Local 1285 News

Transcription

Local 1285 News

C a n a d i a n Aut o Worker s
/2&$/
JULY 2012
We Are Canada!
CAW Local 1285 Hosts the Canadian Pavilion at Carabram 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Some of the volunteers
for the 2012 Canadian
Carabram Pavillion
Can adia n Au t o Wor ke r s
/2&$/
Publication of CAW Local 1285 – Published in Brampton, Ontario.
Submissions to: Local 1285 CAW, 23 Regan Road, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1B2 – (905) 451-8310 or fax at (905) 450-6877
The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editors, Editorial Board, Executive Officers or Local 1285, CAW
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40064845. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CAW LOCAL 1285, 23 REGAN RD., STE. 1, BRAMPTON ON L7A 1B2
email val@caw1285.on.ca
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
President
Leon Rideout
Recording Secretary
Bill Turner
1st Vice-President
Financial Secretary
2nd Vice-President
Sergeant-at-Arms
Dave Ireland
Gerry Harvey
Mike Piane
Mike Allen
Guide
Laurie Fellows
Trustees
Phyllis Foster
Lisa Contini
Wayne Hunter
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Leon Rideout
Terry Gorman
Joe Baber
EDITORS
Linda Thompson
Bill Turner
Printed by
Thistle Printing
w w w. c a w 1 2 8 5 . c o m
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July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
President’s Report __________________________________________
Detroit Three Bargaining
_________________________________________ With summer upon us and bargaining fast approaching at the Detroit three there
seems to be no end to the challenges that we are facing today. We now have Chrysler,
Ford and GM gearing up for bargaining and putting their own spins on the difference
between labour costs in Canada versus the US. In the past they always compared us
to the Transplants, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai etc. That strategy changed after the 2009
bankruptcy concessionary bargaining that we were forced into, where we reduced our
Labour cost substantially. They are now changing their focus back to comparing us to
our UAW counterparts in the US who, they claim, have much lower labour costs than
the Canadian operations.
According to the CAW research department there is not as large
a labour cost margin as the companies would have you believe.
One of the main reasons there is a gap at Chrysler is as a result
of the American two tier wage system and the fact that with the
rebound in the Auto Industry, Chrysler has done more hiring in
the US than GM and Ford, which in turn brings more two tier
workers into their workplaces. Adopting a two tier wage system
in Canada would not help us as we are not hiring and we do not
have large numbers of our members who are retirement eligible
at Chrysler. At Ford they still have numerous members on layoff
with the recent closure of the St. Thomas plant and layoffs at
Windsor engine and GM has put the CAW on notice that they will
be closing the Oshawa Car plant in 2013 which will put about
2,000 members on layoff at GM.
We were a little creative in 2009 when we extended the wage
progression for new hires to 6 years, bargained no pension
accrual after 30 years for new hires and TPT’s and Summer
students wages will be frozen at 70%, this helps reduce our
labour costs in the event we hired full time members or TPT’s.
The other variable that helps us is the floating Canadian Petro
BY
Leon Rideout
PRESIDENT
dollar. What we find is that when the price of Crude oil rises on
the market so does the Canadian dollar. With the recent drop in
the price of crude oil the Canadian dollar has dropped below par.
A Canadian dollar at .90 cents would be ideal for us and would
put us at a labour cost advantage. This does not just affect the
Auto industry but all companies that export product to the US.
Another bonus going into bargaining is that sales of our “built
in Brampton”products are strong, with every Saturday scheduled
right through 2013. Chrysler continues to gain market share year
over year in Canada and in the US. For the first quarter in Canada
we were number one which means we outsold the competition.
The question of the day from Chrysler Members is “what do we
expect from bargaining this year?” We all know that investment
and product at Brampton assembly is our number one demand,
this will bring long term job security. From my perspective I’d
like to tell our members that we will not likely see any large wage
increases or substantial increases in benefits. In 2009 GM froze
President’s Report
continues on page four ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
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CAW Local 1285 News
______________________________
continued from page three
pensions for 6 years and with pattern bargaining the probability
of us freezing our pension for three more years is very likely. An
area that we can work towards improving is working conditions
and putting some accountability in place for plant management
when they are not following the World Class Manufacturing
(WCM) agreement. This is not a bad program if plant management followed all aspects of the program, not just picking and
choosing what they want to follow. The other major component
to WCM is that it’s a Fiat driven program and it has been made
quite clear to all Chrysler plants in North America that if you’re
not involved you will not get future investment.
Good jobs
Today, it seems that all of our natural resources are being
shipped offshore to be processed and sold back to us as finished
products. In 2000 there were 2 million Canadians employed in
the manufacturing sector of the Canadian economy which represented 16% of the workforce. Since that time numbers have fallen
to 1.5 Million workers which is 10% of the workforce in Canada.
Our manufacturing base has been depleted and we are becoming
a service economy as all we see opening up today are large distribution centers to distribute goods that are manufactured offshore,
not locally.
Another recent example of this is the announcement that the
Federal Government wants to build a pipe line from the Alberta
Tar Sands to the BC coast to ship oil overseas. It would make
more sense to build oil refinery’s here in Canada to refine the
raw material and create hundreds of good paying jobs here at
home, no wonder we are losing so many manufacturing jobs, all
the Government is doing is putting more profits into the coffers
of large business.
We are facing a similar dilemma in the auto industry, three
years ago the government pumped several billion dollars into
GM and Chrysler Canada when they were in bankruptcy but this
money had no strings attached. GM’s recent announcement that
they will be closing the Oshawa Car plant in 2013 is a classic
example of the importance of having some type of Auto Policy to
prevent this from happening. Meanwhile GM is back to making
billions in profit. If tax payer dollars are used to help big business
then there has to be a mechanism in place to force Corporations
to maintain the same employment levels or repay the money to
Government. Another example of this was the Electro-Motive
(Caterpillar) plant in London Ontario which received millions of
dollars in Government funding in 2008 and in 2012 they closed
the plant while making record profits.
Good Job Pledge
The CAW is currently working on a campaign called,
Re-thinking the Auto Industry: A Policy Vision to Escape the
Race to the Bottom. We are asking all our members, our retirees
and their families and friends as well as all citizens across the
Province and Country to sign a good job pledge form today (see
page 7). “Our Communities need decent, well-paying, productive
jobs in value-added export industries (like auto). Without good
jobs, we can’t support local businesses, pay taxes to support public services, or offer our children a decent future. Good jobs are
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July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
_______________________________
continued from page four
crucial to the well-being of our communities, no matter what job
you do. Creating and preserving good jobs into the future requires
a concerted effort by both business and government. It doesn’t
happen without taking concrete action. We are calling on all levels of Government to implement a National Auto Policy to support the Canadian manufacturing footprint, long into the future,
and to convene a National Jobs Summit to develop an overall
strategy for keeping good jobs in Canada”. For full sources and
details you can go to www.rethinktheeconomy.ca.
In 1994 Canada was ranked as high as 5th in global vehicle
production, today we are ranked 11th in the world with 2.2 million units built in 2011. Auto, which exports $53 billion annually,
ranks second only to oil and gas in terms of export dollars when
it comes to Canada’s economy, it loses relevancy outside the
manufacturing hub of Ontario. In addition to GM, Chrysler, Ford,
Honda and Toyota operate major manufacturing sites in Canada
that directly employ 112,000 workers, pumping $6.1 billion into
the economy last year. There are six other manufacturers that
produce buses and heavy trucks in Canada as well.
On April 23, 2012 our local hosted an Auto community Town
Hall which was intended to educate the community as well as our
Membership and Retirees on the importance of the Auto Industry
in Canada. We ran ads in the Brampton Guardian inviting members of the Community; we invited Politicians from all Political
Parties as well as the Mayor and City council. The only Politician
who showed was Linda Jefferies, Liberal MPP for Brampton
Springdale and Minister of Labour for the province, nobody
attended from city council. I did send a bluntly worded letter out
to all, got a phone call and a letter of apology from Mayor Fennell
who was extremely ill at the time and had to cancel a number of
functions. Also got letters from Amrit Mangat Liberal MPP for
Mississauga Brampton South and Dipika Damerla Liberal MPP
for Mississauga East-Cooksville apologizing for not being able
to make it, (see page 6). I never received responses from the
remainder of Brampton and Mississauga Politicians. I was also
disappointed with the lack of attendance from the Membership
and Retirees from our local, if we do not take up the fight, how
can we expect support from the community? The deadline for
returning the pledge form has been extended, anyone needing one
can come see us at the local or one of your Union Representatives
in your respective workplaces.
Carabram
Once again this year our local hosted Carabram which is
Brampton’s premier multi-cultural festival. This year Carabram
had 14 pavilions in various locations across Brampton. You can
visit the website at www.carabram.org. We hosted the Canada
Pavilion at our local with this year being the 30th anniversary.
From the time we opened at 6:00pm on Friday July 13, 2012 with
the Colour Party from The Canadian Legion Branch 15, to the
closing of Carabram at 7:00pm on Sunday July 15, 2012 with the
removal of the Flags there was continuous entertainment for all
ages. Hope you joined us for a super weekend.
Each year Carabram puts a float in the Brampton Flower City
parade with each of the pavilions having someone march in the
parade. For the past five years, since we have been participating
in Carabram, I have taken the time to march in the parade. It’s a
great event and much appreciated by the community (see pictures
at left).
Again this year, we needed lots of volunteers for Carabram
weekend. THANK YOU! We couldn’t have done it without you
and a special THANKS to our sponsors who helped offset the
cost of entertainment.
Attack on Unions
It seems that every time there is a downturn in the Economy
organized labour gets the blame and takes the hit. Over the
past year three Canadian political parties have introduced a
proposal for “right to work” style legal changes in Canada. We
now have Tim Hudak, head of the PC opposition in the province
of Ontario, blaming the Union for the closure of the Caterpillar
plant in London. The workers rejected a humiliating demand to
halve their wages and were locked out and Caterpillar relocated
to a low-wage, right to work state. Meanwhile Hudak, and the
Ontario PC party, is coming to Caterpillar’s defence, blaming the
Union, and pushing to make Ontario a “right to work” Province.
Hudak has unveiled a radical anti-union agenda to help rebrand
his party, the end of unionism, replaced by a more “flexible”
future. What most Canadians fail to understand is that it was the
struggles of organized labour that shaped Canadian society and
made this country a great place to live for all citizens, not just
those who are members of a Union. The labour movement created
the middle class.
It was organized labour at the forefront of the struggles for
public health care, for public education, for minimum levels of
pay and employment conditions, for the 40 hour workweek and
for the right to refuse unsafe work and it was the unions who led
campaigns against racism and discrimination, elimination of pay
and hiring discrimination against Women, Aboriginal people and
other minorities etc. You will never see the mainstream media or
Government give the Labour Movement the credit they deserve.
The loss of another local activist
On June 2, 2012 we lost one of our past Union Activists, Joseph
(Joe) Kremer. Joe was a Union Representative in the old AMC
Brampton plant, vice President of the Local during the seventies
and Plant chairperson at the newly open AMC/Chrysler Bramalea
plant. I myself started out under Joe as a young Union representative over 23 years ago. Joe was one of many who were part of
encouraging me to get involved in the Union and was one of my
many mentors. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and
friends.
In closing
Our local Picnic is coming up on August 19, 2012 at Wild
Water Kingdom, we would like to see lots of our members and
their families attending. The Labour Day parade is approaching,
we have some very nice jackets this year for $10.00 for those
attending the parade; the order form is available on page 33, or at
the local, please come in and sign up.
On behalf of the local executive board and myself I would like
to wish all members and their families a very enjoyable, safe and
happy summer holidays.
In solidarity,
Leon Rideout
continues on page six _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 5
CAW Local 1285 News
________________________________
continued from page five
On Monday April 23, 2012 CAW Local 1285 hosted an Auto Community Town Hall Meeting at our
Local hall on 23 Regan Road in Brampton. I would like to offer my thanks for those who took the
time out of their busy schedule to attend and express my disappointment with the lack of attendance by our local politicians.
The most disappointing part of the night was that we invited all local MP’s, MPP’s, the Mayor
of Brampton, members of City Council and our community partners and affiliates. We even ran
ads in the Brampton Guardian inviting the public. The only politician to show up was MPP Linda
Jeffrey, nobody from City council came, no other MPP’s and no MP’s. Our community partners
and affiliates did show up and did participate in the meeting. With the lack of attendance and
responses on the part of our local politicians I would take this to mean that they do not
believe the auto industry is important to the city of Brampton or to the province of Ontario.
The goal of the meeting was to educate the public, as well as our members, on the importance
of auto jobs in our community. We also outlined the threats facing the industry and the CAW’s
proposals to strengthen auto jobs for future generations.
The agenda at the meeting started with opening remarks by myself; followed by a presentation by the CAW Director of Research, Bill Murnighan, who provided data to counter the myths
about the auto industry in Canada and reaffirmed its importance. The old adage used to be when
the auto industry sneezed the economy caught a cold. In 2009 the auto industry was on life support. Since that time, the auto industry has started a major resurgence while the economy is still
recovering.
A community panel led by Rick Gavin, Board Director for the Knights Table and Lena Shaw, a
Board member, addressed those in attendance. Glenn Harvey, a volunteer at the Knights Table,
and a client, also spoke on his experiences and the importance of the auto industry to the Knights
Table which survives in part by donations and volunteers from CAW Local 1285.
Linda Jeffery, Minister of Labour for the province and MPP for Brampton Springdale spoke
on the importance of the auto industry to the city of Brampton and moreover to the province of
Ontario.
Louroz Mercader a Board Member from the United Way of Peel Region spoke about the
importance of the auto industry to the United Way. The workers at the Chrysler Assembly plant
alone donate upwards of $300,000.00 to the United Way of Peel. This is not counting monies
donated by workers in the feeder plants to Chrysler.
The final speaker of the night was CAW National President, Ken Lewenza, who emphasized
the extreme importance of the auto industry in the province and Canada as a whole. He spoke
of the Auto Sector around the world, most governments are shareholders in the industry which
puts pressure on auto companies to maintain their footprint and the good paying jobs in the auto
industry. He was also very eloquent on the fact that Canada needs a National Auto Policy.
Leon Rideout
President
CAW Local 1285
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 6
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
It’s about the community:
Take the Good Jobs Pledge today!
Our communities need decent, well-paying, productive jobs, including in value-added export industries (like auto). Without
good jobs, we can’t support local businesses, pay taxes to support public services, or offer our children a decent future.
Good jobs are crucial to the well-being of our communities – no matter what job you do.
Creating and preserving good jobs into the future requires concerted effort by both business and government. It doesn’t
happen without taking concrete action.
To Global Corporations:
You enjoy enormous opportunity in Canada, manufacturing and selling your products here. In turn, you owe something
back to our economy, and our communities. I’m joining the call for you to invest more in Canadian operations and
good Canadian jobs.
To Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty:
Other countries around the world support their key value-added industries (like auto) with pro-active policies, including
fair trade policies. It’s time Canada did the same.
I’m calling on you to implement a National Auto Policy to support the Canadian manufacturing footprint long into the
future, and to convene a National Jobs Summit to develop an overall strategy for keeping good jobs in Canada.
(Please be sure to fill out all fields)
Name
City
Postal Code
Email
Cell Number
Please return to CAW Communications, 205 Placer Court, Toronto ON M2H 3H9
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 7
CAW Local 1285 News
1st Vice-President’s Report _________________________________
Having Faith In Your Union
________________________________ We are glad to report that all of the Chrysler Mississauga Parts Depot laid off members
have been given the opportunity to transfer to the Etobicoke Casting Plant. We would
like to thank Whitey MacDonald, the CAW National Representative, for his support
and also the in-plant committee for their administrative support.
A New Strong Union in Canada (Update)
On May 30th there was a meeting held with all of the
region’s Executive Board members and Chairpersons, from
both CAW and CEP Locals, at the Toronto Sheraton Hotel.
The purpose of this meeting was to update the entire leadership on the progress and discussions regarding the formation
of a strong new union in Canada.
There were presentations by the Proposal Committee on
the recommended new democratic structure that will be
tabled at both CAW and CEP upcoming conventions.
The new Canadian union will have over 300,000 members
across Canada with a strong leadership team in every region
of the country. Along with a President, a Secretary-Treasurer,
and the Quebec Director there will be three elected regional
directors (from Atlantic Canada, Ontario, and Western
Canada). In addition there will be Chairpersons elected to
four regional councils and the Quebec council. Furthermore,
12 to 14 members will be elected to the National Executive
Board.
The new union will be well represented in all provinces
across Canada and have the capacity to challenge governments more broadly on political issues, and have a more
forceful alliance against employers. There is an important
focus on expanding union education, and in organizing
workplaces. This will take maximum advantage of the public’s interest in reflecting the diversity of all Canadian workers and their concerns.
A moment of truth awaits us for approval of the final reports
and recommendations made by the Proposal Committee
by delegates attending the CAW (August 2012) and CEP
(October 2012) Constitutional Conventions.
n CAW and CEP joint website:
www.newunionproject.ca
syncreon
There was an election held on May 28th for a new plant chairperson. Elected to this position was Junior Walsh and we would
like to congratulate him. We would like to give thanks to Joe
Baber for his best efforts as plant chairperson. He resigned from
this position due to personal reasons. In other news from syncreon we have a termination grievance that has been prepared to
go to arbitration.
Saputo Dairy
Since our Special Meeting back in February this workplace has
gone through some positive changes. We are working well with
the new plant chairperson Dennis Hickey, and resolving the day
to day issues with him and the Committee.
We had a termination grievance that was going forward to
arbitration, but we were able to resolve it and have the member
reinstated.
BY
Dave
Ireland
There was interest within the maintenance
1ST
department to have a separate information
VICE-PRESIDENT
meeting and a vote to join the CAW Skilled
Trades Council. The meeting was held April
15th and they decided 100 percent in favour. We would like to
give special thanks to Pat Blackwood, CAW National Skilled
Trades Director and Peter Jones, Financial Secretary of the
Brampton Mississauga CAW Skilled Trades Council, for their
support and for attending the meeting and making presentations.
There will be an election for a new maintenance steward, as
Dave Donavan resigned due to personal reasons. We would like
to thank Dave for his dedicated time and effort on behalf of members and the in-plant Committee.
We would like to congratulate both Ed Sheppard and Dennis
Vynychenko on their retirement and wish them all the best.
Crosby Canada
Since the new Vice President of operations, Sean Kieffer
started working at the Crosby warehouse earlier this year, the
relationship with the Union at Crosby has settled down. We are
not experiencing the conflicts of the past.
We would like to congratulate Ron MacArthur on his retirement after 45 years of service and wish him all the best.
BFG Canada
All is going well at this workplace. Newer lighting, painting
and new air make-up exchangers are being installed. There are
some line changes currently taking place with the replacement
of some of the older bake ovens. These necessary changes will
accommodate up to the 35 new food products that have been
researched and developed at the plant. We hope that this increase
in volume will result in the recalls of some members who are still
on lay off.
Daimler Buses – Plant Closure
There has been an announcement that the Mississauga “Orion”
Daimler Buses Assembly Plant is going to close. The plant is
slated to close as early as October of this year.
This plant closure news came on April 25th just a few weeks
after the April 1st ratification of a new one year collective agreement that didn’t have any wage increases or added costs.
This closure will now be throwing up to 390 workers out of
work, some who have up to 40 years of service. The operation
began in the early 1970s as the provincially owned Ontario Bus
and Truck Inc. which was purchased in 2000 by Daimler.
It is unfortunate that these members are losing their jobs
along with the added pressure that they are struggling with the
Company to reach a plant closure agreement.
1st Vice-President’s Report
continues on page nine _____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 8
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
1st Vice-President’s
Report
______________________________
continued from page eight
This workplace unit was represented by our Local Union until
February 2011 when they decided to leave and try to achieve a
better agreement on their own.
In Memory Of Brother Joseph Kremer Sr.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brother
Joseph Kremer senior on Saturday June 2nd. Joe was a retiree of
the Chrysler Brampton Assembly Plant. Most of you will remember Joseph as one of the Plant Chairpersons at the old Brampton
AMC Assembly Plant and as one of the earlier Plant Chairpersons
at the current Brampton Chrysler Assembly Plant. Some of you
may not remember him by his name but by his nick-name which
was “Grandpa Joe” because of his pipe smoking. Joseph will
always be remembered for his solidarity, as one of the top Union
Leadership and for his dedication and commitment in supporting
our Local Union. He will be deeply missed by all. On behalf of
our Local Union our condolences go to all of his family.
Dates To Remember
n CAW Local 1285 picnic
– Sunday August 19th Wild Water Kingdom
n CAW Labour Day Parade – Monday September 3rd
n Retirees BBQ – Wednesday September 19th
On behalf of the Local we hope everybody is taking their summer vacations and enjoying the time with family and friends.
In Solidarity,
Respectively submitted by:
Dave Ireland
1st Vice-President
Summer’s Here!
Attention all CAW Local 1285 Members:
Consignment Tickets!
The following discounted tickets are available at the
Union Hall:
Canada’s Wonderland
Adult: $39.00
Park opens May 6, 2012
Junior/Senior: $33.00
Pay Once Visit Twice (P1V2):
$53.00
Wild Water Kingdom
Adults: $25.00
Children: $18.00
Fallsview Indoor Waterpark$34.00
African Lion Safari
Adults: $27.00
Children: $22.00
Toronto ZOO
Adults: $19.55
Children: $11.05
If you are interested please drop
by the CAW Local 1285 Union
Office at 23 Regan Road, Suite 1,
Brampton, to purchase your tickets.
Canada’s largest and best water park
will be hosting a CAW Local 1285 Day
Sunday, August 19th, 2012
All CAW Local 1285 members and friends are welcome to join us on Sunday August 19th, 2012.
Included in your fun-filled day are: All attractions to the park, as well as organized games,
and a BBQ lunch.
Games at 11:00 a.m. n BBQ Lunch at 12:00 noon
Cost for Members:
Adults $12 (immediate family) n Children $8.00 each (4-9 years old, dependents only)
.00
Friends are welcome at a cost of $25.00 per adult – $20.00 per child
One free parking pass per family
Tickets are available at the CAW Local 1285 Union Office
23 Regan Road, Brampton.
Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 9
CAW Local 1285 News
2nd Vice-President’s Report _______________________
New Collective Agreement At Martin Brower
_______________________ We have recently concluded negotiations with Martin Brower and have ratified a
collective agreement with the Warehouse, Transportation and Office Groups. This
collective agreement will be effective May 1st, 2012 till April 30th, 2015.
Highlights
Some of the highlights of this agreement are a wage increase
of 2.5 percent in each of the three years of the agreement and
increases to weekly long term disability.
For the first time at this location, or for that matter any location
of Martin Brower, we have negotiated a full time chairperson.
Election for this position will take place in September of this year.
I would like to congratulate the bargaining committee for their
perseverance and commitment on behalf of the members, for
without their solidarity these gains would not have been possible.
Thanks to Mark Brownridge and Kay Oliver, the respective
chairpeople, and a special thank you on behalf of the bargaining
committee, the local and the membership to Paulo Ribeiro, our
National Staff Rep who works tirelessly on behalf of all of us.
Paulo understands the issues and provides the leadership and
resources to accomplish the task at hand. Thanks again Paulo.
Benteler Automotive
A strike deadline of July 31st, 2012 looms at Benteler
Automotive the supplier of suspensions for Chrysler Brampton.
The committee has held several meetings to resolve grievances
before heading into bargaining. Unfortunately the majority of
the grievances do not get resolved, they simply move to the
next stage. We have had more grievances moved to arbitration
at Benteler than we have in all the other units in Local 1285
combined.
This does not bode well for our upcoming
negotiations. We held a proposal/strike vote
meeting on July 8th, 2012 at the local and we
had a strong turnout for this in preparation
for the opening of bargaining.
Stay tuned!
BY
Gerry
Harvey
2ND
VICE-PRESIDENT
Chrysler
Recently the leadership of Chrysler met in London to review
the proposals for the upcoming contract negotiations at Chrysler.
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and recommendations. The official target should be known after the Labour Day
Weekend.
Carabram, Golf, Picnic And Labour Day
Some upcoming events to remember are the Carabram
Weekend, July 13, 14, and 15, 2012; the Local Golf Tournament
will be held on the 16th of September at Lionshead and the
local picnic will be on Sunday, August 19, 2012 at Wild Water
Kingdom... and don’t forget the Labour Day Parade.
On behalf of myself and my family, I hope you will have a
happy and safe summer holiday. Enjoy!
In Solidarity,
Gerry Harvey
2nd Vice-President.
THANK YOU NOTES RECEIVED...
☛ From the Cancer Society for
donations in memory of Mrs.
Gilley, Patricia Leino, Marjorie
Walterhouse & Debbie Munro
☛ From the Heart & Stroke
Foundation for donations in
memory of Mohamed Aleem,
Alex Berger, Hardev Kavr, Ken
Lowcock, Walter Slaney & Frank
Walterhouse
☛ From the CNIB for donation in
memory of Patrick McMahon
☛ From the Walterhouse family for
donations in memory of Marjorie
& Frank Walterhouse
☛ From the Sullivan family for
donation in memory of Jack
Sullivan
☛ From Multiple Sclerosis for
memoriam donation
☛ From the Kidney Foundation for
memoriam donation
☛ From Knights Table for donation
☛ From Jagmeet Singh, MPP
Bramalea-Gore-Malton for
donation
☛ From Toys for Tots for donation
of Christmas toys
☛ From Rab McLarnon for Fruit
Basket
☛ From the Arthritis Society for
memoriam donation
☛ From Debbie Greenwood, Janice
Wallace & Sue Gallant for
Funeral Tribute in memory of
father / g’father
☛ From Pathways for annual golf
tournament sponsorship
☛ From Leukemia & Lymphoma
for memoriam donation
☛ From Don Culver & family for
Funeral Tribute in memory
☛ From CAW Local 414 for golf
tournament sponsorship
☛ From Canadian Diabetes for
memoriam donation
☛ From Theresa Slaney & family
for Funeral Tribute
☛ From FFAW/CAW for donation
to their strike fund
�� Page 10
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Financial Secretary’s Report __________________________
CAW Local 1285 Balance Sheet
_________________________ (Cash basis)
ASSETS
CASH
The Bank of Nova Scotia
Petty Cash
Credit Union Certificates
Royal Bank Security Bonds
Scotia Bank GIC
January 2012
TOTAL ASSETS
$1,391,625.43$1,415,659.12$1,429,173.90
LIABILITIES
CURRENT LIABILITIES
E.I. Payable
CPP Payable
Income Tax Payable
RECEIVER GENERAL PAYABLE
COPE Local 343 Payable
Officer’s Union Dues Payable
TOTAL LIABILITIES
EQUITY
General Fund
TOTAL EQUITY
February 2012
March 2012
783,158.29
797,443.17
810,957.95
25.0025.0025.00
34,403.73
34,403.73
34,403.73
473,329.31
483,078.12
483,078.12
100,709.10
100,709.10
100,709.10
BY
Mike
Piane
FINANCIAL
SECRETARY
921.84
944.24
1,197.20
1,991.322,021.762,498.86
5,510.495,514.746,040.37
8,423.65
8,480.74
9,736.43
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
$8,423.65$8,480.74$9,736.43
1,383,201.781,407,178.381,419,437.47
1,383,201.781,407,178.381,419,437.47
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY$1,391,625.43$1,415,659.12$1,429,173.90
CAW Local 1285 Hall Rental
CAW Local 1285 Banquet Hall is the ideal setting for your
next special occasion.
With our modern decor and spacious hall setting we can
accommodate anywhere from 20 to 300 people.
For smaller functions you can choose between Hall A or
Hall B.
Hall A has a stage and the use of our warming kitchen
and bar with a maximum sit down capacity of 120 people
Hall B is for those smaller, intimate functions with a bar,
and seats a maximum of 100 people comfortably.
CAW Local 1285 Members
Full Hall – $1,000
Hall A – $600
Hall B – $500
Non Members
Full Hall – $1,500
Hall A – $850
Hall B – $750
Anyone interested in renting the hall should contact the Union office at
(905) 451-8310 for availability.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 11
CAW Local 1285 News
Recording Secretary’s Report _____________________
____________________ Congratulations to Jim McDowell and
Mike Salic for recently graduating from
the CAW-McMaster Labour Studies
Program.
Classes are held at the Local 1285
Union Hall. The fall session will be starting up in September. The program is
currently only open to active and retired
Chrysler workers in the local, as the costs
are covered from a fund that Ford, GM
and Chrysler have contributed to.
The fall Paid Education Leave, PEL,
schedule should be available for posting
at your plant in August.
We are working with the National
Education Department to put on a one day
class for retirement preparation. The class
is entitled “Making the Transition.” Our
intent is to hold the class at the Union Hall
on an upcoming Sunday so as not to clash
with the Mandatory Saturday Schedule
that many in our local are faced with. The
class will be free to attend, your spouse
can also attend, and lunch will be provided. The presentation typically includes a
presentation from the Government, as well
as CAW folks. If you think that this may
be of interest, kindly contact the Union
Hall at 905.451.8310 to add your name to
a list. You would then be contacted when
a date is finalized. We’re looking at (for
example) either September 23rd or 30th.
Tim Hudak, the Leader of the Opposition,
recently unveiled his “Paths to Prosperity:
Flexible
Labour
Markets”
policy.
This is a recycled
“idea” that has found
favour amongst farright Tea Party folks
BY
in the USA. The terBill
minology used to sell
Turner
the idea includes the
RECORDING
suggestion of creatSECRETARY
ing a “Right to Work”
state. Well hey! That
sounds great, I mean who isn’t in favour of
personal Liberty, Freedom, and jobs? The
reality however is that after the government creates legislation to break up organized labour, and wipes out the Unions on
behalf of the One Percent, the average
wages and working conditions for the
average person fall dramatically towards
the minimum wage. How the Leader of
the Provincial Conservatives has come to
the conclusion that emulating the absolute
worst legislation to come out of America
in decades is going to make Ontario a
better place, is beyond me. The Hudak
plan should be called “Right to pay people
less” or “Right to bust the Unions for the
Corporations that contribute to my election campaign.” Even folks in his own
party are heard mumbling phrases like
“breathtakingly stupid” of late.
Wishing you, your friends and family, a
safe, well deserved vacation.
Trustees’ Report _________________________________________
________________________________________ “Rainy Day” Fund
The Local has received three quotes for fixing the parking lot.
The general consensus was that the whole parking lot does not
need to be done. Robert DiMaio of Archon Architects is working with the Local to come up with a plan. Hopefully, we will
have some good news to report after the summer.
The Local received a bill from Chrysler for lost time. It has
been outstanding for a while and was quite a large sum, but
the Local has arranged to make instalment payments monthly
until it is caught up. The Local has also arranged with Chrysler
to bill regularly so this doesn’t happen again in the future.
Starting in May, the Local transferred a lump sum of money
and has set up a weekly transfer into a high interest account.
Since paying off the mortgage, the executive board discussed
creating a reserve fund in case emergencies arise in the future.
This will allow the Local to have money set aside in case it’s
needed for a “rainy day.”
We hope to see everyone at Carabram the weekend of July
13-15, 2012. Bring your family and friends or if you would
like to volunteer, contact the Local. Our upcoming Local
Family Picnic will be at Wild Water Kingdom on August 19,
2012. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children. You can
Lisa
Contini
CAW LOCAL 1285
TRUSTEE
Phyllis
Foster
CAW LOCAL 1285
TRUSTEE
Wayne
Hunter
CAW LOCAL 1285
TRUSTEE
get your tickets at the Hall. Lastly, please don’t forget to join
us at the Labour Day parade on September 3, 2012. Anyone
can join us for the event and if you need a ride, please contact the Local as there will be a bus going to Nathan Phillips
Square at 8:30 a.m. that morning.
We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy summer
and enjoy your vacation time with family and friends.
In Solidarity,
Lisa Contini, Phyllis Foster, Wayne Hunter
�� Page 12
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Union In Politics Committee Report ______________
Things Are Heating Up For Workers This Summer
_______________ Things are heating up fast this summer and we are not just talking about
the temperature. Working people in this
country are being attacked on all sides.
Employers are attacking us at the bargaining table, the Federal and Provincial
governments are attacking us with their
draconian budgets and there seems to be
no end in sight.
So how do we as the CAW fight back?
We do as what we have always done, we
organize campaigns that provide alternative solutions.
The CAW has been organizing and participating in rallies all over the province
in the last few months. These rallies have
been big and small. But they are all very
important. Rallies are really about getting the attention of the media, the community and the politicians who represent
us. Sometimes smaller rallies are more
affective at grabbing attention for community issues. The problem with larger
rallies is that sometimes they can alienate
people. The G-20 is a great example of
this. Labour’s message was lost in all of
the craziness of that day.
More than 15,000 demonstrators rallied in London’s Victoria Park in a show
of solidarity with 465 CAW Local 27
members who were locked-out by U.S.
multi-national Caterpillar.
Over 300 workers, family members
and supporters took part in a noisy demonstration at the National Truck Show
in Mississauga, Ontario April 21 calling
on Navistar to bargain a decent closure
agreement for its Chatham workforce.
Rallying outside of Conservative
MP Brad Butt’s constituency office in
Mississauga, CAW and community members protested the Federal government’s
Budget Bill C-38.
All three of these rallies did a great job
with getting our message out to the media
and educating everyone about the issues
we face.
The CAW’s “Rethink the Economy, its
About Our Community” auto campaign is
part of our fight back and is just as important as the rallies we organize and attend.
The CAW believes we can sustain a
viable, profitable, dynamic auto manufacturing industry that generates good jobs
for the future.
Canada can learn from the experience of other industrialized jurisdictions,
where the auto industry still contributes
to growth and prosperity (rather than
job loss and decline). The key difference
between Canada and jurisdictions like
Germany, Korea, Japan, and even the U.S.
is not labour costs (which are high in all
industrialized countries). The key difference is a willingness by government to
play an active, guiding role in building an
industry, and constructing an international
advantage.
A few years ago I thought that all politicians and all budding politicians should
take a tour of Detroit to let them see what
happens to a city that loses its manufactur-
ing. Sadly you don’t
have to look across
the border any more.
You just have to look
BY
down the 401 and
Jim
for some across their
McDowell
yards.
UNION IN POLITICS
We have lost
COMMITTEE
50,000 good auto
CO-CHAIRPERSON
jobs in the last few
years in this province, and we are going to lose a hell of a
lot more if things don’t change.
A month ago I attended a town hall
meeting on pensions at the Malton
Community Centre. Largely the meeting
was attended by retirees. What I found
interesting was that the retirees were more
concerned about the loss of good paying
jobs in their community, than about their
pensions. They asked what is going to
happen to Malton when all the well paid
jobs are gone and everyone is making $10
an hour. Is that the future we want for
our families, our community and for our
province?
This is why taking the Good Jobs
Pledge is so important. It’s not just about
our jobs, it’s about the future of our communities. So if you haven’t taken the
Good Jobs Pledge please do so today.
In Solidarity
Jim McDowell
CAW Local 1285 UPC Co-chair
Brampton Mississauga District Labour
Council 2nd Vice-President
Union Label Committee Report ___________________
More Opportunities To Profit
____________________ Our government seems to think another Free Trade agreement is
what our country needs. They are in talks to sign another Free
Trade deal which they are calling the Canadian-European Union
Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA for
short). Again it will not be beneficial to Canadians, instead it is
for the interest of corporations. As we have seen in the past with
NAFTA, the interest of Canadians are not being looked after. This
new trade agreement threatens to impact our healthcare system,
the environment, our natural resources, public services, our food,
telecommunications and of course job creation.
We are looking at privatization of our public services, which
could impact education, health care, water treatment, mail delivery, and social programs just to name a few. Corporations want
more, and privatization and deregulation will give them more
opportunities to profit.
We have already seen the devastating impact of trade deals
BY
Lori
Kerr
UNION LABEL
COMMITTEE
CHAIRPERSON
on our manufacturing industry. We already
import more from the EU than we export,
creating the loss of good manufacturing jobs. If we go forward
with this trade agreement it will mean a depletion of our resources and in return more manufacturing jobs will be lost.
International corporations and foreign investors will have
more rights to our resources than Canadians do, the rights of
Canadians will be lost. The Canadian government needs to protect Canadians not corporations. We need to continue to call upon
the government to support Canadian content, not give it away to
foreign investors and corporations. Check out the CAW Website
for more information on campaigns the CAW is involved with
on Canadian content and CETA. You can also learn more about
CETA at www.tradejustice.ca.
In Solidarity,
Lori Kerr
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 13
CAW Local 1285 News
CAW Legal Aid Services ___________________
Invasion Of Privacy
________________ The law in Ontario has been very unclear as to whether a person could make a legal
claim for compensation due to an invasion of personal privacy. Until recently, it
would be very difficult to give a direct answer to this question.
However, the Court of Ontario in a
recent case has cleared up the ambiguity
and stated that the right to privacy does
indeed exist. It also set the limit of damages at $20,000, and so such claims will
be made in Small Claims Court (which
has the upper limit of $25,000 for claims).
The court also set out what requirements
must be met before such a claim would be
successful.
The case decided by the court was
called Jones v. Tsige. Jones and Tsige
were two women who did not know each
other, even though they both worked
for different branches of the same bank
and Tsige had formed a common law
relationship with Jones’ former husband.
Tsige, contrary to the bank’s policy and
for purely personal reasons relating to her
relationship with Jones’ former husband,
accessed the banking records of Jones
on at least 174 occasions over a period
of four years. Jones eventually found out
about this, and sued for compensation
for what she claimed was a breach of her
privacy rights.
The court agreed with Jones, and in
so doing, clarified this area of the law
and said that a claim for “intrusion upon
seclusion” can be made in certain cases.
The action complained of must be a deliberate and significant invasion of personal
privacy, and the intrusion be into a person’s private matters such as one’s financial or health records, sexual practices and
orientation, employment records, private
correspondence and the like. Furthermore,
the “intrusion” into one’s privacy has to
be serious enough that an average person
would find the “snooping” to be highly
offensive. The court was clear that people
overly sensitive or unusually concerned
about their privacy would not be successful in a claim.
Finally, the court warned that there
could be competing interests at work,
such as protection of freedom of the press
or freedom of expression. No right to
privacy is absolute, but the court certainly
recognized that in this age of technology, our privacy should be protected as
much as is reasonable. We are obliged
Wendy
Napier
Kathleen
Howes
Frank C.
Carlone
CAW LEGAL SERVICES PLAN
to disclose our personal information at
every turn, whether we are applying for a
credit card, opening a new bank account,
or financing a consumer purchase. It is
reassuring to know that we can expect
that this information only be used for the
purpose it was given, or else we can claim
compensation for the misuse.
If you discover that your personal privacy has been intruded upon, you should
give your lawyer a call and enquire as
to your rights. If you have access to the
CAW Legal Services Plan as a benefit, the
lawyers there will be pleased to give you
more advice and representation.
Editor’s Note:
Although not all 1285 members have
the CAW Legal Services Benefit Plan,
we hope that the whole membership
find these legal articles valuable background information.
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�� Page 14
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
_______________ Health & Safety Committee Report _______________
By the time this issue will be in your
hands, summer and summer vacations will
be upon us. For many Canadians warm
weather represents a welcome change
from winter. For workers and other at-risk
members of the public though, exposure
to heat and humidity isn’t so welcome. In
extreme cases, exposure can prove fatal.
Remember that animals also feel the heat.
On extremely hot days, the inside temperature of a car can be several degrees
warmer than the air outside and it is therefore never safe to leave pets or children
– even for a few minutes.
Humidex
The humidex is a Canadian innovation
that describes how hot, humid weather
feels to an average person. The humidex
combines the temperature and humidity
into one number to reflect the perceived
temperature. Most CAW collective agreements do carry some sort of language on
the Humidex to protect workers during
working hours.
Although Ontario legislation does not
specifically address working conditions
in hot environments, the Occupational
Health and Safety Act’s general duty
clause does call for employers to “take
every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker.”
Be Prepared For Summer:
From Work To Home To Holidays
Whether you are at work or on holidays, at home or on the road, summer
weather can change rapidly. Be alert to the
latest forecasts, stay aware of the weather
around you, plan ahead for possible emergencies and take appropriate steps to
protect yourself and your family from the
risks of severe summer weather.
Brampton-Mississauga &
District Labour Council
President Motilal Sarjoo was
honoured by MPP Jagmeet
Singh for his contributions
to the Labour Movement and
promoting awareness in the
Community at large.
Planning Ahead
Having a storm readiness plan in place
can save valuable time if severe weather
strikes. Choose the best shelter in your
home/office/near your workstation and
make sure you know where it is and how
to get to it. Choose/know a meeting place
to gather after the storm to ensure that
everyone is safe and accounted for.
Maintain an emergency pack with a
battery-powered flashlight, a radio (with
Weather radio capability preferably), tools
for emergency repair, food supplies, a first
aid kit, blankets and extra clothing. Keep
your car gas tank full, in case gas stations
close down after a storm. When a warning
is issued, stay calm and follow your plan.
Taking Shelter
When there is a threat of high winds or
a severe thunder-storm or tornado, your
first priority is to take shelter. Close all
windows and doors, and secure loose outdoor objects or move them inside. Know
your Tornado Shelter at work.
Go to the basement or to a small interior room in the centre of the house, such
as a closet, bathroom or hallway, on the
lowest floor of the building. If this is not
an option, take cover under a stairway or
sturdy table and use a cushion or mattress
to protect your head. Stay away from all
windows, doors and exterior walls, in
particular those facing the storm. Avoid
buildings with large, unsupported roofs
such as arenas, supermarkets, and barns.
If you are boating or swimming, head for
land immediately.
Do not travel. If you are in your car,
open the windows slightly and park off
the road with your brakes set, away from
tall objects and power lines. Do not leave
your car if there are downed lines nearby.
In the event of a tornado, abandon your
vehicle and move at a right angle to the
storm’s path. If this
is not possible, find
a low-lying area,
such as a ditch, and
lie flat. Hang onto a
small tree or shrub if
you can.
Lightning Safety
BY
Sewak
Manak
CAW LOCAL 1285
If you can hear
HEALTH & SAFETY
thunder, you are
COMMITTEE
within
lightning
CHAIRPERSON
striking distance.
Take shelter immediately, preferably in a house or or in a lowlying area. When there is lightning nearby, head indoors immediately. Stay away
from electrical appliances and equipment,
doors, windows, fireplaces, and anything
else that will conduct electricity such as
sinks, tubs and showers. Avoid using a
telephone that is connected to a landline.
If you are in your car, do not park under
tall objects that could topple, and do not
get out if there are downed power lines
nearby. If anyone is struck by lightning,
call for medical assistance immediately
and, if breathing has stopped, administer mouth-to-mouth or cardio-pulmonary
resuscitation, CPR.
Hail Safety
When hail threatens, move indoors into
a sheltered area. Stay away from windows and glass doors. If you are caught
outdoors, reduce your chances of injury
by crouching down, facing away from the
wind, and protecting your head and neck.
Health & Safety
Committee Report
continues on page sixteen ______________
On the weekend of June 8, 9
and 10 I had an opportunity
to attend a CAW Health,
Safety and Environment
Conference in Port Elgin.
The 2012 National Health &
Safety Conference, “Fighting
Back Makes a Difference”
focused on shifting the
balance of power in the
workplace and building the
worker’s power base through
awareness, knowledge and
responsibility.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 15
CAW Local 1285 News
Health & Safety
Committee Report
_____________________________________________________________________________
continued from page fifteen
Storm Surge Safety
In the event of a storm surge or flash floods, avoid
coastal areas, particularly those prone to flooding, and
seek higher ground. Do not picnic around low lying
areas.
Heat And Humidity
It is important to stay safe during such extreme temperatures. Avoid working or exercising intensely if it is
very hot or humid outside, and head for cooler conditions. If your body becomes overheated, drink plenty of
liquids and take frequent rest breaks. Be sure to maintain
salt levels in your body and avoid high-protein foods.
Watch for signs of serious medical conditions, such as
heat exhaustion.
Water Safety
Any drowning news puts a dent in your summer pleasure. Always wear a life jacket when on water – even if
you know how to swim. Drinking is not part of surfing,
boating or other water sports.
I wish everyone a happy and joyful summer holiday.
Sewak (SAM) Manak
Samcaw1285@gmail.com
Solidarity
with CUPE
�� Page 16
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
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�� Page 20
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Aboriginal & Workers Of Colour
________________________________ Committee Report _________________________________
On June 21, 1996 National Aboriginal Day was first
established to celebrate the rich culture of First Nation,
Inuit and Métis peoples. These people played an
important role in Canada’s social, historical, cultural and economic development. This day was chosen
because it is the longest day of the year. It is also the
first of 11 days of “Celebrate Canada!” which concludes on Canada Day, July 1st. Please take the time to
recognize a part of our history.
I am looking for graduates of the Aboriginal and
Workers of Colour course to send me an email for an
upcoming event in the Fall. More information will
become available then.
The committee is always looking for new members
with fresh ideas. If that sounds like you, please contact
me. Our meetings will resume in the fall.
I wish all of you a very happy and safe summer
holiday.
Tricia Brown
AWOC Chair
tricia.brown@live.ca
BY
Tricia
Brown
ABORIGINAL
& WORKERS
OF COLOUR
COMMITTEE
CHAIRPERSON
Women’s Committee Report ______________________
Back To The 50s
_______________________ Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth
has introduced motion 312, a dangerous
anti-abortion motion. It was debated in
Parliament in April and is coming up for
a second round of debate on September
18 and a vote on September 19. This
new motion calls for a Parliamentary
Committee to examine whether the
Criminal Code definition of “human
being” should be expanded to include
fetuses. This threatens to give legal personhood to fetuses and allow the re-criminalization of abortion, as well as deny
the constitutional rights of all pregnant
women.
We must send a strong message to
Parliament and antichoice MPs that we
will never let anyone
take us back to the
BY
1950s on hard-fought
Gwen
reproductive rights
Campbell
for Canadian women.
CAW LOCAL 1285
The CAW and
WOMEN’S
our Local Women’s
COMMITTEE
Committee
has
CHAIRPERSON
organized
peaceful demonstrations
to meet anti-choice supporters in many
towns where the anti-choice caravan has
arrived. One peaceful demonstration was
held in Brampton on Thursday, June 21st.
Many sisters from various CAW locals,
and supportive agencies attended.
In Solidarity,
Gwen Campbell
Oakley Sub Assembly
_____________________________ Unit Report _________________________
Greetings Brothers and Sisters
With the hot start to summer we are all dreaming of one thing “Lots of rain.”
Now with summer shut down just around the corner we’re all looking forward to
spending the quality time with our families, heading to the cottage or day travels.
Whatever your plans, remember to stay hydrated and enjoy the time with your families!
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you
the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world!!
BY
Joe
MacKinnon
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 21
CAW Local 1285 News
Employee & Family Assistance Program Report ____________
Substance Abuse & Mental Health & Trauma
___________ Beyond popular opinion, part of my job
entails assisting people who have mental
health illnesses. Many assume that if a
person is in my office it is for addiction,
which is not always the case. Mental
health and addiction can go hand in hand.
In the addiction field an individual who
suffers from both are told they have a
concurrent disorder. Often, the people I
assist suffer from both. In my field there
is a great debate on which may have
come first and how to treat it; do you treat
each separately; one and then the other?
If so, which one first? Depending whom
one talks to there are different theories
regarding this conundrum.
Some treatment centres for addiction
want their clients to be off all mindaltering drugs before entering the program
and that may include the drugs given
for mental health illnesses. Others want
their clients to maintain their medications
throughout. This does help me to make
the decision on where to refer people.
It has only been the last couple of decades that professionals have come to recognize that many chemically dependent
individuals may also have an underlying
mental health problem or a concurrent
disorder. Often the addiction comes as
a way to numb the effects of the mental
health condition or some trauma that has
occurred in one’s life. Some examples:
c While it may seem illogical for a
depressed person to take a depressant
this is often the case. An example,
one may drink as a coping mechanism
because they are depressed, however,
because alcohol is a depressant, they
end up being more depressed. It can be
a real catch 22 problem.
c An example of trauma could be a battered woman; she drinks to relieve
both the physical and emotional pain.
Until the battering stops there is little
reason for the drinking to stop and
actually, many reasons to continue to
do so. That’s her way to numb the pain
and deal with her life situation and the
depression.
c My text books tell me that 68 percent
of people suffering from an addiction
have been sexually abused. Might this
addiction have started as a way of
trying to numb the psychological and
physical pain? I definitely think so. It
obviously has some correlation.
The concurrent issues of mental health
and drug and alcohol abuse pose a big
problem. Often, until both issues are
solved, neither one will be solved completely. This is why rehab centres do
counseling around the trauma that may
have occurred in the client’s life.
Many people try to dismiss traumatic
events as just part of life and for some that
is their way of dealing with these issues
and it may work for them. Others, and a
great deal of others, can’t get over these
events and they lay inside their psyche
festering and causing the client havoc for
many years, if not their entire life. These
things can lead to anxiety and depression,
post-traumatic stress, anger management
concerns, OCD, (Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder), eating disorders, self-esteem
issues, etcetera. The only way for some
to deal with these traumatic events, abuse
or crisis is to go to counseling and talk
it out. The theory is that the more one
talks about the issue(s) at hand, the
less power and control it has over the
individual.
History has proven that all of those
family secrets don’t generally protect us;
they just allow the situation to continue,
silently. This is also known as the “elephant in the room.” I’m not saying to
go out and confront the individual but
instead, to go and talk it out with a
counselor. It may not be a good thing to
confront the abuser, the anorexic or the
addict/alcoholic at the next family dinner,
but airing your grievances to a counselor
in the privacy of their office can help
you! Bottom line is that we have to look
after ourselves. One is not less of a person
because they are in counseling.
It has been found that drug abuse is
seven times and alcohol is 10 times as
prevalent in the mentally ill as in the
general population. Some drug abuse and
alcoholism can also lead to mental and
physical health concerns as well.
For instance, alcohol can have very dire
effects on the body. Danish researchers
report that as little as one drink per day
increases the risk of
mouth, throat and
esophageal cancer.
Women who drink
two to five drinks
per day are at nearBY
ly twice the risk of
developing breast
Phyllis
cancer. There is even
Foster
an alcohol induced EMPLOYEE & FAMILY
ASSISTANCE
amnestic disorder
PROGRAM
called Korsakoff’s
CHAIRPERSON
syndrome. It is
commonly known
as ‘wet brain’. This disorder is caused
by chronic alcoholism where memory is
impaired. Neuro-psychological tests have
found evidence of more cognitive deficits
especially in relation to visuoperceptual
skills and abstract thinking. This is a form
of brain damage. While some of this can
be reversible, the longer it goes on the less
chance of recovery.
Brain scans of an individual who has
done cocaine shows that even 100 days
past the last use of cocaine, the brain is
still not back to normal. Cocaine usage
can cause psychotic episodes amongst
some users.
What I’m trying to convey here is to
get help for the issue at hand, instead of
self-medicating to relieve the psychological pressure of trauma or mental illness. Being in counseling or on medication doesn’t mean one is weak. In fact
it shows that one recognizes there is an
issue and they are responsible enough to
get help for it. Phone my office, I can give
you some counselor referrals if needed.
If you see yourself or a family member
somewhere in this article there is help
available. You can get non-judgmental,
confidential and compassionate assistance
through my office. Give me a call.
Office: 905-458-2672
In Emergency, Cell: 905-702-4456
In Solidarity,
Phyllis Foster,
Addictions Counselor
www.cawlocal.ca/1285
�� Page 22
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Retirees’ Chapter Chairperson’s Report __________
___________ Our Retirees meet every third Wednesday of every
month. However, meetings for July and August have
been cancelled unless something important requires a
meeting. We always get a great turnout for our meetings and have great discussions on numerous issues.
Our leadership bring the retirees up to date with
everything from upcoming negotiations to the possibility of forming a new Canadian Union with CEP
(Communications, Energy & Paperworkers Union). If
approved, this would bring together more than 300,000
CAW and CEP members into a new union with strong
connections in all communities where they represent
workers.
We have had presentations regarding working
toward wellness over the last year. At the last meeting
there was free blood pressure screening and many of
the retirees participated.
Rest in Peace – We lost Brother Joseph Kremer
in June. Over the years Joe was very active within our Local. He served in several positions from
Committeeperson to Chairperson in AMC and in the
Chrysler plant in Brampton.
Deepest sympathy to his wife Susan & family.
Hope everyone has a great and safe summer.
In Solidarity,
Dennis Hryhorchuk
BY
Dennis
Hryhorchuk
RETIREES’
CHAPTER
CHAIRPERSON
Congratulations To Our Recent Retirees
Dave LeBreton
Chrysler Canada
Diane Williams
TI Automotive
Ron MacArthur
Crosby
Ed Sheppard
Saputo Cheese
Dennis Vynychenko
Saputo Cheese
Martin Brower Unit Report _______________________________
Business Still Increasing
______________________________ We’re happy here at Martin-Brower
to report that like the last few years,
business is still increasing. McDonalds,
our only customer, provides us with
forecasts of future sales and they have
done nothing but substantially beat their
own projections. That’s a pretty good
position to be in.
Hiring has taken place in the transportation department, warehouse department and office group. Three years ago
when we bargained our first contact
after transitioning over to Local 1285
we had approximately 140 members.
Today we currently are just shy of 200
members.
New Contact Ratified
Our collective agreement expired
April 30 of this year, we were able to
negotiate and ratify a new collective
agreement for another three year deal.
The members gave the bargaining
committee a clear direction on what the
issues were. I was privileged to work
with and watch a committee hunker
down, work as a team, and go after the
demands made by our members. After
two long weeks of bargaining the com-
mittee came out with a very respectable
recommended settlement, which was
ratified by 84 percent of the members.
Our new collective agreement contains wage increases of 2.5 percent in
each year of the three year deal, not bad
considering our industry standard for
wage increases is 1.7 percent. We also
made improvements to benefits most
specifically Long Term and Short Term
Disability, increased vacation time and
improved contributions to the members’
RRSPs.
Substantial Changes To
Jurisdiction Clauses
As I mentioned earlier in this article
our volume of cases shipped is increasing and is proving that we are outgrowing our current distribution centre. We
know we will be forced to move to a
new centre during the term of this collective agreement, so improvements had
to be made to our jurisdiction clause
during bargaining to provide transfer
rights and job security for our members.
Substantial changes were made to our
jurisdiction clause and proved quite
challenging for the committee to get
language they were
comfortable with.
Our office unit,
which consists of
five customer service reps, also had
BY
their
agreement
Mark
expire on April
30th. The office Brownridge
UNIT
unit
committee
CHAIRPERSON
hunkered down as
well (Kay Oliver).
They were able to gain the same monetary increases and jurisdiction improvements as the transportation and warehouse agreement. Scheduling is always
a tough issue in the office and proved to
be no different this time around.
I would like to thank the two committees for giving it your all. Thanks to
everyone at the Local for assisting me
in preparing for bargaining, especially
Gerry Harvey. Thanks to Paulo Ribeiro
our CAW National Rep for executing
our members’ demands.
To all the members at Local 1285,
have a wonderful and safe summer!
In Solidarity,
Mark Brownridge
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 23
CAW Local 1285 News
Chrysler Brampton Assembly Plant Report _______________
Rumours, Rumours, And More Rumours
______________ Rumours, rumours, and more rumours. It’s that time again and
as we get closer to negotiations the rumours seem to be flying.
I would like to dispel some of the rumours that I have heard.
There has been no discussion with the company regarding
the demands that were presented by the membership.
There have been no discussions with the company about the
possibility of working nine to 10 hour shifts or a continental
shift. The company has approached the Union on many occasions asking how they can produce more cars from this plant.
benefits, holidays, vacations, etc...
negotiations, period.
So far, all discussions concerning negotiations have been
within the Union. On March 23-24, there was a leadership
meeting in Port Elgin with the full Union leadership from GM,
Ford and Chrysler. This meeting was comprised of workshops
on the auto bargaining and policy issues including an economic update, state of the industry, UAW bargaining, and a
CAW bargaining update.
On April 22, a demands meeting was held at the union hall
and all the demands were read out and approved by the membership. A motion to move forward with the demands was also
approved.
On May 22-23, a meeting was held in London with the
Chrysler leadership. At this meeting the demands from the
Brampton, Windsor and Etobicoke locations were presented
and approved. The demands from all locations will be compiled into one set of demands for presentation to the company
at the commencement of negotiations. At this meeting it was
also determined what Sub Committee the main table leadership would be chairing. From Local 1285, Leon Rideout
(President) will oversee Representation, Work Standards,
Language and Plant Operations. Dave Ireland (1st VicePresident) will chair the Work Standards Sub Committee.
Gerry Harvey (2nd Vice-President) will chair the Benefits Sub
Committee and Ardis Snow (Plant Chairperson, Brampton
Assembly) will chair the Representation Sub Committee.
Local negotiations will begin after summer shutdown and main table negotiations
will start after the Labour Day long weekend when the National President selects
the target company.
Job Elimination Continues
BY
Ardis
The company continues to eliminate
jobs outside the 110 day language using
Snow
UNIT
WCM. The company feels the agreement
CHAIRPERSON
during the 2009 bankruptcy negotiations
allows them to eliminate jobs any time
of the year. We have filed grievances for every elimination/
change that the company has done. The company has been
providing us with the 12 step WCM Job Element Change
Form accompanied with the NVAA Analysis, Ergo Check List,
SEWO report, SWI, Kaizen, etc. for each job they change or
eliminate. Brampton plant management has not been using
the 12 step process properly. We have requested a meeting in
Windsor between the IE department, Labour Relations and
representatives of the Union so we can benchmark their facility as they have been using this 12 step procedure for some
time. The company has been hesitant on arranging this benchmarking trip giving us further reason to believe the procedure
is not being used the same in both facilities.
Lump Sum Payment
As of June 4, 2012 our COLA has been reinstated with
an increase of 28 cents bringing our COLA amount to 33
cents. The company had requested we forgo this payment and
receive it in a lump sum payment. This request was denied
by the Union because that was not the way it was negotiated.
The company has put us on notice that come September,
Chrysler Brampton Assembly
Plant Chairperson’s Report
continues on page twenty-five _____________________________
�� Page 24
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Aramark Food Services Unit Report ______________________
Things Aren’t Looking Up
For Aramark Employees
_____________________ A few months ago, Aramark Food Services reduced
our hours, and laid-off a new employee as well,
because they claimed that they lost $20,000 within
one month. This left members with shifts between
4–6½ hours, at the most. Our Local President, Leon
Rideout has been speaking with Aramark management trying to get our hours back with no promising
responses from the management.
As we all look forward to the two week shutdown
this year, we Aramark employees would like to use
this opportunity to say thank you so much to all our
brothers and sisters for your continuous support and
encouragement to “Hang in There.”
May we all use this time to renew and refresh
ourselves and our loved ones. Enjoy every bit of this
summer with your families. God bless you all.
In solidarity,
Sabina Abiaka
BY
Sabina
Abiaka
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
Chrysler Brampton
Assembly Plant
Chairperson’s Report
________________
and return them to your Union Rep or drop them off in
the union office. Canada needs to implement a National
Auto Policy to support the good jobs that the auto industry
provides. If you have your petition at home and haven’t
handed it in, please do so. If you need another copy of the
petition, please see your Union Rep. or pick one up at the
union office, or see page 7.
with the expiration of the collective agreement, Chrysler
will discontinue the payment of COLA. I think they
should realize that is normal practice, as every part of the
collective agreement has to be renegotiated at the expiration of the Collective Agreement.
Fiat Awards Program
continued from page twenty-four
More Use Of TPTs
With all full-time employees recalled back to work,
the company can utilize the language allowing TPTs to
be used during the week (Tues.–Thur.). The company has
refused to use TPTs during the week saying their manpower is favourable yet they are still refusing some of
our member’s requests for time off during the week. But
at the first sight of a shortage of manpower, the company
brings in TPTs. We were quick to remind the company
that in 2008 bargaining they were the ones that requested
to be able to use TPTs during the week. Then management
went one step further. They started to say if you requested
a day off during the week (Tues.–Thurs.), you must use
PAA hours or you would be coded unexcused, even if the
supervisor told you your day off was approved. There is
no contractual language requiring employees to use PAA
hours when they request a day off. After we met with the
company they reversed this direction.
Good Job Pledge Petition
The Good Job Pledge petition has been extended. We
are asking members to take these petitions home and have
your family, your friends, your neighbours, members of
your community, your church, etc... sign these petitions
The company has introduced the 2012 Fiat Awards
Program. This program recognizes top achievement and
academic excellence of its employees’ children. The
recipients will receive a monetary award ($4,000–$8,000).
Applicants must have graduated from high school, college
or university (Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree) in 2012.
They must have a minimum overall grade point average of
3.0 (B) and completed their course of study by their 26th
birthday. Visit Dashboard Anywhere/Development channel for program guidelines and applications.
As required, Chrysler has mailed letters with a pension
plan status update. This letter is notice that they have
elected to extend the period of time they take to eliminate the 2008 pension solvency deficit from five years to
10 years. This extension allows Chrysler to make smaller
monthly payments. The Plan is not fully funded on a solvency basis. This letter is for information purposes only.
The Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) and the
Communications, Energy and Paper Workers Union of
Canada (CEP) have had in-depth discussions about the
possibility of building a new union together. The executive boards of both unions have unanimously approved
a process to explore the possibility of creating the new
Canadian union as soon as mid-2013. A special website
has been built to provide relevant and up to date information on the process. The “New Union Project” link can be
found on the CAW website. www.caw.ca
In Solidarity,
Ardis Snow
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 25
CAW Local 1285 News
Chrysler Brampton Office, Clerical And Engineering
______________________________________________ Unit Report _______________________________________________
Show Your Support
Brothers and Sisters,
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe
and happy summer holiday, it is so important for everyone
to enjoy the down time after working so hard these last few
months.
As we head into summer your Committee will be focusing
its efforts on the upcoming contract talks with the company
this fall. This particular round of negotiations will be very
difficult; there is an enormous amount of pressure from the
corporation on the Union to give back even more concessions.
Brothers and Sisters our Union, our Local will need your
support, we must collectively show the company that we are
united and committed to take them on. I would urge you all
to talk to your reps and ask them how you can get involved
in showing your support. The Union and
its Leadership are committed to fight this
attack on our livelihoods, and with the
membership’s support I know we can
overcome any challenges the company
will put before us.
With the overtime scheduled to last
well into the fall I hope everyone will
take advantage of the time off and enjoy
the good weather with their families and
friends.
In Solidarity
Justin Minello
Salaried Bargaining Unit Chairperson
BY
Justin
Minello
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
Crosby Canada Unit Report ______________________________
Work Environment Improving
_____________________________ Brothers & Sisters
The work environment at Crosby Canada is one of continuous improvement, albeit slowly. Change takes time, but there
is a transition from the poisonous “Them and Us” towards a
respectful business environment where our contribution as
workers is being recognized in the success of Crosby Canada.
I credit this in no small part to Garth Gayle and Sean Kieffer.
I thank them and laud them in their continuing efforts to make
us a part of the Crosby Team.
Ongoing Issues
There are still ongoing issues at Crosby that your Committee
needs to address. We have three members who were given one
day suspensions that the committee feels were unjustified.
There is an ongoing issue with job ownership that the union
needs management to recognize and we are still upset with the
continuing failure to follow the steps in the contractual disciplinary procedure. We are still trying to address some of the
heavy handed attitudes of a segment of the supervisory staff
but over time this should be rectified through the continuing
exchange of ideas with management.
Attack On Labour
Tim Hudak has announced that he plans to restrict the
power of Unions in this province. He states this will give
business an environment where they can create more jobs by
paying us less and making us work more hours. They will
also have to provide us with no benefits and they will not be
held accountable for our injuries and our years of service. He
plans to weaken WSIB even more than it is now by privatizing
your work injury benefits. Can you imagine having Manulife
administer your benefit for injuries? This is an improvement?
Nothing could be further from the truth. Just look at all the jobs
free trade has created – None. Economies
are powered by people being able to buy.
If people are not able to buy, there is no
economy. Tim Hudak has complained
about the participations of unions against
his provincial election. I wonder why and
I wonder which corporations contribute
to Tim Hudak’s campaign? Ask Tim how
his pension plan is doing and where he
intends to work in the future. Probably on
the Board of Magna Corp. with his buddy
Mike receiving a “Fat Cat” salary as his
reward for his attack on labour.
BY
Alex
Koeslag
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
Only Line Of Defence
There is some hope for working people. CAW and CEP
have announced a potential merger. I hope this goes through
because it will give us more influence and more input into the
political environment in Canada. The name will change to be
more inclusive of all work segments. It will even reach out
to workers in unorganized work places, the unemployed and
retired to engage all workers from all segments. This is an idea
whose time is long overdue. We need to appeal to all society
if we are to be successful. Unions are never perfect, but they
do serve as our one and only line of defense against corporations making more and more profit, with no accountability or
loyalties to the communities and workers that they squeeze
this from.
Last but not least, I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe
summer. Be well.
On behalf of the committee, in solidarity.
Alex Koeslag
�� Page 26
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Hydro One Brampton Unit Report _______________
Long Hot Summer
______________ Hello Brothers and Sisters
The past few months have been some of the busiest we have had in a long time. We have been working overtime most weekends to try to keep up with
the workload. In the Lines department management
was looking for some of our members to perform
acting supervisor duties. We had some discussions
about how this could work but in the end we felt we
should let the members in the department decide if
we were going to do this. It was voted down by 98%
of the membership.
I would like to congratulate Terry Lake on his
retirement. Terry was the backbone of the union for
over 20 years. Whenever we had a question, Terry
would be able to answer it or tell us what was done
in the past.
Finally I would like to wish everyone a safe and
happy summer.
In Solidarity,
Jim Fogt
BY
Jim
Fogt
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
Benteler Automotive Unit Report _________________________
Excessive Overtime
________________________ Our membership at Benteler is looking
forward to two important events on their
calendar this summer. The first is our
annual plant shutdown vacation period
and this year (thanks to Chrysler) we
are observing a full two weeks shutdown. Our members can enjoy the same
amount of time away from work.
This is a welcome break as it will
allow our members to get away from the
physical and mental workload they have
had to endure this past year. Physically
we need a chance to recover from
the excessive overtime we are working (without working these hours we
couldn’t hope to keep up with Chrysler)
and the constant attempts by management to squeeze more and more production from us.
Petty Crime
Mentally we need a break from the
heavy handed intimidating micro-managing culture that has set in at Benteler
where members are disciplined for the
most trivial infractions. We recently had
to defend one of our members who has
worked at Benteler for nine years during
which time he was a model employee
with no previous discipline on file re
attendance, production, reliability etc.
He was assessed a three day suspension. His crime – forgetting to put in his
earplugs! Ridiculous!!!
The other event is our upcoming
negotiations to secure a new collective
agreement. When we did our in-plant
survey one thing that came up loud
and clear: We Are Not Interested In
Concessions. We stepped backward
three years ago and made significant
sacrifices to keep the plant open (something our present management has conveniently forgotten). This is the present.
You have made us well aware of what it
will take to reach a settlement.
Strike Mandate
A meeting was held at the union hall
on Sunday, July 8th, where you were
asked to give your committee a strike
mandate. This is not a vote to go on
strike, it is a vote
to give your committee the right to
tell the company
we are on strike if
we don’t get a deal
BY
that we believe our
Ian
members deserve.
The other dates we
Scott
UNIT
had pencilled in for
CHAIRPERSON
bargaining were
July 9 and 10th.
Then we have our shutdown and we sit
back down on July 25th, 26th, 27th and
31st with a strike deadline of midnight
July 31St, which means on Wednesday,
August 1 we will either have a deal or
we will be on strike. Remember, we
Bargain To Our Midnight Deadline
Not A Minute Past It.
I would like to take this opportunity
to wish the membership of Local 1285
and in particular the Benteler membership a safe and enjoyable summer.
In Solidarity,
Ian Scott
Three new Unit Chairpersons elected: From
left to right, Dennis Hickey (Saputo Cheese),
Keith Ivany (Team Industrial II) and Junior
Walsh (syncreon).
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 27
CAW Local 1285 News
�� Page 28
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Mopar Parts Depot Unit Report ___________________________
Good News To Share
__________________________ Greetings from the Parts Depot.
Summer is officially upon us and for
the first time in a while, we at the Parts
Depot, have some good news to share.
With 22 members already on permanent
layoff, seven more on layoff notice and
no sign of any re-hiring at the Depot in
sight, the in-plant committee worked
alongside Whitey MacDonald from the
National Union and the committee over
at Local 1459’s Etobicoke Casting Plant
to have those members laid off from
the Parts Depot, preferentially hired at
the Casting Plant. Of the 29 members
on notice of layoff or on actual layoff
at the time, 25 of them accepted jobs
at ECP. Thanks go out to Whitey, Rod
McGill, John Valentini, and Dave and
Leon from Local 1285, all of whom had
a hand in making this possible.
Although the ECP is a Chrysler facility, as is the Mopar Parts Distribution
Centre, the contractual language did not
support the members from the Depot
being preferentially hired at ECP since
we are not part of the same collective agreement. Fortunately in the end,
through the hard work of all the people
mentioned, we were able to make the
jobs available to those laid off members. The first 14 started on May 22nd,
with the final group starting on June
18th. Good luck to those of you who
have moved on!
Possibility Of Joining Master
Agreement
This year is also a contract year
for the Parts Depot. Once again, the
Canadian Parts Depots have approached
the CAW’s Chrysler Master Bargaining
Committee about the possibility of
joining the Master agreement. This
has been an ongoing debate for many
years. Up until this year it has always
been approached by Chrysler Council
as unnecessary. This year, the CAW’s
Chrysler Council and the Master
Bargaining Committee voted in favour
of supporting the Parts Depots in their
bid to become part of the Master agreement.
It should be known that this is only
the first step in getting our facilities into
the Master agreement. The next
is to get Chrysler
to agree, which
to this point has
been unsuccessful.
BY
Again, thanks go
Todd
to all those on the
Chrysler Council
Riverso
UNIT
and within the
CHAIRPERSON
National
Union
who are helping the
Parts Depot successfully become part of
the Master agreement.
Although we have always fully supported those negotiating the Master
agreement, we look forward to standing side by side with our brothers and
sisters of the Brampton Assembly Plant,
Windsor Assembly Plant, and Etobicoke
Casting Plant, while we fight for a new
contract that makes the membership
proud to say they are CAW members.
I wish all the members and their families a safe and enjoyable summer.
In solidarity,
Todd Riverso
Team Industrial Paint Unit Report ________________________
Best Of Luck!
_______________________ Brothers and Sisters, at the time of writing this our
unit in the Brampton paint shop is, and continues
to be, extremely busy. With Saturdays scheduled,
work on long weekends and a ton of work during
the summer shutdown, many of us have spent most
of our time in the plant. This is a good problem to
have since we have a very skilled and experienced
part-time workforce that for the most part covers
any time off we take with little effort on management’s part. Our part-timers are to be commended
for their promptness and flexibility in the work they
do as they are often taken for granted.
We are anxious for the upcoming bargaining with
Chrysler and hope they advance their interests with a
new collective agreement. New product, as it should
be, is the biggest priority. No product, no jobs. Many
of the smaller units in our local pattern economics
off Chrysler and we are one of them. Best of luck in
September, we are behind you 100 percent.
I would like to wish all of Local 1285 a great
summer vacation and hope everyone makes time for
family and friends given how busy we are.
In Solidarity,
Unit Chair
Ed Flude
BY
Ed
Flude
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 29
CAW Local 1285 News
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�� Page 30
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
TI Automotive Group Unit Report _________________________
Summertime
________________________ Hello Brothers and Sisters
First of all I would like to wish everyone and their families
a safe summer. I’m sure everyone is enjoying the fantastic
weather we’ve been having.
We have hired 26 new employees in the past year and with
vacations coming up over the next few months, we have taken
on 10 students. I also believe the Company will be hiring more
full time employees in September. The decision is still out on
whether this was a good idea or not to hire the students. Yes, it
gives them an opportunity to make some money for their education, but the down side is that our quality suffers due to the
lackadaisical effort we get from most of the students that we
hire. This always seems to baffle me, why a student wouldn’t
take more of an initiative to do a better job in hopes of being
rehired the following year?
What we need are more full time employees, prepared to
protect their jobs by showing a conscientious attitude towards
quality and we need these people trained and ready to work
now, not in September when the students go back. With the
Company running lean and filling the holes with students
it tends to keep their labour costs down but it causes many
problems throughout the plant. There is no relief on some of
the Lines and if someone calls in sick, well this seems to create
more frustrations for our members with
management doing bargaining work and
yes there has been a grievance filed.
Some of the work management is doing
is a full time job called the Fab Facilitator,
looks like we need that job to return.
The new ATL is running full production
now but the operators are having many
problems and are still trying to work out
the bugs.
BY
Zeb (Roger)
Teves
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
Deepest Sympathies
Our condolences go out to the families of sisters Debbie
Greenwood and Sue Gallant.
Congratulations
To sister Diane Williams on her retirement. All of us at TI
Automotive wish you well in your future endeavours and the
best of luck.
In Solidarity
Zeb R Teves
TransAlta Mississauga Cogeneration Plant
______________________________________________ Unit Report _______________________________________________
Vapour Plume Misconception
At certain times of the year especially during
cooler weather passersby have looked over at our
plant and wondered in amazement as to why there
is so much pollution going into the air. To clarify
that notion, the white cloud is actually the result of
water spray, it’s not from combustion.
Most generating plants incorporate the use of
steam turbines. As the name implies, steam is the
driver that rotates the blades in the turbine that in
turn rotates the rotor in the generator that creates
electricity. The steam flows through the turbine
and exhausts into a multiple tubed condenser that is
either of the wet type like ours or a dry type. Both
methods achieve the same results.
In the wet type condenser water is sprayed on
to the hot tubes to condense the exhausted steam
back to water. The water, being free of impurities,
is then pumped back into the circuit where it will
repeat the cycle. Dry type condensers do not produce plume clouds. The sprays are replaced with
fans and require a much larger area to condense the
same amount of steam.
BY
Joe
Correia
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
The utilization of
steam condensers
by generating plants
helps conserve water
and reduces the cost
of water treatment.
We can think of it
as a water recycling
program.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 31
CAW Local 1285 News
syncreon Unit Report _____________________________________
Congratulations Junior
____________________________________ I would like to take this opportunity
to congratulate Junior Walsh on being
elected Plant Chairperson. It’s a challenging position and I know that Junior
can handle it. Just make sure to wear
your “Asbestos” BVD’s while sitting in
the hot seat.
Upcoming Events
n July 9, 2012 – Election for Union
Steward for “B” shift
n July 16-27, 2012 – Two week shutdown
n August 19, 2012 – Local 1285
Picnic at Wild Water Kingdom
– Games at 11:00 a.m., BBQ lunch
at 12:00.
– Price for members – Adults $12,
Children (4-9 yrs.) $8
– Parking Pass included
– Non-members – Adults $25,
Children $20
Come out and enjoy the day with
your family. If it’s a hot day, then this
is a good way to cool off by splashing
around in the water park. You and your
kids will enjoy it.
n September 3, 2012 – Labour Day
Parade
For those wishing to participate and
buy a jacket, please pick up an application form at the In-plant union office.
Tip Of The Hat
Congratulations to the following
employees for giving up their time
to be certified in
Emergency First
Aid and CPR:
“A”
Shift:
Anju Bhardwaj,
Phillip McCatty,
BY
Paul McMurray,
Joe
Jayesh Patel, Kyle
Young. “B” Shift:
Baber
UNIT
Syed Abdi, Tana
CHAIRPERSON
D i e l s c h n e i d e r,
Guljinder
Gill,
Fahad Qazi, Bhawanjit Thandi.
“Midnight Shift”: Temitope Oyeyemi.
Have a safe and stress free summer
holiday!
In Solidarity,
Joe Baber
“A” Shift: At left, from left
to right are Phillip McCatty,
Jayesh Patel, Paul McMurray
and Anju Bhardwaj. Above is
Kyle Young.
“B” Shift from left to right: Guljinder Gill, Syed Abdi, Fahad Qazi,
Bhawanjit Thandi and Tana Dielschneider.
Midnight Shift:
Temitope Oyeyemi.
�� Page 32
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
Father’s Day Run
Our first annual Father’s day run had us gather at the west
parking lot for 9:00 a.m.. Our ride took us through Rattle Snake
point and we ended up at the Brampton Social Club family day
picnic at Eldorado Park in Brampton which included a live band,
a BBQ and prizes. The reason for the ride was dads just want to
have fun and we did. Hope to see more dads out next year!
CAW Labour Day Parade
Monday September 3, 2012
The Local Union will be purchasing a limited number of Labour Day jackets (nylon,
full zip jacket with black body) for those members and/or family members who will
be taking part in the parade. The cost per person will be $10.00 per jacket.
Below you will find a Labour Day application form.
Applications, along with payment, must be returned to the Local Union
Hall (office) at 23 Regan Road, Brampton, by Friday, August 17, 2012.
We will issue the jackets at Nathan Phillips Square prior to the start of the parade.
Buses will leave at 8:30 a.m. sharp from the Union Hall.
There are only a limited number of jackets so please sign up
early. This year, all participants will receive a wrist band to
gain “free” admission to the CNE.
Labour Day Parade Application
/2&$/
Name___________________________________________ Signature____________________________________
Please print clearly
Plant___________________________________________ Clock/Master #________________________________
Please indicate how many of each size you would like to order (Unisex sizes):
xs-40”_____ s-42” _____
M-44” _____ L-46” _____
xL-48” _____ 2x-50” _____ 3x-52” _____ 4x-54” _____
Total number of people using the bus to Nathan Phillips Square ______
Payment $10 x total number of jackets _________
Non-refundable payment must
accompany application.
NO EXCEPTIONS.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 33
CAW Local 1285 News
Recreation Committee Report ____________________
Local Recreation Events Planned
_____________________ The CAW National Recreation Committee hosts various recreation events throughout the year, in hopes of getting as many
members as possible to get involved. Please watch the bulletin
boards for upcoming events.
May 5th was the National Trap Shoot Tournament in Galt.
I’m pleased to report that our Local had six teams of five in this
tourney. The tournament had a total of 29 teams; this tournament
grows in popularity every year. For those that have never tried
this before, it’s a fun day for all, young and young at heart. The
importance of safety is stressed repeatedly.
Then on Saturday, May 26th the National held one of their
qualifying golf tournaments, at Glen Eagle in Bolton. Bill Apsey
and Deb Lake ordered up a beautiful sunny day for this event,
thank you!
At a Local level, upcoming events include our annual picnic
and golf tournament. Notices should be up at your workplaces for
both of these. Please come out and join in the fun.
Picnic: Wild Water Picnic – Sunday, August 19th. Games will
begin at 11:00 a.m.. Hope to see lots of you there.
Golf Tournament: Sunday, September 16th, Lion Head Golf
Club at 1:30 p.m.. Best Ball format, followed by a roast beef
dinner.
The Recreation Committee has secured a
monthly golf rate at Turnberry Golf Club in
Brampton. The cost of a monthly membership would be $149 HST, for unlimited play
BY
from Monday to Thursday before 4:30 p.m..
Dave
Members would have to play four times to
Eckersley
break even.
CAW LOCAL 1285
If you would like to take advantage of this
RECREATION
offer please call Turnberry at 905-500-4653.
COMMITTEE
As well we are considering a family fun
CHAIRPERSON
day at this course sometime in August.
Details to follow.
We are also considering a euchre/card afternoon on Sunday,
September 23rd at our Local hall.
We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy summer
holiday,
In solidarity,
Dave Eckersley
Recreation Chairperson
Local 1285
Local1285rec@hotmail.com
National Recreation Report _______________________
2012 National Recreation Conference
_______________________ On the weekend of June 22-24, 2012 the
10th national recreation conference took
place at the family education centre in
beautiful Port Elgin. The weather was
fantastic throughout the weekend, in true
Bruce County style.
Friday night started with a plenary session, with our national president giving an
overview of the recreation program, followed by our national representative Mike
Reuter, giving a speech on the upcoming
events and future of recreation. The night
was capped off with a 70s dance which
packed Nick’s bar. There were some awesome costumes, some great dance moves,
it proved to be a fun night for all!!
Saturday morning had some very
informative class sessions, followed up by
our guest speaker Bob Orr. Bob touched
on some of the key topics that people
were interested in, such as the CEP alliance and how important recreation is to
the CAW. Following lunch, it was time for
the council chairs to put on the events for
the day. All the events ran very well and
everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
Saturday night we had karaoke at Nick’s
bar, and I was surprised there are so many
good singers!!
I wish to thank the staff at the family
BY
Bill
Apsey
CAW NATIONAL
RECREATION
PRESIDENT
education
centre
for providing such
a great atmosphere
while we were there, and hospitality
second to none!! Also the staff at the
daycare did a wonderful job, and thanks
also to the chairpersons and recreational
councils staff for all their help over the
weekend. I hope to see everyone in three
years at the 11th recreation conference
and I am glad everyone seemed to enjoy
themselves.
In Solidarity
Bill Apsey
National Recreation President
Big Bike Ride
CAW Local 1285 members and friends
took part in our annual Heart and Stroke
BIG BIKE ride on June 18, 2012. We all
gathered at Moxie’s restaurant located at
the Bramalea City Centre for our 1pm
start time. We raised over $2,100 for the
cause through donations. Congratulations
to all who participated because it would
not be possible without the help of good
supportive people. What a fun way to
shed a few lbs... we had a blast!
�� Page 34
July 2012
CAW Local 1285 News
National Trap Shoot Tournament
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2012
Page 35
CAW National Qualifying Golf Tournament
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