The July 2014 CPI release date from the federal government used to calculate the COLA will be on August 22nd. The accumulated COLA amount after the adjustment of July 2014 compared to April 2014 will then be rolled into the Standard Hourly Scale as part of the base rate for wages as per the Letter Of Understanding Section 3 in the current CBA. The new rate will be reflected on the Sept 12th pay day with retro pay for the adjustment to be paid on the Sept 26th pay.
In Solidarity!
Recently you received a benefits statement from the Company that should include the name of your beneficiary. Please check that your beneficiary is correct. If it is not, contact Cody Thoring or Meghan Fetch with the Company who will assist you in making the proper correction. If you have made changes to who your beneficiary will be, please also make sure your beneficiary card is updated at the union office.
If you are interested in becoming a First Responder in the Tubular Division please read the following memo the Company Medical Dept. has put out.
The 2nd Quarter, 2014 profit sharing amount resulted in a payout of $.96 per eligible hour and it will be deposited into your bank account on August 1, 2014 or sent to Great West Life to be deposited into your designated account based upon your election.
Brothers and Sisters,
As our collective agreement expires on July 31st, I want to take this opportunity to assure the membership that bargaining is still moving forward. Talks are taking place at the table and communication with the company remains open. Production will continue as normal while we work diligently to bring our members a new contract. Let’s remain strong, focused and see this through to the end together. Solidarity Forever!
Corey Liebrecht, President
TORONTO – The Steelworkers Humanity Fund is contributing $20,000 to the Red Cross in Saskatchewan and Manitoba to support families and communities recover from widespread flooding.
An intense storm system deluged parts of southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba over the span of a few days. Over 30 communities in each province were under states of emergency. It has been estimated that the cost of flood recovery in Saskatchewan will exceed the $360 million incurred following the 2011 flooding.
“Flooding has caused real financial strain and hardship to families in communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and the Steelworkers Humanity Fund wants to assist them in the recovery,” said Ken Neumann, President of the Steelworkers Humanity Fund.
Founded in 1985, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund is a registered charitable organization which focuses primarily on development projects and emergency aid in developing countries, but also supports Canadian communities in crisis. United Steelworkers (USW) members contribute to the fund through clauses negotiated into collective agreements. In some cases employers make matching contributions.
Brothers & Sisters
Recently you may have received a document in the mail from Evraz called “Strong Rewards”. The timing of the release of this document just as we enter bargaining is highly suspect. However, it would seem that the company would like you to believe that they have ‘Compensated’ us through benefits that have been graciously given to employees as a reward for the work we do which quite frankly is not the truth at all.
The real truth is our benefits are NOT a reward. They came from the Brothers and Sisters before us that held a sit down, a walk out, three strikes and another strike that was averted at the 11th hour a mere twelve years ago. This was all accomplished through hard fought negotiations at each and every bargaining table since September 21, 1959 when this local was proudly certified and they are not to be taken lightly!
Our first Collective Agreement (Contract) was signed in 1959 with Ipsco and did not include any benefits for workers. Job Classes ran from 1-15 and paid $1.70 and $2.54 per hour respectively. The Contract was 30 pages long.
The second Contract was signed in 1961 with a new Article named ‘Welfare’. This was the first time anything remotely close to benefits was mentioned. The coverage included two things in the article. First the company agreed to pay the premiums to cover Medical Services in the province. Second they agreed to cover Sickness and Accident Insurance that would pay a member $20.00 per week for 13 weeks.
Our next improvement to benefits came in 1966 when still under the Welfare Article the union achieved Accidental Death or Dismemberment Insurance that paid $4000.00.
In 1970 the local successfully negotiated yet another new article into the contract which was ‘Bereavement Pay’.
As 1972 rolled around the members demanded a pension. The response from the company was a flat out NO. The local responded with the first strike at Ipsco. Solidarity on the line was strong and the members were determined. Stories abound about then Ipsco President Jack Turvey driving over spikes at the entrance leading down to the main office and arriving there with all four tires flat. As well, there was supervisors living in the plant for days while food and supplies were flown in by a helicopter that was rumored to have been shot at from somewhere on the picket line. In the end the workers held “Strong” and their “Reward” was a Defined Contribution pension where the company contributed 10 cents for every regular hour and the employees contributed 5 cents.
When negotiations ended in 1974, the local had achieved the first mention of a ‘Dental Plan’ under the Welfare Article.
COLA was bargained into the Contract with the header ‘Letter of Understanding’ in 1976. This was also the year that the word ‘Welfare’ was removed from the contract and ‘Benefits’ replaced it to more accurately reflect what the members were receiving.
In 1978 the local was successful in negotiating a ‘Supplementary Unemployment Benefit’ or (SUB) fund.
With the Contract in place in 1983, the local negotiated that the company would pay full premium costs of “Extended Health Benefits”.
Negotiations in 1987 turned ugly as the union demanded a change to the pension plan. In the end the local won a Defined Benefit Plan pension for the members that we still have today.
2009-2010 Ipsco is bought first by Swedish company SSAB only to be resold to Evraz months later.
2011 negotiations began with Evraz wanting to freeze wages and benefits and make major changes to the pension plan that was not beneficial to our members or the future of this local. These were successfully fought off at the bargaining table and gains in the Collective Agreement were made.
*Paid Statutory Holidays are not a company “Reward”. They have been written into our contract since the inception of the first one in 1959 and are enshrined in the Saskatchewan Labour Code.
In the last 55 years no matter what company has splashed their name on the buildings at work or what kind of “Values Driven” organization they claim to be; understand that not one damn thing has been has been given to us, Brothers and Sisters. Every benefit, every increase in wages and every gain that has been made in the 188 pages of the current Collective Agreement has been achieved through tough negotiations with the strength and support of the membership. Together we are strong and just as determined as those that came before us. Your Bargaining Committee is committed and determined to build on the successes of the past and leave a better future for the next generation of our members. When that is achieved, that is what will be rewarding.
Solidarity Forever!
Corey Liebrecht
President
Your Bargaining Committee has wrapped up seven days of local bargaining which brings this portion of bargaining to a conclusion. The Company has so far been receptive to the position and proposals of the Union. We have been making positive progress. However there are outstanding proposals that will now be moved to main table. Continue reading Locals 5890 & 6673 Bargaining Up-Date
A special thanks to the following for their support of the Habitat for Humanity “Steelworker House”. Continue reading Recent Habitat for Humanity Donations
The monthly membership meeting has been re-scheduled and will now take place on Monday July 14th, 7:30pm sharp. Regina Union Center, 2709 12th Ave. Downstairs using the south side entrance.
Agenda:
Communications
Grievance Reports
Financial Reports
Committee’s Reports
Staff Rep. Report
Initiation of new members
Unfinished/New Business
*First reading of three for amendments to local by-laws
Stay informed, stay involved in your local.
Solidarity Forever!
Important Notice: The monthly membership meeting date has been re-scheduled and will now take place on July 14th, 7:30pm. Regina Union Center, 2709 12th Ave. Downstairs using the south side entrance.
It has recently come to the attention of your local Executive that members who have sustained an injury on the job are being advised by certain Company representatives not to file or they do not have to file a Workers Compensation Claim or WCB claim that they are commonly referred too. This is misleading and against your rights! Continue reading Protect Yourself By Reporting Injuries & Filing WCB Claims
June 20, 2014 – Long-promised changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) announced today fall short of protecting good jobs for Canadians and will leave low-wage workers in the same vulnerable position as before, the United Steelworkers (USW) says. Continue reading Forced to Act, Conservatives Still Fail on Temporary Worker Program
A favorable decision was recently awarded by an arbitrator after a grievance was subsequently filed on behalf of a member of this local regarding a post incident screening test for drugs and alcohol.
Read the case file and decision by Arbitrator Kenneth A Stevenson, Q.C. here
The monthly membership meeting will be held on May 26 as the regular meeting date (third Monday of each month) fell on a statutory holiday.
Place: Regina Union Center (12th & Angus)
Time: 7:30 PM
It’s time for a complete overhaul of the Harper Conservatives’ scandal-ridden Temporary Foreign Worker Program to stop the suppression of Canadian workers’ wages and the exploitation of foreign workers, says the United Steelworkers (USW).
Continue reading Steelworkers Call For Overhaul To Temporary Foreign Worker Program
We are excited to announce that the following dates have been scheduled as Build Day dates for volunteers to come out on site and help with the construction and be a part of the future “Steelworker House” located at 263 Lewvan Drive. Continue reading Habitat “Steelworker House” Build Days
June 23 – A meeting of 500 New Democrats yesterday afternoon at the Orr Centre nominated economist Erin Weir as the NDP candidate for next year’s federal election in the new riding of Regina–Lewvan on the city’s west side.
“I’m excited about electing New Democratic MPs from Saskatchewan for the first time in a decade and helping to replace Stephen Harper’s Conservative government with a progressive government led by Tom Mulcair,” said Weir. Elections Canada reports that the NDP would have won Regina–Lewvan had it existed in the last federal election.
Weir grew up in the riding and completed his first degree at the University of Regina. He campaigned in 2004 as a federal NDP candidate in Regina and ran last year for leader of the Saskatchewan NDP. He has gained national experience working in the federal public service and trade union movement.
“I am honoured to be chosen as the federal NDP candidate in Regina–Lewvan and overwhelmed by the outpouring of support I encountered on doorsteps throughout the riding,” said Weir, who has an extensive track record of research, writing and advocacy for quality public services, strong social programs, fair corporate taxes, workers’ rights and a clean environment.
“Erin has demonstrated his abilities on the national stage as a sharp and insightful progressive economist in both official languages,” said Linda McQuaig, a national best-selling author and recent federal candidate. “He is a brilliant addition to the federal NDP team who will help it shape a progressive economic vision for our country.”
Steelworkers Support Erin Weir:
May 2014 – Erin Weir is seeking the federal NDP nomination in the new riding of Regina–Lewvan on the west side of our city.
I campaigned in 2004 as a federal NDP candidate in Regina and ran last year for leader of the Saskatchewan NDP. After joining the federal public service through the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Department of Finance and the Privy Council Office, I also worked in both official languages as an economist for the Canadian Labour Congress, the International Trade Union Confederation and the United Steelworkers.
I am running to provide a progressive voice in Parliament on issues that matter to Regina. We need an MP with the conviction to push back against the Conservative assault on our values and to articulate policy alternatives. I would be honored to have your support for the nomination and would welcome the opportunity to discuss my candidacy.
You can also share your ideas, ask a question or volunteer by calling my cell phone: (306) 541-3746. Together, we can make Regina’s progressive voice heard on the national stage.
Yours truly,
Erin Weir
Locals 5890 & 6673
Bargaining Up-Date
STRONGER TOGETHER
A tentative date of June 18, 2014 has been set for a meeting in Regina to exchange non-monetary proposals between the company and both Locals 5890, Regina and Local 6673, Calgary.
Your Bargaining Committees are committed to keeping you informed.
In Solidarity!
Your Bargaining Committee
Steelworkers across the continent today are mourning the passing of Lynn Williams. One of North America’s most influential and respected labour leaders of the 20th century, Williams, 89, died Sunday in Toronto.
Williams served as International President of the United Steelworkers (USW) from 1983 to 1994. He was the first Canadian labour leader elected president of a major international trade union. He led the Steelworkers union through one of its most difficult and turbulent periods, amidst dramatic industrial restructuring and upheaval in the 1980s and 1990s. He developed new bargaining techniques and played a leading role in the structural readjustment of the North American steel industry.
Lynn Russell Williams joined the Steelworkers in the late 1940s while working at the John Inglis factory in Toronto. He rose through the union’s ranks and served more than two decades in elected positions on the USW’s International Executive board, including Ontario Director and International Secretary. He was the first union leader to hold executive leadership roles with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).
During his tenure as USW International president, Williams founded the Steelworkers’ Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR) to harness the power and influence of union pensioners. SOAR has grown into a force of labour, political and social justice activism in Canada and the U.S.
Williams was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005. In 2007 the City of Toronto named a street in his honour, in the redeveloped former industrial neighbourhood where he began his career.
A private funeral service for Williams’ immediate family is planned. A date will be announced in the near future for a memorial service for friends, union members and the public.
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
The Bargaining Committees of Local 5890, Regina, and Local 6673, Calgary once again gathered for two days in Regina this week. At the conclusion of those meetings, both committees have now finalized their local and common non-monetary proposals. As the process continues to move forward, as a whole, the committees focus will now be on preparing monetary proposals. With three months remaining until both collective agreements expire, the committees are on schedule and committed to bargaining strong, fair agreements.
Your Local Bargaining Committees are committed to keeping you informed and updated.
In Solidarity!
Bargaining Committees 5890/6673
30 APRIL 2014 | STATEMENT
“On behalf of United Steelworkers members across the country, Director Stephen Hunt and I extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends and co-workers of the two workers killed and the two workers seriously injured at Western Forest Products today in Nanaimo, B.C.,” said Ken Neumann, USW National Director.
“We are shocked and saddened by this terrible news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and those injured and in hospital today, as we struggle to understand what happened,” Neumann said.
“Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters at the sawmill, members of United Steelworkers Local 1-1937, as well as to the entire Nanaimo community. We should not have to mourn again so soon after recognizing all workers killed or injured on the job, as we did on Monday, the National Day of Mourning,” said Hunt, USW Western Canada Director.
The United Steelworkers Emergency Response Team is on the scene, responding to this tragedy and offering support to the workers, families and community.
Local 5890 Statement:
On behalf of this local and it’s members. I want to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families, our Brothers & Sisters at the mill and the community who are grieving after this troubling and senseless act of violence in the workplace.
Corey Liebrecht, President
