News & Events Archived Newsletters CONTACT 2007 February 2, 2007CAW Members Ratify New Agreement at CN Rail
Following a series of ratification meetings held across the country, CAW members who work at CN Rail have overwhelmingly ratified a new collective agreement with the company.
CAW president Buzz Hargrove said the new agreement with CN is an important step forward for all CAW members at the railroad.
"Despite an intense round of bargaining with many tough issues, our bargaining committees have moved the agenda forward on numerous issues affecting our members and their families."
"This is an excellent agreement with wage increases each year, improvements in numerous benefits and new health care coverage for retirees - and the agreement will create numerous jobs in the system," Hargrove said.
At CAW Local 100, which represents shopcraft workers, the membership voted 76 per cent in favour of the agreement, while at CAW National Council 4000 the membership voted 87 per cent in support. Owner-operator truckers voted 83 per cent.
Bryon DeBaets, president of CAW Local 100, said the ratification results "reinforce the tremendous job done by the bargaining committees over many long hours. The leadership, supported by a strong strike mandate, was able to negotiate a solid agreement, which means a better future for our members, their families and the many communities where they live."
At CAW National Council 4000, president Bob Fitzgerald said "it was a tough round of bargaining, but with the support of the membership we were able to achieve significant gains in wages and benefits that will form the basis of an improved workplace environment over the next four years."
The CAW represents more than 4000 shopcraft, clerical, supplemental and owner-operator members at CN facilities across Canada.
More information is available on the CAW web site at: www.caw.ca/whatwedo/bargaining/bycompany/rail/bargaining07.asp
CAW's Hargrove Outlines Concerns Over Homelessness
CAW president Buzz Hargrove has outlined concerns about the implementation of a new federal Homelessness Partnering Strategy and the uncertainty of when federal funds will be available to groups fighting homelessness.
In a recent letter to Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg, Hargrove acknowledged the $270 million over two years under the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) that starts in April 2007.
But Hargrove also expressed concerns over the change from the federal government's previous Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) program, which ends in March, to the new HPS.
Hargrove's concerns include:
- unnecessary delays as to when the funding will flow from the federal government to local communities;
- many services and projects will end March 2007 when their SCPI funds are exhausted;
- organizations will be unable to retain staff in the face of uncertainty over when new funding may be available;
- SCPI funded programs will have to close temporarily and then restart, but in the gap those helped by these programs will needlessly suffer. New funds will be spent just to recover ground;
- capital projects are at risk of not being completed for a March 2007 deadline.
CAW Supports Agricultural Workers in Nova Scotia
The Nova Scotia provincial legislature in Halifax was the site of a recent protest that brought together slaughterhouse workers, feed mill workers, family and friends as well as a group of CAW Local 2216 members who demonstrated their solidarity with workers in the province's hog industry.
The demonstration attracted hundreds of Annapolis Valley Hog producers' slaughterhouse workers, feed mill workers, and their friends and family. They are concerned about the lack of financial support from the government for pork producers in the Annapolis Valley.
"Without immediate action; pigs could literally die in the barns. Where is the future of the pork industry, if not here, with established farms, and the people willing to work on them or in the industries directly supplied by the local farms?" asks Local 2216 in a written statement.
Members of CAW Local 2216 demonstrated in front of the legislature in support of the pork producers in Nova Scotia. The hog industry in Nova Scotia has farm gate sales of $30 million and employs 1,500 workers directly and indirectly. Local 2216 is an amalgamated local that represents feed mills and poultry plants in the Annapolis Valley.
CAW Local 2216 President Tim Brown said the loss of these jobs will be devastating to the economy of Kings County. "Our local will do whatever we can to help keep this vital part of our community alive," Brown said.
CAW Communications Conference
May 4 to May 6, Port Elgin
The 2007 CAW Communications Conference is happening Friday, May 4 to Sunday, May 6 at the Family Education Centre in Port Elgin. All CAW local unions are eligible to send delegates.
The conference will feature plenary and smaller group workshops for new and experienced local union communicators, guest speakers, with a special dinner and awards presentations.
* Local union web site and newsletter editors will want to begin preparing their submissions to the Journalistic Excellence Competition - the deadline is March 23, 2007. *
The internet offers many opportunities for union communicators, and many challenges. Web sites are now the news and information source of choice for more and more of our members who expect quality images and clear, concise writing. The same standards apply to newsletters as to websites: quality images, clear and concise writing.
This year's CAW Communications Conference will focus on images and writing - which should support and complement each other, each adding valuable information to the other.
A package containing conference details, registration information and forms for entering the Journalistic Excellence Competition has been mailed to CAW local unions and can be downloaded from the CAW web site at: www.caw.ca/whatwedo/communications/index.asp
New Members Join the CAW
A new group of 270 workers at PL Foods in Georgetown, Ontario have voted to join the CAW. The workers joined the CAW in spite of an aggressive campaign by management. Many of these recently organized CAW members are new Canadians.
Also, in Langley, B.C. a unit of 49 workers at Pacific Transportation Group Ltd. has joined the CAW as part of CAW Local 2006. In Surrey B.C. a new unit of 67 members at Landmark Transport Inc. have joined the CAW and will become part of CAW Local 114.
New CAW Office in Kitchener
The CAW has opened a new regional office in Kitchener, Ontario. On January 26, CAW President Buzz Hargrove and CAW Secretary-Treasurer Jim O'Neil cut the ribbon to officially open the new office complex, which serves CAW local unions and members throughout the Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Stratford and Guelph areas.
Hargrove said the new office demonstrates a strong level of commitment by the union to its members, its locals and to the community. The new office details are:
5 Executive Place
Kitchener ON N2P 2N4
Ph: 519-893-4873
Fax: 519-893-9908
cawcamb@caw.ca
