Unionized public employees in the GTA’s second largest region say their jobs are under siege, as two more bargaining units get set to join their Peel Region colleagues already on strike.
“We’re not asking for any more than they gave themselves,” says CUPE Local 966 president Mary Jo Falle, referring to recent salary increases for non-unionized staff.
Her local represents more than 500 Ontario Works staff who hit the picket line on May 3. She also represents about 280 public works staff who filed a “no board report” with the province on Friday, putting them in a legal strike position the first week of June.
The strike could affect water delivery and water safety inspection, as well as sewer and waste management.
Falle says 120 TransHelp employees, including public transit drivers who shuttle patients with serious medical conditions to hospitals, are also fighting benefit clawbacks and salary freezes as they get set for negotiations tomorrow.
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Almost 300 provincewide employees of Reliance Home Comfort have started voting on a tentative agreement reached on the weekend between their employer and Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Local 1999.
Ratification votes began Monday and will continue today and Wednesday.
Windsor workers will vote today at 4 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 2401 Columbus Way.
“It was a tough round of bargaining but the bargaining committee is recommending the agreement and now we’ll leave it up to the members,” said Dave Moffat, CEP administrative vice-president.
The owner of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper has sent a strongly worded letter directly to its workers, claiming that union leaders may have put the newsprint mill in jeopardy.
Last week, local officials with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union claimed Montreal-based Kruger Inc. had not been transparent and was eroding trust with its workers about changes to pension plans. Workers feared the changes would slash benefits to retirees.
But Kruger has fired back, arguing the company is being falsely accused of holding back information.
In an open letter sent to workers, senior executive Daniel Archambault strongly criticized union leaders.
“As the deadline to approve the application of the funding relief measures is fast approaching, creating controversy by falsely accusing the company of such manoeuveres is extremely irresponsible and may jeopardize our chances to obtain the funding relief measures,” wrote Archambault, who is Kruger’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer.
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RENFREW, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – May 10, 2012) - After vouching to stand up for the services they deliver, Ontario Works staff in the County of Renfrew, members of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4989, were left with no choice but to take action following a disappointing meeting where the parties were unable to come to a settlement.
“The employer did not come to the table to bargain or to discuss how we can work together to advocate for more funding to support the services we deliver to the residents of the County,” said Amy Parker, CUPE National Representative.
“While we remain committed to providing services to our communities, we also remain committed to reaching a settlement that protects those services and the staff that deliver them,” Parker added.
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Codiac Transpo is advising customers that service will be interrupted over the next few days, starting this evening.
The interruptions are due to staffing constraints arising from the ongoing labour dispute, according to a statement released by the company Thursday afternoon.
Additional cancellations “may be required will little or no advance notice,” the statement reads.
Talks between the City of Moncton and the union that represents bus drivers have broken off and no new talks are scheduled.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1290 wants $55,000 a year for its drivers.
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A controversial labour dispute at the Rocky Mountaineer luxury rail line erupted into further discord last week, with company management allegedly taking down signs for a recently posted City of Vancouver cab stand just outside the Teamster picket line.
Over 100 on-board attendants were locked out by the company last June. Since then, a picket line has been maintained whenever passengers are loading or unloading outside the company’s station at 1755 Cottrell in Vancouver’s False Creek Flats.
The week also saw the Rocky Mountaineer reportedly urging hotels to boycott Yellow Cab taxis when arranging trips for guests to the company’s station, and non-union company employees pressuring cab drivers to cross the picket line.
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MONTREAL – The union representing Candu Energy engineers is trying to enlist the help of the company’s customers to put pressure on the SNC-Lavalin subsidiary to avoid a crippling labour disruption.
The Society of Professional Engineers and Associates said it’s meeting with clients, stakeholders and SNC-Lavalin shareholders who fear projects could be delayed by a strike or lockout.
“We have to be very strategic about how we proceed,” Peter White, president of the 870-member union, said Monday.
The union won a mandate last week to launch a strike as early as Sunday, but has not served 72-hours notice as required by the Canada Labour Code.
It fears the potential loss of expertise at Candu as a result of a contract it says includes concessions. The union hopes the customers will then express their own concerns about the threats of a loss of expertise to Candu Energy and SNC-Lavalin.
Proposed changes include a shift to a defined contribution pension plan, wage increases below the industry average and reduced travel compensation when overseeing reactor work.
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The bulk of Edmonton’s taxi drivers – 800 in total – will not strike Monday, as plans are in motion to head back to negotiations with their employer.
The drivers, of Yellow Cab, Barrel Taxi, Checker and Prestige Cabs, formed a union last year – Teamsters Local Union 987 – and have been attempting to negotiate a first collective bargaining agreement with the Edmonton Taxi Service Group.
After about six meetings, talks hit a standstill.
Last week, about 60 per cent of the 800 drivers cast a ballot in a strike vote – and 82 per cent of those votes were in favour of a strike.
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Employees at SNC-Lavalin’s nuclear reactor design firm Candu Energy have given their union a 94 per cent strike mandate.
Nearly 900 members of the Society of Professional Engineers and Associates are in a position to strike at 12:01 a.m. Monday. The company is also in a legal position to lock out workers at that time.
No new talks are scheduled.
They include scientists, engineers, technologists and tradespeople who design and maintain nuclear reactors in Canada including Darlington and Bruce Power as well as at locations overseas.
The federal government sold the commercial business of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to SNC-Lavalin International last October. Candu Energy Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary.
SNC is currently embroiled in controversy over $56 million made in improper payments by top executives who are no longer with the firm.
Main issues in the contract dispute include wages, benefits, pensions and travel compensation, said union spokeswoman Michelle Duncan.
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TORONTO – Almost 300 members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, who work for Reliance Home Comfort Limited, went on strike at midnight, after their employer took the unusual step of imposing working terms and conditions during the collective bargaining process.
“After our membership voted to reject the company’s offer, Reliance Home Comfort imposed unacceptable working conditions, forcing a strike,” says CEP Ontario Administrative Vice-President Dave Moffat.
“The company has demanded concessions all the way through this bargaining round,” says Moffat, adding that “Reliance is a very successful company, and the skill level and dedication of their employees is a big part of that success.
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