Unifor Local 1996-O

by

Special Meeting Report

yes.

Sisters and Brothers of Local 1996-O

On Sunday, February 28, 2016, Local 1996-O held a special meeting at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto to talk about the future.

More than 500 were in attendance at this historic meeting, where they received a report from the Local Executive on the opportunities that exist to make fundamental improvements to our working conditions and to our collective bargaining strength.

Local President Sam Snyders delivered the presentation, based upon a new legal strategy which outlined how we could use the Canada Labour Code to our advantage, and a plan which could greatly improve our working lives.

Guest speakers included the Local Presidents from the other Bell Locals in the GTA– Brother Ray Mortimer from Local 26, Brother Jim White from Local 27C, Brother Doug Dutton from Local 52 and Brother Justin Connelly from Local 25. Together with Local 1996-0, these Local Presidents represent over half of the Bell and BTS technicians in Ontario and Quebec.

All of the Local Presidents spoke in favour of the following motion that was passed by over 90% of the Local 1996-O members in attendance:

“That the Local 1996-O executive continue to build alliances with other Bell and BTS locals and work with Unifor National to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that BTS members obtain the same rights and benefits as all other Bell members, and ensure that Bell and BTS can never again force members to scab against each other providing the majority of BTS locals agree.”

As President Sam Snyders stated at the meeting “We know that equality is achievable. We have a plan and are building a movement for change. It’s common sense”.

by

BCE, the best performing telecom stock!

 

In case you missed yesterday’s big financial news, BCE released adjusted Q4 earnings. It looks like they’re outperforming everyone else and the bottom line is healthier than ever:

BCE Inc. (BCE.TO 0.00%) is raising its dividend five percent after fourth-quarter adjusted earnings met expectations and amid what the company’s CFO calls a “very strong” financial foundation.

As Canadians continue to flock to wireless everything, consume media on our phones, watch TV online, etc., BCE and its shareholders are reaping the rewards.

“Bell’s operating momentum and financial foundation going into 2016 are very strong,” said Chief Financial Officer Glen LeBlanc in a statement. “We expect to drive growth in underlying adjusted net earnings and a healthy year-over-year increase in free cash flow.”

With Bell’s continued investment in capital spending programs ($3B last year, likely to stay the same), the future looks clear and bright.

We love BCE. They’re our livelihood. Our Partners. Their success is our success, right? That’s why we approach our work for them with the spirit that we do.

So, naturally, we can expect to benefit in our share of the healthy bottom line, rewards, and increased free cash flow, right? I mean, the only thing that might get in the way would be if that success was to some degree dependent on keeping us down.

“Overall, results show continued resiliency in operations and strong cost control – a BCE management hallmark,” wrote Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Maher Yaghi in a note to clients Thursday morning.

I, for one, certainly hope that “strong cost control” isn’t code for “squeezing our unions.”

The Business News Network report sums up what the news means well in both the written post quoted from above and the series of great video interviews with analysts that loops at the top. Everyone is excited about how BCE is growing according to expectations, benefitting from wireless adoption, and BCEs infrastructure profile relative to that of its competitors across Canada.

It’s all good news for BCE. Let’s make sure incoming RBC Chief Executive Officer Gord Nixon, who will be nominated as chairperson of BCE, recognizes us for the role our work plays in BCEs success, instead of reporting profits based on paying us less.

by

Come One, Come All

Your time is valuable. You know that. We know that. And the team at the Local 1996-O office make every effort we can for Bell to realize it. Your opinions are also very valuable. The membership meetings are an opportunity for us to see the strength of our numbers and to glean the collective wisdom of our crowd.

With your engagement and participation at the local level, we will share committee updates and Executive reports. We will listen to you, and it will inform how we structure our agenda to collectively act. How we move forward together. We must build a strong solidarity and be ready to act.

We ask that you participate and have your voice heard at the following Local Membership meetings:

Tuesday March 29, 2016
7:30-9:00
Grand Prix Kartways
75 Carl Hall Rd.
Toronto, M3K-2B9

Tuesday June 28, 2016
7:30-9:00
RCL
9 Dawes Rd.
Toronto, M4C-5A8

Sunday Sept 18, 2016
7:30-9:00
Local 252
1343 Matheson Blvd E.
Miss, L4W-1R1

Friday December 9, 2016
7:30-9:00
RCL
9 Dawes Rd.
Toronto, M4C-5A8

The dates and locations for this years meetings have been chosen to to make it easier for more of us to attend. We’ve spread the meeting locations out, and we’ve included two weekend meeting dates.

In Solidarity,

Sam

Sam Snyders
President, Local 1996-O
416 Health and Safety Co-Chair
Unifor Chairperson Workers with Disabilities
LRC Committee and JSDC Committee
Ont. Bargaining Rep
Telecommunications Industry Council Representative

Office 416-237-1996 cell 416-839-8151
samdances@hotmail.com
 

 

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/Unifor1996?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Twitter    :   https://twitter.com/SammySnyders

by

Prepare for your regular benefits price hike

Whether you use them or not, your health ‘benefits’ as of January 1st are costing you more.

At a Labour Relations meeting in late December with Optimum Consultants and Actuaries, BTS was advised that unionized employees are subject to a 13.9% increase in cost for their health care benefits.

By contrast, Bell employees will not see an increase in the cost of their health benefits; in fact, they will continue to pay nothing for their benefits. That’s right–no deductions on their paycheques for benefits.

Unifor_scheduling_graphA full-time BTS employee has over $1,400 per year deducted from their paycheque for health care benefits. That’s on top of the portion that BTS contributes–over $4,500–for full-timers.

If the money you pay for your benefits were instead deposited into a Tax-Free Savings Account with moderate interest, in ten years’ time you would have over $20,000!

$20,000 isn’t chump change. It’s college tuition. It’s caregiving for parents. A home renovation.

Common sense says this is wrong. We all know that BTS and Bell are one company. Our employer needs to treat us all equally.

But instead of daydreaming about the money we don’t have, let’s plan for the day when we’re equal to our Bell counterparts. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

A full-time BTS employee has over $1,400 per year deducted from their paycheque for health care benefits. That’s on top of the portion that BTS contributes–over $4,500–for full-timers.

If the money you pay for your benefits was instead deposited into a Tax-Free Savings Account with moderate interest, in ten years time you would have over $20,000!

$20,000 isn’t chump change. It’s a college tuition. It’s caregiving for parents. A home renovation.

But instead of daydreaming about the money we don’t have, let’s plan for the day when we’re equal to our Bell counterparts. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

 

by

Scheduling as a weapon

 

Under the terms of our contract, BTS is required to “offer” RPT’S and SPT’S “equitable distribution of offered hours.” It means they need to give all BTS workers an equal opportunity to work any available hours within a team territory or common locality.

BTS is always looking for creative ways to take advantage of contract language, even if the spirit and intention of a clause is clear. Scheduling is no exception.

We can’t stop them from taking this approach. But we can prepare you to handle these attacks. Knowledge is power. The more we all know about the terms of our contract and the tactics of our employer, the stronger we are as a team. And the stronger we are as a team, the more likely we are to arrive at equal terms with our Employer and Bell Craft employees.

Our contract says that “scheduling” shifts guarantees you an 8 hour or 10 hour work day. These days are mandatory.

BTS is waiting until the same day to “offer” you work, and trying to get away with offering a 4-hour shift. These hours can be considered under “equitable distribution of hours.”

The Union’s interpretation of the collective agreement is that a “same day” shift is “offered hours” and the Union believes that the decision to work or not is for the member and not BTS to make. This has been the practice for 20 years. The Union will be grieving this issue, and proposing to BTS that the issue be sent to arbitration for a decision.

If you receive disciplinary notice of any kind, contact your union steward immediately so that we can we can engage the company and file a grievance on your behalf.

sameday_scheduling
Most of us are after full work days. We want guaranteed hours, the small bit of room to plan ahead (pick up the kids? take care of a parent? Run an errand?), and the dignity of knowing what we’re doing the next day when we go to bed at night.
This kind of stability affects our quality of life. Bell doesn’t think our quality of life plays a role in their bottom line. They’re wrong about that, of course, and it would be nice to change their minds in the long run.
The Bell Craft RPT employees are not facing the same tactics and we all know who our “REAL” employer is, so why not treat us equally, and not as a second-class workforce.
It’s “COMMON SENSE”!

Follow us on Twitter

LOCAL MEETINGS

More Local News

Unifor 1996-O

Unifor 1996-O

Local News in Your Inbox

Sign up for the latest from Local 1996-O in your inbox!