local 6004 YouTube channel
In an effort to find more ways to communicate with members of Local 6004 we have recently launched a
YouTube channel. We will be posting videos that we hope are of interest to members of the Local.
Anyone who would like to subscribe to the channel can do so by searching for Unifor Local 6004 on
YouTube.
New Stewards
It is with great pleasure that the Local announces that Denis Huard, Mark Scissons, & Tristan Ferdinand
will be the Stewards for agents in the RARM & CALRS groups on the third floor of 160 Elgin St. Jean
Bernard has been appointed as a steward to support the BRS agents on the 7th floor. We are looking
forward to working with our new stewards as they work with the employees in their group (and any
others they are called upon to assist).
Upcoming Dates
Health & Safety Meeting………………………………….………………November 16 th
Winter family Fun Day………………………………………………………November 27 th
Ontario Regional Council….………………………………………..……December 2-4
General Membership Meeting…………………………………………December 15 th
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Contact Information
ADDRESS
PHONE
130 Albert Street, suite B2,
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4
613-565-2004
FAX
613-565-2003
WEB SITE
www.unifor6004.ca
E-MAIL
[email protected]
YOU TUBE
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu0tSBWbzQjxwKQpxRrpLVg
TWITTER
@unifor6004
FACEBOOK
Unifor Local 6004
President, Derek MacLeod
Local Health & Safety Committees
(Bell) Peter Mackey (Co-Chair)
(BCE) Gilbert Soudir
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Employee Assistance (24/7)
1 (800) 387-4765
Bell Benefits
1 (888) 391-0005
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