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Lettercanada Published By AMERICAN INCOME LIFE & NATIONAL INCOME LIFE LETTER canada LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD OCTOBER 2013 Vol. 14 No. 6 NEWS FROM THE Newfoundland and Labrador Association CLC, FEDERATIONS of Public Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) in & NATIONAL St. John, went on strike April 10. They are employed by the Canadian division of the UNIONS Anheuser-Busch InBev brewing corpora- tion, which has after-tax profits of more Canadian Labour Congress than $9 billion. endorsed a national consumer boycott against a number of imported brands of Delegates representing the Labatt beer and called on the company to former Canadian Auto Workers and the return to the bargaining table. “This is a Communications, Energy and Paperwork- David and Goliath struggle between about ers unions met over Labour Day weekend 50 local workers and the world’s largest in Toronto to give formal approval to the multi-national brewing corporation trying creation of Unifor, the largest private sector to force its employees into a race to the bot- union in Canada. More than 4,000 delegates tom,” said CLC President Ken Georgetti. attended the historic founding convention “Canadian workers and their unions are of the new 300,000-member union created not going to stand idly by and allow this out of the merger of the CAW and CEP. to happen.” The workers, members of the According to union officials, thousands more watched the convention through on- line live streaming. Jerry Dias, a veteran of the Canadian Auto Workers, was elected Unifor’s first president. “Unifor is here be- cause it’s time to stop playing defence and it’s time we started to play offence,” said Dias in his fiery inaugural address at Uni- for’s founding convention in Toronto. “It’s time to stop reacting and it’s time to start setting the agenda.” He said the union would welcome workers excluded from col- lective bargaining and would devote 10 per- cent of its revenues to organizing. In another major merger an- nouncement, the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) and the United CLC President Ken Georgetti. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from ahblair. Steelworkers (USW) signed a tentative JAMES WILLIAMS, General President Emeritus - International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Chairman - AIL Labour Advisory Board VICTOR KAMBER, Vice President - American Income Life Insurance Company, Executive Director - AIL Labour Advisory Board ROGER SMITH, 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 DEBBIE ENSTEDT, Vice President of International Public Relations - American Income Life Insurance Company Pg 2 LABOUR LETTER agreement to join forces. TWU represents nearly 13,000 members in telecommunica- tions, cable TV and call centre locations in Canada. The USW has 225,000 members in many economic sectors. “Our goal was to build a merger that focuses on concrete action here in Canada starting on day one, and that is also global in reach at the same time,” said TWU National President Lee Riggs. “Together we’ve built an innovative, flexible merger agreement that blends the best of both of our unions,” said USW Na- tional Director Ken Neumann. “The TWU membership will be leaders in our union in Canada,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. The Building Trades of Alberta offered condolences to families affected by the devastating floods in Southern Alberta and pledged skilled union members would volunteer to help rebuild Calgary and oth- er locations. “Our members have the skills Pictured left to right; Former AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt-Baker, AFL-CIO that are needed to get Calgary and South- President Richard Trumka and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler. Flickr.com photo used ern Alberta moving again – and to get under Creative Commons from AFGE. people back in their homes. We will put those skills to good use,” said the council, you see it in person and understand the INTERNATIONAL which represents 75,000 members. The impact it has had on people’s lives,” stated Building Trades reported coordinating Ken Jones, President of the Southern Al- LABOUR NEWS with the City of Calgary and the Premier’s berta Building Trades Council. The Build- Office “to get the union volunteers to the ing Trades of Alberta has made a $285,000 AFL-CIO held a historic con- places where help is needed most.” “It’s donation to the Red Cross Alberta Flood vention in September in Los Angles to hard to comprehend the devastation until Relief efforts. change the direction of labour relations in America. Declaring the “labour movement must be broad and inclusive,” the AFL- CIO invited “every worker in the United States to join the labour movement either through an affiliate or through Working America,” the federation’s non-profit af- filiate. American labour will create new forms of union membership outside col- lective bargaining, and create a structure where non-union workers can partici- pate in the governing of the AFL-CIO. The federation will also create a “student membership.” The AFL-CIO and affili- ated unions should deepen their relation- ship with worker centres, organize college campus workers and create “new forms of membership.” President Richard Trumka and Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Shuler were re-elected by acclamation. Ethiopi- an-born Tefere Gebre was elected Execu- tive Vice President to replace Arlene Holt Flooding in Calgary. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from waynerd. Baker who retired. LABOUR LETTER Pg 3 below the poverty line. The campaign to raise the minimum wage is sponsored by a coalition of groups, including the Toronto and York Region Labour Council and the Workers’ Action Centre. The groups plan similar days of action across Ontario on the 14th of every month in advance of next spring’s provincial budget, when the Wynne government is expected to weigh in on the matter. NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said he would increase corporate taxes, but not tax the super-rich and will not in- crease personal income taxes. The NDP’s electoral platform also promises cuts to business subsidies, such as in the oil and gas sector. Mulcair recently told the news media that an NDP government would fund universal day care and invest more in post-secondary education and aborigi- nal education. But he ruled out taxing the very rich. “If you look at the combined Australian Council of Trade minimum wage to $14 an hour. Among federal and provincial rate in several prov- Unions President Ged Kearney said the the prominent unions participating in the inces, it’s over 50 per cent,” Mulcair said. proposal by the new Coalition Govern- events were Ontario Public Service Em- “With regards to personal income taxes, ment to abandon wage increases for up to ployees in Toronto who joined in two ral- it’s not on the table to increase them. That 350,000 workers in aged and childcare was lies. Ontario’s minimum wage has been is a consistently held position.” Mulcair “a betrayal” of some of the country’s lowest frozen at $10.25 an hour since 2010. Un- spokesman George Smith would not say paid workers. “Aged and childcare workers der the Mike Harris Conservative gov- whether the NDP might consider hiking do a very tough job and are paid very little ernment, it was $6.85 an hour for nine the GST or rolling back the Conserva- and any move to deny their pay increases years before the Liberals began to raise it tives’ boutique tax credits to pay for in- demonstrates a worrying lack of under- in 2004. The minimum wage remains well creases in social spending. standing. Aged care is one of the most important and difficult jobs there are, yet aged care workers are amongst the lowest- paid,” she stated. Kearney noted the indus- try is largely staffed by women. She said the action is in direct conflict with Tony Abbott’s commitment that no worker would be worse off. “Mr. Abbott didn’t want to talk about workplace policy before the election and now we see he wants to tear up an agreement that will deliver a pay rise to some of our most important and lowest-paid workers,” she charged. NATIONAL & POLITICAL EVENTS Community, activists and la- bour groups staged rallies across Ontario on Saturday, September 14 in a call for the provincial government to raise the NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from meantux. Pg 4 LABOUR LETTER NEWS FROM Teamsters Canada collected the five-year agreement provides a wage in- $40,000 from its locals throughout the crease of 2 per cent in the first year retroac- CANADA’s UNIONS country that was donated to the Canadian tive to March 2013, wage increases of 2.5 Red Cross to help out the victims of the per cent in the second and third years and Sweeping changes to public Lac-Mégantic rail tragedy. “I understand 3 per cent in the fourth year and 3 per cent service pension plans proposed by Al- the population’s suffering and they can rest in the fifth year with Cost of Living Al- berta Finance Minister Doug Horner assured that they can count on our support,” lowance (COLA) protection of up to 5 per were sharply criticized by leaders of the said Rex Beatty, President of the Teamsters cent. The agreement also provides a 20 cent province’s public sector workers. The Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). “We per hour increase to Health and Welfare or unions charged that workers under Al- must remain vigilant in assuring a proper Pension Plan contributions as determined berta’s public service pension plans would assessment of this incident, including any by the membership.
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