Shorelines Casino Peterborough workers join Unifor

Source: Unifor National

Workers at the Shorelines Casino in Peterborough have voted overwhelmingly to join Canada’s largest union for gaming workers, Unifor.

“After a very difficult year, casino workers want more control over their conditions of work,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Having a union gives workers an important voice and helps level the playing field with their employer.”

Peterborough casino workers became the second Shorelines group to become members of Unifor, joining Belleville. The new members will become a unit of Unifor Local 1090, which represents gaming workers across the region.

The 115 new members include cashiering, housekeeping, food and beverage, guest services, table games, and slots.

“Strong Unifor contracts across the gaming sector are attracting casino workers to our union,” said Dias. “Our strength in the sector is ensuring that we are setting the pattern for gaming contracts nationwide.”

Last month new members at the Shorelines casino in Belleville went on strike for five days to pressure the employer to bargain a first contract.

Peterborough casino workers join nearly 10,000 other Unifor members in the gaming sector.

First truck rolls off reopened GM Oshawa assembly line

Source: Unifor National

The first vehicle rolled off the newly reopened General Motors assembly line in Oshawa at an event on November 8. The Chevy Silverado drove off the line following an address by Unifor National President Jerry Dias.

“Today is an incredibly important day for all of you, your families, and the community of Oshawa,” Dias told hundreds of workers who participated in the event. “It is so incredible to see so many of you who maintained your recall rights and those of you that are brand new to the operations—we want to welcome you to the Unifor family.”

The reopening of the Oshawa assembly line comes after the union’s largest and most aggressive campaign aimed at saving the plant. Despite numerous nay-sayers, the union successfully negotiated the preservation of the plant’s footprint, maintaining its stamping operations, and preserving workers recall rights as the union continued to push for the plant to reopen. Now, the plant will be home to two shifts of 700 to 800 Unifor members each with plans to add a third shift in the future

“In May 2019 we reached an agreement with General Motors—a cease fire,” Dias told workers. “We would keep about 300 people working but most importantly maintain an active footprint in Oshawa. We knew the longer the plant was closed the less of a chance it would reopen. There was only one solution and it happens to be that red pickup truck right there.”

The return of truck assembly work to the Oshawa plant is a significant moment in Canadian manufacturing history, marking the first time that an assembly line has been successfully reopened. It also happens to be the fastest plant retooling in General Motors history and comes as part of approximately $6 billion in transformative investments in the auto sector secured in the union’s 2020 negotiations with Detroit Three automakers.

“I was full of joy, pride, and so proud of our members getting this done less than a year from bargaining where we negotiated to get this truck back. Here we are today, with one rolling right off the line,” Jason Gale, Unifor Local 222 Plant Chairperson said. “We never stopped fighting for this. What kept us going was keeping a small operation of 300 people. It kept our foot in the door and kept the lights on. Now, we see a truck rolling off the line. I’m so happy. Happy for Durham. Happy for Oshawa. Happy for all the families that will benefit from this.”

2022 BTS BARGAINING PROPOSAL form – Deadline November 24 2021

Bargaining Proposal Form

Sisters and Brothers,

Our Craft BTS/Unifor Collective Agreement expires May 2022. Please download and fill out the proposal form and return them no later than November 24 2021 as the local must submit all proposals by December 1 2021. It is important that every member fill out the form.

The PDF form is a fillable form that may be submitted electronically by email or fax.

Please download the BTS Bargaining proposal form and return it to the Local Executive
Email

barg.cba.proposals.2022@gmail.com

Or

Fax to:

416.538.1997

Form provided by Unifor National

FILLABLE BTS BARGAINING PROPOSAL SURVEY

In Solidarity,

Lee, Sanjay, Brian, Chris

BCE reports third quarter 2021 results

Source : BCE News & Media https://www.bce.ca/news-and-media/releases?page=1&month=&year=&perpage=25

This news release contains forward-looking statements. For a description of the related risk factors and assumptions, please see the section entitled “Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” later in this news release.

  • Net earnings grew 9.9% to $813 million with net earnings attributable to common shareholders increasing 9.4% to $757 million, or $0.83 per common share, up 7.8%; 5.1% higher adjusted net earnings(1) of $748 million generated adjusted EPS(1) of $0.82, up 3.8%
  • 3.6% consolidated service revenue growth drove 4.2% higher adjusted EBITDA(2)
  • 266,919 total wireless mobile phone and mobile connected device, retail Internet and IPTV net subscriber activations increased 10.2%
  • 136,464 mobile phone net subscriber activations(4), up 14.3%; best-ever Q3 postpaid churn rate at 0.93%; quarterly wireless service revenue and adjusted EBITDA recovered to pre-COVID levels in 2019, growing 5.0% and 5.6% respectively in Q3
  • 65,779 retail Internet net subscriber activations represents best quarterly performance in 15 years with 9% residential Internet revenue growth; IPTV net subscriber activations up 68% to 31,641
  • Media revenue grew 14.5%, reflecting higher advertiser spending across all platforms; digital revenue increased 32% and now represents 22% of total media revenue
  • Strong financial position maintained with $6.1 billion of available liquidity(5) at end of Q3
  • Reconfirming all 2021 financial guidance targets

To read more click the link at the top

Ontario $15 minimum wage a step on path to living wages

Jerry Dias stands at a podium outdoors at minimum wage announcement.

TORONTO– New legislation to set a $15 minimum wage in Ontario will help the province’s lowest-paid workers and raise wages for thousands of Unifor members with minimum wage plus clauses in their collective agreements.

“Workers on the frontlines of our retail, wholesale, gaming, warehousing and broader service sectors who are paid a fraction of their worth will see this increase directly,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “I’m glad this government has reversed course and has now decided to raise workers’ wages.”

Unifor National President Jerry Dias joined Premier Doug Ford, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton, and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy at the announcement at the Unifor Local 414 and 462 offices in Milton, Ontario today.

The provincial government announced legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour on January 1, 2022, eliminate the lower rate for liquor servers, and adjust additional special minimum wages including student, homeworker, and hunting and fishing guides.

The proposed legislation stops short of a full reversal of the sweeping changes to labour laws that the Ford government passed using Bill 47 in 2018, including scrapping scheduled minimum wage increases and the elimination of paid sick days.

Thousands of Unifor members making above minimum wage will see a 4-4.5% wage increase because of the proposed legislation, including 7,000 retail grocery chain workers. This gain stems from Unifor’s groundbreaking collective agreements in retail and service sectors that include wage language tied to minimum wage, referred to as minimum wage plus.

“That provision, alone, will drive up wages of our members who work at many of the provinces’ largest retail store chains,” continued Dias. “Unifor bargains this language for members in sectors where workers are universally undervalued so that they always stay a step ahead when the minimum wage goes up. This $15 an hour promise will raise the floor, but Ontario can, and must do better to deliver living wages to all workers.”

A November 1, 2021 report by the Ontario Living Wage Network released an updated list of living wage thresholds in various regions of the province, ranging from $16.20 in London to $22.08 in Halton.