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Published By AMERICAN INCOME LIFE & NATIONAL INCOME LIFE LETTER canada LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD SEPTEMBER 2015 Vol. 16 No. 5 NEWS FROM THE government to invest in infrastructure, cre- in June, 42,000 full-time jobs, mostly in ate apprenticeships, and address income British Columbia and Alberta. “It’s good CLC, FEDERATIONS inequality. We’ll be actively engaged in the to see more full-time work created, but the & NATIONAL upcoming federal election this October, overall economic picture is still grim,” said UNIONS asking all political parties to endorse our CLC president Hassan Yussuff. “Canadi- plan,” said the CBT. ans need a new government that will take The website for “Let’s Build us in a new direction that creates enough The presidents of Canada’s full-time, secure jobs to make up for years Canada”, the new coalition formed to en- provincial and territorial labour federations of labour market stagnation.” He said the gage union members leading up to the hosted parallel meetings last month while nation needs a “new government” that will 2015 Federal Election, is up and running. Premiers gathered for their annual Coun- work with provinces and the territories to The coalition was announced at the Cana- cil of the Federation meeting in St. John’s, develop a “solid manufacturing strategy” to dian Building Trades (CBT) Legislative Newfoundland and Labrador. Jobs and the spur growth. Conference in May. The website provides economy topped labour’s agenda as officials information on where each party stands called on Premiers “to provide the balance on issues important to the careers of union and leadership” the Harper government has INTERNATIONAL workers, explained the CBT. Flyers and failed to deliver. They called on the prov- LABOUR NEWS posters are available to all Local Unions, inces and territories to lay out the building Business Managers, and PAC’s for down- blocks for a “caring society.” Union lead- United Kingdom’s UNISON loading and printing, along with other ers called for a $15/hour minimum wage public service union warned that govern- important information that is readily avail- across the country; doubling of the Canada ment plans to restrict trade union rights able. “Our Coalition calls for the federal Pension Plan; creation of an affordable na- are “a strikebreaker’s charter,” which would tional childcare program; the revival of the undermine the basic civil rights of work- Canada Health Accord; comprehensive ing people. UK’s conservative government immigration strategy with a pathway to recently announced what is called the big- citizenship; and establishment of a Green gest crackdown on trade union rights for 30 Jobs agenda for Canada. years. The government plans to criminalise picketing, permit employers to hire strike- Recent job figures released by breaking agency staff and choke off the Statistics Canada support worries that flow of union funds to the Labour party. Canada’s economy has fallen into a reces- “This is a real attack on people’s basic hu- sion, declared the Canadian Labour Con- man rights,” said General Secretary Dave gress. According to Statistics Canada, job Prentis. “And this from the party which creation has slowed to 33,000 in the sec- is trying to rebrand itself as the workers’ ond quarter compared to 66,000 jobs cre- party.” He pledged that UNISON would ated in the first quarter 2015. The labour work with other trade unions but also with group pointed out that private sector hir- community groups and other civil liberties One of the sharable images available online at ing fell. Public sector employment ac- campaigns in the broadest-based alliance www.letsbuildcanada.ca. counted for most of the full-time job gains to fight the proposals. The campaign will TERRY O'SULLIVAN, President - Laborers International Union of North America, Chairman - AIL Labour Advisory Board VICTOR KAMBER, Vice President - American Income Life Insurance Company, Executive Director - AIL Labour Advisory Board ROGER SMITH, President & Chief Executive Officer - American Income Life Insurance Company, President - AIL Labour Advisory Board DENISE BOWYER, Vice President - American Income Life Insurance Company, Secretary - AIL Labour Advisory Board DAVE BARRETT, Former Premier of Province of British Columbia, Honorary Member - AIL Labour Advisory Board Pg 2 LABOUR LETTER build towards a national demonstration contract settlement averts a strike for a several meetings with Alpine Health re- in Manchester during Conservative Party second consecutive year. According to the vealed that a cut in federal funding is at the Conference on October 4 and a mass lobby union spokesman, GM Korea has agreed core of its proposal to restructure the ser- of Parliament on November 2. to make next-generation Chevrolet Malibu vice. “I’m also very grateful the local Mem- sedans on the second production line at ber Cathy McGowan has raised our con- Myanmar’s upscale Bagan its Bupyeong plant. Labour costs have in- cerns at a federal level because, of course, Hotel River View, operated by KMA Ho- creased nearly 50 per cent for GM over the Alpine Health like every other facility in tels Group, is the target of a worldwide past five years as workers have demanded a the state isn’t just reliant on state funding, campaign for human and union rights vio- greater share of the company’s record prof- it’s also reliant on Federal Government lations. Management on March 7 termi- its. The Detroit carmaker has four plants in funding, so I’m hopeful that the Federal nated the jobs of five union supporters in an South Korea, three assembling vehicles and Government will back down in relation to attempt to crush the legally registered trade one building transmissions. Together, they its reduction in funding,” said Fitzpatrick. union and later refused to reinstate them account for nearly one-fifth of GM’s global after decisions issued in April and May by output. The company faced pressure from arbitration councils. While the company workers who refused to work overtime and NATIONAL & appeals the rulings, job applicants are being staged a partial strike over pay prior to POLITICAL EVENTS screened about their union sympathies and the final deal. pressured to discourage employees from The economic record of the joining the union, and senior workers have A cut in funding by Australia’s Conservative government is the worst been pressured to retire and only allowed to federal government threatens the jobs of since the end of the Second World War, continue their employment after obtaining 17 nurses at three Alpine Health hospitals said a new report by Unifor. In the report, a doctor’s certificate. The company has up in north-east Victoria, charged the nurses’ Rhetoric and Reality: Evaluating Canada’s to two years to appeal the decisions. union, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Economic Record Under the Harper Gov- Federation. The union said the Victorian ernment, Unifor economists Jim Stanford South Korean General Motors government has boosted Alpine Health’s and Jordan Brennan tracked government workers approved a wage deal that will funding by $396,000, to almost $14 million performance from 1946 to 2014. They raise the basic monthly wage by 83,000 and called on the federal government to at concluded that Prime Minister Stephen won ($71) and pay each worker 10.5 mil- least match the increase in state spending. Harper’s government ranks dead last. “The lion won in bonuses and incentives. The According to the union’s Lisa Fitzpatrick, Harper government ranks last among the The Chevrolet Spark built by GM Korea. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from InSapphoWeTrust. LABOUR LETTER Pg 3 Participants at a Toronto Election Preperation Conference. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from OFL Communications Department. nine postwar governments, and by a wide prime minister called for the election on margin — falling well behind the second- August 2 and dissolved Parliament. He said worst government, which was the (Brian) the group will engage members in “vulner- Mulroney government of 1984 to 1993,” able” ridings across the province where the the union said. The report noted that Can- races are expected to be close. With third ada and its governments experienced 10 re- party ad spending severely limited, the cessions since 1946, but the recovery from Conservatives hold a significant financial the most recent 2008 downturn has been edge over the two major parties. According the weakest than those prior. The current to an analysis by The Canadian Press of the government placed last or second to last in parties’ financial resources, Conservatives 13 of 16 key economic indicators among coffers are almost equal to those combined all postwar Prime Ministers, according of the NDP and the Liberals. to the union. Prior to the closing of Parlia- Canadians are in the midst of ment, Tory senators forced a vote on a an 11-week federal election campaign, lon- controversial anti-union Bill C-377 that gest in recent history, with campaign spend- requires unions to publicly disclose a ing by all parties expected to top more than wide range of financial information in- $50 million. Ontario Federation of Labour cluding salaries and expenses. The private head Sid Ryan said Canada’s largest pro- member’s bill, introduced by Conservative Ontario Federation of Labour head Sid Ryan. vincial labour group launched its “Dump MP Russ Hiebert but backed strongly by Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons Harper” campaign immediately when the the Prime Minister’s Office, forces labour from OFL Communications Department. Pg 4 LABOUR LETTER USW Ontario director Marty Warren. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from United Steelworkers. response has been to consolidate some sin- gle officer posts, while leaving large areas like Revelstoke without a local conserva- tion officer.” Smith said there are currently nine single officer posts and 15 conserva- tion officer vacancies in the service.