News & Events Archived Newsletters CONTACT 2007 March 9, 2007Anti-Scab Legislation Needs Your Help!
| In little more than a week, Parliament is scheduled to vote on legislation that would put an end to the use of scabs during labour disputes in the federal sector. Working people must ensure that this happens.
Recently, the leader of the Liberal party, Stéphane Dion, announced that he will not support an end to scab labour - even though the majority of his Liberal colleagues supported the first and second readings of the legislation in Parliament. This means that we must work harder than ever to convince our MPs that the use of scabs is behaviour that Canadian workers cannot accept. When Bill C-257 comes to a vote, we want our MPs to vote 'yes.' You can tell Stéphane Dion and your own MP to vote 'yes' by visiting the CAW web site at: www.caw.ca/index.asp. This will take only a few minutes of your time. Be sure to make this important commitment to solidarity as soon as possible. |
CAW Files Occupational Disease Claims for Shipyard Workers
CAW/Marine Workers' Federation Local 20 has filed 15 compensation claims for occupational disease because of past exposures at the Marystown, Newfoundland shipyard.
Seven claims for lung cancer and eight for various types of gastrointestinal cancer were filed with the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC).
The 15 claims emerged as the union began collecting names of workers who have contracted diseases such as cancer and obstructive lung disease in order to examine the possibility that they were caused by past exposures at the workplace.
"There is no question in my mind that some of our members have suffered illness and even death as a result of their exposures to workplace chemicals over the years at the shipyard," said Henry Moores, President of CAW/MWF Local 20. "Most of those exposures happened under the ownership of the government of Newfoundland and it's time for the WHSCC to ensure that those workers or their surviving family members are fully compensated," Moores said.
Moores said the union expects to hear back from the WHSCC by early March and urged anybody who worked at the shipyard and who feels they may have an illness caused by this work to contact CAW Local 20.
Maintain Mental Health, Addiction Funding, CAW Urges
The CAW has raised a red flag over the Ontario government's request that the Lakeridge Health Corporation end its longstanding support for vital addiction and mental health services in Durham Region, east of Toronto.
CAW President Buzz Hargrove sent a letter March 5 to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty expressing concerns over the government's demand that Lakeridge, a multi-hospital health corporation, no longer support such programs.
Funding for the Pinewood Centre in Oshawa and its outpatient addiction program and residential treatment services, including Destiny Manor, a women only residential rehabilitation facility would be eliminated resulting in substantial service reductions, he said.
"This is simply unacceptable," Hargrove said.
"Through such services, the community and thousands of CAW members find lasting recovery from drug, gaming and alcohol addictions - providing them the tools to restore their health; their families and their jobs," said Hargrove. "When over $9 billion, or roughly 1 per cent of Canadian GDP is lost each year to alcohol or drug addiction, there can be no justification to abandoning such services."
A public meeting on this important issue will be held Tuesday, March 20 at CAW Local 222 hall in Oshawa starting at 7 p.m.
International Truck Delivers Next Generation Tractor
International Truck and Engine Corporation in Chatham, Ontario officially delivered the first of its new Class 8 ProStar highway tractors on March 1 signaling a stronger future for hundreds of CAW members, their families and the community.
Once slated to close, the International Truck facility in Chatham is again moving in the right direction with approximately 800 workers and state of the art equipment and technology. The resurgence of International Truck comes after a strong campaign by the CAW national office, Locals 127 and 35, the community, the federal and provincial governments and the company.
Mike Neuts, CAW Local 127 unit chairperson at International Truck, said the plant's membership from both CAW units deserve tremendous credit for their efforts to ensure the plant survived and moved ahead despite many difficult days when it appeared it would be closed.
"The solidarity, skill and dedication of the membership was a critical part in building a long term solution and greater job security at the assembly operations and also securing spin off jobs throughout the surrounding community," Neuts said.
Bob Chernecki, assistant to the CAW President, praised the commitment of the CAW members and leadership at the plant which, at full production, will be capable of building more than 200 ProStar tractors a day.
"We have consistently proven in this plant that the workers can engineer and build top quality products and the launch of the ProStar, shows again that workers in Chatham can deliver a first rate product," Chernecki said. "This also will mean an important measure of security for the members of Locals 127 and 35, their families and the community of Chatham."
Day of Mourning: April 28
Every year on April 28, CAW members gather at Day of Mourning ceremonies throughout the country to honour and remember those who have been injured or who have been killed on the job.
This year the CAW is creating a CAW Day of Mourning flag to reaffirm the commitment and solidarity of its leadership and membership to workplace health and safety. CAW Council's Health and Safety Committee has invited members to design a special CAW Day of Mourning flag that encompasses the Day of Mourning theme and the diversity of the union.
The winning creation will be unveiled at the April 2007 CAW Council meeting in Port Elgin, Ontario.
The Canadian Labour Congress declared April 28 a national day of mourning for workers injured or killed on the job more than 20 years ago. This event, which began through the efforts of Canada's labour movement, is now observed in more than 100 countries.
Women Hit by Manufacturing Job Loss
On March 8, as women across Canada celebrated their hard-won gains on International Women's Day, they faced a continuing struggle to stem the job losses in the manufacturing sector - some of the better jobs for women in the paid labour force.
Over the past five years women have lost a proportionately greater share of their manufacturing jobs than have men, a new CAW study shows.
CAW Director of Women's Programs Julie White says "We need to understand that there's a woman's face on many of these job losses. Too often it's assumed that men alone are losing factory jobs. But if we stop to think about the sectors where women work - food, manufacturing, fish processing, auto, auto parts, aerospace, general manufacturing and more - it's obvious this crisis has hit women and men alike."
The CAW has released a backgrounder with "stories behind the numbers," the stories of women who've faced job losses in manufacturing, which is available on the CAW web site at www.caw.ca/whatwedo/women/index.asp.
Hold That Bandwagon!
