Category: Labour News

September 24, 2012 – Group Calls on Premier Wall to Support “Open Government”.

Union calls for inquiry into mining safety | Communications, Energy and Paperworks Union of Canada.

Of the litany of proposed changes contained in the Saskatchewangovernment’s Consultation Paper on the Renewal of Labour Legislation in Saskatchewan,the most pernicious is the suggestion that employees be allowed to opt out of paying union dues, yet still receive the full benefits of union membership. This idea is dangerously reminiscent ofU.S. right-to-work (RTW) laws that already pervade the American south and have recently been proposed in northern states likeWisconsin andIndiana.

If this is the direction the current government wants to move, then it is incumbent that the people of Saskatchewan recognize what the adoption of RTW laws entail, because it will not only affect union members, it will affect all workers in our province, unionized or not.

Continue reading The ‘new’ Saskatchewan: Oklahoma North?

And their changes would impact everyone. They’re threatening to swing labour laws firmly in favour of employers — and that means all the rights and protections we’ve worked hard to achieve for Saskatchewan families could be erased overnight.

We’ve built a prosperous economy based on fair labour laws, hard work and the ability of unions to speak out for workers. It’s the Saskatchewan way, it’s a balanced approach — and it’s working.

We only have until July 31 to tell the government to keep it working. Have a read of the information included in the tabs above, and then add your voice in our efforts to protect workers and families.

via Homepage | The Saskatchewan Way.

On July 15th 2012 2000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) employed by Evraz Highveld Steel and Vanadium down tools in protest of salary cuts and retrenchments.

Russian multinational corporation, Evraz has ignored legislation and the collective agreement it has with NUMSA to make changes to workers’ conditions of employment. The company has cut workers’ salaries by half and retrenched more than 500 workers, in its pursuit of greater profits.

Workers have embarked on a legal strike to demand that the company reinstate dismissed or unfairly laid off workers, reinstate workers’ salaries and other conditions of employment and engage constructively with the union.

In response to the legal strike, Evraz has suspended its Highveld Steel and Vanadium operations and has said that it can’t guarantee supply from these mills. It has also brought in hundreds of security personnel and police to intimidate workers.

Workers remain committed to their action, according to NUMSA shop steward at the company,

“the situation is very tense but we are determined that we cannot accept such an outrageous act, they can’t just cut our salaries, we have laws here and we’ll fight this with our union”.

Benjamin Davis

Director of International Affairs

United Steelworkers

source: IndustrALL Global Union

CAW unionized employees of Evraz Camrose Works, a pipe manufacturing plant, picketed May 5 after contract negotiations broke down only two days earlier.

By Mark Crown/ Camrose Canadian

More than 100 Camrose pipe workers are playing the waiting game as recent contract negotiations broke down last week.

At 9 a.m. May 5 Evraz Camrose Works locked out 105 Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) unionized employees at the Camrose facility.

Negotiations broke off May 3 after the two sides could not come to any form of settlement to ratify a new agreement.

Larry Luckwell, president of local 551 for CAW, said the two sides differed on issues of wage increases for current workers and concessions of pension and retiree benefits for future workers.

“Evraz is seeking to extract concessions from our contract and is refusing to provide a fair and reasonable monetary settlement,” he said. “Evraz is also seeking to remove our defined benefit pension plan and retiree benefits for future employees.”

Continue reading Deadlocked

A letter to the editor to the Estevan Mercury newspaper from Alan Murray regarding the upcoming review of Saskatchewan Labour laws

My wife and I sat in the car outside our polling station this last provincial election and discussed how each of us would cast our vote. Not being very involved in politics, but strongly believing in the importance of exercising her right to vote, she wanted to know why I was choosing to vote for the NDP, when her choice was otherwise. This is what I told her:

I really feel there is no good choice. I am voting for the NDP because I feel they are the better of the two evils. I don’t like the NDP’s platform, spending like wild men, similar to the old Conservative ways of the past Grant Devine era, but I feel better about that than the Saskatchewan Party option.

I explained how I like many of the things Brad Wall is putting out front in his campaign, but it is the hidden issues I believe are coming and he is not telling us about them. What I like is the responsible spending of our money, commitment to health care and even the essential service legislation, it just needs a dispute mechanism, as the courts have ruled, and it is good to go. What I am afraid of, is Brad’s personal attack on unions and how this is going to affect the Saskatchewan labour laws.

Continue reading Why is Brad Wall attacking Unions and what does it mean to everyone who works in Saskatchwan

A message from the Canadian Auto Workers regarding the attack from Evraz on workers and retiree’s.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At 9:00 am this morning Evraz in Camrose Alberta locked out our CAW members because they wouldn’t sell out new hires or take an inferior wage settlement. At the heart of this attack is the removal of our defined benefits pension plan and retiree benefits for future employees, but make no mistake the fight is bigger than that as it is an attack from a multinational conglomerate on working people and the middle class. All in the name of corporate greed and insatiable profits.

The attack comes to you next from your employer so we need to stay strong and support the Camrose Local 551 workers. Please drop by or send your support, further info will follow over the next few days.

Thanks,

Todd Romanow | National Representative

Canadian Auto Workers

The following is a message sent today from Todd Romanow, a representative of the Canadian Auto Workers regarding the attack on workers and retirees in Camrose.

The company gave us their final offer tonight which still includes new hires losing the DB (Defined Benefit Pension)plan and retiree benefits. The deal monetarily is substantially lower than the deal they did in September with the Steelworkers in Regina and Calgary. We gave them an offer of settlement with still some room to move before the deadline on Saturday but it looks like they will not counter or even meet with us and are intent to force a lockout to get the two big concessions. We will keep trying tomorrow but other than giving them what they want I don’t see us avoiding a dispute here that could last awhile. They have given our people paid leaves from now until the deadline so as to empty the plant as of tonight.

The following are the concessions demanded and the attack on retirees in Camrose Alberta

1. Removal of the Defined Benefit pension plan for new hires and institute a Defined Contribution (5%) plan
2. Removal of the retiree benefits for those who cant retire before 2020 (this  pension plan is 1/3 less than 5890/6673’s  due to having these benefits)
3. Removal of the  double time clauses and making it a requirement to work 40 straight time hours per week before overtime is applied
4. Removal of the vacation bonus system
5. No roll in of the  COLA clause to base wages

As well Evraz is proposing no base wage increases over the next three (3) years

(Pittsburgh) — The United Steelworkers (USW) today lauded the decision of the Mexican Supreme Court to restore legal recognition to Napoleon Gomez, General Secretary of the National Union of Mine, Metal and Steelworkers (Los Mineros).

The Court’s Second Chamber ruled 3-1 that the Mexican Labor Secretary acted illegally when he withdrew legal recognition from the union leader in 2008.

“This is a major victory for Los Mineros and all Mexican workers,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard.

Continue reading USW Welcomes Restoration of Legal Status to Mexican Labor Leader

Steelworkers have won a major victory against mining company Vale at the Ontario Labour Relations Board. During the union’s year-long strike in 2010, Vale banned USW Local 6500 Vice-President Patrick Veinot from its property, thereby denying members access to him on company property. In a stinging rebuke to the company, the OLRB found that Vale’s conduct was unlawful.

The board has ordered that the company cease and desist.

  Continue reading VALE Flagged For ‘Cold And Hard’ Conduct During Sudbury Strike

The following column by Ken Neumann, United Steelworkers National Director for Canada, appeared in the December 17 edition of the Hamilton Spectator.

U.S. Steel workers, pensioners and many others in Hamilton are rightfully feeling betrayed, once again, by the federal Conservative government.

The Conservatives’ decision to abandon the court case against U.S. Steel for violating federal law is scandalous, even by the Harper government’s dreadful standards. It represents an historic lost opportunity, the implications of which extend beyond Hamilton to working families and communities across the country.

Continue reading Steelworkers Betrayed by Harper Government…..Again