ST. JOHN’S—The funding agreement reached between the Furey government and Suncor is a blueprint for good jobs and can revitalize the sector, says Unifor.

“The investment in Terra Nova is a win for good jobs and a win for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Jobs, royalties, corporate taxes, GDP boost. There were a lot of reasons to say ‘yes’ to renewing Terra Nova.”

Unifor began sounding the alarm about the investment requirements of the East Coast energy sector last September. The federal government’s response later that month provided momentum for operators and the provincial government to enter more serious discussions about a new arrangement for the Terra Nova.

After the NL government seemed to backtrack on their initial equity offering, talks stalled and the fate of thousands of jobs suddenly seemed in question, said Unifor. Unifor and industry supporters mobilized to hold a June 14 rally to push the parties to find a resolution.

“It didn’t need to go down to the wire. There’s ample evidence that this province’s offshore industry is a good investment,” said Dave Mercer, Unifor Local 2121 President. “We look forward to working with government on getting energy workers back to work as soon as possible.”

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

Source: Unifor National

June 14, 2021

TORONTO- Doug Ford’s conservative government proves it will go to any length to silence critics, as it rams though an unconstitutional bill using a power never resorted to in the history of Ontario.

“The emergency recall of Queen’s Park to pass undemocratic legislation in a matter of hours using the Notwithstanding clause clearly illustrates this government’s self-serving priorities,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “Where were the all-night sessions on COVID health measures, or vaccine rollout, or the crisis in long-term care when seniors were dying? Those issues didn’t warrant swift action but instead conservative MPPs are able to pull out all the stops to muzzle those who would point out Ford’s failures.”

Today the majority Conservatives voted to pass Bill 307, the so-called Protecting Elections and Defending Democracy Act, which utilizes the Notwithstanding clause to circumvent an Ontario Superior Court ruling that struck down its predecessor. In a decision released June 8, 2021, the court found the restrictions on third party political advertising prior to an election period in Bill 254 violated the Charter right to free expression and are not justified under section 1.

“The Ontario government could have appealed the court ruling, or rewritten the legislation that was struck down but instead Doug Ford chose to trample free speech and voter’s rights, and abuse his power to put himself above the courts,” said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Naureen Rizvi.

Bill 307 severely limits third parties’ advertising and activity with a massive expansion of the pre-election period, restricting all political or issue-based advertising for 12 months before an election. The new law comes into immediate effect as Ontario’s set election date is less than one year from today, hobbling political advocacy and the ability of voters to critique government policies.

Unifor had outlined its objectives to this undemocratic legislation, which also prohibits like-minded organizations from joining in support of shared public policy concerns and objectives.

“Suppressing members of the public and organizations that advocate on behalf of workers from free expression is a direct attack on democracy and our free election system,” said Dias. “Unifor and its members will not be gagged or censored.”

Further information:

• Read Unifor’s release, Ford’s scheme to invoke Nothwithstanding clause reveals depths of his fear and desperation.
• Read Unifor’s release, Conservatives double-down with amendments to Bill 254, the ‘Squashing Ontario Democracy Act
• Read Unifor’s Submission to Attorney General Downey and the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly.
• Read Jerry Dias’s March 10 blog on how Bill 254 seeks to tip the scales in favour of the PC Party.

JH 18-089 Unifor (Policy re Island Days BTS-ON-18-01) and Bell Canada AWARD,,,,read the full award by clicking here

Many grievors may have received a communication from the employer in reference to the above noted Policy Grievance Award. This grievance and those held in abeyance have been dismissed as per Arbitrator James Hayes

AWARD

Introduction

1. This decision addresses a policy grievance about whether all Regular Full-
Time employees are entitled to have consecutive days of rest (CDORs) regardless of
their schedules within each two-week period of work.

2. At issue is the interpretation of Article 16.02(d) of the Collective Agreement.
This clause was amended in the most recent round of collective bargaining.

3. UNIFOR takes the position that the amendments were made, specifically, to
reverse a 2012 arbitration award (“Herman Award”) that interpreted the then-existing
provision to allow the Company to schedule single days of rest (colloquially
referred to as ‘island days’) without a guarantee of CDORs. Bell Technical Solutions,
2012 CarswellOnt 4012 (Herman).

4. The Union further takes the position that, if it is wrong in its interpretation of
Article 16.02(d), BTS is estopped from relying on the strict language of the provision
based on the bargaining history. UNIFOR submits that, because the Company
remained silent in negotiations on the amendments to Article 16.02(d), the Union can
rely upon that silence as signifying agreement to the Union’s position.

5. BTS responds that a plain reading of the Collective Agreement and its context
in the Collective Agreement indicates that CDORs are only guaranteed in the limited
circumstances where a Full-Time employee’s hours have been averaged over a two-week
period. The Company says that its interpretation is reinforced when compared
to the clarity of language used in granting Part-Time employees CDORs in Article
16.04(k). It further maintains that the Union has not made out the essential legal
elements required to ground an estoppel.

To view the full document click the link at the top