3 Day Layoff

Based on the current Coil situation the company is going to be using the 3 day layoff clause {Article 12.13} in the 2″ mill on Wed July 11th- July 12th and resume welding on July 16th.

The 24” will be out of Coil Wednesday mid-morning, at this point they have enough WIP to work through to get us to our Thursday coil delivery additionally management will be re-directing some 24” finishing bodies to cut Curve sets outside the lab to ease the large quantity of samples waiting to be cut in front of the lab.

3 Day layoff’s

With the high number of 3 day layoff’s being implemented in this last month, please make sure your total time lost has not exceeded 3 calendar days in this month. If so, please contact a shop steward.

Tubular 3 day layoff

For all individuals who were not contacted by the company and sent home for the 3 day layoff please either call the office at 569-9663, email m.day@usw5890.com, s.mackie@usw5890.com or r.mckenzie@usw5890.com so we can compile a list and file a group grievance.

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.

Steel Layoffs

With the upcoming shut down in the Steel Division please be aware of bumping rights as outlined below.

Lay-Offs

  • Production and Maintenance Employees Only

In the event of cutback or lay-off, an employee shall be deemed to have the right to a position that is lower in that line of progression and will regress down their line to a position which they can hold. You shall regress as you progress and progress as you regress.

Office and Technical Employees Only

In the event of cutbacks or layoffs, an employee shall be deemed to have the right to a position according to seniority and qualification. An employee may bump into any position that they can hold. Employees bumping a position that they have not previously performed will be subject to the intermediate training rate for a period of six (6) months. It is therefore understood and agreed that management shall have the right to pass over any employee if it is established that they do not have the qualifications, ability or physical fitness to perform the work involved, even if they were given a reasonable trial or training period.

An employee who refuses to exercise their bumping rights and elects to take a layoff will not be recalled unless the job from which they were laid off becomes available. Should a laid off employee wish to return to any other vacant jobs they must advise the Human Resources Department of such request, in writing, before becoming eligible for recall.

Displaced Employee

  • In the event that they cannot retain a position in their own line, or a job which is not within a line of progression, a displaced employee may apply (by filling out a bump form) for one of the following depending upon the circumstances arising from being displaced (copies of the bump form shall be sent to the Union):
    1. Any jobs below the displacement line in any other line of progression held by the junior employee provided their plant seniority is greater than that of the employee to be replaced.
    2. The higher job in any other line of progression held by the junior employee provided that they have held a bid and performed that job for a period exceeding thirty (30) consecutive days and can still perform that job efficiently with a familiarization period. Any other line excludes your original line of progression.
    3. (i)           Any jobs outside the lines of progression as “noted” below the displacement line in Appendix E, held by a junior employee and which they are capable of performing.
  • Any jobs outside the lines of progression, “noted” above the displacement line in Appendix E, held by a junior employee provided they have held a bid and performed that job for a period exceeding thirty (30) consecutive days and can still perform that job efficiently with a familiarization period.
    1. Exceptions to this Article shall be those employees in the category of tradesmen and apprentices. It is not the intent of this Article to prevent tradesmen and apprentices from bumping within their own trade from department to department.
    2. Recall from layoff will be on the basis of plant seniority from among those people who can still perform that job efficiently with a familiarization period. The employee with the greatest job seniority within the line of progression demoted or laid off due to lack of work shall have the right to their regular job before those with less job seniority in that line of progression. Employees called must return to their original line of progression or bid job and be willing to promote to any job where they possess job seniority.
    3. Exceptions to the above shall be when you cannot hold a position in the plant because of layoff using your plant seniority the effected employee or employees must bump the lowest possible job in their own line of progression.

Note: The familiarization period mentioned in the above provisions shall be a period not exceeding two (2) shifts.

  • Rules for Bumping – Displaced Employees Only
    1. Time Limits for Bumping

A displaced employee wishing to exercise their bumping rights must do so within ten (10) calendar days from time of displacement.

  1. Before Being Displaced for One Year
  • An employee who has not been displaced from their original line of progression for one (1) year will not accumulate job seniority in another line of progression.
  • An employee displaced for less than one (1) year shall not progress within another line of progression during times of vacancies (except as noted in 12.10 (f)). During times of cutback the employee will maintain their position in another line of progression using plant seniority. If an employee is unable to maintain their position in another line of progression they will be displaced from that line of progression.
  • For clarification it is understood that working overtime in the line of progression an individual has been displaced from does not constitute a recall to the line of progression for the purposes of this article.
    1. After being displaced for One Year
      • After one (1) year of displacement an employee shall lose all job seniority in their original line of progression and shall not be entitled to recall to their original line of progression.
      • After one (1) year of displacement the line of progression into which an employee bumped will become their regular line of progression. An employee shall be inserted into the line of progression with job seniority in the new line of progression at the position they bumped and job seniority from the day they bumped.

During periods of cutback an employee shall regress and progress within their new line of progression according to job seniority. Plant seniority will maintain an employee on a bottom job within a line of progression.

Evraz and Employment IInsurance (EI)

Please be aware that Evraz in Calgary has allegedly reported to EI that members of Local 6673 have abandoned their jobs because they became ill on their last day of work before layoff on March 22.

If you become ill in the last week before a layoff please make sure you report the sick day to EI and inquire and report to EI any incorrect information on your record of employment  (ROE) especially box 18.

Steel Layoff and Schedule

For reasons unknown the Company has decided to move the Steel Division weekly schedules and lay off notice from the entrance of the change room building.
Presently the schedules are posted on the bulletin board marked “Tubular Communications” in yellow above the board.
The layoff notice that appears to be for all employees in the steel division is on the bottom right side.
Please check on your status and refer to article 12 for your bumping rights if the layoff does not involve every member.
As well please be careful that the door workers travelling from the plant utilize doesn’t hit you while bent over studying the notice.

Tubular Division Layoff Update

The union has been informed by management that the pending layoff for January 20th will be extended by one week to January 27th as a precautionary measure in accordance with Article 12.12(b) of the current CBA. Rail cars are now arriving daily with CP and CN rail assuring continued supply for demand. We are cautiously optimistic that shipments will no longer be interrupted and hopeful that members will not experience any layoff through this period. The local will continue to keep information current and accurate as we move through this process. 

In Solidarity!