Labour Talk

THIS IS A FIRST

green1 — Fri Jul 30, 2010 12:55 pm

Author: green1

Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 12:55 pm

Right to association is the problem. Any job which requires either union membership, or union dues violates both documents.

Th Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms includes a clause on freedom of association, the supreme court of Canada ruled in it's decision about construction workers in Quebec that mandatory union membership violates this clause due to it violating the implied right to non-association included in that same section.
The UN declaration of human rights is more direct, it explicitly states the right to non-association as part of it's section on right to association. This has been upheld in regards to mandatory union membership in Europe if I recall, (I believe NC had some information on this one a while back and may be able to provide more detail here. Sorry, I'm a bit busy right now and don't have time to dig back through his posts to find it, but I know it's there somewhere.)
The relevant sections of the Charter of rights and freedoms is available on the government of Canada website, and both it and the UN declaration of human rights are available in considerable detail on wikipedia.

Bargaining Committee Update-July 12

wimpole1 — Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:44 pm

Author: wimpole1

Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:44 pm

It's over now,right? Oh come on...they sat face to face yesterday,the company pretended to take the bargaining committee seriously,then they all went for dinner. (tongue in cheek) The union was had and will continue being had but they will think they are doing such a great job all the while getting sucked in. Do you think they will understand what is happening? If they get a big buy in/out from the company and the union they won't give a shit!!

DUES INCREASE

wimpole1 — Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:49 pm

Author: wimpole1

Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:49 pm

Sound like only the exec voted for it!! Even the members that banded together to oust the last exec. couldn't get out and vote!! They traded short term vengeance for long term apathy. Yay .....look who you've got now!!! Must be proud. Actually they don't even look here. They don't want to see what the out come was and what they are responsible for. Kinda makes you feel like you are back in grade 5 following a leader who was just a show off!!
The only person who seems to be happy with everything that is going on within the twu is Entwhistle!!

Bargaining Update

Mimi Williams — Mon Jun 21, 2010 12:11 pm

Author: Mimi Williams

Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 12:11 pm

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2010/21/c6925.html

Tentative deal for 1000 TELUS workers in Quebec
RIMOUSKI, QC, June 21 /CNW Telbec/ - A tentative agreement has been reached for a new collective agreement covering nearly 1000 employees at TELUS Communications (Québec) Inc., members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE-FTQ). If ratified, the new contract will last until December 31, 2014.

Madeleine B.-Hudon, union negotiator for the Syndicat québécois des employés de TELUS (CUPE local 5044), expressed her satisfaction with the outcome. Diane Gagné, president of the local, said the agreement will be submitted for approval to the union council on Tuesday, June 22. Union leaders would then recommend it to members for adoption. "A series of meetings in all areas covered by TELUS in Quebec will be held as soon as possible, to share the details of the agreement with our members so they can make a decision."

Negotiations began in October 2009 with the theme "Pour notre avenir, nos emplois, nos conditions, agissons" ("Acting for our future, our jobs, our working conditions"). Bargaining continued until mid-February 2010, resumed with the help of a mediator and was finally concluded on Friday, June 18 after 13 days of support from a conciliator appointed by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

The previous contract had expired on December 31, 2009. Bargaining priorities included wages and contracting out.

The Syndicat québécois des employés de TELUS (CUPE local 5044) represents nearly 1000 members working all across Quebec - call centre agents, office staff, trades people, and maintenance workers.

TELUS is one of the largest telecommunications companies in Canada.

In addition to its 7,250 members working in the communications sector in Quebec, CUPE has a strong presence in several other sectors, including health and social services, education, public transportation and airlines, provincial crown corporations and public institutions, energy and municipalities. With 105,000 members in Quebec, CUPE is the largest union affiliate in the FTQ (Quebec Federation of Labor).

For further information: Madeleine B.-Hudon, CUPE National Representative, 418-724-9034; Robert Bellerose, CUPE Communications, cell. 514-247-9266; Sébastien Goulet, CUPE Communications, cell. 438-882-3756; Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees (FTQ)

No Money for Members...Are you Surprised?

alec — Sun Jun 06, 2010 6:02 pm

Author: alec

Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 6:02 pm

No surprise at all.

We WERE all so impressed!!

wimpole1 — Fri May 21, 2010 7:53 pm

Author: wimpole1

Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 7:53 pm

So you are saying that if it was "smuggling" if someone brings a bottle of beer or a pack of cigarettes from Canada to the U.S. or vice versa they should get the same "severe" sentence because they were "smuggling"? (if it wasn't the pot, which everyone knows, no one cares about then what?). That is why Canada never arrested Mark Emery. Hey, do you live in the U.S.? Are you a Republican? Listen to Arnie!! We hope his referendum goes thru.

AGM TELUS

alec — Mon May 10, 2010 9:05 pm

Author: alec

Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:05 pm

wimpole1 wrote:

For Sure. Let's cut to the chase this week! Get is over with. Sign the contract. Quit with the semantics. We all know it's a done deal. There is no union and what is left has no support.

Yes, well what you have is an organization that makes lots of money and spends its days figuring out how to spend it all. They are hardly going to end that sweet little operation they have going.

Teamsters certification websites

NC — Mon May 03, 2010 8:12 pm

Author: NC

Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 8:12 pm

green, those are called "education and training" funds. I have heard that the UFCW uses them to buy cars and houses.

Lyle (Teamsters website "voice") omitted the post I copied above, but did post the one after that, thinking people will never realize it. I just posted another, my 3rd post to the site:

Quote:

Let's try this again. You did not post my question but instead, called ma a Union Buster, they asked me a question. (see obfuscation, below) I will ask it again.

My question, which you edited out was: Will the Coquitlam collective agreement have this clause - (Copied here from the Richmond Collective Agreement)

Section 3 (c) All co-workers shall be required to be a member of the Union as a condition of employment with the Employer. Should any co-worker covered by the bargaining unit cease or refuse to become a member in good standing of the Union, the Employer shall, upon notification from the Union, discharge such co-worker.

I will answer YOUR question for you again, as I did in the post you censored. I run a chat forum called www.labourtalk.org, we have people, like the IKEA workers, who come and ask questions that unions will not answer, or if they answer they obfuscate, throw up smoke and skirt around. I would be DELIGHTED if you came and offered your opinions - I promise I will not censor YOUR postings.

I sent you an email Lyle, you did not respond, but I notice you fixed your email address I told you was wrong, you're welcome.

the vampires are out again...

alec — Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:10 pm

Author: alec

Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 11:10 pm

Well I can't imagine that they will be very successful in collecting fees from 5 years ago. I would be inclined to just throw the letter away and see what happens. I am sure that there will be more mailings and i supose in BC they will start buying up axe handles for a grassroots collection program.

Merger???

NC — Mon Apr 19, 2010 9:46 am

Author: NC

Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 9:46 am

Ouch!! That was mean. Correct but mean. I figure this thread is going to wander a bit anyway.

If the CRTC lets Telus and Bell merge (and there is nothing that says they want to) I suspect the public and political outcry would be deafening.

Ayn Rand

NC — Fri Apr 02, 2010 7:53 am

Author: NC

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 7:53 am

Society, so the income and expenditures of that account are not reported. They may do with those funds as they please.

Nice piggy bank.

I'm Back...

NC — Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:04 am

Author: NC

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:04 am

I have not been very attentive to our little board here, my apologies. I have been working, which is really good news for my income, but my hobbies, this board and my backyard, suffer. (I have spoken with my neighbour already, he understands)

I hope I can get you folks talking again and will be posting some of the more interesting things I have seen go by, decisions and news items.

I was thinking of creating a newsletter of some sort but will only send it to people who want to read the sort of thing we put up here.

You can't post in this thread but I will start something further down.

NC

Hertz Hurts - Cope's Scorched Earth Policy.

NC — Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:01 am

Author: NC

Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:01 am

Nasty full page ad in the Vancouver Sun today.

It's too big so I can't scan it or anything. Basically the Canadian Union of Professional Employees (COPE) Local 378 is trying to destroy Hetrz Car Rental at Vancouver International airport by directing all its customers to other rental agencies because Hertz is trying to cut down on overtime.

I blows my mind that they can claim Hertz is making it "hard to get by on part time" then in the very same page, sending Hertz customers to the competition - effectively destroying the jobs.

"Just go over to one of the other rental counters, show them your Hertz rate and see if they can beat it". I smell a decert app coming at Hertz, COPE knows it and now wants to kill the business because COPE is not going to get any dues from them.

Page A11 of the Vancouver Sun.

Frequent Flyer Points?

wimpole1 — Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:08 am

Author: wimpole1

Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:08 am

It has been reported that if you are in possession of a twu credit card that you can accumulate frequent flyer points and use them for your own personal use. Now, somehow that seems like a perk that many are not aware of. Some members of our executive fly a lot!!
It wouldn't be surprising knowing this bunch of ner do wells, but if someone could shed some light on this it would be appreciated.

USA Data - Union Density

JJ — Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:47 pm

Author: JJ

Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:47 pm

I can't put anything up? I have the canadian numbers but no idea how to get them to the site. I emailed them on the weekend but they are not here yet.

They are the canadian density for both public and private sector. they should be pretty easy to chart.

Convention

wimpole1 — Fri Feb 12, 2010 5:16 pm

Author: wimpole1

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 5:16 pm

Maybe they will use their members hard earned money to take themselves to the Olympics in B.C. Politicing should be rewarded, right?
Keep your eyes peeled.....

UFCW pay rates

JJ — Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:07 am

Author: JJ

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:07 am

UFCW isn’t the union at Safeway it is the Retail Wholesale union. I found a couple of CA's on the Negotech site. I compared SuperStore to Safeway. UFCW vs RW, here’s the facts…

Wages at Superstore are lower than at Safeway. At SuperStore (UFCW 1400) starting wages, right now are $9.25/hr. you don’t get over $12 until you have worked 6500 hours so at 20hrs per week it would take over 6 years to get from $9.25 to $12.30. Don’t forget you will be paying Union dues for 6 years too. http://www.labourtalk.org/calculators/calculator/duesSelect/

I will get it into a chart or something like that and send it to you guys. I can't post things like that so I will email whatever I figure out.

When is the Junket to Ottawa happening?

NC — Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:39 am

Author: NC

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:39 am

sammy wrote:

Convention starts in Ottawa on Feb. 1st as most everyone is flying out this weekend. Its their annual convention, bargaining convention is later in the spring.

So perhaps a small airline purchase may be a wise budgetary decision?

I found some more of your dues money...

alec — Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:28 pm

Author: alec

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:28 pm

I always wonder how much influence the unions lawyers have with all this litigation. If the union is getting bad advice and taking legal action and losing the vast majority of times then it would appear that the advice they are recieving is not so great. I would have expected around a 50% win ratio.

Of course from the lawyers position they collect their fee no matter what the outcome.

Of course the alternative might also be true. the lawyers might be begging the union to please please not take everything to court when there is no chance of winning and being overruled by the executive

Merry Christmas everyone

WonderWoman — Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:58 pm

Author: WonderWoman

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:58 pm

Hope you had a Merry Christmas as well NC!!. Hope everyone had a happy and safe New Years Eve and Wishing all of you the best in 2010!