WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014
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IKEA DISPUTE
Union wins LRB backing Furniture giant Ikea deemed to have illegally negotiated wage rises for picket line-crossing workers Philip Raphael
Staff Reporter praphael@richmond-news.com
Ikea workers from the Bridgeport area store walk the picket line on Monday. The Swedish company is set to appeal a Labour Relations Board ruling that backed the workers’ union. Photo by Philip Raphael/Richmond News
Despite a Labour Relations Board ruling that Ikea negotiated a wage increase for picket line-crossing workers behind the union’s back, the bitter, 15-month dispute is unlikely to end any time soon. On Monday, Ikea indicated it would appeal an LRB ruling that agreed with the union’s assertion that additional compensation given to the workers who returned to their jobs amounted to bargaining in bad faith. According to Teamsters Local 213, the LRB stated Ikea violated regulations by negotiating a pay rise directly with the 35 employees see IKEA › page 4
ELECTION
Johnston, Au jump political ship Graeme Wood
Staff Reporter gwood@richmond-news.com
Two current city councillors are hopping on board a new political party whose only stated goal, to date, is to have more civic engagement. The self-proclaimed non-partisan Richmond Community Coalition (RCC) pulled Ken Johnston away from Richmond First, while Chak Au leaves the Richmond Independent Team of Electors (RITE). RCC candidate chair Sylvia Gwozd, a former Richmond school board trustee
and chair —who unsuccessfully ran for council in 2005 with Richmond First — said Au can be instrumental in bridging the perceived gap between the new immigrant community and multigenerational Richmondites. Au, a social worker and trained counsellor who works at Vancouver Coastal Health, said he wants more engagement, particularly with the Chinese-Canadian community. “I have concerns about racial relations. We have to work together. …We have much room to improve in terms of interaction amongst different cultural
groups,” said Au, in front of a handful of reporters representing local media outlets during a press conference at Minoru Park. Au, who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, immigrated to Richmond from Hong Kong in 1988. He said he feels he can be the “bridge” for new ChineseCanadians. “I was trained to listen, because that’s my job and in order to be an effective councillor, I have to listen to people and put myself in their shoes. Listening to people is my nature,” said Au, a former school board trustee. see AU › page 5
Chak Au, left, and Ken Johnston have parted ways with the RITE and Richmond First slates respectively. Photo by Graeme Wood/Richmond News
SEAFOOD PLATTER
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Greek salad, homous, satziki, pita bread, ice shrimp cocktail, stuffed tiger prawns, kalamaria, sautéed seafood (prawns, halibut, salmon, scallops), mussels, roast potatoes, rice and seasonal vegetables. Offer valid 7 days a week with this coupon. Expires August 5, 2014
www.felicos.com • Full Menu On-Line