March 26, 2000
Volume 30, No. 12
CAW Reaches Tentative Agreement With Air Canada And Canadian Airlines
The CAW has hammered out a tentative agreement covering its 4,200 members at Air Canada and 4,100 members at Canadian Airlines. Leadership from CAW Local 2213 at Air Canada and CAW Local 1990 at Canadian Airlines approved the agreement at meetings March 30 and membership ratification meetings are now underway across the country. Results are expected in approximately three weeks. The agreement provides significant wage increases, job security, protection of seniority rights and more. It includes the current wage increase of 3% in 2001 with new increases of 2.5% in 2002 and another 2.5% in 2003. The CAW negotiated a commitment that no employee will be laid off or forced to relocate from their base for four years. While the agreement brings the two contracts in line with each other in many respects including wages, two separate seniority lists will be maintained. Under the agreement, if a local believes the process is working to the detriment of its members, they can move the question of seniority to an independent arbitrator. The arbitrator would hold hearings in Saint John, St. John's, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. The arbitrator would give a decision within six months. CAW Local 2213 president Tom Freeman said the time has come to create stability in the industry after so much uncertainty. He said the bargaining committee has negotiated a transition that will be least stressful for the members. "We have bargained job security for our members until March 27, 2004 as well as severance packages, wages increases, a bonus for Air Canada members as well as ensuring our members seniority rights are protected," Freeman said. CAW Local 1990 president Anne Davidson said it was a very tough round of bargaining, but the two committees worked well together. Davidson said she was encouraged by the relationship developed with Local 2213 during bargaining. She said she hopes the agreement provides greater long term security for members. In a message to Local 1990 members Davidson said: "This new world we are venturing into will be difficult and will require much adjustment. I firmly believe that your tenacity and experience with change will help us get through this coming merger."
CAW Joins Fight To Preserve Public Health Care
Labour and health activists, nurses, seniors and other concerned citizens went to Parliament Hill last week to demand immediate action by the federal government to stop Alberta's for-profit health care plan. They also demanded that Prime Minister Jean Chretien start enforcing the Canada Health Act and protect the public health care system. The March 28 event resulted in 77 meetings with MPs, including five cabinet ministers. CAW president Buzz Hargrove outlined the need to protect public health care at a meeting with Finance Minister Paul Martin. Hargrove also spoke at the rally focusing on the historic fight lead by former CCF-NDP leader Tommy Douglas to establish public health care. He stressed the need to reactivate that fighting spirit today. The CAW sponsored buses of retirees and other concerned activists. Retired CAW staff representatives Dan Benedict and Len Harrison helped highlight the concerns retirees have about the attack on public health care. The Ottawa rally focused on: - stopping Alberta's for-profit hospital plan; - restoring federal cash funding to at least 25 per cent of public health care; - placing a moratorium on public/private partnerships in health care; - expanding Medicare to include a national system of home and community care; - excluding health and social services from all trade agreements; - demanding that all Canadians are included in decisions on the future of healthcare. The Canadian Health Coalition is calling for a lobby in constituency ridings the weeks of April 15 to 30. To get involved call the Canadian Health Coalition at (613) 521-3400 ext. 308 or check out www.healthcoalition.ca.
New Agreement For CAW Members At F.P.I.
The CAW/FFAW has reached a collective agreement for 3,000 plant workers of Fishery Products International. The agreement covers workers in nine locations in Newfoundland. Reg Anstey, Secretary-Treasurer of the CAW/FFAW said this agreement covers two years, with increases of 2% in the first year and 2% in the second year. For 40% of the workers in the lowest category, there was an additional 1% in the first year. Many other improvements were made in local issues, along with changes in the vacation pay clause, statutory holidays and bereavement leave. The contract was ratified by over 80% of the members.
Pension Legislation Changes In Manitoba
As a result of issues raised by the CAW in meetings with the Province of Manitoba, the NDP Government has amended the Pension Benefits Act to require the funding of any solvency deficiency on plan terminations. Therefore, when a pension plan has a solvency deficiency on plan wind up the employer now must continue to make payments to fund the deficiency. Previously there was no requirement and employers were free to walk away from their pension obligations made to workers. Dale Paterson, CAW area director stated, "This is a very important improvement in pension regulations in the province. Premier Doer and Cabinet should be congratulated in securing worker's pension funds in these circumstances." Paterson goes on to say, "This amendment has a potential immediate benefit for our members in Local 2224 at Versatile who are facing uncertainty in their future as to the fate of their plant."
Winnipeg Versatile Plant Status Still Uncertain
With a deadline fast approaching regarding the status of the Versatile tractor plant in Winnipeg, the 500 CAW members are still facing an uncertain future. Local President Len Rausch stated, "The deadline imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice for the sale of the plant and its products, the four wheel drive tractor, is closing in on us. We are concerned about who our new owners may or may not be, if in fact it is sold". The Winnipeg plant was ordered to be divested from the parent company Case/New Holland as a result of a merger that raised competition issues in the United States. "Continuing our campaign in the community and with the respective governments will ensure this issue remains at the top of the public agenda," said Bob Chernecki, assistant to CAW president Buzz Hargrove.
Alberta Labour Board Finds Brewers' Distributors Ltd. Violated Labour Code
The Alberta Labour Relations Board has declared that Brewers' Distributors Ltd. ("BDL"), a joint venture of Molson Breweries and Labatt Brewery, violated the Alberta Labour Relations Code and failed to bargain in good faith with the union that represents its employees. The Retail Wholesale Canada Local 285, a division of the CAW, had complained to the Alberta Board that BDL had improperly given its employees notice that it was closing down its operations while at the same time it was stockpiling beer at another warehouse. The board found on March 20, that the company's scheme to divert beer and stockpile it was a violation of the Alberta Labour Code and it directed BDL to cease and desist immediately. The board also found that BDL had interfered with the union's right to represent its members when it announced its decision to close its operations in six months directly to the employees without first discussing its plans with the union. The board found that by failing to negotiate with the union about its closure plans, the company had breached its duty to bargain in good faith with the union. Local 285 represents beer warehousing and distribution workers in Edmonton, Alberta. Collective bargaining negotiations between the parties broke down on February 16, 2000, after the mediator decided that the parties were too far apart. The union had a strike vote scheduled for March 31. BDL is looking for 30% rollbacks and has threatened to close the operation if the concessions are not achieved. The average employee has been with the company over 15 years.
Flight Specialists Ratify New Collective Agreement
The Air Traffic Specialist Association of Canada (ATSAC) announced that it has ratified a new collective agreement with Nav Canada. The members voted 89 percent in favour of the new agreement. Nav Canada is the provider of air navigation services in Canada and on the North Atlantic. Representing 850 flight service specialists, ATSAC is the last of eight bargaining units to sign an agreement with the company. This agreement took almost two years to negotiate and will expire April 30, 2001. "We are pleased to have ratified an agreement with Nav Canada. We could not have done so without the help of the Canadian Auto Workers," stated Ron Smith, president of ATSAC. "We have made significant progress to rectify areas of concern indicated by our members in a previously rejected tentative agreement and were able to 'hold firm and move ahead' on key issues in the newly ratified agreement." Highlights of the collective agreement are "holding firm" on such issues as hours of work, sick leave, general holidays, vacation leave and meal breaks. The union "moved ahead" on agreements with the company that would prevent members from being forced to relocate and stop closures of flight service stations as a result of the implementation of the Flight Information Centre (FIC) project. This agreement contains wage increases of 4 percent in the first year, 3 percent in the second and 6 percent in the third. There were also other increases to a variety of premiums and allowances. "With the new contract now behind us, we will now commence merger discussions with the CAW," said Smith.
Bulletins
National Workers Compensation Conference, June 2-4 The conference focus is appeals at all levels of the compensation system. Registration deadline is Friday, May 5. For information contact: Nick De Carlo, National Rep., Health and Safety 1-800-268-5763. CAW Human Rights Conference, May 12-14 Workshops will concentrate on harassment, duty to accommodate, poverty, resources and first nations people as well as globalization and the WTO. Deadline for reservations is April 28. For information contact: Raj Dhaliwal, Director, Human Rights Department, 1-800-268-5763. 1st CAW National Youth Conference, May 5-7 Celebrating Youth Activism is the theme of the CAW's first youth conference. Deadline for registrations is Friday, April 14. For more information, contact: Karen Clark at 1-800-268-5763 or Tashlyn Chase at 1-800-465-0974.
WEB PREVIEW: CAW Web Page
Here's a brief look at just some of the information available on the CAW home page. CAW Video News SEIU Members Want To Join CAW dated March 21, 2000 SEIU Members Want To Join CAW The overwhelming majority of SEIU members in eight Ontario locals support their elected leaders move to leave the Washington based international union and join the CAW. On March 2nd, 10,000 SEIU members across Ontario voted 98.2 per cent... For the full text, go to the CAW web site, www.caw.ca, under What's News CAW Video News.
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