April 9, 2010
Volume 40, No. 14
CAW Members Overwhelmingly Approve MTS Allstream Contract
CAW Local 2000 members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new two-year collective agreement with MTS Allstream that resists concessions and provides greater job security.
The workers voted 82 per cent in support of the new contract March 30. MTS Allstream is the third largest telecommunications company in Canada.
CAW national representative Joel Fournier said the agreement covers approximately 550 workers across the country.
"This agreement will provide stability for our membership while MTS restructures its business," Fournier said.
CAW Local 2000 President Dylan Gadwa said the agreement comes after bargaining in a tough economic environment. "This agreement creates a stronger foundation and greater security for our membership in a sector that is coping with rapid technological change," Gadwa said.
The majority of the workers are employed as technicians or in administrative positions and are based in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, with other smaller bases across Canada.
CAW Members Ratify Agreement at Metro Warehouse
CAW Local 414 members working at the Metro food distribution warehouse in Etobicoke, Ontario ratified a new collective agreement on March 27, voting 58 per cent in favour of the deal.
The new contract includes wage increases, pension improvements and a temporary pension benefit bridge for members seeking early retirement. An integral part of the agreement was securing a financial commitment by the company to direct up to $20 million in new investment to upgrade the facility over the life of the contract, creating new jobs.
The new investment dollars will go a long way in securing the future of the distribution centre, which supplies Metro supermarkets across Southern Ontario, said CAW national representative Doug Orr.
"This investment will expand the capacity of the facility and create new work for our members," Orr said. Work that had previously been outsourced from the facility is slated to return once the upgrading process is complete in 2012.
Tony Falcone, CAW/Metro Bargaining Committee Chairperson, commended the membership for their ongoing support of the union's negotiating team during several difficult bargaining sessions since November 2009.
"I am extremely proud of what we were able to achieve on behalf of our membership in this agreement," Falcone said.
CAW Local 414 currently represents nearly 900 production workers at the distribution centre.
Mothers and Daughters Skilled Trades Awareness Conference
The CAW and the Saugeen First Nation Education Department held a joint Mothers and Daughters Skilled Trades Awareness conference at the union's Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario on March 25-28.
The three-day conference involved over 80 participants, including mothers and daughters of the Saugeen and Chippewa's of Nawash First Nations. Its aim was to ensure First Nations women understood the opportunities available to them in skilled trades as a form of career employment, especially in the face of widespread labour shortages for trades work.
"Putting together this program for moms and daughters was realized after talking with participants at a CAW Women's Conference a few years ago," said Gayle Mason Stark, director of the education program for Saugeen First Nation.
"Participants stated that they wished their mothers could have been aware of the career opportunities in skilled trades long ago. We thought that this is the way to go, if Saugeen First Nation women are to have access to these opportunities, I need to give them the tools and kick the door open."
Through a series on hands-on workshops conference participants were given the opportunity to assemble and program robots, were given an introduction to the basics of electrical wiring and educated on health and safety laws, among other skills development initiatives.
"Our union understands that because of the current tough economic conditions apprenticeship opportunities are hard to find, but know that over the long term a skilled trade is an extremely worthwhile career to consider, especially for women," said Colin Heslop, CAW Director of Skilled Trades.
"Through this joint education program we really wanted to emphasize that all women have a vital role to play in skilled trades and that these are viable career options, particularly for our First Nations brothers and sisters," said Teresa Weymouth, CAW Skilled Trades Coordinator.
St. Mary's Picket Line
CAW Local 112 members lend their support to St. Marys Cement workers in Bowmanville, Ontario who have been on strike since March 12 over pension concession demands. The St. Marys workers are represented by CAW Local 222. Photo: Roland Kiehne, CAW Local 112
Expand Canada Pension Plan, CAW Says
The following letter to the editor was sent to The Toronto Star by CAW President Ken Lewenza in response to an April 1 article by James Daw:
It's clear that Canada needs to press ahead with pension reform as our population ages.
But private sector solutions to pension reform such as those outlined by the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association in James Daw's April 1 article 'Insurers call for mandatory retirement savings plans' are not in the best interests of most Canadians.
RRSPs have already proven to be a dismal failure, a fact underscored by their massive loss in value during the recent economic crisis. In addition, the benefits of the current RRSP program has been heavily weighted towards higher income groups.
All Canadians deserve to retire with dignity and equality and the best way to achieve that is through the gradual expansion of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The CPP has proven to be a safe, efficient retirement savings plan.
It's portable from job to job, from province to province, keeps up with inflation and is backed up by government, making it cost effective. Yet the CPP is independently run from government, resulting in no cost to the public.
Still, change is needed to improve how much retirement income working Canadians will have in coming years, especially as our population ages. We need to double CPP benefits, which could be achieved through small increments over the next seven years. To make this important improvement work, CPP premiums paid by workers and employers would only need to rise by relatively small amounts for each year of pensionable earnings.
There are other public and private sector pension reforms which are needed. However, the best place to start is with some straightforward improvements to CPP, already a proven winner.
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