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| Coast to Coast | |||
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JANUARY 2004 Greetings: I trust that everyone enjoyed the short respite during the holiday season and the New Year has been good to you so far. We have had positive developments in the First District, not the least being that we are welcoming an additional International Representative to our staff. The "Coast to Coast Update" will appear every month on the First District website at www.ibew1st.org. Please make your members aware. Business Managers will continue to receive the hard copy in the mail. We continue to strive for a revitalized I.B.E.W. in Canada through planning, communication, and of course, promoting organizing in every Local Union across the country. Two components of our organizing plan are the COMET Train the Trainer Courses and the Organizing Conferences scheduled over the next few months. Registration for our COMET Train the Trainer Courses is good but we still have seats available. Make sure your Local Union is part of this strategic initiative to increase our market share. We continue to plan for our Organizing Conferences in the East and West and will have the information to each Local Union as soon as possible. Phil Flemming Pension Investment Training at CLC Winter School The First District Office receives bulletins from SHARE (Shareholder Association for Research and Education) and the most recent information package contained announcements about two in-depth Pension Investment Training programs titled "Pension Investment and Governance for Union Trustees". This course will refine the Trustee’s knowledge and skills in the areas of: - Plan investment policies - Choosing external service providers - Shareholder activism and proxy voting - Understanding actuarial valuations - Applying social and understanding criteria to investment decisions - Trustee fiduciary duties These are five-day courses, and while it is too late for the one scheduled in British Columbia from January 25 – 30, 2004, it is not too late for anyone interested in the Ontario session, scheduled to held in Port Elgin from February 15 – 20, 2004. This course is taught by SHARE staff and pension and investment experts. For more information, contact SHARE at Phone: 604-408-2456 or by fax 604-408-2526, or e-mail: info@share.ca Power Sector News Manitoba Hydro is asking the Public Utilities Board for a rate hike, its first in seven years. The Crown Corporation said it wants a three per cent hike for April 1, 2004, and another 2.5% to be effective April 2005. Ohio’s First Energy was ordered to pay costs of the investigation into the summer blackout. Ohio’s section of the power grid experienced at least 64 glitches in the four hours before the blackout. Ontario Power Generation Inc.’s debt ratings are under review after the Ontario Government revealed that the power utility is facing more than $1-billion cash shortfall in the next two years. Some Hydro Ottawa employees are being encouraged to retire early to avoid imminent layoffs in January. The city-owned company is trying to reduce its workforce by 40 people. From the Canadian Labour Congress National Day of Mourning Since 1984, When the CLC Executive Council first endorsed the National Day of Mourning for Workers Killed and Injured on the Job, it has grown into a worldwide annual event observed by unions, central labour bodies, labour councils municipalities and national governments. The Day of Mourning is observed in nearly a hundred countries worldwide. This year is the twentieth anniversary of the event in Canada and the CLC has produced a new poster marking the occasion. Also, on November 7, 2003, Bill C-45, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (criminal liability of organizations) received Royal Assent and is now law. It is now a criminal offence for organizations, principally companies and corporations, to endanger the lives of their employees through the recklessness or negligence of their directors or officers. Relations with the new Liberal Government and Meeting with the Prime Minister The CLC emphasized that the focus must be on the creation of jobs, and has stated that the softwood lumber deal currently being floated signal that Canada is willing to forgo our ability to manage our resources. No effort was made about this deal to consult with the unions, and it offers no protection of employment in Canada. The CLC also expressed concern around Public, Private, Partnership (P3’s), privatization of public services and lack of protection for workers’ pensions in bankruptcy proceedings. While employment figures were somewhat improved, the CLC is requesting input into developing a comprehensive industrial policy in this country. The Prime Minister’s Office has committed to regular meetings between the Executive Committee and senior Cabinet Ministers to discuss issues of importance to the labour movement. The Image of Labour and Organizing Opportunities Further to the CLC’s poll results as referenced in the December 2003 Coast to Coast, the poll determined that Canadian employees, for the most part, are positively predisposed toward unions. The survey found that women, young people and immigrant workers in particular are receptive to unions and that 8 per cent of the poll respondents would be willing to join a union through the Internet, quietly and out of earshot of managers. Making it Work – On the Job Training in Apprenticeship We have notified the Locals in the past about this small booklet produced by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF) that is available as a valuable resource of information prepared for employers, apprentices and journeypersons involved in the on-the-job portion of apprenticeship. This guide easily fits into a pocket or a toolbox, and is available through this office or the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum at a cost of $3.00 each. |
For full details on this and other CAF projects, visit their website at www.caf-fca.org. Some Positive Developments by Two Provincial Governments Remembrance Day is to become a Paid Holiday in New Brunswick. Currently, most establishments in New Brunswick must remain closed on November 11, Remembrance Day, but it is not a paid holiday. The province will be introducing legislation to make Remembrance Day a paid public holiday commencing in 2004. The Ontario government announced on January 19, 2004, that it intends to eliminate the 60-hour workweek introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2000. Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference It is with great pride and pleasure to announce that two IBEW Union Leaders who were nominated for this prestigious conference have been picked. Rod Hilton, Organizer for Local 804, as well as International Representative Laird Cronk, were picked from a number of nominees. They are among 225 leaders from business, government, labour and other sectors, who are about to embark on a unique intensive 15-day program starting in May 2004. Congratulations to both of you because this will prove to be a valuable experience in your lives. Two Successful Grievances at Arbitration In Local 1574, Whitehorse, one grievance dealt with a Conflict of Interest Policy of the company. The company had suspended the griever, but upon going to arbitration, the arbitrator gave the griever a reduction in discipline, with a written warning, and the company has been ordered to remove the suspension from the griever’s record and pay him lost wages. In another grievance in the same Local, a Northwestel employee quit his job because of supervisor harassment. This ended up going to arbitration and the arbitrator awarded the griever his job back with restitution. Negotiations Local 254, Calgary, has settled negotiations with Enmax, with an increase in wages of 3% on the effective date of the agreement, 1% in October and 3% in the second year. Local 1007, Edmonton is in negotiations with Epcor, but progress is slow. The Civic Collective Agreement, which provides maintenance to the City of Edmonton, has been settled with increases of 3% in 2003, 3.5% in 2004 and 3.5% in 2005. Local 424, Edmonton, has been in negotiations since the Spring of 2002 with the electrical contractors association, but bargaining is frustrated with influence from the CLRA who are demanding concessions. The Ontario Construction Council is also in negotiations with the Provincial Contractors Association to renew the three-year agreement, which expires at the end of April 2004. These negotiations include the Provincial Section of the Agreement, as well as the Appendices, Line Work and Communication Work. Jurisdiction The IBEW received two good decisions in December from an arbitrator over Stress Relieving. On projects in Sarnia and Windsor, Ontario, Global Heat was using only UA members for Stress Relieving work. This was taken to the Canadian Plan for the Settlement of Jurisdictional Disputes, and the arbitrator, Mr. J.P. Kenny ruled that this work is governed by the Ward-Pillard Agreement. International Staff It is very sad to report that we have lost another to cancer. Retired International Representative Jack Kearney’s wife, Carol Anne Kearney, passed away on Sunday, January 18, 2004. On a more positive development, we are very pleased to announce that International President Ed Hill has given authorization to hire Brother Luc Couture to the First District Staff, effective February 1, 2004. Brother Couture’s primary duties will include servicing the Railroad Locals in Canada, organizing in the RR industry and organizing in the industrial sector in the Province of Quebec. Please make Brother Couture feel welcome to the First District Staff. Dates to Remember in the Near Future The Voice Data Video Conference is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from March 11- 15, 2004. The Construction and Maintenance Conference is scheduled to be held in Washington from March 25 – 27, 2004. Comet Train the Trainer In December, we notified all local unions with (i) and (o) jurisdiction that there will be six COMET Train the Trainer Courses facilitated across Canada between February and May. The location and dates of the courses are:
As we said in the notice, the participants are not restricted to any one location, and although the courses are geared towards the construction industry, we welcome participation from other branches of the IBEW. Organizing Conferences Two Organizing Conferences have been tentatively scheduled for April 19, 20, 21, 22 in Ottawa and June 1, 2, 3, and 4 in Kelowna. The Conferences will be training-based with emphasis on the "how to" for both industrial and construction. Please mark your calendars and more information will be provided at a later date. Semiannual Construction Employment Survey Also, this is a reminder for the Construction Locals that the Semiannual Construction Employment Survey is due to be sent to the Education and Research Department no later than February 6, 2004. |
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International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL-CIO, CLC |
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