CAW CONTACT
Volume 40, No. 37 – October 29, 2010
CONTACT is the CAW's national newsletter, one of the longest running and widely circulated union newsletters in the country.
Auto Parts Workers Rally Across Ontario
CAW members in more than 100 auto parts workplaces took part in a series of lunchtime demonstrations outside their plants during a province-wide day of action on October 27. The protest was the culmination of months of planning and involved 15,000 workers across Ontario.
Parts workers called for a stop to the downward pressure on working conditions, employer demands for severe contract give-backs and demanded greater respect for work ownership, including the right to follow work in the event it is relocated to other facilities – with the collective agreement in tact.
CAW President Ken Lewenza told a crowd of 150 demonstrators in the parking lot of Burlington Technologies that cutting the wages and benefits of workers will not solve the uncertainty facing the parts industry.
Lewenza highlighted that demands on parts workers for concessions are not limited to unionized shops, as non-unionized workers often face much more severe cutbacks. In Canada, approximately 20,000 parts workers are union members while about 40,000 to 45,000 are not.
Lewenza urged government to introduce fairer unionization legislation, which would see card check certification reinstated in the province. “What’s so difficult about putting in a law to allow workers to join a union without reprisal?” Lewenza asked. He also lambasted the government for allowing employers to use replacement workers during labour disputes and touched on the need to introduce fair severance and bankruptcy legislation.
This large-scale effort organized under the campaign Auto Parts Workers United, also included a massive outreach effort to non-unionized parts workers, including those employed by Magna.
For more information on the campaign or the Day of Action, please visit: http://www.caw.ca/en/9499.htm
Union Wins B.C. Court Battle for Workers with Chronic Illness
CAW Local 111 has won a seven-year long court battle with Coast Mountain Bus Company that protects workers suffering from chronic illnesses by striking down a workplace policy that imposed an unfair penalty on workers for absences due to disability.
The ruling was issued by the British Columbia Court of Appeal on Friday, October 15, ending a dispute that originated in July 2003, after local union representatives filed a human rights complaint challenging the employer’s Attendance Management Program as unfair and discriminatory.
CAW Local 111 President Don MacLeod said the court’s decision is excellent news for the rights of all disabled workers.
“This case really says it is wrong for an employer to systemically discriminate against workers who are absent from their jobs because they have chronic or recurring disabilities,” MacLeod said in a statement released on October 18.
“The court agreed that the employer has a responsibility to its workers to recognize that those suffering from chronic illnesses like Crohn’s disease, arthritis, diabetes or injuries that affect their ability to work must not be treated unfairly,” MacLeod said.
CAW Condemns Bullying of LGBT Youth
In light of a wave of suicides by lesbian, gay, transgendered and bisexual youth and those perceived to be LGBT, the CAW's National Executive Board has adopted a strongly worded statement, condemning violence against and bullying of LGBT youth.
In the statement, passed on October 15, the union expresses its grave concern about the bullying of LGBT teens and urges renewed vigilance against all forms of bullying, including jokes, slurs, harassment, threats and any form of violent behaviour.
"We are asking those in positions of authority or leadership roles in their community and schools to stand up and speak out against bullying while creating safe space and support services for those youth who are targeted for discrimination. We must keep up this fight until each and every one of us can enjoy equal liberty, mobility and respect, to live openly with our families and loved ones in dignity."
To read the full statement, visit our website at:
CAW Calls for End to Exploitation of Airport Drivers
CAW members employed by three airport limousine companies staged a demonstration on October 22 at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, demanding an end to the exploitative treatment of the limo drivers.
The union is in first contract negotiations with McIntosh, Air Cab and Aaroport, after being certified as the official bargaining agent in early February. All three companies are owned by the same individual. The 200 drivers are represented by CAW Local 252.
The union is attempting to end a number of unethical practices such as drivers being forced to purchase both their car and insurance from the company owner at a marked up price.
“It’s unbelievable the extent to which drivers working for these three companies are exploited,” said CAW National Representative Sukhvinder Johl. The total fees paid by the drivers amount to approximately $7,000 a month, most of which is paid directly to the company, regardless of how many fares the driver is able to pick up, said Johl. “The purpose of this demonstration was to bring attention to these very exploitative working conditions and pressure the companies to reach an equitable collective agreement with its workers.”
Canada-EU Free Trade Deal Could Cost up to 150,000 Jobs
A Canada-EU free trade deal would create a huge trade deficit for Canada, resulting in the loss of up to 150,000 Canadian jobs, says a study released on October 27 by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The study, by CAW economist and CCPA Research Associate Jim Stanford, models three scenarios to provide a range of estimates regarding the likely impacts of EU-Canada free trade. In every case, Canada’s bilateral trade balance worsens significantly. The simulations suggest an incremental loss of between 28,000 and 150,000 Canadian jobs.
“A free trade agreement with the EU will exacerbate Canada’s existing large bilateral deficit, at the expense of output and employment in many important sectors of the economy,” says Stanford.
Canada already has a large bilateral trade deficit with the EU - $15 billion in goods and close to $4 billion in services, and loses some 70,000 jobs as a result. A free trade agreement would make that imbalance worse, Stanford argues.
The report comes on the heels of a fifth round of Canada-EU trade talks in Ottawa, which wrapped up on October 22, and the first major public demonstration against the trade deal.
Over 400 protestors, including bus loads of CAW members, gathered in the nation’s capital to express their grave concern over the proposed deal which threatens to break down government regulations over such things as public purchasing, environmental standards, public services, domestic-content rules and others.
To download a copy of the CCPA research paper entitled Out of Equilibrium: The Impact of EU-Canada Free Trade on the Real Economy visit: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/
