GLOBE GROUND – NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

GLOBE GROUND – NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

 

Your bargaining team met with the employer for the week of April 23 to 27 to work towards getting you a fair and strong collective agreement.  After 3 years of frozen wages, we went in ready to make gains for all members.

 

We made progress and reached agreement on a number of non-monetary articles, including the recall period on layoffs, the grievance procedure, and language in the agreement that locks in shift bids by seniority.

 

Your bargaining team also had some substantial discussion with the employer about monetary issues: wages, shift premiums, benefits, and sick days to name a few.  We’re making progress, but we still have a long way to go.  We are hopeful that we’ll continue to move towards getting you a fair and strong collective agreement.

 

We will be meeting again with the employer in early June.  We’ve made it clear to the employer that we are expecting movement on our priorities of wage increases, sick leave, shift premiums, the leave package and other monetary issues.

 

Please stay informed throughout the process.  Your bargaining team will need your support as we continue negotiations!

 

We will be holding membership meetings to keep everyone informed of our progress before the next meetings with the employer.   Dates and times to come, but these meeting will be in early June, prior to our next meeting with the employer.

 

Thank you from your Negotiating Committee, Seth Sazant, Mike Garofano and Jason Salchert

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Bill C377

Please see the following from Bob Jackson,

In conjunction with the Canadian Labour Congress, PSAC is calling on members to contact their Member of Parliament concerning Bill C-377. In its current form, Bill C-377 would be the most costly and discriminatory Bill faced by the labour movement across Canada in memory.

We ask that all members contact their local Member of Parliament – especially if the local MP is a Conservative – and voice opposition to the Bill C-377. For more information see below.

Bill C-377 is a Private Member’s Bill sponsored by MP Russ Hiebert. The Bill will require every labour organization (PSAC Local, District Labour Council, etc.) and every labour trust (pension plan, benevolent fund, training fund, and health and welfare fund) to file a public information return with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

The Bill would require all unions and each of their locals, area councils, etc. to disclose detailed financial information, salaries, supplier contracts, loans, accounts receivables, investments, and spending on organizing, collective bargaining, education and training, lobbying and all political activities.

The requirements are so detailed and so broad that the Canadian Labour Congress estimates that it will take the average local union 200-400 hours annually to prepare the returns at significant cost to local unions’ treasuries.

This Bill singles out labour organizations only – the Bill does not apply any other dues deducting professional organizations.

The Bill is being supported by such anti-union groups as the Fraser Institute, the Merit Shop Contractors and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business because they want access to this information to utilize when combatting organizing drives.

Attached are the CLC talking points on Bill C-377, a summary of Bill C-377, and the Bill itself, to assist you with contacting your MP.

If you would like assistance contacting your MP or more information, contact your PSAC Regional Office.

In solidarity,

Bob Jackson
Executive VP for British Columbia
Public Service Alliance of Canada

Bill C-377: Costly and Discriminatory
Discussion points for use in interviews, letters, briefs, etc.
1. This is a Bill trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
• Labour organizations are an example of organizations providing
transparency to their members.
• Union financial statements are already open to all members. Unions do
this kind of reporting to their members because they are open and
democratic organizations.
• On top of that, the vast majority of provincial labour codes require
unions to do this.
• A number of unions already distribute financial reports to their
members on an annual basis.
2. This Bill will be very costly for the government to administer, and it will
therefore cost taxpayers a lot of money.
• There are 25,000 union organizations, and internal divisions of union
organizations in Canada that will have to file incredibly detailed reports
under this Bill. All those reports will have to be processed.
• There will be a huge cost to government to develop all of the regulations
needed to enact the legislation, to develop and prepare all of the forms
and instruction booklets required, to develop the software programs to
file, receive and process the information, and to develop an online
searchable database. A conservative estimate is that this will generate
additional costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
• The government will need to employ many full-time staff: auditors,
accountants, lawyers and administrative workers to process those
reports. In comparison, there are currently about 100 employees at
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) processing and auditing charities which
have disclosure requirements not even close to the detailed reporting
requirements that are proposed in this Bill.
• The Bill would serve no useful purpose and will only cause needless
busy work for unions – but will benefit employers.
• Russ Hiebert, the MP behind this Bill said: “Public disclosure will help
the public better understand how the benefits that are provided are
being utilized.” But he also said in an interview that he had not received

a single call or complaint from any member of a union or the general
public saying they wanted the information and were unable to obtain it.
• This Bill would allow employers and anti-union groups to get extremely
detailed information about everything a union spends money on, and
how strong the union they are bargaining with is. This information
which will be provided to these groups, at taxpayers’ and union
expense, can be used to threaten collective bargaining rights and
organizing drives.
• In the United States, a similar data base is a gold mine of information
for anti-union employers.
• The strongest supporters of this Bill in Canada are the Merit Shop
Contractors and other open shop contractors (many of these contractors
are resisting union efforts to use properly trained and qualified
tradespeople), the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and
the Fraser Institute.
• Russ Hiebert stood in the Parliament and made statements that are
completely false and designed to mislead people.
• Hansard, the official record of debates in Parliament reports that he
stated, “unions already file detailed financial returns with CRA,
providing much of this information”. That statement is simply untrue.
• He also said, “filing would not impose any additional outside expense on
labour organizations”. Again, this is not true. The United States Office of
Management and Budget estimates that in the US, completing the forms
under their legislation, which requires less information that Bill C-377
requires over 550 hours of work each year – the equivalent of one
person working for three months to complete the task.
• And the Canadian legislation would apply to all national, international,
and regional unions, components and local unions along with
Federations of Labour and Labour Councils – approximately 25,000
organizations.
• Most of the local unions and many smaller national unions, which
depend on volunteers to carry out their work, simply do not have the
resources to do this themselves and if required, to hire professional staff
from outside, may need to reduce expenditures in other areas to off set
the increased cost of compliance.

• Hard working women and men pay into their labour organizations to
protect and advance their rights in the workplace and in society. The
time and money allocated to do those reports will be money not spent by
labour organizations to defend their members.
• The proposed Bill is an intrusion into the internal affairs of unions to
provide information to employers and anti-union groups while
penalizing unions with significantly increased costs.
• The Bill’s discriminatory treatment of unions reveals a hidden agenda.
• This legislation does not apply to other organizations that also charge
dues that are tax deductible by the members such as professional
organizations like the Law Societies and the Canadian Medical
Association.
• The fact that the proposed legislation only targets unions reveals a
hidden agenda where taxpayers bear the cost of collecting and making
detailed information available to big businesses who don’t want their
employees to exercise their right to join a union.
3. Privacy rights would be violated.
• This Bill violates the privacy rights of many individuals, companies, and
organizations. It requires that all transactions and all disbursements
over $5,000 be shown along with the name and address of the payer
and the payee, the purpose and description of the transaction and the
specific amount.
• This means every business or professional that does work for a union
will have all of the information about what they are charging and what
their contracts are, disclosed to the public, and therefore to their
competitors. The effect would be bad for businesses that have contracts
with union offices. Businesses like photocopier suppliers,
telecommunications companies, and office supply companies would
have their negotiated contracts publicly available for their competitors
to see.
• The Bill would also require labour organizations to disclose specific
details of any invoice from a legal firm over $5,000. This is a gross
violation of solicitor client privilege. No one should be required to
disclose to the government and the public, the details of their
relationship with their legal counsel.

• Trusteed pension and health plans will have to disclose the details of all
pension and health related expenditures over $5,000 which again
violates individual privacy rights.
• The requirement that there be a report of all disbursements to
employees means that everyone from the receptionist who answers the
phone at a union office to the president will have their names, salaries
and benefits disclosed to the public. Yet the Prime Minister’s Office says
it cannot disclose the salaries of people working there because it would
be an invasion of privacy. Sounds like a double standard.
4. The hidden agenda – interference in labour relations.
• This Bill, is not at all about taxes, so doesn’t belong in the Income Tax
Act. It is clearly interference in the labour laws of this country, most of
which are in provincial jurisdiction. It is an overt interference in the
labour relations process designed to give significant advantages to
employers, at taxpayers’ expense.

CLC Summary of Bill C-317
Introduction
Bill C-317 – An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (Labour Organizations) was
introduced as a Private Members Bill (PMB) on October 2, 2011 in the House of
Commons. The Bill requires that the Income Tax Act be changed to make it
mandatory for all labour organizations to make detailed annual financial filings
covering salaries, revenues, and expenses. The information would be posted, on the
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website, for anyone to read.
The framers of the Bill argue that workers get hundreds of millions of dollars in tax
benefits through union and professional dues deductions. They point out that
charities have to disclose how they spent their money on the CRA website because
people get a tax benefit when they contribute to a charity. They argue that any
organization that enjoys a tax exemption should be fully transparent so that
taxpayers may assess the propriety of their actions and determine whether the tax
exemption is being used for the intended purposes.
While the intent of the Bill seems simple enough, when you dig into the details, the
Bill is onerous and labour intensive in its reporting requirements on unions, unfair
in its segregation of labour organizations under the Income Tax Act, and completely
discriminatory in its disclosure requirements. There seems little or no connection to
the Bills filing and disclosure requirements over the internal affairs and
expenditures of trade unions and the tax deduction and exemption rules under the
federal tax authority.
The real crux of the Bill is political activity of labour organizations. Charities may
engage in political activities that are ancillary or incidental to their charitable
purposes, provided the charity devotes “substantially all” (generally 90% or more) of
its resources to charitable activities or purposes. In no case, may the charity directly
or indirectly support or oppose a particular candidate or Party. CRA monitors
political activities of charities, in part, through the annual filings of the charity.
By contrast, the Lavigne Supreme Court decision (1991) affirms the rights of unions
to engage in political activity without the restrictions that a charity is subject to.
This allows us to question the necessity of disclosing information on political activity
and lobbying to the tax authority, when the activity itself continues to be perfectly
lawful and does not affect a labour organization’s tax status.

Who is included? ─ Everyone!
Under the definitions of the Bill C-317, the Act defines a “labour organization” as
follows:
“labour organization” includes a labour society and any
organization formed for the purposes which include the
regulation of relations between employers and employees
and includes a duly organized group or federation, congress,
labour council, joint council, conference, general committee,
or joint board of such organizations.”
The definition of labour organization is quite broadly framed. Umbrella organizations
that do not directly participate in negotiation and administration of collective
agreements may still be subject to the disclosure provisions of Bill C-317.
“Labour Trusts” have the same requirements under the Bill but there is no mention
of union controlled non-profit corporations. If a non-profit corporation, for example,
is considered excluded from the labour organization exemption and is structured to
provide benefits to union members, it could be considered a taxable entity. This all
depends on how CRA chooses to interpret the information obtained in their review of
the public information returns.
What do we have to disclose?
Section 149.01 – Subsection 3 requires disclosure of financial statement to include:
• Individual transactions above $5,000 identifying the payee, payer, the purpose
and description of the the transaction with such transactions segregated
based on accounts receivable, loans, asset sales, investments, accounts
payable, and loans payable.
• Disbursements to officers, directors, and trustees must be identified in similar
fashion to executive compensation disclosure in public companies, with the
added disclosure of percentage of time dedicated to political and
lobbying activities.
• Sub-statements disclosing disbursements to employees and contractors again
with political and lobbying activities segregated and reported.
• Disbursements respecting labour relations activities, political activities,
contributions, gifts and grants, administration, general overhead, organizing
activities, collective bargaining activities, conferences and convention
activities, education and training, legal, and categories yet to be prescribed.

• International unions must disclose amounts allocated to the Canadian union
or Trust and the expenditure of the labour organization or Trust both inside
and outside Canada.
The drafters of this legislation are also seeking to find the proportion of salary paid
to officers and employees and contrast the amount of resources dedicated to
labour relations activities with political and lobbying activities.
Comparison with Charities
A Canadian charity can operate in only one of two ways: either it devotes its
resources to carrying out its own charitable activities or it makes grants to qualified
donees.
In contrast, the policies applied to labour organizations where it has been long
recognized and accepted, that the only restriction on a labour organization’s
activities in order for the tax exemption to apply, is that any commercial activities it
engages in, are not the organization’s dominant purposes and that any commercial
proceeds are generally used for labour organization activities.
In contrast to charities, the Supreme Court of Canada in the Lavigne case,
specifically recognized the importance and legitimacy of trade unions engaging in
political and advocacy activities, as integrally related to collective bargaining and the
broader aims of their members.
Furthermore, unlike a trade union’s activities, where decisions about which
activities to engage in are part of the democratic decisions of the membership, the
charity system is essentially a closed system.
Disclosure
Contrary to the general policy of the Income Tax Act that disclosure of taxation
information is treated as confidential, this Bill would make all information openly
accessible to the public and open to public scrutiny.
Under Bill C-317, the level of disclosure for labour organizations is far more onerous
than for regular charities.
Bill C-317 requires labour organizations to make reports available to the public,
through the minister, while charities have to make individualized reports, but they
are not made available to the public.

There is a solid rationale for high level disclosure of governance and financial
information for charities. Since charities publicly solicit donations in an open forum
for the purpose of applying the donations to further charitable objects, small
safeguards should be in place to ensure that the objectives communicated to
potential donors are adhered to and that the money donated is dedicated to the
purposes. This rationale does not extend to trade unions.
Labour organizations operate for the benefit of its members. The governance and
transparency of the organization should be a matter of concern to the membership,
not the general public. The nature of Bill C-317 would seem to go more to the
regulation of labour organizations, a matter unrelated to fiscal enforcement or
taxation. There simply does not appear to be an income tax enforcement basis
for the disclosure entailed in Bill C-317.
In comparison to public and private corporations, there is nothing in the Income Tax
Act that requires or leads to public disclosure of financial transactions or
governance information for public and private corporations, including those that
bargain with trade unions. There is nothing that singles out expenditures over
$5,000 or various components of those expenditures or details of salary, political or
lobbying expenditures for mandatory reporting by corporations, nor is there any
required public disclosures.
Finally, there is no intention to change the existing assessment rules regarding tax
exempt status and deductibility of dues, the sheer level of detail sought is not tied to
assessment at all, leading one to question whether Bill C-317, as drafted, can be
challenged as being outside of purposes of the Act and beyond federal taxation for
requesting labour organizations filings appears to be to obtain information on who is
engaging in and how much money is spent on lobbying and political activities.
The right-wing think tank, Canadian Centre for Policy Studies claims that the
“proposed changes go a long way toward restoring the right of workers to control
how their dues are spent, but its only a first step. In the long run, this information
will only matter if workers are allowed to opt-out of paying for non-bargaining
activities with which they disagree.”

Click on the link below to read the bill

http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/hoc/Bills/411/Private/C-377/C-377_1/C-377_1.PDF

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Moncton airport, workers reach contract

Main, Tuesday, February 21, 2012, p. A3
Moncton airport, workers reach contract ? Five-year deal includes 14.75 per cent wage increase
Times &transcript staff ?
The Greater Moncton International Airport Authority (GMIAA) has reached a five-year contract agreement with the union that represents 37 employees at the airport.
The unionized employees include firefighters, maintenance and administration staff.
The settlement follows several months of negotiations. The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE) local 60605 voted 100 per cent in favour of ratifying the agreement on Feb. 15.
“We are proud of this agreement and of the relationship we have built with the employer,” said Jeannie Baldwin, PSAC Atlantic Regional executive vice-president. “We look forward to continuing to work together in the spirit fairness.”
The settlement gives a 14.75 per cent wage increase over the five-year term of the new contract, to the 37 GMIAA employees represented by PSAC.
Rob Robichaud, president and CEO of the GMIAA, states “I am pleased to see both parties came to an agreement and that negotiations were smooth. I believe it shows the level of respect that each of the parties had for each other throughout the process.”
This is the fourth set of contract negotiations for the Union since the Authority took over the Airport from Transport Canada in 1997. GMIAA’s vision is to be the airport of choice in Atlantic Canada and our mission aims for leadership in operating a safe, clean, efficient, friendly, profitable airport.

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To PSAC Locals Presidents, National Officers, BC Regional Council

Sisters and Brothers,

As part of the fight-back activities that we all committed to at the President’s Conference in 2011 we are asking PSAC members in BC to in a National Day of Action Thursday, March 1st at lunchtime.

On March 1st PSAC members across the country will congregate outside of their worksites and hold signs that say “Standing Together for Public Services”. Each worksite is encouraged to take a photo of their action, no matter how big or small, and we will publish them at the national website – this will send a clear message to the Harper Government in advance of the budget that we are strong and united.

Here in BC members can email their photos to Patrick Bragg – braggp@psac.com

In the upcoming budget the government is promising to make reckless cuts to the public services Canadians rely on. This Conservative austerity plan will have a devastating impact on families and communities across Canada.

These cuts will hurt, not help, our economy and could lead to the loss of up to 100,000 public and private sector jobs. It’s absurd to force us to choose between a strong economy and strong public services. Canadians need both!

On March 1st thousands of PSAC members across the country will be standing together at their worksites to demand better.

Your PSAC Regional Representative will soon be in touch on a Local-by-Local basis with more information and to let you know how you can get your members involved.

Together, in every city, every Local, and every worksite in BC we need to send a message to the government – Canadians deserve better!

In Solidarity,

Bob Jackson
Executive VP for British Columbia

Public Service Alliance of Canada

302-5238 Joyce Street
Vancouver, B.C., V5R 6C9

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Airport takes out ad to explain strike

Fredericton Daily Gleaner
Business, Thursday, February 16, 2012, p. D1
Airport takes out ad to explain strike Flights continue Union denies they’re demanding a 30 per cent pay increase
STEPHEN LLEWELLYN llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com
The Fredericton International Airport Authority has taken out a newspaper ad to explain the labour dispute to the public. The ad says the union is seeking a 30 per cent pay hike over four years and the airport can’t afford it.
“We feel that the union is … hiding behind the old platitude that we don’t negotiate in public,” said John Hamilton, director of marketing and business development at the airport, on Wednesday. “They refuse to discuss what they want.”
The ad said the airport is a private sector, not-for-profit organization and the union is used to negotiating big wage increases with big government. The authority said the airport is offering the striking workers a wage hike of three per cent a year for six years, of which three are retroactive. “What we’re trying to do is put those issues on the table so people can make an informed decision,” said Hamilton.
He said the airport was operating normally on Day 3 of the strike and no flights were delayed. On Tuesday, one flight was delayed but it wasn’t related to the strike, he said. “Everything is status quo,” said Hamilton. “The union is being very kind and letting people go through without hassling anybody.”The Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Union of Canadian Transportation Employees Local 60601 went on strike Monday morning after unsuccessful negotiations on the weekend.
The union represents 25 workers in charge of clearing runways, maintaining buildings and equipment, and providing fire, security, emergency, administration and billing services at the Fredericton airport. Hamilton said there are no new negotiations scheduled. We would love to get back to the table as soon as possible,” he said Tuesday. “I think both sides seem to be will to talk. I hope that’s going to happen quickly.”
Meanwhile, spirits on the picket line at the Fredericton International Airport are rising with the temperature, said a union leader. “It’s warmer,” said Anna Goguen, regional representative for PSAC and spokeswoman for the striking airport workers, on Wednesday. “It’s like summer after a couple of days of -20 C.” “Everything is good on the picket line.”
She said everyone who hasn’t been declared essential is manning the picket line in shifts. The striking workers are getting support from other unions, including the donation of a cord of wood, she said. The picket line Wednesday was at the airport entrance roadway, with five to six picketers on each shift, said Goguen.
She said the picket line wasn’t blocking traffic, but people are stopping to receive an information pamphlet. On Tuesday the striking workers were handing out Valentine’s Day chocolates to people passing through the picket line, she said. “Pretty well everybody that is going by is stopping,” said Goguen Tuesday. “People do stop for chocolate. “We find most people are very supportive and want to know what the strike is about.” She said the strikers are asking the travelling public to contact airport CEO David Innes and get the strike settled. There are no new negotiations planned at the moment, she said. Goguen denied management’s suggestions the strikers are seeking a 30 per cent wage hike over six years.
“I don’t know where he is coming (from) with those figures,” she said. “I was just as surprised as everybody reading the article.” But Goguen also said she couldn’t say what the workers were seeking because she wasn’t the negotiator and didn’t want to negotiate in public.
The workers have been without a contract since 2009.

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PSAC BC Union School

*** To PSAC Locals & Activists in BC, please distribute widely ***

Greetings!

I’m pleased to let you know this years PSAC BC Union School will take place in Vancouver, March 23-25, under the theme “Our Strength: Mobilizing and Fighting Back”.

Our goal at the Union School is to provide PSAC activists with the opportunity to learn about, practice, and return to their worksites and communities with the strategies and skills needed mobilize and motivate members and the public to fight against federal government cuts and privatization.

The theme builds on and supports the campaigns currently underway within the PSAC as well as in the broader labour movement – campaigns fighting back against cuts and changes to the public service, the social safety net and workers’ rights in Canada.

While this is an increasingly challenging time for all of us, it is also a unique opportunity to find new ways to mobilize and fight back. The school will use plenary sessions and workshops with guest speakers, panellists, music, the arts, non-traditional political action and social media to challenge, motivate, mobilize and empower PSAC members. 

What better way to spend a weekend than with 80 plus of your friends, fellow activists and union sisters and brothers?

For more information about the 2012 Union School, as well as online registration, visit the regional website.

Looking forward to seeing you in March, in Solidarity,

PB

Patrick Bragg
PSAC Vancouver RO
604 430 5631 | 1 800 663 1655

psacbc.com | facebook.com/psacbc | psac.com

Do you really need to print this email?

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Scholarships available

UCTE is proud to offer 4 memorial scholarships.
2012 Post-secondary scholarships: UCTE awards annually, 2 memorial scholarships, one based on academic achievement and the other based on financial need, to the children and/or grand-children of members who are entering their first year of post-secondary education. 
Applications for the 2012 Memorial Scholarship must be received in the national office by August 27, 2012.  You can receive an application either through your Local or by the link below.

The D. Bennett/W. Weaver Memorial Scholarship for Labour College: In accordance with Regulation XV, the D. Bennett/W. Weaver Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a member who has been approved to attend the Labour College Residential Program. To access this scholarship please speak with your Local Executive or your Regional Vice-President.  For more information about this scholarship please contact your Regional Vice-President
The Gary Farrell Scholarship:  The Gary Farrell Scholarship is for any member who wants to attend a full or part time program in the area of Health and Safety, Workers Compensation, Duty to Accommodate or Labour Relations or to UCTE members who wish to atten a full or parti time post secondary program in Social Justice or any social science programs.  For information about this scholarship, please contact your Regional Vice-President.

Attachment Size
Scholarship application 2012.pdf 64.42 KB

http://www.ucte.com/index.php?q=en/about/scholarships

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BOYCOTT OF SODEXO CAFETERIA IN THE AIR CANADA HANGAR/OPS CENTRE

To: B.C. Federation of Labour Affiliated Ranking Officers, Executive Council, Committee Members

RE: BOYCOTT OF SODEXO CAFETERIA IN THE AIR CANADA HANGAR/OPS CENTRE

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

On September 25, 2011, Sodexo took over the contract to operate the cafeteria at the Air Canada Operations Centre at Vancouver Airport. The cafeteria has been staffed by members of UNITE HERE Local 40, many with more than 20 years serving Air Canada personnel. Both Sodexo and Air Canada are refusing to hire the current cafeteria employees.

The Local 40 cafeteria workers are asking for your support by:

1. Refraining from using the 3rd floor cafeteria in the Air Canada Hangar/Ops Centre until the entire staff is rehired; and

2. Write to Air Canada to complain regarding their refusal to rehire the cafeteria staff.

The B.C. Federation of Labour Officers has decided to implement a boycott of the cafeteria at the Air Canada Operations Centre. Please advise all union members that this boycott is in effect and ask for their support of the Air Canada cafeteria workers.

In Solidarity, Jim Sinclair, President, BC Federation of Labour

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Air Canada flight attendants vote 98 per cent in favour of a strike mandate

Sep 13, 2011 04:46 PM

Flight Attendants at Air Canada have given their union a strong strike mandate. On a vote held between September 4 and September 13, 98 per cent of members of the Air Canada Component of CUPE voted in favour of strike action.
“A strike vote does not mean we will necessarily go on strike, but it means we will strike if we need to. What we want and still hope for is a negotiated deal with the company”, says Jeff Taylor, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE.
“This is a clear message to Air Canada: our members are determined to get a fair deal,” says Taylor, “No one wants a strike, but if we can’t reach a tentative agreement which addresses our members concerns, and soon, it could be our only choice.”
A legal strike could only occur after the end of conciliation. In this case, that means a strike could be called at the earliest on Sept. 21, at 00:01 a.m.
The union is determined to negotiate a better deal for Air Canada’s 6,800 flight attendants. After a decade of concessions on wages, pensions and working conditions, the members of the Air Canada Component of CUPE say they deserve a fair deal.

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Saint John Airport members reach tentative agreement

Saint John Airport members reach tentative agreement

August 2011

25 UCTE/PSAC workers at Saint John Airport in Saint John, NB, have been without a contract since December 31, 2008.  Negotiations with the employer came to a standstill when the employer decided to walk away from the table claiming they had nothing left to offer. 

After two days of legal strike action, both parties were able to reach a tentative agreement late Wednesday afternoon.  UCTE offers its congratulations to the members at Saint John Airport for an effective strike action that a brought a quick resolution to almost three years without a collective agreement.

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