Local 1285 News

Canadian Auto Workers
/2&$/
OCTOBER 2010
If It’s Labour Day,
It Must Be Fall...
more pictures on page 2
1961 – 2011
50TH
ANNIVERS A RY
The 50th Anniversary Committee Needs Your Help.
We Want To Borrow
Historical Photographs c Paraphernalia c Documents
To Reproduce For Next Year’s Celebrations
Contact The Local At 905-451-8310
CAW Local 1285 News
Labour Day – Monday, September 6, 2010
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 2
October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
_________________________________________ President’s Report __________________________________________
Great Summer
I trust that everyone had a very safe and enjoyable summer as we had one of the warmest
summers on record. It was a busy one for all of us and we had a good turn out at our
Local Summer picnic on June 27 at Wild Water Kingdom. The barbecue was great and
congratulations to all of the prize winners.
Carabram
The weekend of July 9 through 11 our Local hosted the Canada
pavilion for Carabram, Brampton’s Premier Multi Cultural
Festival. The numbers were down this year which we expected
with the down turn in the economy, but we had another wonderful
year with lots of entertainment, cultural displays, music and food
prepared by the Liaison Culinary School. I would like to thank
Patty Johnston the Chair of the Canadian Carabram Pavilion for
all of her hard work and dedication in helping make this year’s
event a huge success. Thank you also to all the volunteers,
because without them we would not be able to host the event.
For $10 prior to Carabram or $12 at the door you could purchase
one passport that gave you access to all 16 Carabram pavilions
over the three day event as well as transportation provided free of
charge by Brampton Transit. You can taste the foods of the world
as well as enjoy the culture and entertainment of 16 countries,
not a bad deal.
CAW/Quebec Joint Council
In August I had the opportunity to attend the Joint CAW/
Quebec Council in Montreal where we also celebrated the 25th
Anniversary of the CAW. In 1985 we decided to break away from
the UAW because we had no autonomy and no control over our
destiny with the direction they were taking. Since that time our
membership has more than tripled. With the recent downturn in
the economy we saw our numbers drop from a high of 265,000
members to 191,000 in April of 2010. The UAW on the other
hand went from a high of 1.5 million members before we left to
create our own Union to less than 400,000 members today.
The Council was addressed by CAW President Ken Lewenza
and Quebec Director Jean-Pierre Fortin, who reflected on previous and current challenges facing the labour movement in Canada
and Quebec. The Council was also addressed by Bloc Québecois
leader Gilles Duceppe who was very passionate in his speech.
Founding President of the CAW Bob White and long time CAW
President Buzz Hargrove also gave passionate speeches.
The CAW also launched its new book
BY
at the Joint Council. Called “Making
Leon
Rideout
History,” it is a visual record of the
PRESIDENT
CAW’s first 25 years, reflecting through
photography, interviews and an essay,
the legacy of the Union. The book was coordinated and edited
by photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo. All of the delegates at the
convention were given a copy.
Labour Day Parade
Labour Day is another important time for all of us to reflect on
the struggles of the labour movement in Canada and to pay our
respects to workers who have been injured or lost their lives due
to work related accidents or diseases.
As usual, we had good attendance from our Local with two bus
loads leaving from the Local as well as a number who used their
own transportation. Our National President even commented on
the fact that we always get good participation from our Local.
Late last year we had the Allied System car carriers join the CAW,
the Brampton Terminal as well as the Mechanics shop are now
part of our Local.
This year we arranged for one of their trucks to be in the
Labour Day Parade. We also had several dealers in the area
provide vehicles to put on the truck. I would like to thank Jock
Addison, manager of the Brampton Chrysler Jeep dealership
for providing three vehicles and also for making the arrangements with the other dealers for me. Planet Ford provided two
vehicles and Frost Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac Ltd. provided
two GM vehicles. The truck load of cars was well received by
those along the parade route and I would like to thank all of the
dealerships for participating as well as driver Derrick Dougan
from the Concord terminal who volunteered his time to drive
the truck.
President’s Report
continues on page four ______________________________________
w w w. c a w 1 2 8 5 . c o m
Canadian Auto Workers
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
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
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Leon Rideout
Phyllis Foster
Dave Ireland
Doug Gerrard
Gerry Harvey
Wayne Hunter
President
Trustee
First Vice-President
Trustee
Second Vice-President
Bill Turner
Recording Secretary
Mike Piane
Financial Secretary
Trustee
Mike Allen
Sergeant-at-Arms
Laurie Fellows
Guide
EDITORS
Linda Thompson
Bill Turner
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Leon Rideout
Terry Gorman
Joe Baber
Printed by Thistle Printing
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 3
CAW Local 1285 News
President’s Report
______________________________
continued from page three
Retiree Annual Barbecue
On September 15 we had our Retiree meeting and as we have
been doing for a number of years, going back to Beech Street, we
had our annual barbecue which was well attended. For the past
couple of years we have been having great attendance at the retiree meetings. The retirees are very interested due to huge changes
in their benefits and concerns with pension funding. One of the
Local officers speaks to the retirees at each meeting to bring them
up to speed on what is happening through the Local which they
are very appreciative of this information.
We also had a special meeting on September 23 for the retirees regarding the Health Care Trust. We had the Lawyer, who
is representing the retirees in setting up the Trust, and also the
Actuary, who will be handling the investments for the fund, give
a presentation and answer questions. They gave a great presentation and answered the retirees’ questions.
Just to recap, with the 2009 Bankruptcy of Chrysler, in order
to get Government funding one of the requirements was that
we had to get retiree benefits off
the books. In order to do this we
had to set up a Health Care Trust
which was not easy due to tax
laws in Canada. Chrysler sued our
retirees and the retirees counter
sued Chrysler with a Court Judge
making the final decision. Things
are going relatively well and we
are hoping for a favourable decision soon.
This fund is for retirees only
and it is also funded by the $30
those that are pre-65 years of age
pay and $15 those 65 and over
pay. For active workers the money
they pay goes towards the cost of their own benefits and they
do not come under the Trust until they retiree. The company has
committed to funding the Trust over the next 14 years. According
to the Actuaries the funding schedule is adequate to keep benefits
intact over this period.
Chrysler Plant
We just went through our Tri-Annual elections at the Chrysler
plant. Congratulation to all of those who were acclaimed or
elected. For those of you who were not successful please stay
involved in the Union as there will always be other opportunities
and we need lots of activists. With this election we saw the greatest turn out of voters at the plant in years, with the first ballot we
had over 80 per cent of the membership voting and about 75 per
cent with the second ballot. It shows that the membership is quite
concerned about what is happening in the plant and want to make
sure they put the right candidates in place to look after their best
interests.
I would like to especially welcome Ardis Snow back as the
Unit Chairperson; he does take the task on with a wealth of
knowledge and experience. Although we ran against each other
for President of the Local we have both put that behind us and
I do have the utmost respect for him and will work with him
wholeheartly as Chairperson.
The previous Chairperson, Terry Browne, retired at the end of
June and on behalf of the Local I would like to wish him all the
best in his retirement. With Terry’s retirement I had to step in
as the President of the Local and appoint a interim Chairperson
until we ran the tri annual election. We decided to rotate with the
District rep on each shift covering the chair’s position while they
were on day shift. This did not work out so we went with one
district rep functioning as the alternate chairperson until plant
elections. There were some concerns raised that the President of
the Local got to decide who covered the Chair’s position. Under
our Local By-laws the plant chair can appoint a Committeeperson
or Steward until an Election can be held. In the event the vacancy
is the Chairperson then the Local President shall appoint a
chairperson until an election can be held. I had more members
approach me to make sure that I did appoint than those to leave it
up to the plant Chairperson. It’s one of those situations where if
I had not stepped in I would have been criticized and if in fact I
upheld our Local by-laws I was also criticized.
Trip To Italy And Poland
Back in June along with our National President and several
Chrysler council members I had the opportunity to visit a number of Fiat plants in Italy as well as a plant in Poland. We were
Newly elected representatives of Local 1285 being sworn in.
really impressed at what we saw – the cleanliness of the plants,
the efficiencies of the jobs and the overall facilities. Fiat has an
assortment of good-looking products that are very fuel efficient
and with some of the top technology in the world. The plant in
Tychy Poland is one of the most efficient auto assembly plants
with some of the best quality in the World as per JD Power.
These plants did not get this way overnight, five years ago when
Sergio Marchionne took over as CEO and launched World Class
Manufacturing they were at where we are today.
I do see the passion in our members when it comes to making changes and adapting to WCM but I do not see it from Plant
Management. In order for the program and plant to succeed we
have to work at this together, it’s not a one way street.
Bargaining
We are currently still trying to reach our first agreement with
the Allied Systems who came to us from the Teamsters Union.
One of the biggest roadblocks was their pension plan that was
controlled by the Teamsters. We had made it quite clear to the
company that there would not be any agreement until the issues
with the pension were settled. The latest news is our Legal
Department at the National Union led by Chief Legal Counsel
President’s Report
continues on page five _ _____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 4
October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
President’s Report
_ ______________________________
continued from page four
Lewis Gottheil has made a breakthrough in discussions with the
Teamsters and is close to having a resolution.
In our lobbying with the Office of the Superintendant of financial institutions what we were trying to achieve was not to have
to wrap up the pension fund and start a new one which would hurt
current retirees. What the Teamsters agreed to was to set up a mirror fund and they would keep the retirees who retired while they
were still with the Teamsters and move the actuary value of active
workers to the mirror fund which would fall under the CAW. This
is very close to being finalized and we are back in bargaining with
Allied the week of October 25, 2010 and are hoping to have our
first agreement with Allied Systems.
We are also in Bargaining for a first agreement with Linc
Logistics; they do the shunting for the Chrysler plant which was
previously performed by Ceva who lost the Contract. They have
16 workers who work mainly on the Chrysler property delivering
Trailers to the docks at the plant. We are hoping to have our first
agreement with them shortly.
We are also working with Syncreon Automotive who will be
taking over the sequencing for the Chrysler plant which was also
previously done by Ceva. They lost the contract to Syncreon who
will be working out of a distribution center off North Park behind
the Chrysler plant. We are expecting them to have about 150
members working at the facility over the next year. In order for
the CAW to get automatic certification of the first agreement we
had to agree to a pattern agreement that they have with Local 222
in Oshawa which supplies the GM Plant. Wages and Benefits are
not great but we can build on it over successive contracts.
There is another group who also joined our Local recently.
The tire room at the Chrysler plant was outsourced in July due
to Real Estate concerns in the plant. The contract went to Oakley
Sub assembly and they are located on Clark Boulevard between
Torbram and Airport road in Brampton. They used the tooling
from the old St. Louis South plant that used to build the Min Van
and is now closed. The equipment was fairly new as they had
spent about $1 billion retooling the plant before the down turn in
the economy and the decision was made to close the plant with
the drop in Mini Van sales.
They were also an automatic certification as the work was
already CAW and we maintained that it had to go to
a CAW shop, they ratified their first agreement on
October 2, 2010. There are 30 members at the plant
and on behalf of the Executive board I would like to
welcome them to the Local.
In August we concluded bargaining with Aramark
which provides food services at the Chrysler plant. I
would like to extend congratulations to Chair Rosie
Laramee, and the membership who ratified the agreement and saw gains in wages, benefits and pensions.
We will also be in bargaining later this year with Team
Industrial Number 2 which does the cleaning of the
Chrysler plant. This will be their second agreement with
the Local. Their Chairperson Francois Ringuette will
lead the bargaining Committee during the bargaining
process. The membership is currently submitting their
demands and the bargaining committee will meet at the
Local to prepare their demands for bargaining. We will
have a special meeting with their membership prior to
bargaining to approve the demands.
Recap
The last couple of years have been quite challenging
for all of us and through it all we have controlled our
expenditures at the Local as well as bringing our mortgage down to less than $600,000. We did lose several
units, Dana Long and SKD and we were saddened
to see them close. We are also losing Eberspacher
Exhausts which supplied the Chrysler plant for the
past six years. They were vastly underbid for the next
generation contract and it will be tough seeing their
plant close as they have a first class membership.
Even though we pick up new units in our Local it’s
sad to see plants close as you develop relationships
with the membership and they become like your own
family. We will do everything in our power to help
them find new employment.
In conclusion as this may be our last newsletter
before the Christmas Holidays I would like to wish the
Membership of the Local a Very Merry Christmas and
a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
In Solidarity
Leon Rideout
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 5
CAW Local 1285 News
_______________________________ First Vice-President’s Report _ ______________________________
“Wow” you have to admit we had great summer weather this year. I hope everyone took advantage
of this weather to enjoy themselves with their families and friends and that their summer vacations were safe.
Our Local again welcomed the
Brampton community this summer to
the Carabram Multicultural Festival. The
Canadian Pavilion was hosted by the
membership of CAW Local 1285 for the
4th year at our Local Union hall July 9th
to 11th and our guests got a chance to
enjoy the displays of history, music, dance
and the culture of our great nation.
Attendance fell short this year for the
entire Carabram event and it is assumed
that this had something to do with the
World Cup Soccer that was taking place
at the same time. However this did not
stop the Canadian pavilion from being
successful.
We had the honor of opening and
closing ceremonies for our pavilion with
“Marching on with the Colours” performed by members of the Lorne Scots
regiment. Our entertainment line up was
Hockey Club patrolling the pavilion and
keeping an eye on everyone. He also
brought an official game sweater that
was raffled off to one lucky person. Our
Canadian theme menu was catered by the
staff and students of the Liaison College
of the Culinary Arts. This year’s menu
included generous portions of your choice
of Canadian back bacon or shaved roast
beef sandwiches, poutine – (french fries
with gravy and cheese curds), and corn on
the cob. New to this year’s menu was the
fish and chips and BBQ chicken breast on
a bun, both were high in demand. For the
kids to cool down we had jumbo freezes
for them and also everybody’s favourite
was from the vender that offered the original “Beavertail” pastries.
We would like to thank everyone for
their excellent service. We must also
recognize and thank Saputo Cheese and
For more Carabram photos, please see page 35.
pretty much the same as in the past. Back
by popular demand were the River Road
Cloggers, the Big Drum and Aboriginal
Dancer Performers, the Inuit Throat singers, Maritime music with the Eastern
Storm Band, the Brampton Concert Band,
the dual sister singing act Lucy and Bela,
and of course our very own Back Bacon
Band.
For the kids one of our biggest attractions was the giant bouncy castle that has
always been a big success, providing fun
and entertainment. We brought back the
mechanical bull ride we had in the first
year for the adults because there were
many requests for it to return. We had
“Sarge” from the Brampton Battalion
PL Foods two of the units in our Local
for their products donated to help support
the event. We would also like to thank
all of the organizations that helped us
with financial support. This year’s success could not have happened without the
commitment and time given up by all the
members along with their children who
participated and volunteered. We do want
to give special thanks to Patricia Johnston
who chaired the event, she did an outstanding job and thanks to all.
Crosby Canada
Contract Negotiations
During the last few months there have
been a few collective agreements that
have been negotiated
and settled. Crosby’s
Collective Agreement
was ending on June
8th, 2010. We felt
BY
that as the Company
Dave
was doing well and
Ireland
had come out of the
FIRST
work share program
VICE-PRESIDENT
and were recalling
members, that it
would be beneficial to enter into early
bargaining with the Company. In April
we prepared our proposals at the Union
hall with the in plant leadership and met
with the Company to exchange proposals.
We met the Company early in May and
were successful in reaching a settlement
without any concessions. We took the
agreement back to the membership on
May 9th and got a vote of 78 per cent in
favour of ratification. Some of the highlights of the new collective agreement are
wages increases of two per cent, two per
cent and two per cent for the next three
years and increases to their benefits. In
addition, all days of the Christmas holiday
shutdown period will now be paid and on
top of their current pension contributions,
a one time $1,000 deposit will be made to
the employees RRSP plan. I would like to
thank Alex Koeslag, the plant Chairperson
and his bargaining Committee members
Joe Pacheco, Roger DaSilva and Paulo
Ribeiro the CAW National Rep for their
dedicated support for achieving this successful Collective Agreement.
PL Foods Contract Negotiations
With Strike Vote Turned Down
One of the other collective agreements
that was settled was for PL Foods. This
set of negotiations was quite unique
compared to negotiations with other
Companies. The contract was ending on
July 29th, 2010 and due to the expansion
of the plant and the increased volume of
production we also felt it would be beneficial to enter into early bargaining with the
Company. In May we prepared our proposals at the Union hall with the in plant
leadership and met with the Company to
exchange proposals. On May 17th we met
First Vice-President’s
Report
continues on page seven _ ______________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 6
October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
First Vice-President’s
Report
_ ____________________________________________________
continued from page six
the Company to exchange proposals and
to our surprise the Company did not have
any proposals to give to the Union.
As we continued to negotiate throughout the next scheduled days of bargaining,
we believed that the Company did not
take our proposals seriously and called
it off one day earlier. We posted for an
Information/Strike Vote on July 18th. We
informed the membership of the events
that took place during our early talks with
the Company and held the Strike Vote.
To our surprise we were devastated with
the outcome. The Strike vote was turned
down with only 37 per cent in favour. We
went back to the bargaining table under
these difficult circumstances.
On that first day the Company asked for
concessions and we then put the Company
on notice. We said: “At this time you, the
Company will have an opportunity to
demonstrate to your employees that you
recognize their hard work and commitment to PL Foods and to demonstrate your
appreciation by providing them with a
fair and reasonable collective agreement.”
We also stated that if the agreement was
not fair and reasonable the Bargaining
Committee would not recommend it and
going back to our members we would call
for another Strike Vote. Facing the challenges the Bargaining Committee did its
best to bargain a fair agreement. The contents of the agreement taken back to the
membership maintained the same wage
increases of 30 cents 35 cents 35 cents,
increases to their benefits, $50 increase
per year to the RRSP contributions, adding the Family Day holiday and successfully making language improvements.
On July 31st the agreement was ratified with 88 per cent of the members
in favour. I would like to thank Plant
Chairperson Warren Jackson along with
his Bargaining Committee, Lucy Rivero,
Leo Holloway and Jennifer Mahomed,
and CAW National Rep. Paulo Ribeiro
for their commitment to negotiate the best
possible agreement.
Allied Systems Master Bargaining
The Master Bargaining Committee and
the Company met in March of this year
and we presented our proposals to alter
their existing language for this new collective agreement. We have been successful so far getting the agreement language
that is needed to build the foundation for
our first CAW Collective Agreement. We
will be heading back to the bargaining
table the week of October 25th to con-
tinue negotiations, hopefully settling all
the monetary issues and reaching a tentative agreement for ratification.
Daimler Buses
It is unfortunate that there is some
more bad news coming from the Daimler
Bus workplace. In the first quarter of
this year the Company had laid off 35
members. On July 23rd Rich Ferguson,
President and CEO of Daimler Buses,
North America made an appearance on
the shop floor in the workplace to conduct a town hall meeting with the entire
work force. He made an announcement
that the Company’s workload balance
for the year 2010 and for all of 2011 is
lower than expected. This has resulted in
the loss of the bids to Pittsburgh, Buffalo
and New York City that were scheduled
to be built due to the market conditions.
Therefore the number of buses built each
week will need to be adjusted from the
current 18 buses to 13 buses starting in
October which will necessitate more layoffs this year. There will be approximately
86 more members laid off starting on
October 18th.
Brampton Assembly Elections
Congratulations to all of the newly
elected leadership at the Chrysler
Brampton Assembly Plant. Good luck to
all of those that participated in these elections and we hope that you will all still
stay active within the union.
First Vice-President’s
Report
continues on page eight ________________
To:
All Members of Local 1285, CAW
Children’s Christmas Party
The Children’s Christmas Party is being held
on Sunday, November 14th, 2010
between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
at the Pearson Convention Centre, 2638 Steeles Avenue East,
Brampton (Steeles and Airport Road).
Christmas applications will be available at either your plant or at the
Union Office, 23 Regan Road. Please ensure you fill out and return the
forms as soon as possible.
CAW Local 1285 Christmas Dance
The Christmas Dance is being held on Saturday, November 27th, 2010
at CAW Local 1285 Hall, 23 Regan Road, Brampton. Please check your
boards for further information. Limited tickets available.
CAW Local 1285 Retiree Luncheon
The Retiree Luncheon is being held on
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 at the
Pearson Convention Centre, 2638 Steeles Avenue East, Brampton.
Further information to follow by mail.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 7
CAW Local 1285 News
First Vice-President’s
Report
___________________________________________________
continued from page seven
New Units Joining
CAW Local 1285
We would like give a warm welcome
to the new brothers and sisters that will
be joining our Local Union. There will
be approximately 100 members working
at Syncreon who will be sequencing the
assembly parts for the Chrysler Assembly
Plant, approximately 16 members at Linc
who shunt drive the trailers for Chrysler
Assembly Plant and approximately 30
members at Oakley who sub-assemble the
tires for the Chrysler Plant.
CAW 25th Anniversary
Joint Council
On August 27th–29th the CAW Joint
Council was held in Montreal, Quebec.
_____________________ For those who can recall the 1985 separation from the UAW it was under
Bob White’s courageous leadership that
the proud CAW Canadian Auto Workers
union was established. To celebrate the
25th anniversary of the CAW, CAW
National President Ken Lewenza gave an
overview of the first 25 years of the challenges, struggles, progress and the differences that we have made as a union to
improve the lives of working Canadians.
His final remarks were: “Lets’ go and
build the next quarter century of our
union history.”
On September 15th the Local Union
hosted the Retiree’s meeting with a BBQ.
It was well attended and a great opportunity for most of our retiree’s to get
together and interact. The weather was on
our side and the food was great. I would
like to thank both Wolfgang Pohl (Tiger)
and Ivan Mahalic our hall guys, for their
participation in helping to make this event
happen.
Dates To Remember
This year the Children’s Christmas
party will be held on Sunday November
14th at the Persons Convention Center.
The retirees Christmas lunch meeting
will be held on Wednesday December 8th
also at the Pearson Convention Center.
We would like to wish everyone and their
families a wonderful holiday season on
behalf of the CAW Local 1285 Executive
Board.
In Solidarity
Dave Ireland
Financial Secretary’s Report ________________
CAW – Local 1285
Balance Sheet (Cash basis)
ASSETS
CASH
The Bank of Nova Scotia
Royal Bank of Canada (NEW)
Petty Cash
Credit Union Certificates
Royal Bank Term Deposits
G.I.C.
Royal Bank Security Bonds
TOTAL ASSETS
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
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
February
358,597.74
84,906.51
25.00
34,403.73
34,664.09
72,600.81
473,329.31
March
293,693.23
84,906.51
25.00
34,403.73
34,664.09
72,600.81
473,329.31
April
314,837.01
84,906.51
25.00
34,403.73
34,664.09
72,600.81
473,329.31
$1,058,527.19
$993,622.68
$1,014,766.46
961.69
2,032.20
5,913.56
1,489.43
3,236.94
9,155.20
1,148.01
2,597.50
7,182.57
8,907.45
0.00
0.00
13,881.57
0.00
0.00
$13,881.57
$10,928.08
1,049,619.74
979,741.11
1,003,838.38
$1,058,527.19
$993,622.68
$1,014,766.46
979,741.11
FINANCIAL
SECRETARY
10,928.08
0.00
0.00
$8,907.45
1,049,619.74
BY
Mike
Piane
1,003,838.38
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 8
October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Second Vice-President’s Report _____________________________
Call If You Want To Chat!
____________________________ I would first like to take this opportunity to congratulate all those who took part in the elections
throughout the Local. Congrats to those who were elected and to all those who ran for positions,
but fell short – thank you for your participation and willingness to help out, this shows an interest
in your Union. For those who are new, please do not hesitate to call if you need anything or if you just want to chat.
WSIB
Occasionally I have written articles in our newsletter for information purposes which I hope are of benefit not just to injured
workers but also as information to those who are not injured.
As policy and practices continually evolve around the WSIB, it
is important to stay up to speed. Recently we have seen a new
model change at the WSIB around the “labour market re-entry
program” (LMR). The major change to the LMR is that the WSIB
previously spent millions of dollars on retraining permanently
injured workers, whom their employers claimed to no longer have
modified work for, through insurance groups such as NRCA,
Crawford, Sibley, Cascade, etc. This has now been changed so
that WSIB will now be taking that work back and managing that
system more closely.
To the people who have not previously been injured at work
you should know that the WSIB now has a “claims manager” not
an adjudicator, who manages the claim if you should be injured at
work. Most important, as I have written many times, report your
injuries to your employer no matter how insignificant you think
they may be. Do this by means of notifying your supervisor, let a
co-worker know if you are experiencing a problem, they could be
a witness on your behalf, seek medical attention from your family
doctor ASAP, describe the injury and your work duties, continue
to seek medical attention until your injury has been resolved
and let your union representative know. These are a few of the
steps you as a worker are expected to follow if you are injured
or become sick in your workplace. These are often the steps that
are overlooked, or not followed correctly, which cause denial of
loss of earnings and/or such medical treatment to
which you would otherwise be entitled. Remember
repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel, tennis
elbow, etc. are injuries which manifest over time and
need to be addressed immediately in order to heal.
Reporting an RSI on Friday and saying that you can
no longer work is hard for the WSIB to accept as
these types of injuries are recognized as being a gradual disablement not a sudden disablement. Reporting
the condition and then seeking medical attention
immediately at the onset of pain is the best way of
getting better and of having the WSIB accept this as a
work related injury. Too often we see workers caught
in this dilemma. Remember these steps, injured or
not. Then if injury occurs follow these steps which
will make having a claim accepted for benefits and
medical treatment becomes much easier.
BY
Gerry
Harvey
ing, it gets more and more difficult to make
gains. In fact we are fortunate to keep what
SECOND
VICE-PRESIDENT
we have. We all look forward to better and
more prosperous times returning.
Hydro – We recently concluded an arbitration at Hydro One where we successfully returned a terminated
Brother. Thank you to Scott Richardson, Paulo Ribeiro & Luis
Domingues for their assistance.
Congratulation to the newly-elected Committee & Chairperson.
I look forward to working with you and a big thanks to Scott and
Terry for their participation and help over the years on behalf of
the members and the Local.
New Units
Welcome to the new units now joining Local 1285, Syncreon,
Linc & Oakley – welcome to all and I look forward to meeting
you all.
Christmas Party
Remember to fill out your forms for this years Children’s
Christmas party, which is Sunday, November 14th, 2010 at the
Pearson Convention Centre. I look forward to seeing you all – it
is always a great day for the children and parents.
Elections
Once again congratulations to all who were newly elected
throughout the Local to represent the membership. It is an honour
to represent and I know you will all do a great job!
TI Automotive and TransAlta – Congratulations
to TI Automotive and TransAlta on recently renewing
their Collective Agreements. This is a very difficult
time for TI, as an automotive parts facility. With the
loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in manufactur-
©CALM
Report Of Units
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 9
CAW Local 1285 News
__________________ Recording Secretary’s Report __________________
Our Local was founded in 1961. The 50th
Anniversary Committee will be arranging for a
tribute and celebration next year. We are asking
for your help. If you have any historical pictures,
documents or memorabilia that you could share,
we’d love to hear from you. The local will cover
the cost of copying any documents if you want the
original back.
Education
One week PEL courses should already be posted in your
plant. Chrysler workers are used to seeing a posting for
Ergonomics, Toxic Substances, and Stress in the Workplace.
These courses are normally covered through a separate budget,
the Health & Safety Training Fund. Ford and GM workers
share the pool of monies in the fund with Chrysler workers.
The fund has no money in it at this time, which is why there is
_____________ no separate posting for those courses this
fall. We are expecting some money to be
put in the fund early next year, so we will
put up a schedule and posting at that time.
The National Education Department is still
running a couple of these courses, however
BY
delegates costs are expected to be covered
Bill
through the units PEL budget. The remainTurner
der of the Brampton Assembly Plants 2010
RECORDING
PEL budget, is however, already alloSECRETARY
cated for leadership training programs for
newly elected leadership, with courses
like Grievance Handling and Human Rights being given priority. Offering the H&S Training Fund courses through the PEL
budget may be of interest to non Chrysler, Ford and GM units,
as these are effectively “new” courses, never made available to
workers outside the major auto sector until now.
Trustees’ Report ______________
As Trustees it is our position to oversee the finances of the local.
Over the past year the Local’s finances have survived the economic
downturn with minimal effect. We are constantly scrutinizing our
expenses to determine if they are justified. We can report that we are
in good financial shape moving forward and are working towards
paying down the mortgage on Phase Two of the hall. Our mortgage
is approximately $580,000. This seems like a large amount of money.
However, when we started our term 2½ years ago the mortgage
amount was $1.6 million. This shows that our finances have come
a long way in a short time. We hope to continue down this path to
maintain the local’s financial stability for years to come.
In Solidarity,
Wayne, Phyllis, Doug
Wayne
Hunter
CAW LOCAL 1285
TRUSTEE
Phyllis
Foster
CAW LOCAL 1285
TRUSTEE
Doug
Gerrard
CAW LOCAL 1285
TRUSTEE
Community Services Committee Report __________________
Proud To Be Canadian
__________________ With Carabram behind us for another year, I want to express my
sincere gratitude to all the volunteers who helped out this year.
Without their support and countless hours, we would not have
had a successful Carabram weekend.
A special thanks to our two MCs Bill Kernick and Mike
Allen. We had the Liaison Culinary School tempting our palates
again with their cooking skills. They served up pulled beef on
a kaiser with a delicious BBQ sauce, fish & chips, poutine and
the all time favourite, back bacon on a bun.
Our entertainment this year consisted of a special performance by a group of Inuit Throat Singers. It was absolutely a rare
treat to listen to them. We also had a few very talented young
women who sang their hearts out performing a variety of different songs. Back again this year were the Aboriginal Powwow
Drummers & Dancers, River Road Cloggers and the Brampton
Concert Band.
The weekend was filled with continuous entertainment. We
had a mechanical bull and a bouncy castle set up outside to
entertain our young visitors. Closing off
the evenings was our very own house band
“The Back Bacon Band,” playing a wide
variety of Canadian Classic hits.
We’ve had many positive comments on
our Canada Pavilion. We were proud to be
BY
part of the Carabram festival and Proud
Patricia
To Be Canadian.
With the holiday season fast approachJohnston
CAW LOCAL 1285
ing please try to remember to support our
COMMUNITY
local food banks. The St. Louise Outreach
SERVICES
Centre and The Knights’ Table both do
COMMITTEE
excellent work servicing our community.
With our economic situation in a downward spiral, there are more families using these services.
In Solidarity
Patricia Johnston
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Page 10
October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Union In Politics Committee Report ______________________
Municipalities Matter
_____________________ Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As Canadians, the time to stand
together and demand change has
arrived so let’s seize the moment to let
our vote count. The Municipal Election
is on October 25th 2010. That’s when
we vote for Mayor, City Councillors,
and School Board Trustees.
There will be many prospective candidates who will be knocking on doors
soliciting our votes, therefore it is very
important to understand the role that
the Municipal Government plays in our
daily lives.
Elected officials in Municipalities
have enormous influence in the cities
and atowns we live in. They have the
ability to make decisions which could
alter the air we breathe, the water we
drink, the roads we drive on, the quality of education our kids receive, and
more importantly, the amount of taxes
we pay for services received.
Brothers and Sisters, given the
above influence and power of these
elected officials, it is important that
we vote to elect the most competent
individuals to do the job.
Labour Councils in all areas of the
Province have endorsed labour-friendly
progressive candidates, please find out
who they are and give them your sup-
port. You can also show support by
assisting a friend or neighbor by giving them a ride to the poll or at least
encourage them to vote, as we need to
Get Out The Votes (GOTV). October
25th is our chance to “Rise and Shine”
and enforce our willpower to make the
changes we deserve.
Many Municipalities across the
country do not want to buy Canadian
made products because they can source
it from outside Canada cheaper. Why
should we allow them to take our jobs
elsewhere when we need our jobs here
to survive?
It is important to ask candidates
when they come to your door, about
their status/opinion and solution on the
following:
n Infrastructure Programs: Adequate
Affordable Housing, Community
Centres, Libraries etc;
n Made In Canada Procurement
Policy: Buy Local, Buy Canadian
first when tendering contracts for
products and services.
n Municipal Revenues and Taxation:
Mayors and Municipal Councils to
Challenge the Federal and Provincial
governments for changes to the
funding formula as cities need a
greater share of revenue due to the
WSIB Representative’s
_____________________ Report ______________________
If you sustain a workplace injury you must report your injury to the
in-plant medical centre as soon as possible. You should also try to see
your family doctor right away. If you cannot get in to see your family
doctor then you must go to a walk in clinic to report your injury.
We (in the CAW–WSIB rep. office) see too many claims being
challenged because proof of accident cannot be established or
because of the delay in reporting an injury. Your doctor will file
a WSIB Form 8 physician’s report of injury which will establish
a claim. You will then receive a Form 6 workers report of injury.
Please come into the CAW–WSIB office located near medical
so that we may assist you to ensure that all relevant information
is filed correctly with the WSIB board.
This will be the last report that I will write as the CAW–WSIB
Alternate Representative as I have resigned from this position. I
am grateful to have had this opportunity to serve the membership.
Your new alternate WSIB Rep is Monia Kosciejew.
In solidarity,
Patricia Johnston
downloading
of services to
municipalities.
n Living Wage:
Cities to adopt
a fair wage and
BY
working conMotilall
ditions policy,
Sarjoo
to make it a
CAW LOCAL 1285
requirement for
UNION IN POLITICS
COMMITTEE
contractors to
CO-CHAIR
provide a fair
wage and reasonable working conditions to workers on city contracts.
n The Green Agenda: Balance
development to protect agricultural
land, Parks etc to avoid urban sprawl.
Create or enhance local recycling
programs.
n Education: Protect publicly funded and delivered education and ask
the school trustees to advocate in
changing the funding formula for
schools so that more funding can be
provided.
Therefore, on October 25th, Let’s
Make Our Vote Count!!
In Solidarity,
Motilall Sarjoo (Sarj)
Fewer Than Half
Unemployed
Receive Benefits
CLC/CALM
Statistics Canada reports that only 45 per cent of
unemployed Canadians were receiving E.I. benefits in
July – down from 50 per cent a year earlier.
“This tells us that long term unemployment is a big
problem,” says Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian
Labour Congress. “A lot of people can’t find work and in
the meantime they are running out of benefits.”
The government is ending programs that offered
extended E.I. benefits to long-term unemployed workers.
“These workers paid E.I. premiums believing that the
program would be there for a rainy day but the government is taking away their umbrella,” Georgetti says.
“Parliament is sitting again and MPs simply must focus
on providing support for the unemployed.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 11
CAW Local 1285 News
_________________________ Health & Safety Committee Report _________________________
In this issue, I would like to draw the attention of the membership to some issues
concerning Canadian workers using a much broader view rather than just looking at the plant level.
Criminal Code Includes Whistleblower Protection
workplaces to recruit, organize and repre The primary focus of Bill C-13 was aimed at Enron-type capital markets fraud, the Criminal Code “whistleblower protection”
also includes protection for those reporting unlawful conduct by
employers related to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety
Act and regulations, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act
along with infractions of environmental laws.
Whistleblower protection is not new under occupational health
and safety law (Section 50, Occupational Health and Safety
Act). The provisions in Bill C-13 however, established an added
dimension by “creating a general criminal offence in relation to
employer reprisals against employees who may provide information with respect to the violation of any federal or provincial law.”
Bill C-13 has been in effect since September 15, 2004.
Alarming Stress Survey Results
An online survey conducted confirmed what many in the
labour movement already know: that work-related stress is on
the rise. More than 85 per cent of respondents stated their workplace stress has increased in the past two years. Also alarming is
the fact that less than 10 per cent report stress issues are being
addressed to their satisfaction at the joint committee levels, causing confidence to diminish in their local JHSCs.
Fighting Against Ineffective
Health And Safety Management Systems
©CALM
Global labour leaders have called on the International Labour
Organization (ILO) to take a stand and speak out against deregulation and behaviour-based safety (BBS).
“Many governments and employers are seeking to deregulate standards and bring in voluntary behaviour-based safety
programmes,” says Marcello Malentacchi, a labour leader.
“However, overwhelming evidence shows that inspection and
enforcement, backed up by meaningful penalties for endangering
life and limb, are far more effective ways of delivering workplace
safety improvements.”
Behaviour-based safety (BBS) refers to a wide range of programs which mistakenly focus attention on workers’ behaviour as
the cause of most work-related injuries and illnesses. Rather than
identifying and eliminating occupational hazards, the emphasis
of BBS programs is to “encourage” workers to work more carefully in hazardous environments. Using incentives such as pizza
nights, bingo games and giveaways
ranging from coffee mugs, jackets
and money, some employers hope
to “bribe” workers to avoid existing
hazards.
Labour leaders are calling for the
ILO to turn their support to far more
effective means of securing safer and
healthier work environments. “We
do not agree with the ILO’s approach
of promoting Safety Culture and
behaviour safety programs,” says
Anita Normark, General Secretary,
IFBWW. “We want a right based
approach, we need trade union recognition, reasonable rights of access,
sent on issues of health and safety, as well as
the establishment of trade union safety reps
and joint trade union-management workplace safety committees.” The IFBWW is a
global federation with more than 10 million
members in 287 trade unions.
Dedicated Toll Free Phone Line
Established To Report
Unsafe Workplaces
BY
Sewak
Manak
CAW LOCAL 1285
HEALTH & SAFETY
COMMITTEE
The provision of contact numbers by the Ministry of Labour
(MOL) to report unsafe working conditions or other health and
safety concerns is not new. Though a single, dedicated toll-free
phone number to call from anywhere in the province is.
Workers and their representatives can now call 1-877-2020008 from anywhere in the province to report unsafe work. As
has always been the case when contacting the MOL, the caller
can remain anonymous and can seek translation services.
“Many workers fear and experience reprisals from employers
when they report unsafe working conditions to supervisors and
even joint committees,” says the Ontario Federation of Labour.
“Making workers aware of this anonymous tip line may prompt
more reporting. Though, this will prove fruitless unless we see
MOL inspectors dispatched to the workplaces in question combined with strong enforcement of occupational health and safety
laws when they arrive.”
The new anonymous tip line is posted on the MOL web site:
“Report possible unsafe work practices” on their web site. The
MOL does advise, however: “If you have a health and safety
concern that should immediately be brought to the attention of the
Ministry of Labour, please contact your local Ministry of Labour
office to report the issue.”
Protesting Canadian Government Support
Of Asbestos Industry
Workers, their representatives and other concerned citizens
protest the Canadian government’s ongoing support for the export
of asbestos and asbestos products. Canada is the largest exporter
of asbestos to the world.
“We have witnessed first hand the carnage and misery these
products cause and will oppose any government that allows the
trade to continue,” says John Sutton,
a labour leader. “We cannot remain
silent while a first world government
bans the sale of asbestos to its own
people, while profiting by dumping
these products on developing nations.”
According to the International
Labour Organization, 100,000 workers die each year from asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma and
I believe this suffering will grow over
the next decade.
Congratulations to Ardis Snow and
all winners at the recent polls.
Sewak Manak
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Page 12
October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Employee Assistance Representative’s Report ____
The Process Of Getting Help
___ There are many misconceptions on what
is involved with a person getting help with
their addiction through the EFAP program;
therefore, I will spell it out for you.
When someone has decided that they
want help to get off of their drug of choice,
meaning alcohol, drugs or gambling, they
need to give me a call. After receiving a
call from the person needing help, I will
arrange a time to meet with the individual.
We meet in my office, at the union hall, a
local coffee shop, etcetera.
To all of the spouses and parents out
there that feel their loved one needs help: I
have spoken to many spouses and parents
and I will continue to take those calls.
However, I must receive the call from
the person that needs the help to initiate
the process. The first and often hardest
step in getting help is admitting that you
have a problem. If the spouse, friend or
parent, wants to talk or vent, or just ask
questions, you can call me too. There is
help out there for you and the children as
well, regardless if your partner gets help
or not. That is one of the reasons why
we have changed the name of this position to Employee and Family Assistance
Program Representative. We EFAP Reps
understand that this process does not just
involve the person but in fact the entire
family as well. A person getting clean will
change the family dynamics.
This process is not like the TV show,
Intervention, no one is forced to go to
rehab. The individual must want the help,
or basically, the treatment will not work.
Going into treatment should not make
anyone lose their job. Firing someone due
to an addiction goes against the Human
Rights Code. The company doesn’t even
have to know, unless you tell them. When
someone is off due to a medical illness you
do not have to tell the company why but
it does have to say why on your medical
S&A form. All that is required is to get
your doctor to sign you off on medical
leave, such as S&A benefits. Yes, if you
qualify for benefits like S&A you will
receive S&A while in treatment as addiction is recognized as a medical illness. If
you don’t, Employment Insurance sick
pay may be available to you instead if you
have enough weeks worked to collect it.
addiction but also physical and mental
health related questions are asked to determine if there are other issues in combination
with the drug use. Often substance abusers
take drugs to self-medicate other mental
health conditions; this is called a concurrent
disorder or dual diagnosis. If this is the case
then assistance is recommended to address
these other issues as well as treatment for
the addiction. EFAP Reps deal with many
things not just addiction.
It must be recognized that not all people
gambling, drinking or doing drugs want
to stop; that can be part of the illness.
However, not all people gambling, drinking or doing drugs are addicted either;
there can be a fine line between the two. It
is my job to determine the difference.
Sometimes the individual would like to
have a spouse, parent or friend with them
as this assessment can be quite traumatic.
Other times the spouse, parent or friend
wants to come with them to ensure honesty from their loved one. Addicts can be
very manipulative. This is a very personal
assessment and you may choose to do this
alone. When doing this assessment, complete honesty is required to determine accurately what is needed for the customized
method of treatment or if indeed treatment
is required. In many cases more honest
answers are given when individuals are
not accompanied by someone else as there
can be great shame in admitting the truth to
some of the questions asked. Others minimize their issues; therefore a friend may be
helpful. Often the person has been lying to
themselves for years let alone their spouse,
family or friends. Honesty is absolutely
required to truly determine what is going
on. This cannot be stressed strongly enough.
Once the assessment is completed we
determine what the person needs. With
most residential treatment centres one
must be clean for a few days, if not a
week, before entering. Often I will have
to place the individual in a detox centre
to be able to achieve this. A detox centre
is a place where one goes to come off of
the substance; a treatment centre is where
one goes to understand what drove them to
this addiction in the first place and to learn
how to live life without the substance.
Be Open And Honest
I usually drive the individual to and
from the centres as both detox and treatment centres do not want their clients
to bring their vehicles. One of the most
common statements I hear when picking
Once an individual calls, we meet and do
a drug and alcohol assessment to determine
many things related to their substance use.
Not only are questions asked regarding
One Day At A Time
someone up to bring
them home after treatment is “Oh, thank
God it’s over, I’m
BY
done.” My reply to
Phyllis
this comment is that it
Foster
isn’t over; your recovBRAMPTON
ery has really now
ASSEMBLY PLANT
just begun. I feel that
EMPLOYEE
recovery truly begins
ASSISTANCE
REPRESENTATIVE
once the person is out
in the real world and
actively avoiding the
substance of abuse. This is because while
in a treatment centre the person is in a substance-free surrounding. In everyday life,
the client knows exactly where to go to
find the substance of choice. Unfortunately,
some ‘so-called’ friends may even offer the
substance to the individual even when they
know they just got out of a treatment centre. Living in recovery, every day can be a
struggle, but it does get easier with time.
Once treatment is finished the individual
and I then look at after-care. After-care can
be many things such as one-on-one counseling, attending AA, NA, SOS, Women
for Sobriety meetings, family counseling,
Al-Anon for family members, occasional
calls from or to me, etcetera. Usually
people need the meetings or sessions, to
help them maintain sobriety. Often people
will make the statement that they were
doing well until they quit going to meetings. Meetings re-enforce some of what
was taught in the rehab centre and provides
a social network of people that are sober.
Be Wary Of Your Surroundings
Often the addict has surrounded themselves with others that have the same addiction and they may not have many friends, if
any, that live a life of sobriety. Like my mom
used to say, “You are who your friends are...
and birds of a feather flock together...” Most
people have to change a lot of their habits,
minimize or stop frequenting past surroundings (bars, etc.) and visits to addicted friends
or family members to be able to maintain
their sobriety, or at least in the beginning
until the person is stronger in their recovery. To walk out of a treatment centre and
continue to fully hang around with the same
crowd that uses the substance one is trying to
get away from, almost always leads back to
Employee Assistance
Representative’s Report
continues on page fourteen _____________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 13
CAW Local 1285 News
Union Label Committee Report _ __________________
Buy Local!
___________________ Congratulations to everyone who ran, and to those who were
elected to positions. Summer is over and the kids are back to
school, hopefully we are all well rested after summer vacation. As
we go about our daily lives, it is important to stop and think about
the products we use and where they come from. As in previous
issues I cannot reiterate how important our buying power really
is. Every purchase we make as consumers affects jobs in other
sectors and the economy as a whole.
So when you go out to shop, please keep in mind to buy as
many Canadian produced products as possible to keep our country strong and viable for future generations just by watching what
we buy today. If possible buy from small local businesses that
support our communities, these people need our support as well.
Rights Taken Away?
Our brothers and sisters in other industries are under attack
with Bill 68 which will cut the rights of workers to complain
about injustices caused by employers. This bill would require
workers to enforce their Employment Standards Act rights, such
____________________ as minimum wages, hours and overtime.
This shows just how disconnected the government is with the rights of workers and
will make it incredibly easy for businesses
BY
to discriminate against workers.
Veronica
The bill would also require the workers
Leray
to gather all the information about their
CAW LOCAL 1285
employer and formulate arguments about
UNION LABEL
their case, before the Ministry of Labour
COMMITTEE
would accept their claim. So “Let’s Put All
The Onus On The Poor Worker” is what this
bill should be called. The government is saying that this will cut
through the red tape and streamline government services but we
all know that really means we are about to have our rights taken
away.
So please feel free to question your local MPP about this bill
and how it might affect our families lives.
In Solidarity
Veronica Leray
Women’s Committee Report ____________________
For months, women and men across Canada have been working
tirelessly, to ensure that the Conservative Government did not
abolish the National Gun Registry. As the saying goes “fighting back makes a difference.” This time we won, with a very
slim margin of 163 to 161. Enough to beat the so-called private
members bill C-391 (in actual fact part of the Conservative
Agenda). Thank you to everyone who took the time to email,
send letters, make phone calls to their respective MPs.
I realize the gun registry issue is a very controversial one,
including in our Union. It was the biggest contentious issue for
our then President, Buzz Hargrove. Usually when issues are
debated at council they get a vote of 95 per cent plus in favour.
This issue only received 75 per cent in favour.
A few facts to consider about the gun registry: (1991 was
the first year of stricter gun control, prior to the creation of
the registry).
In 1991, more than 1,400 Canadians were killed with guns.
Today it’s less than 800.
The firearm homicide rate is down 40 per cent, while the
rate without guns is down only 28 per cent.
Domestic homicides with firearms, suicides with firearms
and robberies with firearms have also
declined dramatically over the last decade.
The rate of homicides with rifles and
shotguns has decreased by 70 per cent
since 1991.
Murders of women with guns plumBY
meted from 85 in 1991, to 32 in 2004.
Gwen
Currently, 90 per cent of guns are
Campbell
registered, approximately seven million
CAW LOCAL 1285
shotguns and rifles.
WOMEN’S
Again, thank you to everyone who
COMMITTEE
helped make a difference in this battle.
Every year on December 6th we commemorate the “National Day of Mourning and Action to End
Violence against Women.” Please mark your calendars; this is
the 21st anniversary of the tragic Montreal Massacre. As usual,
we will be holding a candlelight vigil at Gage Park in Brampton,
6:00 p.m., followed by speakers and light refreshments in the
lobby of City Hall. We would love to see you there.
In solidarity,
Gwen Campbell
Employee Assistance
Representative’s Report
________________________________________________
continued from page thirteen
substance use.
Unfortunately, relapse is part of some
people’s recovery. I recognize this and
assist these individuals. I don’t want anyone to feel so ashamed of their relapse that
they don’t come back for help. How many
times does one have to go to treatment
until it helps? My answer is, until it works!
I understand there is a lot of stigma
associated with going into treatment. It
takes a strong person to come forward
and deal with their issue. Truly though,
shouldn’t the stigma be attached to the
person who doesn’t go for help instead of
the one that does?
I hope this article helps to de-mystify
the process.
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
Cell: 905-702-4456
In Solidarity,
Phyllis Foster
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Page 14
October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
______________ Employment Equity/Human Rights Report _______________
Thank you for your continued support.
It has been a great pleasure to work on
your behalf. As the company continues
to evolve into a world class manufacturing corporation, it is now more important than ever that we try to maintain all
the gains we have bargained in the past
or hold onto what we have left.
In order to show my appreciation,
I will do my best to stay committed
to fighting for your rights, justice and
upholding the Human Rights Code.
This will take the efforts of all rank
and file members to achieve this goal.
Remember you are the U in union.
For reasons such as these, I am proud to
be a member of the CAW, helping millions of people around the world such as
in Pakistan for instance where many are
struggling to survive the worst floods
in 80 years that began July 21st. The
CAW Social Justice Fund will donate
$25,000 and CAW Local 222 will
donate $15,000 to Oxfam Canada with
more money expected to pour in from
across the country. Right here in our
_______________________________ own backyard praise goes out to dedicated “BAP” volunteers who helped
raise more than $5,000 for Haiti earlier
this year. Now if we can only work on
the morale in the plant, then that’s the
next step to becoming the number one
assembly plant in North America or the
world for that matter.
Updates
August 27-29 Canada-Quebec Joint
Council in Montreal: The Canadian
Auto Workers leadership took time to
recognize all of our hard work that went
into building our great union. President
Ken Lewenza took time to congratulate
the 800 delegates who are the elected
decision-making body who meet every
three years on behalf of all our members.
September 12, 2010 Human Rights
meeting at the local was well attended.
The agenda was Bill 168 and Poison
Workplace. The two topics created a lot
of good discussion and debate.
September 30th, 2010 - Urban
Alliance
Race
Relations
held
their annual dinner
fund raiser at 131
Bloor St. 2nd floor.
October
17,
2010 Local 1285
will host “Sponsor
A Meal Day”
BY
$500 or 500 hunMike
gry bellies to be
Allen
fed at the Knights
HUMAN RIGHTS
Table soup kitchen
COMMITTEE
CHAIRPERSON
in Brampton, 116
Kennedy Rd.
October 29-31,
2010 Human Rights Conference Port
Elgin
November 6, 2010 CBTU 14th
Annual Awards Dinner Dance, 888
Don Mills Road
If you have any questions, give me a
call. @ 905 458 2822
In solidarity
Mike Allen
Women’s Advocate Report ________________________________
It still surprises me that many people in the plant still don’t
know that we have a Women’s Advocate position in the plant.
This position is not a full time position. It is an “as required”
position. Please leave a message on the Women’s Advocate
voicemail 905-458-2522 or in plant 2522. You can contact
your committee person if there is an emergency and they will
contact me immediately.
I would like to congratulate and welcome Jessica Ridgwell
as the new alternate for the Employee Equity/Women’s
Advocate position. Thank you to Lucinda Taylor for her work
in past years as the Employment Equity/Women’s Advocate
Alternate.
Collective Agreement page 16
Section (C) Violence against women
Section (D) Minute of Silence
Section (E) Women’s Advocate
What Is A Women’s Advocate?
It is recognized by the CAW and Chrysler that sometimes
a woman needs to discuss personal and confidential matters
with another woman. A Women’s Advocate is a specially
trained workplace representative who assists women who are
faced with situations of harassment in the workplace or violence and abuse in her relationship. The Women’s Advocate is
not a counsellor but is trained to provide support for women
who are in need of accessing community and workplace
resources. Violence is a security liability concern. An Abuser’s
interference in the workplace is a way an abuser exercises
power and control. The Advocate works with the employee
and employer if safety planning within
the workplace is needed. If a worker is
in need of resources, whether it is for
themselves or a family member (child,
parent etc.), feel free to stop by the office
and if we don’t have what you’re looking
for we will make every attempt to find it.
Who Are The Victims
Of Violence?
While some men experience violence
within an intimate relationship, according to Stats Canada 84 per cent of victims
are women. The Women’s Advocate is
there to help everyone in our workplace,
men included. No one will be turned
away.
BY
Jennifer
Wells
BRAMPTON
ASSEMBLY PLANT
WOMEN’S
ADVOCATE
Bill 168
Bill 168 amends the Occupational Health & Safety Act
with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace.
This gives workers the right to refuse based on violence or
harassment.
Workplace violence is defined as:
(a)The exercise of physical force by a person against a
worker in a workplace that causes or could cause physical
injury to the worker.
(b)An attempt to exercise physical force against a worker in
a workplace that could cause physical injury to the worker.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 15
CAW Local 1285 News
Youth Committee Report ________________________________
Oppose Child Labour Everywhere
_______________________________ Do you remember your very first job? I asked this question
to a fellow co-worker. He was a dishwasher in a restaurant
at the age of 13 or 14. His 15 year old brother had gotten
him the job to work on weekends. Even though he was still
in elementary school, his father thought it would be a great
experience and it would keep him busy. When asked about
the environment he worked in, he said the owners were
good to him and it was a nice place to work, however the
dishwasher was very hot and sometimes when they needed
dishes right away this made them hot to handle. The owner
also wanted him to learn from the cook and to help him,
but my co- worker did not feel comfortable doing this so he
declined. Now fast forward, he is a father now... “Would you
let you child work at 13 or 14 years of age?” “Absolutely
not,” he said. When I asked why he said: “because they are
too young and still under a parent’s care, so they don’t need
to work.”
Unfortunately not much has changed over the years.
Traditional jobs for child workers, such as baby-sitting and
delivering papers has broadened into them getting jobs in
retail, hospitality and food service sectors.
There is not a minimum age for
work under the Employment
Standards Act, but there
are minimum age requirements for certain industries
and workplaces. The minimum age to work under
the Occupational Health and
Safety Act for the following are:
18 years of age for Underground
Mines, 16 years of age at a Mining
Plant or Surface Mine, 18 years of
age for Window Cleaning, 16 years
of age for Construction and Logging
Operations, 15 years of age for Factory
Operations and Repair Shops, and 14
years of age for Stores, Offices or Arenas.
The minimum age for working in Ontario
is 14 years for most places. However, children are required to attend school until the
age of 18 and employers are forbidden from
hiring children under the age of 16 years
during school hours. The pressure on young
Canadians to balance work and school life
can be harmful. In other provinces, the age
varies:
n In British Columbia regulations permit
the employment of 12 year olds.
n In Alberta a 12 year old can be employed
with the consent of one parent or guardian.
n Children in Manitoba cannot be employed
under the age of 16 without a signed permit from the Director of Employment
Standards.
n The age for children in New
Brunswick is 14 years and is
the same in Newfoundland and
Labrador, Nova Scotia and Quebec.
n In Prince Edward Island children 16
years and under can be employed
BY
for age appropriate tasks, adequate
Tricia
training and adult supervision.
Brown
n Children in Saskatchewan cannot be
CAW LOCAL 1285
employed in certain settings at the YOUTH COMMITTEE
CHAIRPERSON
age of 16.
n The Northwest Territories and
Nunavut permit children aged 17 to
be employed in any occupation with some exceptions.
n In the Yukon Territory children under the age of 16 cannot
be employed in any paid work unless they are excused by
the director of their school.
The risk of injury and death in the workplace for young
workers is very high because they are unaware of their
employment rights on the job.
Canada is one of 51 countries in the world that have not
ratified the International Labour Organization’s Convention
138, which outlines basic child labour standards for minimum age of work.
The Minimum Age Campaign is a national campaign to
raise awareness about the minimum age laws in Canada and
for the International Labour Organization Convention
138 to be ratified by Canada.
This campaign is led by young members
in unions working with social partners and student groups. Together
we are working together as
“Canadians Opposed to
Child Labour,” as written
by the CLC Young Workers
Working group. CAW Local
Union Youth Committees are
taking up this fight as well,
right across the country.
This campaign wants to ensure that each provincial
and territorial government agrees to amend the last
labour legislation in accordance with the International
Labour Organization Convention 138 (ILO C138) for
the minimum age of employment. The final goal of
this Campaign is for the federal government to officially sign and implement the ILO C 138.
Canada has to fully comply with the eight core
labour conventions under the ILO by 2010. This
requires each of Canada’s provinces and territories
to adjust their existing minimum age laws which
will benefit our society for years to come.
In solidarity,
Tricia Brown
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 17
CAW Local 1285 News
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 19
CAW Local 1285 News
Welcome to Brampton’s Award Winning Dealership!
Serving Brampton for 50 Years!
Better People...Better Service...Better Price
Once again Brampton Chrysler commits to you
as you commit to us!
BUILD IT HERE
SELL IT HERE
BUY IT HERE
LET’S GROW HERE!
DODGE
JEEP
CHRYSLER•DODGE•JEEP•FIAT
Brampton
Auto Mall
Mall
Brampton Auto
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Page 20
October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Retirees’ Chapter’s Report _ _______________________
Monthly Meeting
_______________________ September 15th, 2010, we had our first retirees meeting after the
summer. We had about 300 or more Brothers and Sisters attend
this meeting. We were updated on Local 1285 issues and on
several upcoming events by Local 1285, President Leon Rideout
and First Vice President Dave Ireland. We were told of Chrysler
Brampton Plant elections taking place, bargaining in some of
our other units and there were questions on future products in
Brampton. There were a lot of questions on the notice Chrysler
had sent out regarding the health care trust to retired Chrysler
members. I explained a little about this and said a special meeting
was taking place at our hall to explain the health care trust and
class action relating to the retirees health care benefits. After our
meeting there was a great BBQ lunch. Thanks to Leon, Dave and
all who worked hard to do the BBQ
Special Meeting
On Thursday, September 23rd, 2010, there was a special information meeting on the Chrysler Canada Inc. class action suit
relating to retirees, health care and health care trust. There were
over 450 retirees in attendance. Representatives from the law firm
of Lenczner Slaght explained the proposed settlement regarding
Chrysler Canada Inc. class action suit relating to retirees health
care benefits, the health care trust and future benefits. They
explained the proposed settlement considered by the Retirees
representatives and their lawyers. Consulting actuaries from the
Segal Company were also present to answer questions.
It was explained that meetings of retirees were held also in
Etobicoke, Windsor and Ajax and the consensus of retirees was
approval of the settlement. Consensus of our retirees was also
unanimous to accept the settlement. On October 4th, 2010 we
attended before the Honourable Justice Perell who approved the
settlement. He felt the agreement was fair, reasonable and in the
best interests of class members. All class members will be bound
by the terms of the settlement unless they opt out of the class. There
will be further court approval notice instructing class members how
to opt out. I recommend, as does the Legal Counsel and other members of the Steering Committee that you do not opt out. I know the
retirees who attended the meetings understand, but for others who
did not attend the meeting, this is very important to understand.
Graham Porter:
Brother Graham Porter passed away in September at the age of
85. Brother Porter served Local 1285 in a number of Union positions. He was Local 1285 Financial Secretary for a great number
of years. In the early 1960s he worked at Standard Products which
was a Unit of Local 1285. He later worked at AMC (Chrysler)
where he served as shop steward and committeeperson. He was
dedicated to improving workers rights, benefits and health and
safety. He was active in our Local, the community and at the
bargaining table. His beloved wife Millie, who passed away in
December 2009, was also very active in Local 1285 activities.
They will both be missed by all who knew them.
National Retired Workers’ Council And Conference:
Brothers Terry Gorman, Ray Ivanyshyn and I attended the
National Retired Workers Council and Conference at the CAW
Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario from September
5th-10th, 2010. We were welcomed by Jenny Ahn, Director of
the CAW Retired Workers Department and by Dean Lindsay,
National Co-ordinator of the CAW Retired Workers Department.
On Monday, September 6th we held the
Labour Day Parade along the main street
of Port Elgin. The parade was well attended
and viewed by many families and children
BY
from the area. The weather could have been
Dennis
better, but the parade was a success with
Hryhorchuk
Retirees classic cars, floats and wagons.
RETIREES’
Later at the Centre was a BBQ lunch and
CHAPTER
Brother Bob White, former CAW National
CHAIRPERSON
President delivered a Labour Day greeting
also speaking about the history of CAW
reminded us that this year was the 25th Anniversary of the
CAW. Brother Bob Nickerson, former CAW National SecretaryTreasurer also spoke to the delegates during the week. Canadians
face a pension crisis. Many workers are even covered by a
workplace pension and some that were covered have lost portions of their pension when employers go bankrupt or through
losses because of investment. We need to push for better public
pensions. We need to keep up the fight for the betterment of all
Canadians.
This year’s winner of the Outstanding Retired Worker of the
Year Award was Percy McKay from CAW Local 199. He did
outstanding work in his Local and in his community.
Brother Ken Lewenza, President of CAW Canada, was not
scheduled to speak at this Conference, but even with his busy schedule found his way to Port Elgin to speak to the Retirees. He spoke
on several issues, past struggles, struggles we face today where we
need to work harder – not only for the betterment of CAW Workers,
but for all Canadians. He thanked the Retirees for the work they do.
When Brother Lewenza speaks, he inspires us all to do more.
Elections were held for the Retired Workers Advisory Executive
and those elected were: Chairperson – Brother Len Harrison;
Vice Chairperson – Brother Len Hope; Sergeant-at-Arms – Sister
Mary Straus; Secretary – Sister Barb Abrams; Members at Large
– Sister Marg Arnone; Brothers Herb John; Rick Reaume and
Dave Tremblay.
Congratulations To
Our Recent Retirees
Earl
Edwards
Chrysler Assembly
Raghbir
Dosanjh
Chrysler Assembly
Chrysler Assembly
Chrysler Assembly
Parts Depot
Carmelo
Endozo
Chrysler Assembly
Ken Kirby
Agnes Gurr
Chrysler Assembly
Crosby Canada
Tom Nantais
Amarjit Deol
Tho Duong
Parts Depot
Chrysler Assembly
Jan Gagat
Mukhtiar
Hans
Parts Depot
Terry Browne
Chrysler Assembly
Thanh Dam
Chrysler Assembly
Manjit Kang
Ha Ly
Chrysler Assembly
Anna Missori
Gary Page
Sy Poc
Waldemar
Podstawka
Chrysler Assembly
André Knox
TI Automotive
Chrysler Assembly
Chrysler Assembly
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 21
CAW Local 1285 News
______________________________ Recreation Committee Report ______________________________
Local 1285 Annual
Family Picnic
On the last Sunday of June, our Local held our annual
family picnic at Wild Water Kingdom in Brampton.
The weather tried its best to cooperate, in the morning we had sun, followed by some clouds. After a
delicious lunch it was time to hand out door prizes,
congratulations to all our winners! The rain showers
in the afternoon did not dampen the spirits of those in
attendance, children and adults alike had a great time.
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Recreation Committee Report ______________________________
Local 1285 Golf Tournament
______________________________ On Sunday, September 19th, 100 members from
seven different units, headed to Lionhead Golf Club
for a fabulous day of golf. We played best ball with
a shot gun start on the tough Legends course, one
of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the
area. We could not have asked for nicer weather; sun,
sun, and more sun.
Congratulations to the winning team of Stefal
Lewin, Kevin Irons, Ernie Lukawesky and Tim
Parsons with a score of 62.
Longest Drive went to Kevin Irons on hole #16.
Closest to the Pin went to Joe Pacheco on hole #8
There were lots of great prizes to be won, the
big winner of the day was Frank Mendicino from
Benteler who took home a 42” Samsung TV.
Thank you to our many sponsors, in particular Brampton Chrysler, CAW Local 584, Thistle
Printing, Image Promotions, and of course our Local.
See you next year!
BY
Dave
Eckersley
CAW LOCAL 1285
RECREATION
COMMITTEE
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 23
CAW Local 1285 News
______________ Chrysler Brampton Assembly Plant Report _______________
I’ve been on the job now for two weeks and things couldn’t
be any more exciting. It feels great to be back working out of
the Union office representing the great people that work at
the Brampton Assembly plant. I would like to thank everyone
who ran for a position in the recent elections. To those who
were unsuccessful, don’t be discouraged, use the opportunity
to build on the things that went right during your elections and
continue to be active within your Union.
Things have been busy with trying to get caught up on all
the issues. The committee and leadership have been fantastic
getting me up to speed on all the issues in the plant. I feel fortunate to have such great leadership surrounding me. I know
we will be successful as we move forward facing many challenges in the future.
We are currently building out this style of Dodge Chargers.
The present style of Chrysler 300 and Dodge Challengers will
be built out in November. The plant will be down for the first
three weeks of November. During this time the plant will be
changed over to build the new reconfigured Dodge Charger,
Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Challenger which is a carryover vehicle but has some changes to it. There will be many
employees working during this time. The schedule has still
not been set as to who will be working during this period. All
skilled trade employees will be working and we have been told
the Team Leaders will also.
Our Launch Committee has been meeting daily with the
company trying to resolve many outstanding issues. One issue
that has been a sore point with members parking in the West
________________________ Benteler Automotive Unit Report _ ________________________
Layoffs
Employees who were recalled in August and placed on “C”
shift to supplement the company and to keep up with their
customer’s two shifts are being laid-off effective November
1st, 2010. Lay-off notices were handed out on September 27,
2010. Although the employees were told that the recall would
be temporary, they are angry about the wording of the letter.
The union committee asked for changes to the letter but the
company refused.
Terminations And Disciplines
In the very short existence of Benteler Automotive, I’ve
never seen so many termination and disciplinary notices. The
committee is dealing with seven terminations and a number
of suspensions. There is a double standard at Benteler when
it comes to disciplines. Separate rules for management and
hourly employees is not conducive to harmonious relations.
LY Program
Parking lot is the closure of the exit onto
North Park Blvd. The company is currently expensing this issue out and will
be reporting back to the committee soon.
During the first week of shutdown, several members of the committee and I will
be travelling to two assembly plants in
the U.S. and the Windsor Assembly Plant
to get a better understanding of the WCM
BY
program. We need to see where our plant
Ardis
is compared to other plants within the corSnow
poration. We have asked many questions
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
but have not received answers in return.
During the three weeks the plant is
down, all lockers are scheduled for cleaning and fumigation. Employees are asked to clean out their
lockers prior to the close of business Friday October 29, 2010.
Personal belongings left in a locker will be disposed of and
not replaced. All employees including those not at work will
receive a letter informing them of the cleaning plan.
A third stage grievance meeting is set for October 19, 2010
to resolve outstanding grievances that could not be resolved
with the Labour Relations supervisors in the plant. The grievances are argued by the District Reps. with the support of the
grievance co-coordinator and the Plant Chairperson.
In Solidarity
Ardis Snow
We are preparing for the launch of the LY Program in
November which is not going as well as the company anticipated. We went from two rear lines to one and we can’t keep
up with Chrysler. The company is scrambling to fix the problems.
Relations
The relationship with management is
very poor. We are having a lot of problems
which are the creation of the company.
One problem is the loud music which is
annoying and makes it difficult to use
phones on the plant floor. Another is
the company’s double standard of wearing personal safety equipment between
hourly and management employees and
contractors.
BY
Alvin
Ferron
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
Down Weeks
We are scheduled to be laid-off on the weeks of November
1st, 8th and 15th, 2010 and to be back to work on November
22nd, 2010.
In solidarity,
Alvin Ferron
www.cawlocal.ca/1285
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Daimler Commercial Bus Ltd. Unit Report ________________
Daimler Bus, Truck And Special Vehicles Council Report
– August 26, 2010
_______________ I want to start my report by saying I was glad to have participated in the CAW Bus, Truck and Special Vehicle Council in
Montreal. The city itself is beautiful and I enjoyed visiting
Old Montreal and did enjoy a meal at a wonderful old Italian
Restaurant. The Council meeting was an opportunity to meet
my brothers and sisters from various other locations and to
hear and exchange ideas and discuss very important issues
that relate to our industry in these times of economic and
competitive global times.
Brother Bill Murnighan from the CAW Research and
Development Department gave a presentation on where
we are after the recession. It’s been a year since the Bank
of Canada said we were over the recession. Brother Bill
Murnighan gave us an overview, which showed us how we
have been and also commented on layoffs.
1) In our industry maximum production levels max out at
five vehicles per day with an average of three vehicles a day.
Our actual rate is currently one-half a vehicle per day, the
lowest in a long time.
2) CAW Local 27 Unit EMC (Electric Motive) located in
London, Ontario has 450 active members, with 54 of those
skilled trades. They currently have 278 productions members on layoff. They were informed on Tuesday, June 1st,
2010 that Electric Motive had been sold to Progress Rail, a
company owned by Caterpillar. The transition took place on
August 2, 2010. Their order bank at this time does not look
very bright. To date the order bank is very light for the new
year and they will be heading into bargaining next June. They
had 26 brothers retire in July 2010.
3) Bombardier Transportation in Thunder Bay has a membership of 499 of which 453 are working, 46 off on sickness, leave of absence and WSIB. All of the members being
recalled have current plant work for the Toronto Transit
Commission subway which is presently tooling up for the GO
Transit bi-level commuter train TTC Street Cars/LRV (light
rail vehicles). They expect to hire 200 plus additional employees by the end of the year. Their president was very appreciative of the work that the CAW National did on behalf of his
members for playing an important part in helping to acquire
this work, which will help to assure a sustainable future. Their
collective agreement expires May 31, 2011. It is good to hear
of this success story and the part played by the CAW.
4) Hitachi manufactures off road rigid mining and construction trucks in various sizes of hauling capacities from
40 tons per load to a truck that hauls over 300 tons per load
which are built up, tested, unassembled and shipped world
wide. They have a bargaining unit of 102 active members and
approximately 180 members on layoff. Things are picking up
and 70 members may be recalled. Welders were called back
as of August 16, 2010 and also a few other members in various classifications. They just ratified a three year agreement
in May.
5) These are just a few reports from various locals and
sectors that make up our Council. The report from Navistar
International Truck Plant in Chatham, Ontario made me
understand the need for all of the plant
chairs and National Representatives at
this Truck, Bus and Special Vehicles
Council to support and help these brothers and sisters in any way we can. The difficulties this community is going through
along with loss of work at Navistar
Trucks has caused undue hardship to
some families. Having a good job is
BY
important to everyone, it provides the
Wally
necessities for our families, but also
Syme
allows us to purchase things we rightly
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
deserve and by doing so puts money back
into the local economy. These brothers
and sisters have dealt with some rough
and hard economic situations over the last couple of years.
They have seen parts of their industry moved as well as stress
of the plant being moved out of their community and country. It was motioned at our Council meeting that the Council
write a letter and express the importance of this industry to
the workers of this plant, the suppliers and the community to
continue to keep this plant and its operations producing a fine
grade #1 Truck for North America and the world. It is also
important that local and federal politicians work in an effort
to preserve our work and secure a sustainable future for these
workers and for the people of Chatham, Ontario. My plant,
Daimler Bus is also experiencing rough times at present with
an order bank originally estimated yearly build rate of 825,
but because of some major orders and few small local orders
which will cause us to experience a lay-off situation as well
and to invest in our community.
6) Prevost, a manufacturer of premium intercity coaches
and bus shells for high end conversion, is 100 per cent
owned by Volvo since 2004 and is represented by white collar – Local section 1044, Blue collar section 911 in St. Clair,
Quebec also updated their situation.
Brother Murnighan believes we may start to see an improvement investment in transit as money problems increase and
gas prices rise. This makes public transit a more practical,
economical and environmentally sound mode of travel.
Update And New Changes At Daimler Bus
We were informed of a layoff effective at both our U.S. and
Canadian Plants October 18, 2010. Additionally the company
is extending the December holiday shutdown at both locations from Monday, November 29th, 2010 to January 3, 2011.
The company plans to build at the rate of 13 buses per week
as the transit market remains challenged.
In closing, I ask that we all support each other as we move
forward and face the challenges ahead. This concludes my
council report.
In Solidarity,
Wally Syme
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 25
CAW Local 1285 News
National Parts Depot Report ______________________________
First Layoff In 20 Years
_____________________________ With another summer having passed us and fall seemingly in
full swing, we at the Parts Depot sometimes wish that things
could change as fast as the seasons. This unfortunately was
not the case when it came to the departure of Mercedes-Benz
from our facility.
On Friday July 30th, 2010, the membership at the Parts
Depot watched as 12 of our members walked out of the warehouse in the first indefinite layoff in over 20 years. One of
the toughest things to swallow as union leadership, is watching your members leave on indefinite lay off and having no
control over it. This unfortunately was the case, being that no
vote or action on behalf of the members would have changed
the fact that there simply was not going to be enough work in
our facility to sustain the number of employees without MB’s
business. All 12 of those members that were laid off will be
sorely missed by the remaining membership.
The in-plant union has committed to continue to push the
company into exploring every option possible to bring more
work into our facility to not only sustain the number of workers we have now, but also bring back those who are on lay off.
Thanks go out to Dave Ireland for getting the okay for the
members of the Parts Depot to utilize Brampton Assembly
Plant’s Action Centre. Some members were able to use this
unfortunate situation and make something positive out of it for
themselves. Three members were able to receive some pretty
nice retirement packages that were negotiated by the union.
Congratulations go out to Tom Nantais, Ken Kirby, and Jan
Gagat on their retirements.
There were also six other employees who accepted a
Voluntary Termination Employment Plan (VTEP) package, in
which they received payment for their service throughout the
years. Congratulations and good luck in
your future endeavors.
And lastly in regards to the loss of MB,
we also had two employees accept jobs
in the Mopar Parts Depot in Red Deer,
Alberta. Some good news regarding the
BY
two in Red Deer: The union had recently
Todd
filed a grievance with the company to pay
the two employees a transfer allowance
Riverso
UNIT
that others who had previously transferred
CHAIRPERSON
to Red Deer received. This past week I
received news from our National Rep,
Whitey MacDonald, that he was able to convince the company to do the right thing and give those members their due.
Congratulations on the move, guys.
Launch Of WCL
As I wrap up my article, I think it is important to mention
that after a significant delay, Chrysler has decided to launch
their World Class Logistics program within our facility.
Mississauga is only the third Chrysler facility to launch this
program and fourth in the world.
WCL is the parts distribution version of the World Class
Manufacturing system Fiat brought to Chrysler along with the
merger. Although I’m sure the changes within our facility will
come with their own set of challenges, we at the Parts Depot
have proven in the past, many times, that we can rise to the
occasion. I’m sure we will prove this once again.
In solidarity,
Todd Riverso
6 of 10 Live Payday To Payday
NUPGE/CALM
Six in 10 Canadians are surviving from paycheque to paycheque,
and younger workers are feeling the pressure most of all, says a new
national poll of 2,766 citizens by the Canadian Payroll Association.
Among those surveyed, 59 per cent said they would be in financial trouble if their paycheque were delayed by just one week. This
is the same level as a year earlier.
Younger workers are having the greatest trouble meeting their
expenses. Two thirds of those aged 18–34 say they would have
great difficulty coping if they missed even a single pay day.
The situation is most precarious for single parents, 75 per cent
saying they would have some trouble making ends meet.
Top economic concerns among Canadian workers are rising
interest rates, not being able to save enough to retire, inflation and
falling back into recession. The poll also found that:
n 62 per cent expect a salary increase this year but 83 per cent
expect their cost of living to rise as well
n 47 per cent save five per cent or less of their net pay while 40 per
cent are no longer even trying to save
n 60 per cent feel the economy will improve in the next year, a
decline from 67 per cent in 2009.
The survey was taken between late June and mid-July, 2010.
Team 3 –
Mopar Parts Depot
______________ Report _ _____________
I’d just like to say a few
words.
Everything is going
good at the Mopar Parts
Depot. We have 22 people
working full time.
If you get a chance to go
to Port Elgin and visit the
Family Education Centre,
do it. I was there recently
and it was a great Learning
experience.
In Solidarity,
Dwayne Comeau
Team 3 –
Mopar Parts Depot
BY
Dwayne
Comeau
TEAM 3
MOPAR PARTS
DEPOT
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
___________________________________ Abednego Unit Report ____________________________________
We are still in the midst of recovering from the prolonged
recession, where every dollar and every penny counts. The
private sector was hit the hardest – frozen/cut wages, trimmed
benefits, cut hours of work. It is all enhanced by drastic
increases in food, electricity, fuels, tuition fees and of course
taxes. The banking industry is recovering with more sickening profits. The Public sector never really shared the burden
of the recession, as we did.
We see cuts in plant operations on a daily basis. Some of
the cuts are healthy and necessary, however some managerial
decisions involving cost saving measures – putting it mildly
are simply irresponsible. We do not have to wait for the last
light bulb to burnout to replace all of them. We should not
wait four months and counting, for a valve replacement so
that a 200,000 USG tank can be back in service. We are not
talking about any additional investments. What we are asking for is preventive maintenance, replacement of broken
parts equipment and tools. This can and should be done in
an expeditious manner, so that production requirements and
standards will not suffer. Under no circumstances should
this take months or years – no typo mistake here. It is well
understood that in many cases people’s hands are handcuffed.
Decision making ability is restricted and altered by fiscal
responsibilities. On the other hand some saving may end up
being very costly for the company further on down the road.
Fear of losing one’s job affects the ability of making correct
and healthy assessments.
There has to be smart and prudent distinctions between true
savings and resolutions that jeopardize the future. As history
shows, any changes must come from the top – to energize and
lead the way. Sweeping and painting will only go so far we
need to replace the culture of fear and self preservation with
courage, wits and enthusiasm at all levels. So-called savings
can not be used as a pretext for not doing enough.
FIAT Italy – FYI
FIAT’s planned investments of 20 billion euro (approx.
U.S. $28 billion) in Italy are under the
stone. FIAT made the huge investment
conditional on guarantees from the
unions. FIAT does not disclose details
of its plans before the unions agree to
requested demands. Italian media called
FIAT’s position a subsequent ultimatum
given to the union.
At this moment it is unknown what
BY
FIAT will produce and in what assemFelix
bly plants. The answer is not expected
Stolc
soon. FIAT management could decide to
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
postpone the launching of new models.
According to the journal ‘Il Sole 24 Ore’
(October 05, 2010) the launch of the
Panda, which will be produced in Pomigliano d’Arco, Naples,
could be delayed till January 2012.
FIAT management expects guarantees to manage the Italian
plants with stricter controls on labour. The strongest objections have come from FIOM. The head of the FIOM union,
Maurizio Landini said “negotiations are to be conducted with
respect for the contract and without deregulation of applicable
labour laws.” The similar criticism of FIAT management with
respect to implementation of the “Project Factory Italia” was
expressed by Giuseppe Farina, Secretary General of another
union, FIM.
(To clarify ‘Il Sole 24 Ore’ is an Italian national daily
business newspaper owned by Confindustria, the Italian
employer’s federation)
In Solidarity,
Felix Stolc
P.S.
I wish to congratulate all brothers and sisters who were
elected in the recent BAP union election. Good luck and all
the best on the winding and tortuous road ahead of you.
Chrysler Brampton Office/Clerical Engineering
Unit Report _______________________________________________
Thanks For The Support
Justin
______________________________________________ BY
I would like to start this article by first thanking all of those
people who encouraged me to seek the nomination for
Chairperson, and to thank those hard working people who
have held this post before me. I look forward to working
with Mario Tavares (Tool and Process Engineering rep), Vlad
Baginski (PC rep), Mike Kucherepa, (PC rep), Stuart Lee
(Benefits rep) and the membership in building our unit and
making it into an institution we can be proud of.
Obvious Erosion
With that being said, our unit faces a great many challenges
going forward, the most important being the lack of investment by the company in more salaried bargain unit personnel.
Over the years the SBU has lost a great
Minello
many people to retirement, with few or
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
none being replaced by the company. To
cover the work that was once done by
those who retired our members have been
forced to increase their productivity, sometimes doubling
their workload. This has caused the membership great hardship. I believe now is the time to stop the obvious erosion of
our unit, and I believe that the committee has the right people
to accomplish this goal.
I look forward to the challenging times ahead.
In Solidarity,
Justin Minello
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 27
CAW Local 1285 News
_____________________________ Crosby Canada Unit Report _ _____________________________
Brothers & Sisters
Finally Good News! Both for the economy and Crosby
Canada! It’s about time, We Needed Some! Welcome back
to our members that have returned from lay-off and on behalf
of the committee and the membership I’d like to welcome
the new hire’s to the Company as well as to one of the best
Unions in Canada. As an added bonus, we have successfully
ratified a contract into 2013. Congratulations, and thank you
to all the membership for their support but most of all to Joe
Pacheco, Roger DaSilva, Dave Ireland , Paulo Ribeiro and the
lovely ladies at the local office for all the long hours and their
hard work ! Next, there are two issues I wish to address in this
news letter.
First Mispunches.
Hopefully this issue is now resolved by the new Company
policy which we feel is reasonable and fair. However, there
is one item that I would like to make perfectly clear. This
Committee, Has Never, Does Not Now, Nor Will We Ever,
Advocate, Recommend Or Request Discipline For Our
Members! That anyone from the company or our membership
has suggested this is simply untrue and therefore irresponsible
not to mention unprofessional. In representing our members
the committee is obligated to adhere to the contract, Local
1285 By-Laws, CAW Constitution, as well as all provincial
and Federal Labour laws. The Union can be brought before the
Labour Board if we do not. In other words, we cannot break
laws just to satisfy the whims of members or managers.
If There Is Discipline Issued, Right Or Wrong, It Was
The Company’s Decision To Do So! Your Union Can Only
Defend Against It!
Our Crazy Language
Internet/CALM
n Why is abbreviation such a long word?
n Why is dyslexic so hard to spell?
n Why is it so hard to remember how to spell
mnemonic?
n Why is it that no word in the English language
rhymes with month, orange,
silver, or purple?
n Why is it that the word
gullible isn’t in the
dictionary?
n Why is it that we recite at a
play and play at a recital?
n Why is it that writers write but
fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t
groce, and hammers don’t ham?
n Why is the alphabet in that
order? Because of the song?
n Why is the plural of goose
geese, and the plural of moose
not meese?
n Why isn’t phonetic spelled the
way it sounds?
Secondly. Pensions.
During negotiations the company alluded that Melrose considered our pension
benefits as much higher than the average
within the Melrose holdings. Therefore,
the company would not consider any
increases and further wished to eliminate
our early retirement clause 28(h) from the
BY
contract. Needless to say, your committee
Alex
found this insulting and refused to even
Koeslag
consider it. If you read the newspapers
UNIT
many Canadians do not have any pensions
CHAIRPERSON
and a good percentage may retire very
late, if at all! We have laboured hard all
our lives and deserve to enjoy a decent sustainable retirement.
The current leadership is committed to this principle but we
need your support as a membership to be ever vigilant that the
company will never deprive you of this benefit in any future
negotiations.
Lastly, I wish Diana Dampsy a long and healthy retirement
and convey my congratulations to Andrew Strudwicke in his
new position. I regret to announce the resignation of Roger
DaSilva and thank him for all his hard work and hope he will
return to serve our membership in the future. In-plant elections will be announced. Our company is operating on three
shifts, we have a new and improved contract, and the future is
looking brighter. Your committee has pledged to the company
to work hand in hand in good faith to continue this prosperity
well into the future.
Respectfully
Alex Koeslag
Aramark Foods Unit
____________________ Report _____________________
Tough Bargaining
Good day to all. As I’m writing this for
the newsletter, Aramark Food Services is
getting busy again, which is a good sign
for us (employees). Now that the cold
weather is here people are spending a
little bit more, especially when it comes
to coffee. I want you all to know that the
cafeteria staff are putting their best efforts
forward to provide the services that you
BY
expect from us. I know that we can do
Rosie
more if we can only get our hours back,
Laramee
but then again without your continued
UNIT
support we wouldn’t be here and for that
CHAIRPERSON
I thank you all again and again for your
continued patronage.
I also want to thank my members for showing their solidarity during bargaining. It was tough, but we pulled thru. Keep
up the good work girls.
In Solidarity,
Rosie Laramee
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
______________ Hydro One Brampton Unit Report ______________
As the newly elected chair, I would like to thank
all members for their support. I look forward to the
many challenges that lie ahead, including negotiating a new contract in the spring.
I would like to thank the past chair and outgoing
committee members for their many years of dedi-
cated service. I am pleased to introduce the new
committee consisting of Joe McLoughlin, Greg
Norman, Peter Klie and Brian Erskine.
In solidarity,
Jim Fogt
BY
Jim
Fogt
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
TI Automotive Group Unit Report _________________________
It’s A Rollercoaster Ride
________________________ The way our plant has been running for the last two years
feels like a rollercoaster ride. The business has been up and
down, same goes for some of our lines. The only things that
have been steady is our Continuous Braze Line and employees
on layoff. We have six employees currently on layoff with no
sign as to when they will be recalled and their recall rights will
expire soon. We have also had a number of employees take
their Notice and Termination Pay after 35 weeks and severed
with the Company as they saw no hope of being recalled.
Plant Business
The company had a Town Hall meeting and gave us an update
as to the state of our business and the projected production numbers for next year. We will lose the CMA and Cooper Standard
business at the end of October. The company does not foresee
any increase in production volumes for 2011. They see the plant
running the same for 2011 as the previous two years, meaning
the PVF line and EW line will be up and down all year. The
CB line will be running steady on three shifts and the BW line
steady on one shift. We are also getting some new business for
the Polypro line but probably won’t see that until March 2011.
The company recently terminated an employee with over
20 years of service. The Union was able to get their job back,
welcome back to the Member.
Christmas is fast approaching and with
the cold weather looming, dress warm and
enjoy a safe holiday with your families.
Congratulations
To Brother André Knox on his early
retirement, we wish you all the best luck
in your future endeavors.
Deepest Sympathies
BY
Zeb (Roger)
Teves
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
It is once again with great sadness that, I
inform you of the passing of two of our TI
Automotive Family: Retirees Brother Said Sidhu and Sister Mary
Laird, we would like to extend our condolences to their families.
Our deepest sympathy goes to Brother Frank Barnes and
family who recently lost daughter Lisa. At one time Lisa
worked at Ti Auto as a student. She fought a courageous battle
against a disease known as Leukemia, now may she find peace
and tranquility and life everlasting.
Also we send our condolences to Sisters Annette Sousa and
Betty Cruise and their families and to all who have lost loved
ones.
In Solidarity
Zeb R Teves
TransAlta Mississauga Cogeneration Plant Unit Report ___
Collective Agreement
__ The tentative three year agreement reached in bargaining with
TransAlta on September 17, 2010 failed ratification on the
first vote. With the encouragement of the Local and National
Bargaining Committee it was finally accepted on September
22 on a second vote, by the thinnest of margins. Bargaining
gains included annual hourly wage increases, improvement to
pension benefits, shift premium, medical benefits, continuation of the COLA protection and no vacation restrictions. The
membership felt with the continued success and profitability
of the plant that there were more gains to be had, but with
real gains and no take-a-ways on the table
labour action at this time did not make
sense and it lacked National support.
I’d like to thank the bargaining committee Gerry Harvey, Whitey Macdonald
and my right-hand man Desmond Corea
for sticking it out with me through this
tough bargaining session.
Joe Correia
BY
Joe
Correia
UNIT
CHAIRPERSON
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 29
CAW Local 1285 News
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Martin Brower Unit Report _______________________________
Full Steam Ahead!
______________________________ It continues to be full steam ahead
at Martin Brower. We’ve just come
through one of the busiest summer/falls
that I’ve experienced and apparently it
will continue that way into the foreseeable future if our crystal ball gazers
are accurate. That’s welcome news at
anytime!
Engineered Standards
As I reported in a previous edition of
the 1285 News, Martin-Brower was in
the process of implementing engineered
standards in our warehouse and continues to do so as of this article. Dave
Ireland spent two days doing time studies in our building and some additional
time attending meetings with us and
management to attempt to resolve some
discrepancies in the standards. Gerry
Harvey and Paulo Ribeiro were also
involved in meetings related to making
sure the standards are in compliance
with government regulations. Hats off
to the three of you, as the members and
I would have been lost in the numbers
without your involvement.
Reducing Our Injury Rates
The transportation department did
receive several new trailers with power
lift gates, which now allows the drivers to drop palletized product off at the
stores and go, with minimal manual
handling of product. This new method
of delivery should allow the repetitive
strain injuries to drop for the drivers
that are involved in that method of
delivery. However, an ergonomist from
the Ministry of Labour was in to audit
a delivery and issued some orders and
made some recommendations. On that
note, hopefully we can move forward
on reducing our injury rate and resolving some of our safety concerns.
The ladies in the customer service
department
just
keep coming in and
doing their work
with almost never
an issue.
Best Wishes
BY
From all the
Mark
members at Martin- Brownridge
UNIT
Brower, I would
CHAIRPERSON
like to take this
opportunity to wish
Earl Edwards and his wife Diane, a
happy and healthy retirement. Earl was
employed at Martin-Brower for thirty
four years, a feat in itself. Earl was
a dedicated union steward for many
years, our historian and our go to guy.
He taught us well, but can still expect to
hear from us when we need some of his
wisdom. Enjoy!
Mark Brownridge
Thank You Notes Received...
☛ From the Canadian Cancer Society for donation in
memory of William Chaput, Rocco Ciurlia, Tadeusz
Grabowski, David MacGregor & Phu Tang
☛ From Heart & Stroke for donation in memory of Mike
Cicero, Fran Ferrier & Arno Pastorius
☛ From Sick Kids Foundation for donation in memory of
Paul Mazur
☛ From William Osler Centre for donation in memory of
Jacob Faas
☛ From The Hospice, Windsor & Essex County for donation
in memory of Karen Raymond
☛ From the Make a Wish Foundation for donation in
memory of Ho Leung
☛ From Ian Anderson House for donation in memory of
Geraldine Goakery
☛ From the Dorthy Ley Hospice for donation in memory of
Marcella Gaulton
☛ From CAW National for the donation to the Haiti
Earthquake Relief Fund
☛ From Interim Place for donation in memoriam
☛ From Interval House for donation in memoriam
☛ From Huntington Society for donation in memoriam
☛ From the Pastorius family for the donation in memory of
Arno Pastorius
☛ From Knights Table for 2009 total donations
☛ From CAW Local 252 strike fund
☛ From CAW Local 222, re. St. Mary’s Clement Strike
Fund
☛ From University of Windsor for the donation to the Gary
Parent Scholarship
☛ From the Domereckyj & family for donation in memory
of Stan Domerecky
☛ From Mike Raymond & family for donation in memory
of Karen Raymond
☛ From Kucherepa & family for the funeral tribute in
memory of his father
☛ From the Vasich family for the funeral tribute in memory
of George Vasich
☛ From the Pearson family for funeral tribute in memory of
David Pearson
☛ From the Mounsteven family for the funeral tribute in
memoriam
☛ From the Ellis family for funeral tribute in memoriam
☛ From the Martens family for funeral tribute in memory of
Frank Martens
☛ From Pathways, annual golf tournament
☛ From Twin Oak Credit Union, re. golf tournament
☛ From the Norman family re. memorial golf tournament
☛ From Steve Moore for fruit basket
☛ From Cheryl Skalin for fruit basket
☛ From Gary Bertasson for fruit basket
☛ From Mike Allen for fruit basket
☛ From Shannon & Ryan Siddle for baby basket
☛ From Celia Steward for planter
☛ From the Evely family for planter
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 31
CAW Local 1285 News
)RU&DQDGLDQ$XWR:RUNHUV
&$:
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Traffic Offences
Even the most careful drivers can sometimes make
errors or be charged with traffic offences. As a
member of Local 1285 you are entitled to legal
benefits that will allow you to protect your rights.
Details of the coverage can be obtained by calling
the CAW Legal Services Plan.
I have represented numerous members who have
been charged with Traffic Offences. I always advise
my clients to plead not guilty. This is usually done
by attending at the Courthouse listed on the back of
the traffic ticket. The not guilty plea has to be filed
within 15 days of the receiving the traffic ticket.
Remember: Plead Not Guilty. Do not plead
“guilty with an explanation.”
Once the not guilty plea has been entered the
facts of the case and the applicable law can be
reviewed. Upon such review a realistic appraisal
of the chances of success can be made. Usually, a
strong case can be made to work out a resolution
of the case. If the prosecutor is willing, a resolution requiring a guilty plea to a reduced charge can
be worked out. The reduced charge will lead to a
reduction in severity of the charge and a reduction
of demerit points and fines.
In some cases the charges laid are not proper or
cannot be proven in court. In those cases you may
wish to push ahead with a trial. We can discuss the
suitability of exercising that option.
Please note that the CAW Legal Services benefit
for traffic offences does not permit reimbursement
or coverage of fees paid to para-legals. Other limitations and restrictions also apply. If you do retain a
CAW Legal Staff Lawyer a monetary retainer will
be required.
BY
Frank C.
Carlone
STAFF LAWYER,
CAW LEGAL
SERVICES PLAN
FOR CAW LOCAL 1285 MEMBERS AT CHRYSLER:
CONTACT YOUR CAW LEGAL SERVICES PLAN FOR ADVICE
in Brampton CALL 905-790-6400
We have an office at 23 Regan Road, and at other locations in Ontario.
Condolences to our members who have lost a family member:
Ed Slaby
Glen Pearson
David Pearson
Russ Mousteven
Frank Kronister
Art Malo
Michael Li
Liz Robbins
Steve Morris
George Scase
Corinne Page
Andre Page
Shawn Barnes
Vince Bailey
William Walcraft
Dan Ciurlia
Wayne Hunter
Ross Hunter
Barry Ellis
Archie MacGregor
Cheong Ya Yan
Ryan Kelly
Tiberia Couto
Peter Stigas
Perry Butchereit
Paul Jackson
Ron Matson
Stanley Simmons
Dan Ingleston
Liliana Juszczak
Mahipal Sidhu
Lyndell Lindsay
Doug Kaupert
Gerry Kaupert
Jim Fitzgerald
Carlos Lopez
Motilall Sarjoo
Chris St. John
Sabir Karim
Paul Creary
Ivano Patat
Sandra Crabb
Silvester Law
Tooliah Latchmen
Carlos Pereira
Vincent DeMedeiros
Wayne King
Anne Laszczuk
Dan Ivancic
Larry Ivancic
Diana Ivancic
Matthew Sheppard
Richard Bizarria
Frances Matthews
Egeton Richards
Dave Ashworth
Annette Sousa
Annette McGuinty
Frank Barnes
Condolences to the families of our members who have passed since our last publication:
Frank Martens
Ron Ellis
Oswald Butchereit
Humberto Almeida
Joann Harvey
Graham Porter
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 33
CAW Local 1285 News
CAW Local 1285/Chrysler Action Centre
350 Rutherford Rd. S, Plaza 1 Unit 6
Brampton, Ontario
905-456-1285 or 1-877-456-1285
www.1285actioncentre.ca
We are open Monday to Friday - 9 AM to 4 PM
_________ CAW Local 1285/Chrysler Action Centre Report _______________
It is difficult to believe that the “Action
Centre has been open for almost three
years. It is tragic that in Canada (a country with so much potential) an “action
centre” is needed at all. Our closing date
(December 2010) is approaching quickly.
We have had some difficulty scheduling
workshops recently. We are determined to
provide the computer training classes in
spite of the increased bureaucracy. Keep
checking the web site or contact the centre
for information.
This year recalls for summer LOA
coverage at the Brampton Assembly Plant
unexpectedly transitioned into coverage
for union awareness training. In August
only 369 members were still on layoff
status. Layoffs began again in September.
The new models will be launched with
additional manpower which means that we
are likely to see more layoffs in February.
We want to congratulate everyone who
during the last three years has turned
unfortunate circumstances into an opportunity. So many members found the transition from worker to student an enlightening and rewarding experience. New career
choices range from Human Resources to
Cardio Technologist to Personal Support
Worker to Law Clerk.
Recently we welcomed members from
Chrysler’s Mississauga Parts Depot. Their
presence has added a new dimension to
our centre. We extend a special thank you
to our new peer helpers, Derrick and Mike.
Put on your Halloween costume
and bring your children to our annual
Halloween Party on Thursday October 28,
2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.. We will
have pizza, activities and a good time!!
In Solidarity,
Jen Wells and Cammie Peirce
High Marks For
North American Cars
UCS/CALM
For the first time in 24 years, North
American automobiles have surpassed off-shore brands in a survey
that measures the quality of new
vehicles. J.D. Power and Associates’
most recent survey found that
owners of cars and trucks made
by Detroit automakers reported
fewer problems on average during
the first 90 days of ownership than
those built by companies overseas. J.D. Powers said Ford showed
some of the biggest gains in quality among individual brands.
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October, 2010
CAW Local 1285 News
Carabram 2010
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ October, 2010
Page 35
CAW Local 1285 News
...Say Goodbye To Summer
Local 1285 Golf Tournament
Canada Post Corporation
Publication Mail Agreement No.
1507702