November 12, 2000
Volume 30, No. 33
Sign On For Canada's Kids
Take part in the Sign On For Canada's Kids Campaign and send a strong message to candidates in every riding in the upcoming federal election that Canada needs federal leadership and funding for a real child care system. CAW president Buzz Hargrove is urging participation in the campaign especially in light of the debate around how to use the federal surplus. A comprehensive child care program is clearly needed, he said. Consider the facts: * more than 70 per cent of women with pre-school children are in the workforce; * only 10 per cent of these children are in licensed, regulated care. Hargrove said after decades of demands for better social policy for Canadian children, there is finally a glimmer of hope. In the last federal budget there was a commitment to negotiate an agreement with the provinces and territories on early childhood services and there were meetings where the framework for these services was set out. The test is to get the provinces to sign on. Hargrove said politicians must be pushed to ensure the system is affordable and accessible to all children and families. 'We need a significant increase in the federal financial contribution to child care and related services,' Hargrove said. An initial commitment of $2 billion in the next fiscal year is a beginning. The goal is to get one million signatures for the petition, but the deadline for returning petitions to the Canadian Child Care Advocacy Association in Ottawa is November 20. For more information fax (613) 594-9375 or visit
December 6: Day Of Commemoration And Action To End Violence Against Women
CAW members are urged to participate December 6 in the nationally recognized Day of Commemoration and Action to End Violence Against Women. The year 2000 marks the 11th anniversary of the 1989 Montreal massacre of 14 young women, mostly engineering students, at the Polytechnique. Although there is increasing awareness of this urgent social problem, the epidemic of violence against women continues across Canada. And while the CAW continues to bargain gains for women and works to end violence in our communities, many social agencies are struggling and many are forced to close their doors because of funding cuts. The CAW Social Justice Fund and CAW Council annually donate $90,000 to women's shelters across the country. Cheryl Kryzaniwsky, CAW director of education and women's department, urges CAW activists to continue making a difference. Just a few ideas to help raise awareness include copying and distributing information on the issue, inviting community speakers to membership meetings or holding a special forum. Some Facts About Violence Against Women * for all women in Canada, it's estimated that one in four will be sexually assaulted in their lives, half before the age of 17; * 81 per cent of sexual assault cases at the level of rape or attempted rape reported were committed by men who were known to the women; * 42 per cent of women aged 15 and over reported they feel unsafe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark, four times the number of men.
Hargrove Urges Flaherty To Drop Charges Against Student
Here are excerpts from a letter CAW president Buzz Hargrove recently sent to Ontario Attorney General Jim Flaherty: 'I am writing you in your capacity as the Minister responsible for the administration of justice in Ontario, to protest in the strongest possible terms, the arrest and detention of Elan Ohayon, a university student at Allen Gardens on the morning of Saturday, October 21, 2000. Elan is one of several students from the University of Toronto who has maintained the safe park at Allen Gardens every Friday night for over a year. The continuation of the safe park is an act of conscience to draw attention to the urgent need for all levels of government, including yours, to end the crisis of homelessness. In arresting and charging Elan Ohayon, the police and the Crown are once again treating a political protest as a criminal matter... ...Elan Ohayon has refused to accept bail conditions which deny him his right to be at Allen Gardens. His trial date is January 23, 2001. It is an outrage that Mr. Ohayon should be held in custody for this length of time when nothing has been proven against him. I am urging that the charges against Mr. Ohayon be dropped and that he be released immediately.'
Settlement At Thunder Bay Community Care Access Centre
After a three-week strike, a group of 24 support staff at the Community Care Access Centre in Thunder Bay have won a new three-year contract that provides wage and benefit increases. The new group of CAW members voted 100% in favour of the contract, which provides wage increases of 15 cents, 30 cents and 30 cents. It also provides improved parental, adoption and pregnancy leave and improvements in other items such as bereavement leave. These workers were the first group of former SEIU members to go on strike after joining the CAW. 'The membership led by Bargaining Committee members Patti-Anne Samas and Lynda Chessell took a major step forward by challenging management's agenda,' said CAW national representative Tom Murphy. 'Through that process they have built a much stronger unit. These members should be commended for their solidarity.' Unlike this case, most former SEIU units don't have the legal right to strike, however, CAW-bargained contracts for these units to date have included substantial improvements.
Tax Facts: Facts And Figures For The Battle Against Tax Cuts
The CAW has an 11-page set of hand outs available to help leadership and activists make the case against tax cuts. The current debate over tax cuts in Canada will shape our society and the quality of our life for years to come. Governments in Canada are currently enjoying large surpluses, mostly due to huge cutbacks in support for health care, education and other public programs. Giving back those surpluses in the form of tax cuts will mostly benefit upper-income earners who are already doing well. And those tax cuts bring a heavy price: continued underfunding and near-crisis in our hospitals, our schools and even in basic infrastructure like roads and water. Instead, the money should be reinvested in public programs that improve our quality of life and help build more equal and inclusive communities. The hand outs are available on the CAW's webpage at www.caw.ca, under What's News - Tax Facts or they can be obtained by contacting the CAW Research Department at 1-800-268-5763 ext. 500.
New Members Join CAW
The following list includes some of the workplaces where employees have decided to join the CAW: * in Vancouver, a group of 116 workers have joined CAW Local 114 at the Bread Garden Bakery Kitchen; * in Wingham, Ontario, a new 51 member unit at Bi-Ax International has become part of CAW Local 4207; * in Cambridge, Ontario, a group of 130 trucking workers at Koch Transport Limited are now part of the CAW; * in Concord, Ontario, at Woco Automotive Inc., 168 workers employed at the auto parts supplier have joined the CAW; * in St. Catharines, Ontario, a newly organized unit of 140 members at Tora Investments Inc. become part of CAW Local 199.
