Bell clerical workers ratify agreement that includes paid domestic violence leave

 

March 7, 2018

TORONTO – Unifor members working at Bell Canada Clerical division ratified a four-year collective agreement that improves working conditions and job security for nearly 5000 workers.

“This round of negotiations was monumental. Workers across Ontario and Quebec came together to demand that their good, unionized jobs at Bell Canada stay at Bell Canada,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.

The new collective agreement includes wage increases, protections against job erosion and outsourcing and adds more than 600 jobs to the bargaining unit. Over the past 10 years, clerical employees experienced a concerted strategy to cut the workforce that eliminated more than half of the jobs in the bargaining unit. Unifor members also gained access to paid domestic violence leave and 10 women’s advocates, who are members of the union trained to advocate and assist people facing sexual and gender-based violence, will now be established.

Mental health at work was also a central issue raised throughout the negotiations and the union was successful in negotiating with Bell Canada to a memorandum that recognize the importance of ensuring a workplace culture which promotes and improves the mental health of all employees.

“This collective agreement shows the kind of gains that can be won when workers unite and mobilize to defend good union jobs,” said Renaud Gagne, Unifor Quebec Director. “Through members’ solidarity and activism, and the work of the union’s bargaining committee, every improvement was hard fought and deserved.”

The new agreement is the first contract for approximately 300 members at Bell ExpressVu LP who successfully organized their workplace in 2016 to join Unifor.

Negotiations began on October 3, 2017 with a deal being reached on January 24, 2018. Members voted  73 per cent in favour of the agreement. Bell clerical workers are represented in Quebec by Unifor Locals 6000, 6001, 6002 and 6003, and in Ontario by Unifor Locals 6004, 6005, 6006, 6007, 6008 and 37. All locals were represented in the bargaining caucus. For more information, visit unifor.org/itstime.

Statement on U.S. tariffs to aluminum and steel and threats to good jobs and Canada’s economy

I write today in support of the thousands of Unifor members working in the steel and aluminum sectors, including 1,000 at Rio Tinto in British Columbia and 3,000 aluminum workers in Quebec, our 40,000 auto sector members and all the workers across Canada who depend on these good union jobs and industries for their livelihood.

The American government has announced that it will impose steep tariffs on the import of steel and aluminum into the U.S. but has yet to indicate if Canada will receive an exemption or be hit by these punishing duties.

Make no mistake, if America imposes duties on steel and aluminum and Canada doesn’t walk away from NAFTA immediately then we will no longer be negotiating, we’ll be capitulating to Trump.

The proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum will have a devastating effect on jobs in several key industries, local regions across Canada and it will also directly impact the cost of items from cars to canned food. Ontario is a major supplier of steel and automobiles and Quebec a key supplier of aluminum, with Canada as the largest exporter of both to the States.

Unifor is calling on the federal government to take immediate action to ensure that Canada is not subject to these punitive tariffs.

Our union remains committed to fight against the implementation of these tariffs or any other unjust measures designed to pit worker against worker.

Today I am with Quebec Director Renaud Gagné in Mexico City where Round 7 of NAFTA talks are currently underway. Together we will bring the message that if Canada fails to obtain an exemption from punitive tariffs on steel and aluminum exports to U.S. then the Canadian government has no choice but to withdraw from NAFTA renegotiations.

You can read Unifor’s full media release on the tariff threat here. Please see the attached letter sent to Richard Trumka, President of the AFL–CIO.

For more information visit unifor.org/peoplestrade.

In solidarity,

Jerry Dias – National President