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Helping workers means more than money for severance and tuition

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Fri, 01/31/2020

Today is a heartbreaking day for forestry workers in Nova Scotia and a shameful reminder of the disregard Premier Stephen McNeil has for working people.

A skeleton crew will stay at Northern Pulp until April 21 to winterize the facility. The rest of the 230 Unifor members at Northern Pulp walked through the mill’s gates for the last time today, leaving behind long-held careers, the certainty of good family-supporting jobs in their hometown, and the promise of a dignified retirement with a good union pension.

Too many workers today face the pain and struggle of an uncertain future across our country and across our economy, but the ones Unifor represents are most likely to keep me up at night, and why Unifor is so dedicated to a Just transition for workers facing such change.

The union has worked diligently to be a respectful voice in a heated and complex situation while advocating for workers caught in the middle of a blatant historical wrong.

We have never wavered on our agreement that Boat Harbour must close.

Our public criticisms have been around the lack of transparency in the process and the lack of worker involvement leading up to the closure of Boat Harbour, and the impact predicted by our research for the thousands of families whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly tied to this mill.

No government fund thrown around at the last minute, no matter the size, can replace the hard political work of developing a greener economy through strategic long-term planning and, importantly, the involvement of workers affected by any industry transition.

Finding common ground takes work

The December 19 forestry rally was the result of lots of hard work. Business owners, independent contractors, industry associations and others who might not normally be willing to stand with picket signs beside a union in front of the Nova Scotia Legislature, stood there, with Unifor, to demand action on Northern Pulp and respect from their Premier.

Through all the lumps and disagreements on approach between union and business, competitors and strangers, hundreds came together with common messages. It took strong leadership from many parties to make that happen and to put aside differences to stand firmly on our common ground.

This is the kind of leadership we wanted to see from McNeil. This is the leadership Unifor demanded for years.

We didn’t get it.

Instead, Premier McNeil kept consultations to a bare minimum and once again relied on legislation that held no concern for workers in this province. There seems to have been barely a thought about the cross-province web of related businesses and contractors, land and woodlot owners who stand to lose generations of hard work and hard-earned stability.

Forestry workers won’t forget this.

No justice for forestry workers

The celebrations and consolations from people calling this a ‘just transition’ for forestry workers could not be more wrong. There is absolutely nothing ‘just’ for the workers about the closing of Northern Pulp, and no reason to believe the closure presents a real opportunity for workers to transition successfully to a new career.

Unifor has principles for Just Transition, supported by research and frameworks from international worker groups like IndustriAll and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). These principles guide the work our union does with governments and corporations from coast to coast to create new opportunities in a green economy while supporting workers in traditional industries.

Threaded through these principles are demands on government to play a leadership role. And, frankly, Just Transition means more than tossing money at displaced workers for severance and tuition. It means having an economic roadmap; a plan that ensures good jobs are in place, in strategic and sustainable sectors, for workers to transition into.

It also means consulting, directly, with affected workers – ensuring there is a seat at the decision-making and planning table for them. How else can we guide the adjustment process and plans to suit their individual and community needs?

To be clear, a climate justice that forgets workers is not justice, and a reconciliation that divides a community is no reconciliation at all. The McNeil government has failed on both these fronts with Northern Pulp.

This is far from a “just transition.” It’s just a mess.

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Series of rallies as part of the Bell Real Talk campaign

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Several rallies will be held over the coming weeks as part of the Bell Real Talk campaign aimed at denouncing practices that have a harmful effect on the working conditions and quality of life of its employees. Enough is enough! That’s the message Unifor members want to send to their employer. After making that message clear at events in Gatineau, Sherbrooke and Saint-Jérôme, members organized a rally at the Bell Campus on Nun’s Island on January 30. You can support Unifor members working at Bell Canada by staying tuned for updates on further actions planned for the coming weeks and months. Solidarity!

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Black History Month – Anderson Ruffin Abbott

Black History Month in Canada

Black History Month is observed across Canada every February. Black History Month in Canada provides an opportunity to share and learn about the experiences, contributions and achievements of peoples of African ancestry (see Black Canadians). It was initiated in Canada by the Ontario Black History Society and introduced to Parliament in December 1995 by Jean Augustine, the first Black woman elected as a member of Parliament. Black History Month was officially observed across Canada for the first time in February 1996 (see also Black History in Canada).

Unifor  1996-O Recognize:

Anderson Ruffin Abbott

Anderson Ruffin Abbott

In Solidarity,

 

Equity Committee 1996-O

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Unifor National – Coronavirus Fact Sheet

Read Article here….

On December 31, 2019, Chinese health authorities identified a new (or novel) coronavirus (referred to as

2019-nCoV) through a series of reported cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. We all have a responsibility to reduce risks of exposure to and transmission of the virus. As workers, take precautions to reduce exposure. Employers should create preventions plans in consultation with relevant health and safety committees and worker representatives.

Coronaviruses

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. They can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Some human coronaviruses spread easily between people, while others do not.

Though it has been determined that the virus can spread from person to person, how exactly the virus is transmitted remains unclear.

The American Center for Disease Control and Prevention identifies four main types of CoV in which infections are quite common, usually leading to common cold symptoms. However, there are the rare types of CoV such as SARS and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) that can be far more serious and can lead to pneumonia, respiratory failure, kidney failure, or even death.

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Unifor and Federated Co-operatives Limited to return to bargaining table

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January 30, 2020

REGINA—Unifor and FCL are scheduled to return to bargaining table on Friday January 31 following the union’s offer to remove all of the company’s obstacles to bargaining.

At 5 p.m. yesterday, Unifor agreed to comply with the injunction concerning the Co-op Refinery picket line if Federated Co-operatives Limited returns to the bargaining table in good faith. The company responded and agreed to those terms.

“Unifor has always been deeply committed to bargaining a fair contract for refinery workers, but this is the first move we have seen that suggests FCL is interested in getting a deal,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “If it becomes clear at the table that FCL is still unwilling to engage in good faith negotiations, the union’s demand that Premier Moe step in still stands. We need the provincial government to support Saskatchewan workers.”

Negotiations are set to begin at 9 a.m. in Regina.

Out of respect for the collective bargaining process, no other information will be released until a tentative agreement is reached or talks break off.

Nearly 800 highly skilled members of Unifor Local 594 remain locked out from the Co-op Refinery, which continues to rely on unqualified scab workers and managers to operate the refinery.

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.