Unifor 1996-O IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BTS CLERICAL BARGAINING 2018

Sisters and Brothers, On Wednesday November 7, 2018, the BTS Clerical Bargaining Committee along with Local 1996-O Executive met for their first Mobilization with its members at the Argentia Rd. offices.  The Bargaining Committee consists of Lee Zommers, Robin Whaley and Ron Hori of Unifor Local 1996-O. All unit members as a first step in regards to the Clerical Bargaining have had opportunity to voice concerns openly of their committee, and we thank all for the prior Bargaining Proposal submissions.

Members were given Unifor Local 1996-O Bargaining T-shirts and lanyards and were asked as a show of solidarity to wear them daily while working.

The Bargaining Committee are very hopeful that an agreement that is both equitable and progressive for its members can be reached in a timely manner and we are prepared to work tirelessly to this end.

Bargaining of this contract officially commences on Monday November 12, 2018. The Bargaining Committee will ensure full openness and transparency with the Unit members. Please stay informed by visiting all Social media outlets as well as the Local Website for further communications.              Let’s bargain!!

During this meet and greet, the Clerical members were also asked to fill out the Unifor National Performance Management Survey that is currently being completed by all Telco members in Canada.

Click here to get started now.

In Solidarity,

Lee, Robin, Ron

 

 

 

 

Sisters and brothers,

At several announcements in Toronto today the Federal Government will announce a number of reforms to Canada’s Labour Code. These proposed reforms include important steps to address contract flipping and protect successor rights provisions at airports.

I applaud Minister Hajdu and her government’s move to ensure airport workers are protected against wage cuts in the event that supplier contracts change hands.

We will scrutinize the specific details of this announcement when it becomes public. However, the fact that the Minister appears willing to address this issue is a victory for our union, that has been years in the making.

The National Union, Unifor Locals and other unions worked hand-in-hand to lobby the Federal Government, mobilize our membership and put public pressure on employers to secure workers’ rights. Too often, workers would face job loss in the event that supplier contracts change hands. When this occurs, workers are often forced to re-apply for their same job, sometimes losing pay and benefits. This is completely unfair.

For Unifor, this issue came to a head in a 2015 campaign at the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA). The existing contract for customer assistance to airline passengers with mobility issues was retendered, and employees (our Unifor sisters and brothers) were told to re-apply for their jobs. Our Locals organized delegations to attend GTAA public meetings and spoke out against this practice – generating major media attention (link to: https://bit.ly/1TaXjde). Our members were on the ground collecting thousands of signatures petitioning the GTAA to protect workers rights – raising public awareness of how contract flipping hurts workers.

This past January our union made a Federal Government submission calling for greater protections to workers in the event contracts are flipped. Today, it seems, our struggle has paid off.

We should welcome today’s announcement, but we should also understand that the change proposed will not be law until it is adopted by Parliament.

We have to be ready and committed to continue our mobilizing on this issue. We have to keep the pressure on all Federal politicians to vote to ensure all workers are treated with respect, dignity – and never again forced to re-fight for the rights they’ve already won, simply because a supplier contract has changed hands.

To all the members who have taken part in this struggle, I thank you for your hard work. You’ve made our union proud.

In solidarity,

Jerry Dias
National President

Please fill out the survey today, on a personal phone or computer- not your company computer- and not during work hours.

Members,

Last week, your union reached out and asked you to join a conversation.

This conversation asks a simple question, do performance management programs actually help you perform better at work?

To answer this question, members in the telecommunications sector are participating in a massive membership survey. Have you filled out the survey yet? Click here to get started now.

As the CRTC is looking into the effects of high-pressure sales tactics, your union wants to learn more about the underlying causes of this pressure.How does your company’s performance management system affect you as an employee?

Your story matters. Add your voice to this survey today- and make sure that your experiences are counted.

We won’t share any personal or identifying information with the employer ever. But your union will be able to use your confidential responses to make the case for changing these structures. Through our collective voice, we can make jobs in telco good jobs for current and future Unifor members.

If you already did the survey, then we still need your help! Talk to your coworkers about the survey; tell them why you filled it out, and why they should too.

For more information and materials, visit the campaign cage on the national website.

In solidarity,

Chris MacDonald                                    John Caluori
Assistant to the National President            Assistant to the Quebec Director