Category Archives: cupe

Bonfield workers get strong show of support

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By GORD YOUNG, The Nugget

Thursday, September 12, 2013 7:13:11 EDT PM

1297466215765_ORIGINAL             Paul Moist, CUPE National President representing 627,000 CUPE members in support of Bonfield Civic members locked out by municipality over a month ago.

BONFIELD – The 627,000 members-strong Canadian Union of Public Employees is digging in its heels following the firing of five striking municipal workers here this week.

The 16 picketing employees were buoyed Thursday by a strong show of solidarity from their national and provincial presidents and other unions and labour groups during a rally outside the municipal office, where they were promised the support needed to outlast the will of the town’s mayor and council.

“I don’t know how long this dispute will go on . . . but we will last one day longer than you to get a collective agreement,” said CUPE national president Paul Moist, his comments directed at Mayor Randy McLaren.

Moist, who was joined at the rally by CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn and Ontario Federation of Labour president Sid Ryan, described the dismissal of five striking workers over allegations of illegal confinement as an “outrageous” tactic.

And he vowed that CUPE would not settle a collective agreement that does not include the reinstatement of those employees.

The forcible confinement allegations stem from strife between the two sides Aug. 15 outside the parish hall where a special meeting of council was scheduled to take place.

The meeting was cancelled due to protesting picketers and residents upset about the timing and notice of the gathering. And the town claims two councillors and others were prevented from leaving the building for about an hour because the exits were being blocked while the mayor was held up outside. Ontario Provincial Police is investigating, but no charges have been laid. The union has also filed an unfair labour practice complaint regarding the matter.

Both Hahn and Ryan lashed out at McLaren, accusing the mayor of using the dismissals to scare the workers and unnerve the union. But they suggested the move has had the opposite effect, and has served only to strengthen their resolve.

“Someone has decided they’re going to make an example of this round of bargaining,” said Hahn, suggesting the town is upping its tactics and warning that CUPE will follow suit.

He told the striking workers that they’re not alone on the picket line and that CUPE members and those in other unions across Canada are behind them.

In addition, Henri Giroux, president of the North Bay and District CUPE Council, told the workers they can expect more members to support them on the picket line and that

other locals and unions will be asked for donations to help beef up their war chest.

The strike, which rolled into its sixth week Thursday, affects services such as road maintenance, tax payments, building permits, inspections, planning services and general inquiries.

CUPE says key issues are the threat of contracting out and a list of concessions demanded from the municipality including attacks on seniority, training, employment security, scheduling, vacations, sick leave and benefits.

“My message to the mayor is to get back to the bargaining table,” said Ryan, suggesting McLaren is mistaken if he believes he can starve out workers on the picket line or scare them with extreme tactics.

Moist said the union has no intentions of accepting the concessions being sought by the mayor and council. But he suggested the labour dispute could be resolved within hours if a status quo collective agreement, including a fair wage increase, were on the table.

McLaren, however, said the status quo is no longer workable and that the proposal tabled by the town is aimed a changing how it functions. He said Bonfield’s workforce has doubled over the past 15 years and that there still aren’t enough employees to go around due to the entitlements such as sick leave and vacations they receive under the existing collective agreement. He said CUPE argues the town should hire more workers but McLaren said that’s not feasible for a small municipality like Bonfield.

McLaren said he is still hopeful that the union will be forwarding a proposal this week. But he was disappointed to hear that CUPE wants to make the dismissal of the five workers part of the overall bargaining, suggesting the town sees it as a separate issue. McLaren said the town does not want to contract out work. But if the union is digging in for long dispute, he said the town will also have to soon start considering issues such as winter road maintenance.

CUPE National and Ontario leaders lead solidarity rally for striking Bonfield workers on Thursday

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BONFIELD, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – Sept. 11, 2013) – Paul Moist, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), along with CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), will lead a solidarity rally for the striking Bonfield municipal workers on Thursday, September 12, at noon (12:00 p.m.). Henri Giroux, President of the North Bay and District CUPE Council will also attend the rally.

“On Tuesday the Mayor of Bonfield fired five workers without true cause,” said Steve Boyle, CUPE national representative for CUPE 4616-2. “Firing workers in the middle of a strike is not a tactic that will end the strike that is hurting the Bonfield community – sooner or later the Mayor will have to sit down and negotiate with us to end this strike.”

“Our leaders and supporters will be here on Thursday to show solidarity and stand with our members for fairness as they fight for a fair contract,” continued Boyle. On strike since August 1, the 16 workers were forced into a defensive strike to fight off concessions, including the threat of contracting-out services.

The True Meaning of Labour Day

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Paul Moist Paul Moist

National President, Canadian Union of Public Employees

08/30/2013    http://www.huffingtonpost.ca

Labour Day is a time to celebrate the role of workers in the economy and address the real economic issues of our time.

Labour Day is about more than a well-deserved day off. It is a time to celebrate the important contributions working people make to our economy. It is also a good time to reflect on what is needed to improve the economic and social well-being for all workers.

Working people are the engine of the economy. The work we do, the services we provide and the money we spend drive the economy. But, in 2013 the economy is failing working people. Downward pressure on wages and government austerity programs are resulting in layoffs, contracting out, privatization of public services while families struggle to make ends meet. The rich are getting richer and the debt load of working people is increasing. It is no wonder our economy is experiencing such slow growth.

Economic recovery is being undermined by federal government actions over the last two years that erode workers wages, including: exploitation and fast-tracking approval for business to employ temporary foreign workers at wages below market rates; cuts to Employment Insurance and forcing workers to work at lower wages, continuous interference in the collective bargaining process on the side of employers, as well as attacks on unions and labour rights. These measures all need to be reversed and replaced by policies that support, rather than undercut real wage increases for workers.

At the same time, workers need a retirement security system in Canada to support our economy and provide economic security after a lifetime of work. It is a central economic problem today. Without adequate retirement incomes, we will pay with reduced living standards and an increase in seniors’ poverty. These outcomes, will, in turn, cost taxpayer money through programs like the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement and provincial and territorial income support and social assistance programs.

But, study after study shows that Canadians are not saving enough for retirement, and that this problem will only get worse as future generations retire. These troubling projections demonstrate the shortcomings of an increasingly individualized retirement income system. Working people are increasingly told their retirement security is their own problem. Save more for your own retirement at the same time your real wages are declining and debt level increasing?

The answer is clear. The economy needs a raise — disposable incomes need to rise to increase demand and create good jobs and economic growth. And we need to build an economy that sustains jobs with decent incomes for the next generation.

As we celebrate Labour Day this year, let’s really celebrate the contribution of working people by continuing to press for economic change to reverse growing income inequality. Press for economic change to drive the economy through higher wages and economic change to ensure all Canadians can retire in dignity.

Workers can count on the labour movement to do just that. We do that through collective bargaining and political action on behalf of all working people. And on this labour day, as national president of Canada’s largest union, I repeat my call to the government of Canada to convene a national pension summit where we can roll up our sleeves and address the affordability issues with defined benefit pension plans and re-tool the Canada Pension Plan so that it will continue to provide economic security for all Canadian retirees for generations to come.

No talks scheduled in CUPE month-long strike in Bonfield

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Wednesday, August, 28, 2013   http://www.northbaynipissing.com

BonfieldStrike

BONFIELD – Bonfield council and the union appear to be digging in for what could be a drawn out strike with the two sides not sitting down for negotiations since June of this year and at press time no new talks scheduled.

The walkout began on Aug. 1 after the union voted down a final offer from council in July.

Business in the township has ground to a halt since the strike began with all 16 employees – including the clerk, chief building official and public works supervisor – walking off the job. In most municipalities that have unionized these positions are considered management and left outside the bargaining unit.

The lack of any management staff has created challenges for the council, which hasn’t met since the strike began on Aug. 1. The Municipal Act requires they have a designated recording secretary in the form of a clerk or deputy clerk. Council has been able to figure out how to appoint a new person to the deputy clerk position and even attempted to meet on Aug. 15, but union protestors blocked the entrances to the municipal office.

At issue is not wages but conditions in the contract with more than 40 outstanding issues still to be resolved between the two sides. Items identified include everything from council’s ability to contract out work to the winter schedule for the roads crew to when workers get paid.

Mayor Randy McLaren says he is prepared to sit down and talk with the union as soon as he hears they are willing to make concessions.

“If they have something new that they want to talk about they are having a very difficult time expressing it,” said McLaren. “All they want to talk about is getting back to the table generally.”

The union representatives have been applying pressure for council to meet, sending out flyers in the mail and issuing press releases calling for the return to the bargaining table.

Services in the municipality have all but stopped with the exception of garbage disposal which council is providing itself with the assistance of a security company to keep the peace at the landfill site.

All of Bonfield’s bills, including some payroll are on hold. These are mostly employees for boards of council such as the library.

“They have all communicated with us that they will share the pain, if you will, and wait for this to get resolved. If it goes on for longer we do have the ability to pay them or any other bills at the bank,” said McLaren.

On the union side CUPE negotiator Steve Boyle says he is frustrated that there are no new talks scheduled at this point but his membership isn’t prepared to bow to council’s demands.

“The employer wants major concessions, which we don’t want… They want to be able to contract out the work,” said Boyle.

However, if the strike carries on much longer that is exactly what will happen. McLaren has been in touch with Municipal Affairs and Housing on a regular basis and has received advice about how to proceed.

“I have the authority under the Municipal Act to make unilateral decisions. Its not the most appropriate way of doing things but it is legal,” said McLaren.

Story by Rob Learn        rlearn@metrolandnorthmedia.com

C.E.T.A: “Final Push” In September

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By Terry Wilson      August 21, 2013    http://canadianawareness.org

Canadian trade minister Ed Fast says negotiations with the Europe Union are re-launching early next month in a final push to complete a comprehensive deal, adding all that is needed is a “little flexibility” on both sides.

“Early in September we will be re-engaging and there’s no reason to believe that with a little bit of flexibility on both sides that we can’t resolve the remaining outstanding issues,” Fast said “There’s only a very small handful of outstanding issues and we’re trying to bring some creative approaches to try to bridge those gaps.”

He gave no specifics but sources have said the major stumbling blocks include the EU’s reluctance to allow more access for Canadian beef and pork, outstanding issues on drug patents, financial services and provincial procurements.

“We’re getting very close,” Fast said in a telephone interview from Brunei, where the minister was engaged in two other trade liberalizing initiatives with the 10-nation ASEAN pact and the 12-country TransPacific Partnership. Source: theglobeandmail.com

Never heard of C.E.T.A (Comprehensive economic trade agreement)? Here are two great video’s that show what it will do for Canada.

 

 

It is a well know fact that the European Union was started with trade agreements. We now are seeing this on a global scale, ushering in globalization.

Nafta, then the SPP agreement, and now the North American Security Perimeter Deal will become facets of the North American trading block (similar to the EU). The same is/has been done in other regions of the world (Asian Pacific Union, African Union, etc.). The “deals” like C.E.T.A and the TPP. Will be the global “trade” regulations between the Unions.

If we are to preserve what is left of Canadian sovereignty and resist the coming corporate run world government that is being built up before our very eyes. We must (peacefully) fight against these agreements with everything that we have!