There still hasn’t been a final decision on the CEP application, new dates have been scheduled to conclude later in May.
A BC LRB ordered secret ballot vote took place on May 14th and 16th. Turnout was high and the results of this vote will likely shape the future for CKF workers.

The federal government has put corporate profits ahead of the needs of Canadian workers with the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program announced today, says Alberta’s largest labour group.

“We have said all along that the TFW program was being used to drive down the wages paid to Canadian workers and, today, the federal government confirmed this in writing,” says Nancy Furlong, Secretary Treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) which represents 145,000 workers.

The background document attached to the government’s media release says: “A new wage structure will also be introduced to provide employers with greater flexibility. Wages that are up to 15 per cent below the average wage for an occupation in a specific region will be accepted.”

Furlong says: “This government claims it believes in the free market, but doesn’t want to allow the free market to apply to workers and their wages. Instead, it interferes to drive down wages in the interest of its corporate paymasters.”

She said she was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that these changes came after consultation with employers. “The Harper government didn’t even bother to consult with Canadian workers. They consulted only with employers, many of whom are foreign-owned. We asked to take part in these consultations, but they weren’t interested,” says Furlong.

“We think Canadians and Albertans should be concerned with this blatant disregard for the needs of citizens and how the federal government has put corporate profits ahead of its own people.

“There are 1.4 million Canadians looking for work. Giving employers quicker access to foreign workers and allowing employers to slash wages by up to 15 per cent means most of them will remain out of work. That means they will continue to be a strain on Employment Insurance or government support programs, instead of working and paying taxes. The government is telling these Canadians that they are not needed,” she says.

“In a report last year titled Impact of the TFW Program on the Labour Market in Alberta, the provincial government said the TFW program is bad for our economy. It also leaves vulnerable foreign workers open to all kinds of abuse. So why are we expanding it? We will soon have 100,000 TFWs in this province. How many do we need?

“The real solution to the labour shortage in Alberta is to follow the advice of former premier Peter Lougheed and set a more reasonable pace of development in the oil sands. We hope the newly elected Redford government is listening to him,” says Furlong.

The new members will become part of Local 10-B, and bargaining for a first collective agreement is expected to get underway next week.

Welcome aboard and good luck at the bargaining table.

Edmonton – Unions are the best cure for the unfair pay gap that exists between men and women working in Alberta, according to new figures released today (Click here for backgounder) by the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).

“Alberta has the highest levels of wage inequality in Canada, but unions provide the most equal workplaces for women in our province,” says McGowan, president of the AFL, which represents 145,000 workers.

“Today, on International Women’s Day, it is disappointing to see the unfair treatment endured by Alberta women workers. However, it is clear that unions in Alberta are successfully leading the fight for equality.”

The union advantage is particularly stark for young women, aged 15-24. Young women in Alberta, without union coverage, have seen their wages stalled at $12/hour since 2009. But unionized young women earn a median $17.84/hour.

Unionized women’s wages are higher than non-union women in all age groups, says McGowan. The presence of a union means a smaller pay gap between women and men in all age categories.

The AFL also revealed Alberta’s stunning pay gap. Alberta women working full-year, full-time earn only 68 per cent of the amount men earn. Canada-wide, women earn 79 per cent of what men earn. The recession did not
change the pay gap for Alberta women, which remains at the level most other provinces were at in the 1970s.

“Alberta women face higher levels of income inequality because our province lags behind the rest of Canada – and most of the industrialized world – in policies that allow women to balance family obligations with the workplace,
such as investments in child care,” says McGowan. “Alberta has among the worst family leave policies in Canada and low employment standards compared to other jurisdictions.”

Alberta is also the only province in Canada without some kind of voice in the Legislature for women. All other Canadian provinces and territories, as well as the federal government, have either a ministry responsible for the
status of women, an advisory council on the status of women, or some combination of these institutions.

McGowan repeated the Alberta Federation of Labour’s call for Premier Redford to establish a Minister for the Status of Women.

Vancouver – The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and the B.C. Federation of Labour today announced they will be holding a Rally at the BC Legislature next week.

“Teachers are tremendously heartened by the solidarity and support we have felt coming from union members all across BC,” said BCTF President Susan Lambert. “People understand that Bill 22 threatens the quality of public education for their children and grandchildren. It’s just the latest example of this government’s assault on all public services in BC.”

“Bill 22 impacts all workers,” said B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair. “When the right to free collective bargaining is under attack, all unions will stand together to defend that right.”

Sinclair noted the government still has an opportunity to withdraw Bill 22 and start real negotiations with teachers. “Real solutions to improving our public education system can only come through negotiation, not legislation.”

“Not only does Bill 22 remove the right to free collective bargaining, it also removes any obligation on government to protect class sizes and to provide quality education programs tailored to individual student needs,” Lambert said.

Click here for CEP Member information

“Our legal struggle on behalf of the pensioners and workers of Fraser Papers has now begun,” says CEP President Dave Coles. “This is about fairness for retirees and workers who lost almost 40% of their pensions. The directors of Fraser Papers must now be held to account.”

“We will announce additional legal actions in the coming weeks that address the injustices to our pensioners and members in New Brunswick,” adds Coles.

“CEP contends that the directors of Fraser Papers were grossly negligent in their duties to our members,” says CEP Quebec Regional Vice-President Renaud Gagné.

“The company took care of its shareholders but pensioners and workers lost their retirement security. We are asking the Quebec court for justice for these retirees and workers.”

The suit filed in Quebec Superior Court yesterday for $11.7 million is in response to the investment decisions of the directors of the former Fraser Papers. Fraser Papers was majority-owned by Brookfield Asset Management and operated pulp and paper mills at Thurso, Québec and Edmundston, New Brunswick before the company was restructured under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangements Act (CCAA) in 2010.

A majority of Fraser’s debt was to its employee pension plan and the restructuring resulted in large cuts to retiree pensions.

The union has also assisted Fraser retirees and family members organize in Quebec and New Brunswick in the “Victims of Brookfield Association” which has a Facebook Page and a Twitter account that tells the personal hardship stories of the Fraser pensioners.

Wirecomm employs Communications Technicians, and the bulk of their work is performed under contract for Rogers Cable in the Greater Toronto Area.

Driven by increasing workloads without proper compensation and increasingly unfair work environment, the employees decided to take the necessary steps to gain respect and a real voice in their workplace.

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board ordered vote was held from Jan 27 to Feb 2, 2012, and was done over the internet and by telephone voting. In perhaps the easiest and least intimidating method of voting, each employee was mailed a PIN number and with that they could log into a secure website or access a secure telephone system and cast their ballot.  A Labour Board Officer gave the Company and the Union daily updates as to the number of employees who had voted.
The tabulated vote showed overwhelming support from the Wirecomm employees to become members of the CEP.

The new members will become part of CEP – Local 5011, With the addition of the Wirecomm group, Local 5011 is now services 6 separate bargaining units, containing employees from 4 different Companies who provide similar services to Rogers. Now, with close to 700 members, Local 5011 represents the majority of the Communications Technicians performing work for Rogers Cable in the GTA.

“It does appear that the Burnaby refinery is not getting adequate feedstock. That’s because oil companies can get higher prices in Asian markets,” said Robyn Allan

Read more: Expert says oil supply could be exported.