Unifor Local 1996-O

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Steward Nominations 1996-O

The 7 day Steward Nomination period is now open as of March 12 2021, nominations must be received by Fax (416-538-1997) no later than March 20 2021 at 10:00am EST.

Please follow the instructions on the nomination form itself to correctly indicate your current division and location as well as information and times etc….see sample nomination attached below

 

  • Due to Covid-19 restrictions if you are unable to obtain signatures from nominators, indicate in the signature field the nominator’s contact phone number which will be confirmed

 

Sample Nomination Form (This is a sample only)

Sample – Nomination Form Stewards 2021

 

Download 2021 Steward Nomination Form here

Nomination Form Stewards 2021

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Election changes show Ontario Conservatives are worried

Jerry Dias, National President

Wed, 03/10/2021

The past year has laid bare the inequities in our society.

COVID-19 has shown that workers struggling to get by on minimum wage – from personal support workers, to grocery and warehouse workers – and those in the gig economy are not only essential, but put themselves at risk to keep our communities running during a pandemic.

Working families across our province have been forced to make impossible decisions between staying home when they are sick or going to work and risk spreading a deadly virus to their co-workers.

With an election in Ontario just over a year away, you’d hope that we’d have a chance to make their voices heard and use the lessons of the pandemic to fix the systemic problems it has exposed by electing a government truly committed to doing so.

The ruling Conservatives, however, have introduced a new election financing law that could stifle that debate by amplifying the voice of the rich and quieting that of working people.

The new law would double the personal allowable political contribution from $1,500 to $3,000 – something only rich donors and their beneficiaries will be able to take full advantage of.

Already, Ontario’s Conservative Party not only has the most individual donors – 12,867 in 2019, compared with 7,828 for the NDP and 5,205 for the Liberals – but also the most people who donate the maximum allowed.

It stands to sense and reason, then, that Conservative stand to benefirt most by boosting the maximum donation.

At the same time, the new law would severely limit the voice of working families, who must pool their resources to have a voice approaching that of the Conservative’s wealthy backers.

It would do this by limiting how much so-called third-party groups, such as unions, community groups or non-profits, can spend in the full year before an election, up from the previous six months.

Premier Doug Ford knows exactly what he is doing. This is a clear move against groups such as Working Families, which Unifor is proud to participate in because we believe it is vital that the needs of working people are front and centre during any election.

Coming out of this pandemic, we will need a vigorous debate about the policies to rebuild Ontario and the rest of Canada. Working people, those on the frontlines over the past year and most affected by COVID-19’s devastation, need and deserve to have their voices heard.

This new law, however, is about stopping that debate, and limiting discussion on such issues as paid sick days and the state of long term care.

Democracy is about having these discussions, out in the open and with everyone heard, and then deciding how to move forward. This new law however, stifles that discussion.

Let’s face it, working people aren’t donating $1,500 to political campaigns, let alone $3,000. The numbers bear that out. While fully 6% of Conservative donors hit the max now, only 1.9% of Liberal donors do, and 1.2% for the NDP.

Working people are too stretched just paying the bills to make big donations. They’re too busy worrying whether they’ll bring COVID-19 home to their families. They’re too stressed wondering if they’ll get a vaccine any time soon.

We can’t let ourselves be too distracted by life and death issues to notice this torqueing of the province’s election laws to Conservative advantage.

The new bill goes beyond financing, and into some disturbing territory.

It prohibits citizen-advocacy groups from accepting donations from the same people, from using the same advertising agency for their separate campaigns, and from even talking to each other about the election.

Think about that. this law would not only limit how much those advocating for working families can spend to make their voices heard, it would control who we can talk to, and even what ad firms we can use.

Unions share common goals about making life better for working families. But under this new law, we can’t talk to each other about that.

Sounds like a government that knows its policies should see it turfed from office – and so wants to silence those who would remind voters how badly it has failed them.

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Bell Craft Bargaining – update

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Campaign Update

Bell Craft Bargaining History, Issue 1 of 8

3/2/2021 –The Ongoing Diminishment of the Once Mighty Craft and Services Bargaining Unit

The Craft and Services Bargaining Unit included 20,000 members  (15,000 Technicians and 5,000 Operators) in 1988. Where did Bell move the work?

The company consistently and drastically reduces the number of jobs in out unit, here’s how.

Between 1994 and 1996 with the formation of Expertech (Formerly part of the Bell Construction Department) and the elimination of Residential Service Technicians which had been replaced by Newco/Entourage, as of July 1st 1999, the bargaining unit had shrank by almost 63% to 7,356 members.

When Bell purchased Entourage outright in 2005 they renamed it Bell Technical Solutions (BTS). Not only has Bell cut a huge volume of employees through spinning off residential technician work to BTS, now they have began to accelerate the pushing away of business work performed by Bell Craft technicians.

In 2012, the Bell Craft unit had been reduced to 30% (4,546 members) of 1988 staffing levels, a trend that the company committed to stopping and levelling out at 2012 bargaining.

The premise was a new wage scale and more flexible job security would result in more hiring and a stabilization of the membership count. Unfortunately, these commitments were not honoured, and the trend continued into 2016 when we saw levels continue downward to 27% (3,987 members) of 1988 staffing levels.

The Craft Bargaining unit currently sat at 3,466 members as of August 31, 2020.

This is a reduction of 83% since 1988, and a stark reminder that for the next generation of craft workers, a good job, with good compensation and benefits will be even harder to find.

Frequent Retirement Incentive Offers helped pave the way for where we are today, but the reality it is the company that has not met their end of the bargain. Jobs have not returned, work is not being replaced and so the time to question our job security is far past due.

Bell, it’s time for respect and job security for the Craft and Services Bargaining Unit.

Information Bulletin #10

2/26/2021 -Sisters and Brothers,

The Bargaining Committee met on Tuesday via teleconference with the Local delegates from the various regions of our unit, Southwest, North/East, Quebec and the GTA. We spoke to them about how the Company’s concessionary demands would undermine our priorities on jobs as well as job security. Furthermore, they were advised the decision to file a notice of dispute was not simply made because our demands were ignored, but because the concessionary demands would eventually lead to the elimination of the bargaining unit.

Once the Committee filed the notice of dispute on February 19th, a window opened until March 6th for the Company to file with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board an application to intervene over a lack of an agreement over Maintenance of Activities in the event of a lock out or strike.

On Wednesday, we held an all delegates call via Zoom with Unifor National lawyer Anthony Dale to explain to the Local delegates what this means for our bargaining unit moving forward. The Canadian Labour Code under section 87.4 mandates an agreement between the unit and the company must be concluded by either negotiated agreement or CIRB decision prior to the process moving forward and well before a lockout or strike can occur.

This does not mean negotiations cannot restart.  If talks do resume we will advise the delegates of a change of bargaining status. Currently we are moving forward with an understanding the Company will apply to the Board, as negotiations have not proceeded sufficiently to solve the Maintenance of Activities issue, in regards to the number of employees needed to provide essential services without intervention.

If this does happen, the process could be delayed, which will directly affect bargaining timelines. The Committee stands ready to bargain, but not with ourselves. We recommend members reach out to their Locals for further clarification if needed.

As always, your patience and support is greatly appreciated.

In Solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee

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Advocates announce day of action for affordable internet, as Supreme Court delivers defeat to Bell Canada

Read more courtesy of The Toronto Star  Click here for the full article

By Rosa Saba Business Reporter

A coalition of advocates, organizations and researchers is launching a nationwide day of action to demand affordable-internet policies from the federal government.

The online Day of Action for Affordable Internet, March 16, will “demand the immediate implementation of federal measures to deliver affordable internet and wireless services in Canada and to put an end to constantly increasing bills,” according to a press release Thursday.

The pandemic has made affordable internet access — already an issue before COVID-19 — an acute need, said Laura Tribe, executive director of grassroots organization OpenMedia.

People who once could get by with just a cellphone, or who relied on internet access at the library, now need internet at home to work, get education, or access basic services, she said.

“People have really been forced to prioritize their internet access, even though … it hasn’t been any more available or affordable for them,” Tribe said, adding that while there is a patchwork of national and regional programs aimed at bridging the digital divide, many fall through the cracks…..

continue reading…click the link at the top

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Program for 6,000 new PSWs, “tip of what’s needed, gravity of shortage requires Ontario double that number to tackle long-term care staffing crisis,” say health care unions

TORONTO, ON – Long-term care staffing in Ontario remain far below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. The gravity of the staffing shortage requires a substantive and comprehensive recruitment, training and retention workforce strategy, say health care unions representing approximately 70,000 Personal Support Workers (PSWs).

Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction from what was announced just 48 hours ago, but it lacks the comprehensive strategy required to hire the requisite number of PSWs to reach the goal of four hours of hands-on care per resident per day that seniors need for dignified, quality care. Paid training and free tuition for workers, most of whom are women, is much needed news and will help remove a barrier for those considering becoming PSWs.

Key among the strategy to retain workers must be a plan to turn part-time work into full-time jobs, as well as a living wage to ensure PSWs have the financial security they need to make this essential work a career. The temporary PSW wage enhancement is set to expire in just a few weeks and must be made permanent for all.

QUOTES:

“Without a commitment to workers in the care economy, Ontario’s most vulnerable seniors will continue to wait for the care they deserve. After shouldering the crushing weight of the pandemic, PSWs deserve no less than a living wage and they should receive it right away. Our ability to recruit the PSWs we need is directly correlated to the conditions of work, so let’s get that done.” – Sharleen Stewart, President, SEIU Healthcare

“With the province losing thousands of PSWs to attrition each year, the announcement of 6,000 trainees is only the tip of what’s needed. The province must commit to additional investments to train the tens of thousands of PSWs that are required to address the crisis at the bedside. They must also implement a comprehensive retention strategy that addresses the abysmal working conditions in our Long Term Care homes.”– Candace Rennick, Secretary-Treasurer, CUPE Ontario

“We have been calling on the government to provide fast-tracked, paid PSW training in our public colleges, and with today’s announcement, it shows they listening. We know that 6,000 PSW’s is just the start of what is needed so getting those numbers up even higher is critical, along with making sure the conditions of work in the long-term care sector improve, including access to full-time work and better wages and benefits. Retention must be a high priority as well, and ensuring we recognize and support the front-line workers who have carried an enormous burden through this pandemic.” – Jerry Dias, Unifor National President

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