News & Events Archived Newsletters CONTACT 2007 December 7, 2007CAW's Hargrove Urges Further Interest Rate Cuts
CAW President Buzz Hargrove welcomed the recent 25-basis-point interest rate reduction by the Bank of Canada, but warned that the Bank must quickly cut rates further to avoid an even more serious downturn in Canada's export-oriented manufacturing industries.
"The Bank of Canada made a serious error in raising interest rates this summer, as our loonie was soaring to such destructive heights," Hargrove said. "Now it is starting to unwind those actions, but it must go further."
Hargrove called on the Bank to take a more flexible approach to managing the Canadian economy through interest rate adjustments and its monetary policy. He said the bank has a responsibility to take a much broader approach than just controlling inflation, it also must make economic adjustments that help create jobs for Canadians and that help boost Canadian economic output.
"Today's interest rate reduction is a small step in the right direction, but more action by the Bank is needed, and soon," Hargrove said.
Hargrove pointed to the Japanese experience, where deliberate efforts to suppress the currency have largely protected Japanese exporters against the impacts of U.S. dollar weakness.
CAW Members on Strike at Three Woodbine Locations
Bartenders and servers represented by the CAW at three Woodbine Entertainment Group locations in southern Ontario went on strike December 4. Negotiations have been ongoing since mid-September.
'The company tabled a list of concessions that have led to this dispute,' said Hemi Mitic, Assistant to CAW President Buzz Hargrove.
The 180 members work at Woodbine and Mohawk Racetracks and Greenwood Teletheatre in Toronto. The strike has affected beverage services at Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) Mohawk and Woodbine Slots operations. Picket lines have been set up at all locations.
'In an environment where the employer is reaping greater profits, it's time to share that with the workers who make it all happen,' Mitic added.
CAW Demands an End to Violence Against Women
On December 6, CAW members from across the country will gather to remember the 14 women engineering students who were murdered at Montreal's École Polytechnique in 1989 and all those women and girls who continue to suffer violence and abuse at the hands of their partners, ex-partners, family members and others.
The CAW has been at the forefront of the movement demanding women's equality and an end to all forms of violence against women.
The CAW has launched a poster and postcard campaign calling on men to recognize the important role they must play in ending male violence against women. The materials were distributed at the CAW Council in Toronto on December 7 and are available through the workroom.
More than 60 women are killed by their partners or ex-partners in Canada each year. These murders are not isolated tragedies, but a series of interconnected events, according to CAW Women's Programs Director Julie White.
These deaths are preventable and should cause outrage amongst citizens, said White. "Women are not only dying at the hands of their partners, but at the hands of government who refuse to provide women with economic means to leave violent relationships."
"Together we can push the issue to the top of the political agenda by challenging governments to create the economic, political and social conditions that make it possible for women to live in safety and security."
Canada-Korea Trade Talks Delayed
Canada's Federal Trade Minister David Emerson has indicated that trade talks between Canada and South Korea have stalled and the chance of a deal being signed by year's end is increasingly unlikely.
Trade talks, now in their twelfth round, are reported to have broken down over Korea's reluctance to provide market access provisions for Canadian automobiles similar to those negotiated with the United States earlier this year.
Over the past years, the CAW has lobbied the government to consider the impacts that a trade deal with Korea would have on Canadian industry, especially the important auto and auto parts sectors. Recently, Ford Motor Company warned it would shift investment away from Canada should Ottawa not successfully negotiate market access provisions.
"Our union has managed to successfully raise the public profile of this issue through our campaign efforts," said CAW National President Buzz Hargrove.
The CAW projects that trade with South Korea will only further exacerbate Canada's current trade deficit between the two countries, resulting in the loss of nearly 33,000 jobs.
"Through this trade deal the Harper government is only worsening the current crisis Canadian workers face in the auto and general manufacturing sectors," Hargrove added.
Letter Regarding CAW and Magna Agreement
The following is the text of a letter sent to the National Post from Hemi Mitic, assistant to the CAW President. The letter was sent in response to a recent statement regarding Magna from six unions affiliated to the Ontario Federation of Labour:
"The Ontario leaders of six unions affiliated to the Ontario Federation of Labour have staked out new ground in labour militance, heading bravely for the ramparts - not against employers, but against the CAW ("The Magna sell-out," November 23).
Contrary to the false claims of these leaders, the language in our recently-ratified collective agreement with Magna confirms that company managers play no role whatsoever in the selection of worker representatives (either the secret-ballot election of worker reps from each area and shift of the factory, or the selection and secret-ballot confirmation of full-time "Employee Advocates" who service the whole plant). The language also confirms that the terms of the contract are subject to full, binding arbitration by a neutral, mutually-selected arbitrator.
The system will work differently from traditional bargaining units, that's for sure, reflecting Magna's existing practices in some areas. But the collective agreement makes it absolutely clear that all decisions related to joining the union, selecting workplace representatives, and endorsing negotiated changes to the contract will be made independently and democratically by CAW members.
The CAW has represented workers at three Magna facilities in Ontario for several years now. At those workplaces, we have proven without a doubt that we can incorporate certain features of Magna's existing policies, while still building an independent, democratic union that makes concrete progress for its members. We now have the chance to extend that progress to as many as 18,000 new union members.
As for the right to strike, any first-year industrial relations student can confirm that dozens of unions in Canada - including several OFL affiliates - voluntarily use or have used binding arbitration instead of strikes and lockouts to settle contract disputes.
Even though the CAW is no longer affiliated to the OFL, I humbly suggest that its leaders spend less time criticizing the efforts of other unions, and focus more on boosting their own efforts to recruit union members in these difficult times."
Border Delay Creates Positive Change
A near tragedy became a catalyst for change when CAW Local 444 2nd Vice President and Windsor, Ontario resident Rick Laporte was delayed at the Windsor-Detroit border, in need of emergency heart surgery in mid-November.
Laporte was rushed from Windsor Regional Hospital to Henry Ford Hospital by ambulance, which was pulled over in Detroit for a random border check. The incident spurred outcry in the media by friends, family and local officials, with other stories of similar border delays coming forward.
As a result, less than two weeks ago, the Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor announced it will be building the capacity to do the same procedure at home with 24 hour cardiac care available, so residents will not have to travel south of the border for urgent, lifesaving treatment.
Laporte is now resting at home.
Stop the Trade Deal With Colombia, CLC Says
Organized labour is speaking out against Canada-Colombia trade negotiations and is demanding the talks be stopped.
"Colombia is labelled the worst humanitarian tragedy in the Western Hemisphere by the United Nations," said CLC President Ken Georgetti. "It's the country where more union members and their leaders are murdered than in all of the other countries of the world combined. Why would we want to tie our country to such a situation? Canadians want a full and complete debate of these matters in Parliament."
Canadians want to know why Canada is negotiating a trade deal turned down by the US Congress because the Colombia government has been universally condemned for its corruption, criminal activity and human rights violations, Georgetti said.
The Harper Conservatives are also being slammed for their secrecy and their attempt to rush through the agreement without any input from the Canadian people. The last round of negotiations is believed to have been rushed through the week of November 26.
CLC Promotes Responsible Holiday Shopping
The Canadian Labour Congress has released an information leaflet that promotes responsible and ethical shopping practices for consumers this holiday season.
The CLC highlights many of the toys that Canadians will purchase over the next month are manufactured in countries with poorly enforced labour laws and inadequate health and safety standards.
Earlier this year a number of high-profile cases surfaced regarding the production and subsequent recall of toys that pose serious health risks to children in Canada.
The Congress is encouraging consumers to ask retail store managers about corporate supplier practices, production standards and working conditions in factories where toys are produced.
"Asking the right questions is part of being a smart shopper," said Marie Clarke Walker, Executive Vice President of the Canadian Labour Congress.
"Refusing to buy a product because you don't trust the way it is made is just plain common sense."
Copies of the leaflet can be downloaded from the CLC website: www.canadianlabour.ca.
CAW Economist Appointed Vice-Chair of Ontario Manufacturing Council
CAW Economist Jim Stanford was appointed as one of two vice-chairs of the new Ontario Manufacturing Council.
The Council's mandate is to report to the provincial government with recommendations on investment, innovation, trade, market development, energy and environment, and human resources and regulatory issues that affect the global competitiveness of Ontario's manufacturing sector.
"As both an economist and a trade unionist, I believe passionately that manufacturing matters to the future economic and social well-being of working people in Canada," said Stanford.
Over the past year, the CAW's "Manufacturing Matters" campaign has helped to focus the attention of local communities and political leaders on the challenges facing manufacturing, and the necessity for both federal and provincial governments to play an active role in retaining and strengthening manufacturing jobs.
The announcement was made in the provincial legislature on December 4 by Sandra Pupatello Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Trade. The other vice-chair is Jayson Myers, President of the Canadian Manufactures & Exporters.
New Members
- TRW Windsor, Ontario: 211 new members ;
- William Neilsons Ltd., Georgetown, Ontario - 136 new members.
- Dana Magog, Quebec: 120 new members;
- Les industries de moules & plastiques V.I.F. ltee, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec: 76 new members (this is a service agreement);
- Port Arthur Health Centre Inc., Thunder Bay, Ontario - 69 new members;
- DW Services Ltd., Langley, BC - 21 new members:
- Copper Cliff Manor, Sudbury, Ontario - 20 new members
