THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MEMBERS OF LOCALS 175 & 633 UFCW CANADA Volume XXIII No. 4 December 2014
2014 Steward Seminars Pages 8 - 12
Contents
LOCAL 175 Shawn Haggerty, President; Kelly Tosato, Secretary-Treasurer; Karen Vaughan, Recorder; Ray Bromley, Al McLean, Harry Sutton - Executive Assistants
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LOCAL 633 Dan Bondy, President; Marylou Mallett, Secretary-Treasurer; Neil Hotchkiss, Recorder DIRECTORS Rob Armbruster BENEFITS Georgina MacDonald - Intake Representative; Sherree Backus, Joce Cote, Joanne Ford, Jody Jones, Sarah Neath - Benefits Representatives COMMUNICATIONS Jennifer Tunney - Senior Communications Representative; Laurie Duncan Communications Representative; Meemee Seto - Servicing Representative HEALTH & SAFETY Chris Watson - Health & Safety Representative; Janice Klenot - Senior Health & Safety Representative
President’s Message
Negotiations
Secretary-Treasurer’s Message
Family Day Celebration
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Page 4
LEGAL Fernando Reis - Director; Catherine Davis - Legal Advocate; Natalie DeHaney-Stewart, Maryanne Galati Legal Counsel; Natalie Wiley, Rebecca Woodrow - Senior Legal Counsel
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Page 7
Stewards’ Seminars Page 8
ORGANIZING Rick Wauhkonen - Director; Farman Ali, Mike Mattioli, Tony Nigro, Amy Tran - Organizing Representatives; Derek Jokhu - Organizing Apprentice. TRAINING & EDUCATION Kelly Nicholas - Co-ordinator REGION 1 Dan Lacroix - Regional Director; Colby Flank, Jason Hanley - Union Representatives REGION 2 Derik McArthur - Regional Director; Mona Bailey, John DiFalco, Anthony DiMaio, John Di Nardo, Rob Nicholas, Mark Stockton - Union Representatives; Melody Slattery - Servicing Representative REGION 3 Dan Lacroix - Regional Director; Simon Baker, Shannon Epp, Paul Hardwick, Dean McLaren, Daniel Mercier - Union Representatives; Jacques Niquet Servicing Representative REGION 4 Sylvia Groom - Regional Director; Ron McGuire - Union Representative; Orsola Augurusa, Rick Daudlin, Virginia Haggith, Lee Johnson-Koehn, Casey Magee, Arlene Robertson, Brenda Simmons - Servicing Representatives REGION 5 Jim McLean - Regional Director; Jehan Ahamed, Bob Kearney, Brad Morrison, Mario Tardelli Union Representatives REGION 6 Luc Lacelle - Regional Director; Wendy Absolom, Sam Caetano, Matt Davenport, Tim Deelstra, Joe De Melo, Jeffery Lu, Angela Mattioli Union Representatives; Ashleigh Garner - Servicing Representative REGION 7 Jim McLean - Regional Director; Sharon Kempf, Diane Sanvido, Steve Springall - Union Representatives; Dave Forbes - Servicing Representative REGION 8 Chris Fuller - Regional Director; Jeff Barry, Matt Belanger, Lionel MacEachern, Sandra Rogerson, Dave White - Union Representatives ISSN No. 1703-3926
CHECKOUT is an official publication of Locals 175 & 633 of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW)
PROVINCIAL HEAD OFFICE 2200 ARGENTIA ROAD MISSISSAUGA, ON L5N 2K7 TEL: 905-821-8329 TOLL FREE: 1-800-565-8329 FAX: 905-821-7144
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CAMBRIDGE OFFICE 6628 ELLIS ROAD, CAMBRIDGE, ON N3C 2V4 TEL: 519-658-0252 TOLL FREE: 1-800-267-1977 FAX: 519-658-0255
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CORNWALL OFFICE UNIT 5-850 BOUNDARY RD CORNWALL ON K6H 5R5 TEL: 613-932-2330 FAX: 613-932-6687
HAMILTON OFFICE 412 RENNIE STREET HAMILTON, ON L8H 3P5 TEL: 905-545-8354 TOLL FREE: 1-800-567-2125 FAX: 905-545-8355
OTTAWA OFFICE SUDBURY OFFICE THUNDER BAY OFFICE 20 HAMILTON AVENUE N. 230 REGENT ROAD 21-929 FORT WILLIAM RD OTTAWA, ON K1Y 1B6 SUDBURY, ON P3C 4C5 THUNDER BAY, ON P7B 3A6 TEL: 613-725-2154 TEL: 705-674-0769 TEL: 807-346-4227 TOLL FREE: 1-800-267-5295 TOLL FREE: 1-800-465-1722 TOLL FREE: 1-800-465-6932 FAX: 807-346-4055 FAX: 613-725-2328 FAX: 705-674-6815
UWWO
President’s Message Shawn Haggerty
Best Wishes of the Holiday Season The holiday season reminds us that it’s important to spend time with family and friends. But as Union members, our family and friends extend beyond the walls of our homes. We’re a big family of more than 70,000 Union Brothers and Sisters across Ontario. Much of what we’re taught in life tells us that we’re individuals and we’re on our own. But a Union is more than a mere sum of individuals. We need to remember how strong we are together because employers and right-wing agendas will always be trying to divide and weaken us. Unions are built on a foundation of shared ideals, unity and protection. And we are at our most effective when members work together to achieve the things that are important to them: Livable wages, safe and healthy workplaces, respect and dignity in our jobs, and creating balance in the economy. Everyone you work with wants to put food on the table for their families. We all want to be able to rent or buy a home. When so many things in the world can throw us a curveball, belonging to our Union helps provide the stability needed in our work lives. Sometimes we lose sight of not only why we belong to a Union but what it means on a daily basis to be part of this organization: That we are a group of workers committed to achieving the same goals. We are a family that works together and protects each other’s interests. We have each other’s backs in the hard times and celebrate together in our successes. When you stand next to each other on the picket line, you’re fighting for the same things. When you work side by side with someone, you’re working for the same reasons. When you vote on a collective agreement you’re fighting
for the same improvements and protection as your coworkers. The terms Brother and Sister are often used at Union events and in discussions between members. These terms might seem a bit traditional but their use is entrenched in the labour movement as terms of respect and solidarity. The terms are not meant as exclusionary. In fact, the words are meant to reinforce our shared identity and common goals, and to strengthen unity within the organization. Having our own terminology makes us stronger. I believe that these terms are an important part of Union culture. In fact, calling someone a Brother or Sister is the strongest term of endearment and solidarity in the Labour Movement. But I also understand that not everyone is comfortable using them. The best approach is to make sure that when someone is uncomfortable with these terms, that we ask them what would be appropriate. Use an inclusive term like Friend that they’re comfortable with, because in the end it’s all about solidarity. At work, when you look around at your co-workers, remember that everyone there is just trying to make it in this world too; to earn a living and make a better life for their family. So as we celebrate the holiday season and welcome a new year, remember your extended family – your Union. I hope you – my Union Sisters, Brothers and Friends – have a safe and happy holiday season. In Solidarity, Shawn Haggerty |
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Secretary-Treasurer’s Message Kelly Tosato
A helping hand during the holiday season & all year long Our Union members are compassionate giving people who have close ties to their communities. I know this because I’ve watched members open their wallets and purses to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC); I’ve seen pictures of fundraising drives at workplaces to support co-workers who’ve experienced tragedy or illness, and; I’ve witnessed words and gestures of support from one member to another on picket lines many times. The holidays can be particularly hard for some working families. Operation Christmas Cheer is a labour-created charitable group that, along with the help of your Union, supplies food, gift cards and toys to workers on the picket line. Last year, our members at the Trenton Ramada Inn and Wing’s received valuable items that eased some of the financial burdens facing those families. This year again, volunteers will visit our members at Wing’s who are still on strike and have been standing strong on the picket line for more than 16 months. At the Local Union, the staff decided a number of years ago to stop Secret Santa gift exchanges and, instead, donate $20 each toward adopting a family through local shelters. Each year we present a number of families with baskets filled with food, gifts, and other every day necessities that can be difficult for many to afford. And while the holidays tend to bring out the best in all of us, I’m also very proud of the work our members selflessly do throughout every one of our communities all year long. Our members are charitable with their time and kindness, and they’re compassionate to their co-workers and community – all of which are important parts of maintaining happy, productive lives and a healthy society. 4
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Recently, we heard about a fundraiser held by members and staff at Food Basics 939 in Owen Sound to support a co-worker who has been fighting cancer for a year. Through prize draws and the support of the community, the store raised more than $5,000! Read more about this great community work online. Scan the QR code or go to www.ufcw175.com. Other good deeds include the collection of food, clothes and toiletries by the Local Union’s Executive Board every year that go toward local shelters. A number of our Labour Day events double as fundraisers and food drives. The Sudbury Family Fun Fest collected donations for the Sudbury Food Bank and a number of our parades and BBQs raised money for the LLSC. And in Thunder Bay, where the Labour Day BBQ was cancelled due to bad weather, our members took all the prepared food over to the local shelter, as well as to the picket line at Bombardier to share with the hundreds of workers who had been on strike since July. Making our communities better starts with the smallest gestures of good will. Maybe you help cook for a neighbour from time to time, provide foster homes for pets, help plant trees, or donate money or time to a charity or community organization. Charity fosters social connections and mental wellness for everyone involved. So no matter how you get involved, know that every little bit helps. I wish each of you the best of the holiday season and the New Year. In Solidarity, Kelly Tosato
NEGOTIATIONS Wing’s Strike Update As this issue of Checkout goes to press, the workers at Wing’s continue into their second Holiday Season on strike against their employer. The 16-month long ordeal has been very tough on the 70 workers who have remained strong on the picket line as they’ve watched replacement workers – scabs – go in to do their jobs. “In 1995, the leader of the Ontario Conservatives Mike Harris made it legal to hire scabs,” explained President Haggerty. “These hardworking people might have to spend another cold winter on the picket line because the employer can just hire more people to do their work. It’s beyond my understanding how any worker could think that it’s a good thing to allow scabs. Strikes happen for a reason and this kind of legislation is discriminatory toward Unionized workers. It makes me grateful for the laws we still have that protect workers, but it also makes me wary of how quickly those good laws can be erased.”
Legion Village workers ratify The 40 members of Local 175’s HOPE sector at Legion Village in Cobourg achieved a new two-year collective agreement at a vote held August 6, 2014. These nursing care workers receive an across-the-board increase of 1.75% as of April 1, 2014 and a subsequent increase of 2% in the second year of the deal. Improved language allows employees to split up all of their vacation entitlement into single days. In addition, the company will work to maintain all of the full-time positions it currently has. Union Negotiating Committee: Angela Blezard, Lynda Farrell, Tracy Samis, and Union Rep Dean McLaren. ...
Liberté members ratify 3-year deal On September 28, 2014, members of UFCW Local 175 who work at Liberté Natural Foods’ Brisbane Plant in Downsview ratified a new collective agreement. The 36-member bargaining unit voted in favour of the three-year contract, which will see a number of improvements. Workers will see first year wage increases of 2.3%, retroactive for hours worked since the expiry of their previous contract, and subsequent increases of 1.5% in year two and another 1.5% in year three. Improved overtime language allocates available extra hours based on seniority and classification, and overtime will be paid at 1.5 times a worker’s regular rate after 8 hours per day/40 hours per week. In addition, enhanced severance language has been added to the contract which provides 1.5 weeks’ pay per year of service up to 36 weeks. Category 4, 6 & 9 employees will receive reimbursement of up to $75 per year for a clothing allowance. Training language ensures that any new equipment requiring training will be given based on seniority, and should that new equipment require a higher category job classification, that job will be posted according to the language set out in the contract.
NEGOTIATIONS
New language provides policy on accommodation for religious observation, which is protected under the Canadian Human Rights Code. Those wishing to take days for this purpose will receive up to two days per year. Improved sick leave entitles employees with five or more years of continuous service with up to 50 hours of sick time per year.
review the negotiated terms of their first collective agreement. The ratified three-year contract includes a number of improvements including a grievance and arbitration procedure, seniority provisions, and job protection through language preventing the contracting out of work by the employer.
Union Negotiating Committee: Richard Hannah, Yunus Yunus and Union Rep John DiNardo. ...
Wages will increase by a total of 3% over the course of the agreement. The workers’ benefit plan is 100% paid by the employer and part-time employees are now entitled to 12 hours personal paid leave per year. Employees now have bereavement leave entitlement written into the agreement. In addition, vacation entitlement improves to provide three weeks’ paid vacation for full-time workers with five years of service, and part-time workers now receive two weeks paid vacation instead of ‘pay in lieu.’
Members at East Ferris vote yes on 3-year deal On October 9, 2014, the members of UFCW Local 175 at the Municipality of East Ferris voted in favour of a new three-year contract. Over the term of the agreement, wages will increase by a total of $1.20 per hour. Benefit coverage improves to provide $2,000 in annual dental coverage, $250 for vision care every 24 months, and new language introduces Short-Term Disability.
Union Negotiating Committee: Lou McBride and Union Rep Simon Baker. ...
Other improvements include an improved safety shoe allowance of $300, six credited sick days per year, the ability to bank overtime hours, and stewards for all departments. Grievance language is improved with the removal of null and void clauses.
Deal ratified at Maple Leaf Courtney Park
Union Negotiating Committee: Marius Robidas and Union Rep Dave White. ...
The five-year agreement includes a new work schedule configuration called an ‘Alternate Work Week.’ The company will be investing between $6 - $8 million in the Courtney Park facility, which will enable growth, new business, and help ensure a more stable future. As the new schedule is rolled out, it will allow for greater product volume.
Friendly Manor members achieve new contract On October 30, the members of UFCW Local 175 working at Friendly Manor in Desoronto achieved a new collective agreement. The approximately 50 workers at the nursing care facility belong to the Hospital Office & Professional Employees (HOPE) Sector of the Local Union. All rates and classifications increase by 1.5% retroactive for hours worked since January 1, 2014. In the second year, workers receive two lump sum payments made in installments of $200 for full-time workers and $100 for part-time. In the third year all classifications and rates increase by 1%. Union Negotiating Committee: Lucy Bedore, Cathy Prevost and Union Rep Dean McLaren. ...
First contract at Ryandale Shelter Members of Local 175 working at the Ryandale Shelter for the Homeless in Kingston met on September 16, 2014 to | December 2014 6
The more than 200 workers at Maple Leaf Consumer Foods Courtney Park achieved a new collective agreement at a meeting held November 2, 2014.
Wages increase over the contract term by a total of $1.90 per hour for production employees and by a total of $2.40 per hour for maintenance employees. Shift premiums for afternoon work improve to 45 cents per hour, and for night work the premium is now 60 cents per hour. Overtime is now paid on day six and seven, regardless of the hours worked in the work week. Benefits are now 100% paid by the employer, and life insurance coverage increases to $40,000 as of ratification, and then to $45,000 in year three of the contract. Short-term disability payments now cover 41 weeks, up from the previous 15 weeks, with an Employment Insurance (EI) integration. Bereavement entitlement also improves to provide five days’ paid leave for the death of a parent, spouse or child. Union Negotiating Committee: Margaret Leung, Robert Scheuler, Jerry Wiercigoch and Union Rep John DiNardo. ...
Drop in & Celebrate Family Day in Solidarity with your Union
Saturday, February 21, 2015 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Union Office: 2200 Argentia Road, Mississauga Free food & entertainment for the whole family! Call to register 905-821-8329 / 1-800-565-8329
FALL STEWARD SEMINARS Another year of great Steward Seminars is behind us. Hundreds of Stewards from across the province, including many who were attending for the first time, came out to enjoy a weekend of learning, connecting with old friends, and meeting new people. Earlier this year, the Training & Education Centre announced the start of a new training format for 2015. President Haggerty and the Training & Education Centre have determined that more time is needed to prepare for those localized training sessions. The new format will now begin in 2017 to coincide with the next biennial Education & Finance Conference. The new training will include alternating years of localized seminars and weekend conferences, plus ongoing annual Health Care Conferences. This schedule is outlined in the chart below. To see more photos from all of this year’s seminars, visit us online at www.ufcw175.com or check us out on Facebook!
YEAR 2015
TRAINING SCHEDULE
• Bylaw & Policy Conference • Health Care Conference • Regional Steward Seminars
2016
• Health Care Conference • Regional Steward Seminars
2017
• Education & Finance Conference • Health Care Conference • Localized Steward Seminars
2018
• Health Care Conference • Regional Steward Seminars
2019
• Bylaw & Policy Conference • Health Care Conference • Localized Steward Seminars
Thunder Bay
London
Toronto
Toronto Sault Ste. Marie
Kingston Hamilton
Hamilton ELECTION CAMPAIGN TRAINING If you are interested in getting involved on a political campaign in next year’s Federal Election, please send us an email at: politicalaction@ufcw175.com for information on training options available to you.
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