TWU Merger Committee

**Experienced Poster** Joined: 16 Dec 2005 Posts: 342

TWU Merger Committee - read about it at this link and apply at this link to be considered for this TWU Merger Committee.

Bruce Bell has spoken in the past of the TWU needing to merger with another union and involvement on this merger committee could be your chance to influence what is presented to the general TWU membership in the future.

CAW, the Steel Workers, CEP, ??? - plenty of possibilities could await us or we could remain the TWU.
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The wonderer

**Experienced Poster** Joined: 16 Dec 2005 Posts: 342

Am surprised at the none comments especially in light of the members of these forums who have acknowledged that decertifying is a pipe dream at best. If so then another union might be the answer and here is your chance to possibly be a member who can give this insight. If you believe you represent the silent majority, then why so mum? Or is the reasoning more like "we'll let them form their committee and make their recommendations and dump on it then"? A reactive bunch in here?
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The wonderer

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:55 am Post subject:

just because members acknowledge that decertification is highly unlikely doesn't mean they don't think it's the best option (the best option is rarely the most likely, and in this case, I would suspect that the worse the option, the higher it's probability)

Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 3:03 pm Post subject:

Wonderer. You said that the people on this site would do nothing but sit and wait for a suggestion, then just crap on it when it came out.

Be part of the solution or shut the h*ll up.
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Find - Desiderata - read it

**Experienced Poster** Joined: 16 Dec 2005 Posts: 342

Be part of the solution???

I am trying to be just that in more ways then you'd ever be aware and I would very much like to see the nonactive members step up be the difference. Decertification is not realistic in my opinion, so what union is the best choice.
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The wonderer

Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 10:57 am Post subject:

Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 6:00 pm Post subject:

well I should go on record as the 1 who voted for the TWU.

To get added to another larger union would further remove the members from the executive level. Also who is going to run for any local position in the larger union.. well more than likley it will be the same folks that were running the show in the TWU. Just like in alberta.. all those that were active in the IBEW became the active members of the TWU. Those that were not active then.. by and large are not active now. So really the only thing that will change will be where your dues go.

Decertify, and form a Employee Association.... Again... who is gonna run it. The current TWU members who do not wish to participate in the current union.. doubt it.... and as for no union.. Me thinks this is a bad plan.. don't get me wrong I'm a Telus Fanboi through and through.. but I'm not so blinded by the telus colors to think that things would get better for us as a non union shop.

So that brings us to keeping the TWU. The TWU is ours, and only on thing will save it.. and that is particapation. Get out, get your voice heard, and don't let them give you crap for having an opinion. Remeber there are power in numbers.

Or there is one other option (my fav) and that is to work your a** off to get in to a managment position and make change there.
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Grand Vizor of the Sacred Order of the Rebirth of S-Mart

**Experienced Poster** Joined: 16 Dec 2005 Posts: 342

Thank you, dante666, for your wise words and I do apologize if I offeded anyone with my previous posts. Certainly, I agree that some sort of union shop is required as the current environment at TELUS has many front line managers doing almost anything to often ensure their continued employment - no union shop and watch our working conditions and expectations change considerably. 60-70 hour work weeks for them is often the norm and just in the past two weeks, their long term sick leave got cut back to 3 months. This, they are not happy about and there's nothing they can do about that. At least we have 130 days of long term sick leave for 25 year employees (might need less years in than that, just don't recall right now) and even that is a fair bit less than the year we used to get. 3 months - well, have a heart attack or get into a bad car accident and see how quickly that chews up 3 months of sick leave.

Back on track, I didn't vote for the TWU, haven't voted in this poll and certainly in our local, the old IBEW guard is not there running the show. What would be welcomed is some new "young" faces as the executive is aging and we need members to become involved and active now instead of when the bus is only inches away.
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The wonderer

Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 8:07 pm Post subject:

Just added my vote for the Steelworkers.

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 2:32 pm Post subject:

United Steelworkers are most definitely NOT democratic Cat:

www.freethelivelyseven.org

They want you in you are IN, you are NEVER out. They signed up enough banks in and around Sudbury that they could include one that did NOT want to be in. The United Steelworkers will NOT let them out. ALL SEVEN in one branch wat outside Sudbury asked to be excluded from the blanket certification, the Steelworkers and the CIRB have refused. They call the seven votes inconsequential to the democracy of the larger group, regardless of the fact that these ladies are 45 minutes from Sudbury and all of them voted no to the united Steelworkers.

The United Steelworkers of America are not what you may believe:

Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 2:34 pm Post subject:

United Steelworkers are most definitely NOT democratic Cat:

www.freethelivelyseven.org

They want you in you are IN, you are NEVER out. They signed up enough banks in and around Sudbury that they could include one that did NOT want to be in. The United Steelworkers will NOT let them out. ALL SEVEN in one branch way outside Sudbury asked to be excluded from the blanket certification - the Steelworkers and the CIRB have refused. They call the seven votes inconsequential to the democracy of the larger group, regardless of the fact that these ladies are 45 minutes from Sudbury and all of them voted no to the united Steelworkers.

The United Steelworkers of America are not what you may believe:

**Rookie Poster** Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 69

See, now I disagree with the whole "Lively Seven" mess.

Those seven ladies may be all at one branch, but it was the CIRB that ultimately decided that they were in the same bargaining unit as the rest - NOT the Steelworkers.

Their seven votes may have been out of seven in their separate branch, but out of the whole bargaining unit are far from being a majority.

Those seven certainly have a valid point - they were included in a union and they don't wish to be - I disagree with them but I respect their views. However, their issues should be directed at labour law in Canada and the CIRB. The Steelworkers are simply following the rules established by law.
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aka HeyRob

**Experienced Poster** Joined: 16 Dec 2005 Posts: 342

So the scoop from the shop floor is that Bruce Bell's camp is heavily supporting the move to a new union and the union of choice for many in that camp is the Steelworkers. In reality, a move to a new union or with a larger union may be in our membership's best interests as TWU local 60's contract is up in 2008 an dthere probably won't be much of a strike fund in place for their use (if needed).

TWU local 32 has a petition available on their web site to basically push for a call for the TWU EC to bring the whole merger issue to the forefront. So, do you want the Steelworkers or something else. No doubt the CAW, the IBEW and the CEP all might be looking at us and possibly even the dreaded Horsemen. The CEP has recent history of poor contracts, the IBEW's record in Alberta wasn't much better and the CAW, well they've got Buzz and quite a history of raiding other unions and not giving much back in return in the form of good contracts. The Horsemen, who knows.

In reality, a union is still in our future but which one should it be?
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The wonderer

**Experienced Poster** Joined: 03 Sep 2005 Posts: 349

Actually wonderer, the vast majority of people in Alberta were happy with the IBEW. BC just had more people.