65 Years of Progress
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By Unifor Local 673 In This Issue 65 Years of Progress 1 Keeping in Touch 2 Bombardier Unit Chairperson 3 DeHavilland Unit Report 4 MDA Report 5 Retirees in Action 6 Mobilization 9 Pension and Benefits Changes 11 We Have Come a Long Way 12 Celebrate Seniors or Elders 17 The History of the Person’s Case 18 President’s Message International Day of the Girl 19 Lessons Learned 20 65 Years of Progress Women in Leadership 24 by Maryellen McIlmoyle, President of Local 673 “What a difference they have To properly celebrate our 65th made!” Anniversary, we must reflect on the members and events that have shaped Local 673's history. celebrate their decision to join a Union back in Our history has been marred by conflict after 1942 organized by the then UAW and for the office conflict, which reinforces the concept that Local workers to move away to charter our own local to 673 members have never benefited without be granted on January 27th 1954, under Local 673. personal sacrifice. Today, we must honour our Most of these workers had lived through the retirees and senior members. Without the difficult depression years, followed by war years countless struggles in the past, our present and with accompanying worries and sacrifices. These certainly our futures would be much bleaker. deHavilland workers, in forming this Local union, were looking for a way to ensure that workers We should take time out to remember would have a voice in shaping their future. They that group of workers who got together to had a hope that their united voices would make a discuss their future, the future of aircraft difference, not only in their working lives, but also workers and office workers and how to best cope in the lives of workers who would follow. What a with the problems faced by workers. Today, we difference they have made! Page 1 negotiating of our first agreement The Toronto 65 Years of Progress Skating, Curling and Cricket Club. Our senior and retired members It has taken 65 years of collective action walked many picket lines in order for us in order to achieve and maintain our goals. We to receive the highest wages for any would expect that the employers would now aerospace workers in the world. The understand our visions as workers and our benefits that we receive are second to desire to establish a working relationship based none and our working conditions are safer on mutual respect and credibility. We no longer as a result of worker action. should have to prove that we are prepared to fight, it should be obvious by now. Our Local has grown many times over from that January 1954 including SPAR On behalf of the Executive Board of Unifor Aerospace Limited, McDonnell Douglas Local 673, I would like to congratulate all Corporation, Bourgue Electronics, Green members, both past and present , that have Shield Canada, Toromont Cat, our latest participated in shaping our proud past, our Executive Board is committed to maintaining this proud heritage and to building a stronger foundation with all members to ensure our next 65 is equally as progressive as the first . In Solidarity, Mary Ellen McIlmoyle President Keeping in Touch by Mary Forbes Please advise us of your change of address if you move. If you have an email address we would appreciate if you shared with us. Email is the fastest and most economical way of contacting you. Many times Unifor has events such as Bowling, Golf, Wonderland, Wet N’ Wild, Dart tournaments etc and due to time factors we cannot let you know that these events are taking place. Page 2 Bombardier Unit Chairperson by Vito Furlano, Chairperson of the Bombardier Unit For those of you that don’t Top 2 issues are: know me, I started with de • Havilland in 1985 and for the MA/ME ratio. Over the past few years a past 34 years I have worked disproportionally mainly as a Methods Analyst. large number of non- My most recent position was bargaining unit Methods Lead (1420) for the employees (Methods Global 7500 FTP group. Agents, Industrial Engineers, specialist, The last few months have technologists…etc) been quite a learning have been hired. experience, having never served as an elected member • Industrial Engineers before I didn’t know what to (I.E.’s) doing Material expect. Initially all I had were logistics (1236) work. questions and lots of them. I A letter of thank both the BA & DH understanding (LOU) Committee and the Executive was signed mid-2018 Board members for their to return the work patience’s in helping me back to the transition to my new role. I bargaining unit. The intent of the LOU was feel honored and privileged to never implemented be given this opportunity to by the company. serve as Chairperson. As the holiday season is fast approaching, I wish you and your loved ones Below is a quick summary of peace, health, happiness, and prosperity in the coming Year. our unit and its top issues. In Solidarity, We currently have approximately 405 member Vito Furlano Unit Chairperson of which 50 are on layoff and 17 are on the deferred layoff list. We have approximately 250 open grievances with the majority being non bargaining unit employees doing our work. 2 grievances are in the process of being scheduled for arbitration. Page 3 DeHavilland Unit’s Report by Nuno Pinto, Chairperson of the DeHavilland Unit The Employee Transition to Bombardier's willingness Bombardier and De Havilland Agreement among other to cause them. While it is are very different companies. things, provides mobility rights still early days to judge De Having dealt with both, I can to our Members at De Havilland's management say the experiences have Havilland who would have had culture, we are cautiously been polar. With the seniority to exercise optimistic that De Havilland Bombardier, we have a very bumping rights at Bombardier will choose to have a respectable backlog of a class should the Q400 program have positive relationship with leading business jet at the ceased instead of being sold. Unifor. beginning of predicted 20- These Members have the year program. Yet, Since June 1st, De Havilland ability to bump back to Bombardier through its has hired 10 new Members Bombardier in the event of a actions has earned a negative in Customer support, De Havilland layoff or closure. relationship with its Methods and Quality with a The remaining Members have workforce and a negative further 9 planed in the near the right to join a blended market outlook through future Bombardier recall list should mismanagement. De the De Havilland production Havilland on the other hand In Solidarity, operation cease. has a very weak backlog of Nuno Pinto On June 1st 2019, the the best in class performing Downsview Bombardier facility turboprop but the design is Unit Chairperson over 20 years old. The Q400 was divided between 2 separate employers, having been largely ignored Bombardier and De Havilland by Bombardier will require which is a wholly owned significant investment by De subsidiary of Longview Capital. Havilland to spark new sales. The Local 673 Membership was De Havilland appears to be divided into 2 separate units, genuinely interested in not the Bombardier and the De only supporting the current Havilland Units. The Local 673 Dash 8 fleet but improving, Bargaining Committee was split selling and building Dash 8s between the employers and in the future. De Havilland elections were held in both has shown to this point a units to fill the vacancies. willingness to avoid grievances as opposed Page 4 http://uniforlocal673.org /en MDA Report by Tom Bunting Chairperson of the MDA Unit The centrepiece of Canada’s 1. Total membership - 15 involvement in the new Canada’s established track 2. No layoffs platform will be supplying a record building space robotics. 3. 1 Grievance robotic arm that Mr. Trudeau called “Canadarm 3,” a In Solidarity, MDA, a Maxar Technologies successor to the Canadarm 2, company (formerly MacDonald, the unit that is depicted on the Tom Bunting Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.), back of the Canadian five dollar will continue to support the bill and that has become crucial Unit Chairperson Canadian Space Agency and to operations aboard the their involvement in the International Space Station. International Space Station as well as ongoing programs with The commitment is the largest the European Space Agency. for the country’s space program The workload remains constant in over a decade and will inject with the majority of our work $2.05-billion into Canada’s related to space programs. space sector over the next 24 There continues to be an years. It also creates a focus for ongoing interest in robotics for the Canadian Space Agency, the medical field. which has been seen as adrift in recent years without a long- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau term plan or direction from announced that Canada will political leaders about what become a partner in the Lunar happens after the space station. Orbiting Platform-Gateway, human mission to Mars. “Today, we are stepping up,” The announcement also the Prime Minister said during includes a $150-million a press conference at Canadian allocation to the agency over the “Prime Minister Space Agency headquarters in next five years for an Saint-Hubert, near Montreal. Justin Trudeau “Canada is going to the moon.” accelerator program to spur The announcement means that projects by Canadian announced that Canada is the first partner to companies to develop Canada will become officially commit to the technologies related to the Gateway after the United Gateway.