August 27, 2010
Volume 40, No. 29
CAW Urges Support for Pakistan Emergency Relief
The CAW will be donating $40,000 to the Pakistan relief effort and is urging local unions and individuals across the country to give generously to the growing need for assistance by 20 million citizens impacted by the flood.
CAW President Ken Lewenza expressed his condolences to those affected by this devastation and to Canadians with families suffering in Pakistan or who have lost loved ones. "In a region already facing so many challenges, this latest catastrophe is unimaginable," said Lewenza. He expressed concern at the slow pace of donations coming in from the international community.
Millions of people in Pakistan are struggling to survive the worst floods in 80 years that began July 21. The CAW Social Justice Fund will donate $25,000 and CAW Local 222 will donate $15,000 to Oxfam Canada with more money expected to pour in from across the country.
"The leadership and support of the Social Justice Fund and CAW locals are crucial at this time -- and very much appreciated," said Robert Fox, Oxfam Canada's Executive Director. "As millions scramble to save their families from the raging flood waters, the CAW's support will help us provide clean, safe water as we work to head off a second disaster -- the risk of a spike in deaths from water-borne diseases."
The need continues to be great in Pakistan. If you want to make a difference with an individual contribution* made to the CAW-SJF Pakistan Floods Relief Fund between August 2 and September 12, 2010 the Government of Canada will match dollar to dollar into a government relief fund.
Cheques should be made out to CAW Social Justice Fund - Pakistan Floods Relief, and sent to:
CAW Social Justice Fund
205 Placer Court
Toronto, Ontario M2H 3H9
*A tax receipt will be issued only for individual contributions of $20.00 or more and that provide a complete mailing address. If you have any questions, please email the CAW International Department: cawint@caw.ca
CAW Members Ratify Deal with Toronto Terminals Railway
CAW members at Toronto's Union Station have overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year agreement with Toronto Terminals Railway. CAW members voted 85 per cent in favour of the deal.
The new agreement includes wage increases of 2.4 per cent in year one, 2.6 per cent in year two and 3 per cent in year three, benefit improvements for dental and vision care, among others, as well as stronger union representation language and other gains.
"It was clear, from the strong strike mandate we received, that accepting the company's demands for major concessions was never an option," said CAW National Representative Bob Fitzgerald. "As a result, we've bargained a very good collective agreement that parties on both sides of the table can be proud of."
The union represents 125 members at TTR, who perform maintenance-of-way, track protection and cleaning duties and are members of CAW Council 4000.
Windsor-Built Engine Slated for Popular Ford F-150 Truck
News that the five-litre engine, built at the Essex Engine plant in Windsor, will be offered in Ford's F-150 pick up truck is great news for the membership, the community and CAW Local 200, CAW President Ken Lewenza said.
"Windsor has been devastated by manufacturing job loss so this announcement means greater job security for our members and is the result of a lot of hard work by the union, working along with Ford and the government" Lewenza said.
Ford announced August 11 that the workhorse engine for the F-150 truck will be the five-litre V8 engine produced at Windsor's Essex Engine Plant.
Production will increase in the fall so that the engine will be a feature of the 2011 model truck.
CAW Local 200 President Dan Cassady said the announcement helps solidify the future of the Essex Engine Plant, and maintain the manufacturing job base and associated spin off jobs, which in turn benefit the local community.
"CAW Local 200 will continue to search for creative solutions in order to fully utilize our Ford facilities in Windsor," Cassady said.
Ford plans to add 140 workers at the Essex Engine Plant in November to handle the ramping up of engine production. Across Ford's Windsor engine complex there are currently 832 people on layoff.
CAW Calls for Government Intervention on Navistar
The CAW is calling for the Ontario government to intervene in the more than year-long stand-off between the union and heavy truck manufacturer Navistar Corporation, after recent talks failed to make any progress.
The CAW called the meeting with Navistar in an attempt to resolve the temporary closure of the Chatham, Ontario plant and explore ways to maximize production at the facility. But the discussions failed to produce any resolutions.
The company did not provide any plans for the future of the facility but has pledged to provide a detailed and formal response.
"Navistar Corporation has to understand that to manage change in a workplace it must be done in conjunction with the workers. Those who are affected by these changes must be treated with respect and dignity," said CAW President Ken Lewenza, following the meeting.
"It is unconscionable that this corporation is allowed to send the historic production, supported by Ontario and Canadian tax dollars, to a foreign country like Mexico. The meeting today and all the meetings to this point have been extremely frustrating and now we will wait for the corporation's response within the next two weeks."
"This situation cannot be resolved through collective bargaining and requires significant intervention by the government," Lewenza said.
Navistar temporarily closed the facility in June 2009, laying off its entire workforce after a breakdown in negotiations between the two sides.
The company's latest proposal includes reducing the workforce to fewer than 100 people and with this assembly work historically performed at the plant, outsourced to Mexico. The collective agreement expired on June 30, 2009.
CAW Ratifies New Deal at Fairmont Empress Hotel
CAW members at Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia ratified a new collective agreement by 78 per cent August 19. Negotiations resumed only 24 hours before the strike deadline was to be set and the two sides successfully hashed out a deal.
"It was a tough day of negotiating," said CAW National Representative Stu Shields. "But both the union and the hotel knew what was at stake taking a strike vote at this time in the summer during tourist season."
At issue was language around scheduling, the application of seniority, the movement of staff around the hotel and wages. The new three-year agreement takes effect on September 1 and includes wage increases totaling six per cent over the life of the contract.
CAW hotel unit chairperson James Griffin said that the members at the Fairmont Empress know how valuable their work is in building and maintaining the thriving hotel. "They've worked hard to make the hotel a success and therefore they are entitled to a fair wage increase for their ongoing efforts," said Griffin.
Shields said the members were both pleased and surprised to learn the union successfully reached a deal and that they would be voting on it instead of voting on a possible strike. "It was without a doubt the solidarity and support of the workers that made this deal possible. When workers support one another and their union, a fair agreement almost always follows," said Shields.
CAW Local 4276 represents approximately 500 workers at the Fairmont Empress Hotel.
Turbine Blades Should be Built in Siemens Hamilton Plant
A coalition has formed in Hamilton supporting the CAW's campaign to have Siemens Canada use its existing Hamilton facility as the home for its new wind turbine blade manufacturing plant.
The coalition includes CAW members, other labour leaders, city staff and provincial and federal politicians, including MPP Paul Miller and MPs Wayne Marston and Chris Charlton of the NDP.
In addition the CAW has launched a media campaign including radio and newspaper ads urging Siemens to put the work into the Hamilton gas turbine plant it has announced it plans to close. The community will lose 550 good jobs if the facility closes with no replacement work.
"We're trying to get Siemens and the Ontario government to put those green jobs into the Hamilton plant," said Randy Smith, president of CAW Local 504. "We're saying it makes more sense to use a plant that's already here than to take up more green space with a new factory," he told The Hamilton Spectator newspaper.
Coalition members are urging the Ontario government to support the green economy by investing in the plan to put the wind turbine blades into the existing Hamilton facility.
To read CAW President Ken Lewenza's letter to Siemens Canada President Roland Aurich please see page 4 of Contact.
CAW Members Picket Extendicare Head Office
CAW members demonstrated August 19 outside long term care provider Extendicare's head office in Markham, Ontario, just north of Toronto, protesting the company's refusal to negotiate a fair settlement.
The company broke off talks with the union on April 26 and workers have been without a contract since March 31. The demonstration was just one in a series of pickets organized by the union since talks ground to a halt.
"Our members are frustrated that this multi-million dollar company, a for-profit long term care home provider, is now crying poor when it comes time to compensate its staff," said CAW President Ken Lewenza.
"This is another example of how for-profit firms are hiding behind the provincial Public Sector Compensation Restraint Act, instead of negotiating a fair contract. We will not tolerate it."
The CAW represents 1,200 Extendicare workers in10 long-term care facilities across Ontario, including London (CAW Local 302), Port Stanley (CAW Local 302), Kingston (CAW Local 830), Windsor (CAW Local 2458), Sault Ste Marie (CAW Local 1120), Oakville (CAW Local 504) and Ottawa (CAW Local 830).
Pension Reforms Positive but Further Improvements Still Needed, CAW President Says
The slate of provincial pension reforms released August 24 by Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan is a positive step in securing retirement income for workers, but falls short of instituting the full package of reforms needed to sufficiently strengthen the province's pension system, said CAW President Ken Lewenza.
"These reforms are a clear acknowledgement that our pension framework is in desperate need of repair," Lewenza said.
The union welcomes most of Minister Duncan's proposals to enact stricter funding regulations and improve the funding structure of the provincial pension guarantee fund. As well, Lewenza said he is encouraged to hear the Minister reiterate support for expanding the Canada Pension Plan.
However, Lewenza expressed disappointment that the province failed to extend the level of benefit coverage under the Pension Benefit Guarantee Fund as recommended by the Expert Commission on Pensions headed by Harry Arthurs. The current monthly benefit maximum is set at $1,000, while the Arthurs Commission recommended it increase to $2,500.
"The events of recent years have shown everyone how important this guarantee fund is for Ontario's pensioners as a safety net. In tough economic times, it's clear that current benefit levels are simply inadequate."
Lewenza also expressed concern over the government's conditions under its proposal to provide solvency funding relief for certain public sector employers, particularly universities. The union is concerned that this proposal could be used as a pretext for some universities to attempt to avoid bargaining with their unionized employees over pension issues.
As part of the Retirement Security for Everyone campaign, the CAW continues to press for an expansion of the Canada Pension Plan, increases to Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement as well as greater access for workers to pension insurance.
CAW President Ken Lewenza sent the following letter on August 17 to Roland Aurich, President and CEO of Siemens Canada:
"I write to you concerning a recent announcement by Samsung and Siemens on a major project on green energy which, according to the information, includes the construction of a new facility in south-western Ontario. You are well aware, of course, that Siemens Corporation devastated the workers, their families and the community of Hamilton earlier this year by announcing the closure of the Siemens Hamilton plant which is now scheduled for April, 2011. This facility has been in the community for over 100 years and the decision made by Siemens remains indefensible and results in your corporation throwing over 500 workers on the street.
It was just a short 20 months ago when I joined senior levels of your corporation and various government officials where we unveiled a turbine for Ontario use. By every measure, on that day, the workers were praised for their commitment to quality and productivity. The recent public announcement on the green energy project provides a significant opportunity for you and your corporation to provide the Hamilton facility and its workers with a future. This facility has all the necessary ingredients to provide the corporation with all the tools necessary to engineer, build and complete blades and components to satisfy the project.
We are fully prepared to engage Siemens, Samsung and the Ontario government into exploring any opportunity to put any necessary work in your current facility in Hamilton, Ontario.
On August 11th, 2010 Siemens posted a notice in the Hamilton facility. In this notice you announced the new initiative to manufacture blades in Ontario, indicating that there has been no location identified to supply the wind turbine blades to the Canadian market. The considerations in this notice include a readily available manufacturing space, sufficient storage and an available workforce, which includes a community infrastructure with proximity to appropriate transportation. It also clearly identifies that the selected location could include renovation of a current potential manufacturing site. It is estimated that over 300 manufacturing jobs could be created under this project. The notice also includes, to add insult to injury, the opportunity for the current workers to apply for any potential work. I want to be clear that there should be no debate concerning Siemens' obligation to these workers, their families, and their community.
The blade and any component work can and must be put in the current facility in Hamilton. Time, of course, is of the essence as a final decision for a location is as stated in the notice to be made in the next 30 to 60 days. The current workforce in the Hamilton facility has provided significant revenue, profit and market share for Siemens Corporation for its many years of existence. I am encouraging you in the strongest possible terms to ensure that this work goes where it belongs, in the Siemens Hamilton facility.
The CAW is prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure that you and your corporation respect the long history and commitment of these workers. We are prepared to meet at any time and look forward to an immediate response. "
