April 23, 1010
Volume 40, No. 16
CAW Calls for Doubling of CPP at Federal Pension Roundtable
The CAW participated in the latest pension roundtable organized by the federal Department of Finance in London, Ontario on April 19, stressing the need for a doubling of the Canadian Pension Plan benefit, among other reforms.
CAW President Ken Lewenza commended the federal government for its attention to the issue of retirement security, through the public consultations, but urged the government to add more consultation locations to the agenda. "The federal government is clearly hearing Canadians say that we need pension reform," said Lewenza.
"Up to 72 per cent of employed Canadians do not have a workplace pension plan, and as many as 70 per cent do not have RRSPs - this points to a very obvious shortcoming in the retirement system which leaves people to fend for themselves in their senior years. The CPP is the one plan that most Canadians do have and it must be strengthened."
Dozens of CAW protestors, including former Nortel workers, gathered outside the University of Western Ontario to greet the finance minister, reiterating a demand for pension protection when an employer goes bankrupt.
CAW Applies for Certification at Niagara Casinos
The CAW submitted an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board April 14 to unionize workers at Casino Niagara and Fallsview Casino.
The union's application comes after a flurry of organizing activity among casino workers in Ontario's Niagara Region over the past few months.
"Casino workers in Niagara have shown tremendous resolve in their efforts to join the CAW over the years, despite the employers' consistent and coordinated approach to deter them," said CAW President Ken Lewenza.
"We are looking forward to making a real difference in the lives of these workers, alongside thousands of other casino workers we represent in Canada."
Workers at the Niagara casinos participated in a secret ballot vote over three days (April 21 - 23).
Votes will be counted by the Ontario Labour Relations Board and results will be made public in the coming days.
The CAW is Canada's largest gaming sector union, representing over 7,000 workers at Caesars Windsor Casino, Brantford Charity Casino, Slots at Sudbury Downs, Great Blue Heron Casino, Edgewater Casino and the Woodbine Racetrack as well as other locations.
Repayment of Loans Good News for Industry, Says CAW President
CAW President Ken Lewenza said that the April 21 announcement that General Motors has repaid government loans in Canada and the U.S. is another positive sign that the domestic auto industry is beginning to recover.
"The repayment of the loans is further proof that the money for the auto industry was indeed a loan, not a bail-out as it was often called," said Lewenza.
"Timely intervention by the federal and Ontario government was crucial in saving tens of thousands of jobs in the major auto and auto parts industry right across Canada," said Lewenza. "Without this support, many communities would have been devastated - making the recession even worse for thousands of families."
Although the operating loans will now be paid off, Lewenza urged continued support for the auto industry, and the maintenance of a manufacturing footprint here in Canada.
"The rapid response by government more than a year ago was a clear indication that this industry is important for the economy of our country," said Lewenza.
Canada Protects Auto Parts Jobs in Landmark Deal with GM
The jobs of over 70 unionized auto parts workers are expected to be saved thanks to a landmark job security deal between the CAW and General Motors. The automaker recently announced it will sever a supply contract with parts-maker Automodular in Oshawa, Ontario and move the work to a new, non-unionized facility.
Once the parts contract is severed, CAW members at Automodular will report to work at the new facility (owned by Inteva Products) and will continue producing parts for GM vehicles. They will also be taking their union cards, their collective bargaining agreement, as well as their existing wage rates, along with them.
The decision to recognize the collective agreement and secure work for these would-be laid off CAW members was the product of some creative negotiations between the union and General Motors, said Steve Batchelor, president of CAW Local 1090 representing Automodular workers.
"This is certainly a unique deal and an incredibly important victory for our union," Batchelor said. "It ends months of uncertainty for our members, who faced the daily burden of not knowing whether they'd have a job by the end of the year. They can now rest assured that the work will be there."
In an interview with the Toronto Star, Assistant to the CAW President Jerry Dias said the deal with GM was something he had never experienced before and expects to see more deals of this kind as competition intensifies in the Canadian auto industry, and assemblers continue looking down the supply chain to cut costs.
"They (GM) and other automakers must know that, as the industry changes and turns around, workers at unionized parts makers can't be left behind."
CAW Local 1090 represents 70 active and 270 laid off trades workers at Automodular, which manufactures a variety of car parts used for instrument panels and steering mechanisms for GM.
Trade Justice Network Concerned Over Controversial Canada-EU Trade Deal
Representatives of the Trade Justice Network (TJN), a newly-formed coalition of Canadian civil society organizations that includes the CAW, publicly released a leaked draft of the negotiating text for a proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union at a news conference held on Parliament Hill on April 19. The news conference coincided with the start of the third round of trade negotiations between the two countries.
The group says it is seriously concerned about the agreement's potential impact on public and environmental policy, public procurement rules as well as public services in both Canada and Europe, among other issues.
Controversial provisions in the draft text would open Canada's telecommunications sector to full foreign ownership and stop provincial and municipal governments from implementing local or ethical procurement strategies, among other issues, as highlighted by the TJN in a public statement.
The proposed deal also includes an investor-rights dispute settlement mechanism, which grants private investors the right to sue governments over trade and investment decisions.
Peggy Nash, Assistant to the CAW National President, considers the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement an example of a new, more aggressive approach to free trade deals and that Canada should steer clear.
"This trade deal is more than about breaking down barriers to trade in goods, rather it's about dismantling the instruments of Canadian democracy and undercutting our collective ability to make decisions over social, economic, cultural and environmental policies," Nash said.
Canada and the EU have been in official negotiations since the fall of 2009. Unlike trade talks in the past that have bound governments at the federal level (including the NAFTA), the proposed Canada-EU deal will also bind provincial governments to its terms and conditions.
To learn more about the Trade Justice Network and read the civil society declaration on the CETA, visit: http://www.tradejustice.ca/.
CAW Health and Safety Conference: June 4 - 6
The CAW's 2010 National Health and Safety Conference 'No Health and Safety without Mental Health - from Slogan to Reality' will focus on mental health in the workplace.
The conference runs from June 4 - 6 at the CAW's Port Elgin Family Education Centre, in Port Elgin, Ontario.
Delegates will attend four 'Knowledge Cafes' which offer interactive tools, information, thought-provoking exercises, informed dialogue and help develop shifts in perspective.
The registration deadline is May 14. Contact cawhse@caw.ca for more information.
CLC Atlantic Canada Rep - Sebastien Bezeau
CAW Local 4501 member Sebastien Bezeau was appointed the new Canadian Labour Congress Atlantic Canada Field Representative on March 15, working out of the Congress' Moncton, New Brunswick office.
Bezeau will be responsible for working with affiliate unions, local labour councils and federations of labour on collective bargaining, education and other needed assistance in the provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick.
Bezeau leaves his post at the New Brunswick Federation of Labour where he assisted locals and labour councils in delivering union programs and campaigns. He held the position of Local 4501 youth committee chair and the Federation's Youth Vice President.
Unemployment Insurance Conference
The CAW's Unemployment Insurance Conference will be held at the CAW Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario from May 28 - 30.
Participants will learn about EI rules and policies, advocacy skills, training, adjustment and action centres, Canada Pension Plan benefits, fixing EI to secure better benefits for layoffs and more.
For more information contact CAW national representative Laurell Ritchie at laurell.ritchie@caw.ca
The registration deadline is May 7.
CAW Calls on Ontario Government to Reinstate Special Diet Allowance
CAW President Ken Lewenza is calling on the Ontario Government to reconsider the decision to cancel the Special Diet Allowance program, offered to people receiving Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support.
As part of the 2010 budget, the Ontario government announced it would cancel the $200 million program and replace it with a "nutritional supplement" program which will help only people with severe medical needs, not those who need special dietary treatment to manage conditions and prevent worse health.
The Special Diet Allowance was intended to help people on social assistance who require a special diet because of a medical condition.
"Like other Ontarians who invested hope in the government's poverty reduction strategy, I am shocked and disappointed by this decision," said Lewenza in a letter to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
"Taking $200 million out of the pockets of the poorest members of Ontario communities is a set back to the government's own poverty reduction strategy."
Lewenza said that the link between poverty and poor health has already been proven. People living on low incomes are much more likely to have serious health issues, including twice the rate of diabetes, a 60 per cent higher chance of chronic health problems, three times the rate of bronchitis and twice the rate of arthritis.
Scrapping the program is a terrible mistake, according to Lewenza. While government points to abuse of the program as the reason for cancelling it, Lewenza said that entire programs are not usually cancelled because of abuse. He pointed to the e-Health program which was rife with financial mismanagement.
"The government didn't cancel the e-Health program. That's because there's still a need for it."
To read the entire letter, please visit: http://www.caw.ca/en/8848.htm
Provincial Minimum/Training Wages
Listed below are the current minimum wage rates for Canadian provinces:
Province/ Jurisdiction Minimum Wage/Training Wage Effective Dates
Alberta - $8.80 - April 1, 2009
BC - $8.00 November 1, 2001
$6.00 First Job Rate (500 hrs
MB - $9.50 - October 1, 2010
$9.50 - October 1, 2010
NB - $8.50 - April 1, 2010
$9.00 - September 1, 2010
NF/LB - $9.50 - January 1, 2010
$10.00 - July 1, 2010
NW - $9.00 - April 1, 2010
$10.00 April 1, 2011
NS - $9.20 - April 1, 2010
$9.65 - October 1, 2010
NV - $10.00 - September 5, 2008
ON - $10.25 General Workers - March 31, 2010
$8.90 Liquor Servers -
$9.60 Students under 18 -
PEI - $8.40 - October 1, 2009
QC - $9.00 General Workers - May 1, 2009
$9.50 - May 1, 2009
$8.00 if Gratuities apply -
$8.25 - May 1, 2010
SK - $9.25 - May 1, 2009
YK $8.93 - April 1, 2010
