House of Commons meeting on Chinese Steel dumping.

The president of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce will be raising concerns about Canada’s competition with the Chinese steel industry before a House of Commons committee Tuesday.

The chamber’s Matt Marchand said China dumping steel into Canada has been a significant issue for the country and the Windsor area.

The problem, according to Marchand, is Chinese companies do not follow the same labour and environmental regulations as Canadians and they have a surplus of steel which they are selling to other countries at much lower costs.

“They’re not a market economy and asking our entrepreneurs and business community to compete against China is something that I don’t think we should be asking them to do in the current context,” he said.

The federal standing committee on international trade is working on a report on the ability of Canada’s steel industry to compete internationally. Marchand said Canada is at a disadvantage because Chinese steel companies are essentially owned by their government.

“With all the power they have, they don’t respond to market forces, they’re not interested in profits or losses,” said Marchand. “Basically, it’s a government department that’s manufacturing steel.”

Locally, the Harrow community in Essex is home to home to steel producer Atlas Tube. According to Marchand, they employ over 200 people, have exports of $250 million per year and generate $1 million in taxes for the town.

“Why should we have one set of rules for Atlas Tube and then another set of rules for Chinese companies that don’t play by those rules?” he asked.

The chamber has previously brought this issue up with its counterparts in Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie. They have sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and received national support at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting in September.

Essex MP Tracey Ramsey, the vice-chair of the trade committee, helped set up the meeting for the chamber. She made the motion at the committee level to begin this study, which she expects to be completed in late spring.

“We are not the only country to be a target of this, but other countries have improved their trade remedy systems so they can address this in a better way and we are looking for Canada to do the same,” said the NDP’s trade critic.

Canada has become an “easy target” for the Chinese steel industry, said Ramsey, and the government should catch up to what Australia and the U.S. have done to limit the effects of dumping.

“Across all party lines, there has been a serious understanding of how important this is to the Canadian steel industry,” she said. “For myself, I just continue to highlight the importance of jobs that exist in my riding of Essex.”

Michael Cautillo, president and CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, said in November 2015 all 22,000 tonnes of steel for the upcoming Gordie Howe International Bridge will come from the U.S. and Canada.

Ramsey said it’s important for the federal government to lead by example on all of its infrastructure projects in this context.

Marchand said he is also concerned the federal government is entertaining the idea of giving marketing economy status to China through the World Trade Organization. That would “give them even more access in terms of trade,” he said.

Governments of both the U.S. and China are taking “a very aggressive stance with their business community,” and Canada needs to think about how it will compete, said Marchand.

“I guess we’re going to be asking the question to the Canadian government: ‘To what extent are we going to aggressively defend Canadian businesses in the context of China dumping steel?'”

by Tom Morrison

Tom Morrison is a Windsor-based journalist. @TomMorrison12 on Twitter

Steel layoff notice

On Friday March 17th, the Union given notification of the upcoming layoff in the Steel division. This will take effect April 3rd and will roughly effect 100 employee’s. The information we were provided with Friday was that this would roughly be a 7 to 10 day outage. Please keep an eye on your schedule and if you have any concerns contact your supervisor or the Human resources department.

Education

The annual USW Summer School and Progressive Discipline Seminar for Stewards are coming up in June. Anyone that would like to put their name forward to attend please call the office @ 569-9663 or email m.day @usw5890.com.

Vacation Requests

As March 15th approaches please remember to get your vacation requests submitted in accordance with the following article.

 

Article 11.01
Each employee shall be entitled to an annual vacation with pay in accordance with the employee’s length of service as provided in the Saskatchewan Labour Standards Act. Eligibility shall be based on years of continuous or accumulated service as of May 1st of each year.
Annual vacation requests must be submitted by March 15 for the period of May 1 to April 30 of the following year. The approved schedule of annual vacations submitted by March 15 will be posted by April 1. Vacation requests submitted after March 15 will be approved on a first come first serve basis and a response will be provided within two weeks of the request.
The Company shall make every reasonable effort to ensure that an employee’s vacation request is approved, consistent with operational requirements.
Where an employee transfers from one department to another, they shall take their vacation in accordance with the schedule established in their old department, unless there is an adverse operational impact in their new department
The Company agrees to issue any prior year’s vacation pay upon the request of the employee. This request must be made in writing and submitted to the employee’s supervisor.

February bargaining update

 

Brothers and Sisters,

 

On February 14th your bargaining committee met with the company for 4 days of local non-monetary issues .Over those 4 days we were able to sign off on some language articles and what was left will be dealt with at main table common bargaining with the Calgary bargaining committee{USW 6673}  The Calgary committee will be meeting with the company on March 7th to 10th to discuss their remaining local non-monetary issues.

On March 1st and 2nd both committee’s are meeting to go over our common non-monetary proposals before we meet with the company on March 21st to the 24th to discuss common issues.

As we mentioned at our pre bargaining meetings, we will be sending out monetary surveys in the next couple weeks. Please take the time to fill those out and get them back to us.

 

In solidarity,

 

 

 

Your Local 5890 Bargaining Committee

Fatality

Fatality Alert

It with great sadness I inform you that on January 30, 2017, Ivor Lundin a member from USW Local 1-423 in Kelowna B.C. was fatally injured while working at Tolko Industries Ltd in Kelowna, BC, Canada.
Our condolences go out to the family and co-workers of the deceased.

Emergency Response Team member Ed Kent from Local 1-424 went to assist the family and the Local Union during this tragic event.
The Local Union, RCMP, Coroners Service, Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada and Worksafe BC are still investigating this incident. Continue reading Fatality

Workers Compensation

Your Union executive is looking for any members who have had issues with their Workers Compensation claims. That could involve any number of reasons, but not through any fault of your own. If you have or know someone who has been or is on Workers Compensation and have had any issues please either email m.day@usw5890.com or call the office @306-569-9663

In Solidarity.

Trump probably can’t require pipelines to use U.S. steel: Kemp

MoBy John Kemp | LONDON

Reuters, Wed Jan 25, 2017 | 7:18am EST

President Donald Trump on Tuesday invited the promoter of the Keystone XL pipeline to re-submit its application for a permit and promised an expeditious review.

But Trump’s memorandum on Keystone was twinned with another ordering the secretary of commerce to develop a plan to ensure all pipelines built, repaired or upgraded in the United States use domestically made steel. Continue reading Trump probably can’t require pipelines to use U.S. steel: Kemp

2016 Industry Canada memo on steel industry raised “Buy Canada” policy

 

The industry department in a secret 2016 memo discussed a “Buy Canada” policy to aid the steel industry. The Access To Information memo cited “near-crisis conditions” due to dumping of China-made products.

“There are increasing demands from firms and other stakeholders for federal government action to support the steel sector, including strengthening Canada’s trade regime against unfair imports and adopting a ‘Buy Canada’ policy to favour Canadian steel in infrastructure procurement,” said the memo Steel Industry Update; “Global steel prices are expected to remain weak due to anemic demand and excessive production around the world. Conditions are not expected to improve until 2017 at the earliest.”

Canada since 2008 has imposed anti-dumping duties on steel products from China, the world’s largest producer. “This is not a fair market,” Paul Halucha, assistant deputy industry minister, testified at 2016 hearings of the Commons trade committee.

Steel Industry Update cited “hyper-competitive conditions” in the sector that have driven two of the country’s largest steelmakers into creditor protection, Essar Steel Algoma and U.S. Steel Canada.

“Near-crisis conditions in the global steel industry are posing significant challenges to the Canadian steel industry as it struggles with record low prices and competition from unfairly traded imports,” the department wrote.

Much of the four-page memo was redacted. Cabinet has publicly dismissed a “Buy Canada” policy as contrary to competitive bidding and trade policies.

Canada’s steel industry employs 17,000 and is worth $2.6 billion a year, by official estimate. MPs have advocated a “Buy Canada” policy on steel contracted for public works. Canadian-made product accounts for 19 percent of the steel used in construction of the $4 billion Champlain Bridge at Montréal.

“It is very strange the Government of Canada is importing steel while Canadian steel mills are laying off workers,” MP Erin Weir (Regina-Lewvan), New Democrat public works critic, earlier told the Commons. “If we are concerned about economic development in our country, if we are concerned about our environment, we should be using Canadian-made steel.”

Trade department officials have estimated Canadian steel mills emit 42 kilograms of carbon dioxide for every tonne of steel, compared to 152 kg in the United States and 598 kg in China.

“They can crank this stuff out,” Conservative MP Dave Van Kesteren (Chatham-Kent, Ont.), earlier told a trade committee hearing on steel imports. Van Kesteren recalled touring a Chinese mill fueled by high sulfur-content coal in 2007. “I really thought they were burning tires, seriously,” he said.

By Mark Bourrie

 

 

Bargaining Update

We have confirmed dates for the next set of local non-monetary bargaining talks with Evraz. Those dates are February 14th,15th,16th and 17th. Since our last set of bargaining dates the company has met with the local bargaining committee from Calgary {USW 6673}. That bargaining committee met with Evraz on December 19th,20th and 21st and is scheduled to meet with Evraz again on January 17th,18th,19th and 20th.

For those that are unaware, once local non-monetary issues are dealt with both the Regina and Calgary bargaining committee’s then meet together with the company for what is called chain bargaining. This is where we deal with what is called “common and monetary issues”

The next monthly membership meeting is on January 16th at The Regina Union Centre. 2709-12th Avenue. 7:30 p.m

In Solidarity

Are benefits we receive a reward?

The 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 fourteen years ago. This was all accomplished through hard fought negotiations at each and every bargaining table since September 21, 1959 when USW 5890 in Regina Sask. was proudly certified.

Brief History

USW 5890 in Regina’s first Collective Agreement (Contract) was signed in 1959 with Ipsco, our former employer 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.

Continue reading Are benefits we receive a reward?

Shop Steward Education

The annual GRJ Labour Law conference is going to be held on Jan 26,2017 at the Queensbury Centre here in Regina. Any shop stewards wishing to attend please call the office @569-9663 or by email to m.day @usw5890.com.

Degasser Update

At today’s Union/ management meeting the company informed the union that starting Monday Dec 5th, they will be starting the process of trying to fill the Degasser position beginning with the senior employees from the EAF/LMF lines of progression.

If you have any questions please contact a member of the Executive or Shift & Overtime Committee. Please make sure of what all your options are and do not hesitate to call the Union Office for clarity. 306-569-9663.

 

Where is my C.B.A????

The 2 outstanding articles from the last contract have been agreed to by both the company and the union. Lump sum payments have been awarded to members who were  on W.C.B and summer students at that time. The second article was the language around the dates for the Health Spending Account.

The proof reading of the Collective agreement is now completed by the Union and we fully expect new C.B.A’s to be printed for each member as was stated to the company at the proposal exchange meeting in May.

Rally for Resources and Support of Pipelines

Earlier today members of your executive took part in the Rally for Resources and Support of Pipelines in White City. This was put together by the Mayor of White City, Bruce Evans. With the negative publicity surrounding pipelines Mr. Evans decided a positive rally was needed in support of energy. Brother Courtland Klein spoke on the importance of getting pipeline projects approved and that old infrastructure needs to be replaced. He also spoke on the trickle down affect that the Jobs at Evraz has on the local economy.

Also speaking at this event was Ray Orb ,President of SARM. Jeremy Harrison, Minister of Economy for the Government of Saskatchewan and Andrew Scheer, member of Parliament for Regina/ Qu’appelle. All of these individuals spoke in favor of projects such as Energy East and know the importance of getting our energy here in the West to other parts of Canada and the United States. With all the negative publicity surrounding oil and pipelines we need to get out and promote for oil and pipelines.

Bargaining Update

Over the last 2 days your bargaining committee and members of both Steel Shift and Seniority and Tubular Shift and Seniority committees were meeting to discuss the company’s proposed changes to Lines of Progression in both Divisions.

The Union recommended to the the company that a tour was needed in the Melt shop, 24 inch mill and Mill 5. On Tuesday you may have noticed the committees touring these locations with individuals from management. On Wednesday both committees sat down with the company to discuss these proposed changes. There was very good discussion from both sides of the table and to date there has been nothing agreed to or signed off on regarding Lines of Progression. Both the Union and Company are looking at future dates to continue talks.

 

In Solidarity.

Sept Bargaining Update

On September 20th your bargaining committee met with the company for 3 days with much of the discussion forming around Article 9.09{overtime distribution} and Lines of Progression language. The parties have agreed to new language under Article 9.09.

During this discussion the Union informed the Company that the Mandatory Overtime they have proposed is a non- starter. In response the company replied that it will be there till the end. Brothers and Sisters it is and will be the stance of this bargaining committee that all Overtime is Voluntary!

Your committee is working on dates to continue the discussions on Lines of Progression. When dates are finalized with the company we will communicate that information to you as well.

C.O.L.A

Effective the first pay period after the release C.O.L.A will be $0.58 per straight time hours worked. We have been informed that rates to reflect the roll in have now been updated and retro pay from Aug 1st to Aug 20th will be paid on the Sept 9th pay.