Sisters and Brothers,
Local 1996-O Equity Committee and local Executive wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe holiday season and all the best in the new year to you and your families.
Local 1996-O Executive would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!
Lee, Sanjay, Brian, Chris
image(s) source provided by Pixabay
pixabay.com
UPDATE ON WIRELESS HOME INTERNET (WHI) MARKET WORK
Brothers and Sisters,
Our Committee is pleased to inform you that Bell has confirmed with Unifor that they will be REPATRIATING their WIRELESS HOME INTERNET (WHI) market work. Bell Technical Solutions in Ontario and Quebec will receive a significant amount of that work in the coming months as Bell releases their current contractor base moving forward.
This is great news for the Union and our bargaining unit as it represents a significant increase to our work load which will ultimately provide more hours of work for employees, both part-time and full-time and will hopefully drive further growth though hiring in the workplace which will lead to more upgrades and workforce stability in general.
As you know Unifor has been fighting for this work since the day Bell announced and executed their initial plans to roll this product line to a projected 1.2 million customers, utilizing non-unionized contractors across the board. Unifor, over the past two years working behind the scenes, as well as with our Committee and members across Canada have fought to bring this work back home where it belongs with unionized workers of the Bell Family. This announcement from Bell and Unifor is tremendously positive news for our bargaining unit in a year that has been fraught with issues and unrest, in addition to the current world Covid-19 Pandemic.
We have been informed that training on the WIRELESS HOME INTERNET (WHI) will commence relatively quickly as contractors in Ontario are phased out. The work is expected to officially transfer to Bell Technical Solutions in the month of March 2021 but we will likely assume some of the work before. We will advise locals as more information becomes available to us. Watch for similar announcements from the employer as well to stay informed .
This is fantastic news for us as the end of the year approaches, and without a doubt will signify a great start for 2021. In closing we would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a safe and happy 2020 /2021 holiday season.
In Solidarity
Your Bargaining Committee
Unifor stands in solidarity with the farmers in India’s Punjab and Haryana states protesting the deregulation of agricultural markets.
At issue is the pending elimination of the guaranteed minimum price for agricultural products. Indian workers say that the deregulation of the industry will be devastating for the quality of life for farmers and have cascading effects across the Indian workforce as wages are driven downwards.
“Shame on India’s government for using a pandemic as an excuse to ram through draconian industrial reforms,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Farmers and their allies should be congratulated for taking a firm stance against deregulation.”
Protests against the new laws have spread to nation-wide blockades. In addition to driving down wages, small-scale farmers are concerned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reforms will overwhelmingly benefit large corporate-owned farm operations.
“Deregulation doesn’t work. Working people always lose when left to the whims of multinational corporations,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer. “Unifor is proud to stand with India’s farmers in their fight for economic justice.”
Tell your MP and provincial representative now that Canada’s workers need emergency prescription drug coverage today before it’s too late.
While Bill C-213, the Canada Pharmacare Act is slowly making its way through Parliament, a fully implemented universal Pharmacare plan is still far away from a reality. In the meantime, workers, particularly in the hospitality sector, are at risk of losing access to potentially life-saving prescription drug coverage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We need a solution to this crisis now.
Appointees to the B.C. Tourism Task Force delivered their final report to the provincial government on December 9. Titled The Future of Travel: Positioning B.C. to Accelerate Recovery and Growth it outlines urgent recommendations to help B.C.’s tourism industry recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and encourage long-term growth in the sector.
Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle was among a select group of 11 panelists tasked with composing a balanced blueprint for government support for an industry that generates $20 billion in revenues and employs more than 160,000 British Columbians.
Over the past three months, the task force studied best practices from other jurisdictions and considered the effectiveness and gaps in the various provincial and federal relief programs. The task force also heard testimony from experts in the industry.
“It’s hard to undersell the impact the pandemic has had on workers connected to the tourism and hospitality sector,” said McGarrigle. “All levels of government must act swiftly to reduce the impact on workers and ensure that the industry can thrive when the economy exits the slump caused by the pandemic.”
The task force’s report was received by tourism minister Melanie Mark. The provincial government has allocated $50 million to the Economic Recovery Plan, although the task force estimates it will take double that to properly protect workers and stimulate tourism after COVID-19.