CAW President Ken Lewenza has issued a financial appeal on behalf of 30 Cummins workers who are members of CAW Local 1044 in Ste. Foy, Quebec and who have been locked out for more than a month.
MONTREAL – The union representing Air Canada pilots says the airline is attempting to intimidate its members by filing a notice of dispute with the federal government in order to kick-start labour negotiations.
“It’s typical Air Canada bargaining tactics. It’s meant to escalate things. Frankly it’s meant to intimidate,” Paul Strachan, president of the Air Canada Pilots Association, said in an interview Thursday.
The carrier’s 2,900 pilots rejected a tentative agreement by a two-to-one margin in May.
Air Canada has been at odds with several of its main unions during recent negotiations and labour leaders have criticized the federal government of siding with the company.
The Canadian Auto Workers union reached a settlement in the summer for striking Air Canada customer service representatives under threat of being legislated back to work.
The flight attendants union reached two tentative settlements, both rejected by the membership, but they were prevented launching a strike when Labour Minister Lisa Raitt referred the matter to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
The pilots association has been working over the past six months to prepare proposals that could be the basis for a new negotiated settlement.
Faced with internal political turmoil, it needed the time to replace its executive chairman, reorganize its bargaining team and survey members about what they want in a new deal.
Strachan said the airline accused CUPE-represented flight attendants of not knowing what its members wanted when it rejected a second tentative agreement. Yet it’s rushing pilots to negotiate without having completed that internal review.
“We want to make sure we do it right this time. The last thing we want is another failed ratification vote,” Strachan said.
Last week, the pilots proposed resuming talks in late November, but the Montreal-based carrier caught the ACPA off guard by filing the notice Wednesday.
The carrier said it acted to accelerate a second round of talks with pilots to achieve a negotiated settlement.
“The company is of the view that the involvement of a federally appointed conciliator would facilitate and expedite this second round of negotiation and bring it to a successful conclusion as soon as possible,” said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.
But Strachan said it’s not helpful for either side to “bargain with the clock ticking in the background.”
“Now we’ll have to tighten it up and this is where balls get dropped when you start rushing things.”
Air Canada’s (TSX:AC.B) move starts the clock ticking to a potential strike, even though the federal government has threatened to intervene with other employee groups at the airline.
The conciliation process lasts up to 60 days unless extended. The parties have the right to strike or lockout 21 days after conciliation ends and must give 72 hours advance notice.
Over 100 CAW Local 112 members working at Northstar Aerospace in Milton, Ontario rallied outside the factory on October 17 to defend their right to picket in the face of a company threat to end the strike through a legal injunction.
After just three days of Northstar workers setting up picket lines the employer threatened to file for a court injunction. This action was taken despite Northstar having issued a public statement after the strike began on October 13 that said it respected its employees and the collective bargaining process.
Shortly after the workers’ rally, Northstar backed down from their threat and agreed, instead, to establish a strike protocol with the union.
CAW Local 112 President Roland Kiehne considered this a victory for the workers who are fighting back aggressive company demands for cost cuts and trying to secure ongoing work in the facility.
“The company’s actions were completely unwarranted, in light of the peaceful, orderly and lawful pickets that have been run by our members so far,” Kiehne said.
Oct 13 (Reuters) – Canada’s Northstar Aerospace Inc said union workers at its manufacturing facility in Milton, Ontario, began a strike on Thursday.
The 135 workers who went on strike are represented by the Canadian Auto Workers union, the company said in a statement.
The company will implement contingency arrangements to mitigate the impact of the work stoppage, it said.
Xstrata Copper Canada announced today in a news release that members of CAW-Local 599 have ratified a new three-year collective agreement at the Kidd Metallurgical Site in Timmins. Specifics of the contract have not been revealed.
The new agreement affects roughly 160 unionized employees still working at the met site. The CAW Local 599 website said 92 per cent of those who voted were in favour of the new deal. The CAW bargaining committee statement thanked the membership for a strong turnout.
“The membership has ratified the new collective agreement with 92% of all votes in favour of the offer. Your bargaining committee would like to thank all our members for the high voter turnout, your kind words of support for our efforts, and your great patience with a “rookie” laden committee. It has been a great honour representing the membership during this round of negotiations.
This is the first new contract with CAW since the company shut down the copper smelter operations in May 2010, resulting in job losses for more than 600 workers.
The company was also pleased with the deal.
More than 150 workers at a steel plant in Arnprior went on strike Wednesday morning after talks between management and the Canadian Auto Workers broke off just before midnight Tuesday.
The CAW union and Sandvik Materials Technology Canada have been negotiating since June 15 — the workers’ collective agreement expired July 1.
“We were informed by [management] that it appeared we weren’t going to get an agreement,” CAW representative Derek Mosley told assembled workers Wednesday morning.
His announcement was greeted with silence.
“So we at the time made the decision to notify the members at the plant to leave,” Mosley said.
The Swedish-based multinational company has plants across Canada and around the world. The Arnprior plant makes steel tubing for the nuclear, aerospace and automotive industries.
Gary Riopelle, 63, came to work for his regular shift Wednesday morning. Instead, he placed a picket sign around his neck.
Riopelle has worked at the plant for 35 years, and it’s the first time he’s been on strike.
Union members are voting on a new contract in Moose Jaw this weekend. Just over 100 members of the Canadian Autoworkers are gathering to go over a new contract offer from CP Rail.
“Our contract has been ratified by the national and now it’s being presented to the local employees, and they’re going to get a chance to vote on it and see if it meets with what they’re willing to live with for the next term of agreement,” said Local Grievance Chair Jim Wiens.
Contract talks between Air Canada and the union representing the airline’s customer service agents begin in Toronto this week, and the union plans to shine the spotlight on wage increases, sick time and shift scheduling.
“The key priority is wages for sure,” said Leslie Dias, the national staff representative for the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union. “Essentially, it’s also time-off issues. It’s vacation.”
The opening round of talks, which will include CAW president Ken Lewenza, start on Friday. The current contract expires Feb. 28.
Employees have made “tremendous sacrifices” in order to help the airline become profitable again, the union said in a newsletter to its members.
University of Manitoba support staff have voted 87 per cent in favour of a possible strike.
Canadian Auto Workers Local 3007 represents 450 U of M caretakers, groundskeepers, food services, engineering and skilled trades workers.
The CN strike deadline is Tuesday, January 25 at 12:01 a.m. The CAW represents 4,300 workers at CN in all bargaining units combined.
Workers at CP, represented by CAW Local 101, voted 89 per cent in favour of going on strike if necessary. The strike deadline is Tuesday, February 8 at 12:01 a.m. The CAW represents 2,100 workers at CP.
