September 15, 2000
Volume 30, No. 25
Victory At Vancouver Hotels After Strike
A new collective agreement covering five hotels in Vancouver and Whistler, BC, gives more than 350 CAW members an average wage increase of eight per cent over three years and brings to an end a seven week strike. "This agreement is a strong victory for our members who remained very determined throughout the strike, despite difficult circumstances," said Frank Sobczak, president of CAW Local 3000. The master collective agreement covers CAW members at the Ramada Vancouver Centre, Quality Hotel downtown, Parkhill Hotel, Pacific Palisades Hotel in Vancouver and the Coast Whistler Hotel in Whistler, BC. The agreement also provides stronger protection of members' jobs from contracting out, extension of recall rights, better safeguards on harassment and violence in the workplace and for the first time paid education leave has been negotiated from one hotel to all hotels under the master contract. CAW members at the hotels include housekeepers, servers, reservations, kitchen staff and others. Members ratified the agreement by 84% in a vote on Labour Day.
Canada's Health Care System Still At Risk, Hargrove Says
It'll take more than restoring federal contributions to 1995 levels to repair public confidence in our health care system, says CAW president Buzz Hargrove. If Canada's health care system is to be universal and equitable then the federal government must ensure provinces such as Alberta and Ontario stop the growing presence of for-profit corporations diverting precious funding dollars to their shareholders. Years of budget cuts and failure to plan for the pressures of a growing and aging population have placed considerable strain on the health care system. Restoration to 1995 levels doesn't take into account the needs of the year 2000. Our national health care system requires more than just additional federal dollars. The system requires national standards and the placement of money into home care, pharmacare and primary care to remain relevant. The most critical resource - the human beings that provide the care and make our hospitals and long-term care facilities run - have suffered for years from wage rollbacks, job loss, under staffing (heavier workloads) to the point critical difficulties exist retaining and recruiting staff.
CAW Retired Workers' Conference
Delegates to the CAW Retired Workers' Council and Conference have overwhelmingly endorsed the CAW National Executive Board resolution that responds to the CLC expulsion of the CAW from the Canadian Labour Congress. The NEB resolution stresses the democratic right of a group of workers to chose to change union affiliation. The dispute with the CLC arose because the CAW is supporting the democratic right of eight SEIU locals in Ontario seeking to change union affiliation and become part of the CAW. The retired workers' conference was held at the CAW Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario from Sept. 3 to 8. The 170 participants also heard from keynote speaker Buzz Hargrove, CAW president, as well as former CLC president and former CAW president Bob White. Other speakers discussed pension and health care issues. Participants took part in a wellness fair that focused on seniors lifestyles. Delegates also participated in the 8th Annual Retired Workers' Labour Day parade, held in Port Elgin, Ontario.
CAW Retired Worker Of The Year Award
Gord Hawkins, a member of the CAW Local 707 Retired Workers' Chapter, is the winner of the Outstanding CAW Retired Worker of the Year Award. Hawkins received the award at the annual CAW Retired Workers' Council and Conference.
Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
Although apartheid formally ended with the election of Nelson Mandela several years ago, decades of apartheid have left a horrible legacy on the landscape of South Africa. In response, Mandela launched the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. The CAW was the first organization to join in bringing Mandela to Canada to celebrate with 40,000 children in Toronto's Skydome the fund's establishment in Canada. Although the fanfare of that visit is over, lots of hard work continues. The fund needs the support of CAW locals. CAW president Buzz Hargrove is urging locals to show the video of Mandela's visit and to make a contribution to the fund's continued efforts to meet the needs of homeless and orphaned children, disabled children, unemployed youth, and those children at risk from a host of social ills of the apartheid years. Contributions can be made to: Canadian Friends of the Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund, 2201 Warden Ave., Suite L1, Toronto, ON, M1T 1V5.
Bulletins
CAW Workers of Colour Activist Course The Workers of Colour Course is a two-week residential program designed for workers of colour at all levels of activism within the local union. Its goal is to encourage greater participation of workers of colour 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 fall program is scheduled for November 5 to 10 and November 26 to December 1 in Port Elgin, Ontario. For more information, contact CAW Human Rights director Raj Dhaliwal at 1-800-268-5763 ext. 781 or (416) 495-3781. *** Get Connected! With the CAW E-mail News Digest Be Informed. Instantaneously. Sign on with the CAW/LUMA e-mail news digest, a free service from the CAW-Canada Communications Department and the CAW Local Union Media Association (LUMA). About every two weeks you get e-mail notification of new content and news updates on the CAW web site. You'll get information about special campaigns, press releases, video news segments and upcoming conferences. Sign up. To sign up for the CAW e-mail news digest, go to the LUMA portion of the CAW-Canada web site at www.caw.ca/luma/ or send an e-mail to LUMA-subscribe@listbot.com
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 "Democracy and Vision" dated August 29, 2000 "Democracy and Vision" Windsor, Ontario - August 29, 2000 The CAW National Executive Board is receiving unanimous support from the workplace leadership in its fight with the Canadian Labour Congress, over the right of SEIU members and all workers to choose their own union... For the full text, go to the CAW web site, www.caw.ca, under What's News CAW Video News.
