January 16, 2000
Volume 30, No. 3
Student Strike February 2nd
CAW Local unions are being urged to help build the Canadian Federation of Students "Access 2000 Campaign," which includes a student strike February 2 at colleges and universities across Canada. Students and community supporters are slated to rally in various cities to back demands for the federal government to restore social program spending to pre-1995 levels, reduce tuition fees and introduce a national system of grants for higher education. In the 1999 round of Big Three bargaining, the CAW negotiated a substantial tuition fee subsidy for Big Three members and their families. It helped draw national attention to rapidly increasing tuition fees and the barrier to higher education this creates for working class families. "This is also becoming an issue in our workplaces as the cost of training are shifted to the individual and 'lifelong learning' risks becoming 'lifelong debt,' as it is for students," said CAW president Buzz Hargrove. Hargrove urged local unions to circulate an Access 2000 petition from the CFS, contact nearby CFS regional co-ordinators and to get involved in CFS February 2nd activities. The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) can be reached at 1-800-789-5870 or web site at www.cfs-fcee.ca.
Holmes Victories: $1 Million Justice For Families
The total for the eight successful WSIB claims so far for the families of deceased members who died as a result of their exposure to asbestos, silica and other substances at the Holmes plants in Sarnia, Ontario, total more than $1 million. The claims are for asbestosis, lung cancer, colon cancer, mesothelioma and silicosis. The total in back benefits and pension monies is $1,050,000. Monthly pensions for the families total $8,280.
Shipbuilding Needs Higher Government Priority
The CAW/Marine Workers Federation continues to urge the federal government to put a higher priority on the future of thousands of shipyard workers. At a recent meeting with federal Industry Minister John Manley, concerns over the future of the industry were raised by CAW assistant to the president Bob Chernecki, executive director of the CAW/MWF Les Holloway, CAW/MWF Local 3 president Gary Marr and CAW/MWF Local 20 first vice president Bern Harty. Holloway said the shipbuilding industry in Canada is facing extinction unless the government takes concrete steps and establishes new shipbuilding policies. "Canada needs shipbuilding and, because of a lack of attention, there is a possibility of that industry not even existing in the future," Holloway said in a Halifax newspaper report. The CAW, along with the Shipyard General Workers Federation and Federation de la Metallurgie Inc. CSN, launched a campaign last year to highlight the need for a shipbuilding policy that creates jobs and economic growth in Canada's coastal, St. Lawrence and Great Lakes regions. The meeting with Manley fell on the heels of the release of a finance committee report that highlights the need for immediate action to help Canada's shipbuilding industry. The CAW outlined the critical economic role shipbuilding plays in a presentation to the committee. The union is urging the federal government to establish a number of policies to make Canadian shipbuilding internationally competitive. The joint campaign has received widespread attention including support from the Canadian Premiers' Conference, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Shipping Association among many others.
Bulletins
CAW Workers of Colour Activist Course The CAW Workers of Colour Activist Course is designed to help workers of colour gain the skills and confidence they need to play a greater role in the union. The course is open to workers of colour members from CAW units that have negotiated Paid Education Leave monies from their employers. The spring course is scheduled to run March 12 -17 and April 9-14. Applications must be submitted as soon as possible. For more information, contact Raj Dhaliwal, director CAW human rights department at (416) 495-3781 or 1-800-268-5763. Job Posting A legislative assistant's job in the office of New Democrat MP Svend Robinson is available. The legislative assistant has overall responsibility for research related to the MP's job as Foreign Affairs and International Human Rights critic, as well as legislative work. The closing date for applications is January 28. Send applications to Svend Robinson, MP, 366 West Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6. E-mail robins@parl.gc.ca or fax (613) 992-5501.
Web Preview: CAW Web Page
Here's a brief look at just some of the information available on the CAW home page. THE CHILD CARE EXPRESS Number 3 childcare and hockey Some of the Paid Education Leave (PEL) participants took on the CAW national child care campaign as their PEL project. In between weeks 3 and 4 of the program they return to their communities and workplaces and put some of what they've learned in Port Elgin into practice... For the full newsletter, go to the CAW web site, www.caw.ca, under Newsletters - Child Care
