From bc_labour_enews at bcfed.net Fri Sep 16 17:00:55 2005 From: bc_labour_enews at bcfed.net (bc_labour_enews at bcfed.net) Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 17:00:55 -0700 Subject: [BC_Labour_E-NEWS] September 16, 2005 Message-ID: <1EFB83EC494285438D10B2CCC120637619045C@bcfednt.bcfed.local> E-NEWS ISSUE #42 - September 16, 2005 In this issue: 1.> Entwistle remains intransigent; union targets Telus allies 2.> Telus security contractor hires former Canada Post spy boss 3. Health support workers begin job action against French corporation 4. Airport Authority cancels contract with Worldwide Flight Services, CAW members lose jobs 5. Steelworkers on strike against Teck-Cominco's Trail operations protest rising exports of hydro-electric power to US 6. Community Elections 7. Throne Speech and mini-budget prove BC Liberals still out of touch with reality 8. BC Teachers prepare to take strike vote 9. Printing company refuses business from Telus ++++|++++ 1.> Entwistle remains intransigent; union targets Telus allies Speaking on Bill Good's CKNW radio program in Vancouver on September 15, business analyst Michael Levy said that senior Telus management have contacted him to express their willingness to enter into non-binding arbitration with the union. But they also told him that "the big guy on top" has his sight on breaking the union. Responding to Levy's statement, Telecommunications Workers' Union Vice-President Peter Massy said, "This confirms what we already knew. There is one insurmountable barrier to settlement - the intractable position of Telus CEO Darren Entwistle. Mr. Entwistle appears determined to win at any cost. He is oblivious to the damage he is doing to the morale of the workforce. Somebody should remind him that once this dispute is over, people will have to work together." "Entwistle's intransigence is forcing us to escalate," Massy continued. "This weekend we are initiating a combination of leafletting and picketing, asking customers not to purchase Telus services from the company's dealer-allies. "For the time being, this activity will be limited to the Lower Mainland in BC Picket lines will be mounted outside entrances to London Drugs and Future Shop. In addition, there will be pickets at Telus dealers located outside of malls in Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey and Coquitlam." "At Guildford, Metrotown, Lougheed, Surrey Place, Royal City Centre, Haney Place Mall, Willowbrook, Scottsdale, Coquitlam Centre and Brentwood our activity will be limited to leafletting. The plan is to leaflet inside the malls, with no picket lines being mounted inside malls except outside the Telus Phone Mart in Eaton Centre," he continued. "All this will take place between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, and from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. Sunday this weekend and next," he explained. +++|+++ 2.> TELUS SECURITY CONTRACTOR HIRES FORMER CANADA POST SPY BOSS Ottawa, August 29, 2005-A former Canada Post Corporation Security Chief, implicated in spying and illegal covert activities against Canadian Union of Postal Workers leaders in the 1990's, may be poised to do the same to locked-out TWU members in the bitter Telus dispute. Accufax Investigations has hired Michael Thompson in a high-level position at the same time as major client, Telus, initiated lock-out action against its own workers. "We don't think this is a coincidence", said CUPW National President Deborah Bourque. "AFI is a notorious strikebreaking firm and we are worried the hiring of Thompson may have ugly consequences for TWU activists," added Bourque. "Any corporation allowing covert actions such as these utterly disrespects its workers and their union," said Bourque. "If Telus, either on its own or through AFI, contemplates a similar course of action, it will reap the same response Canada Post did in the 1990s - poisoned labour relations, a state of war between workers and their employer, and a sullied reputation in the minds of the public and potential customers." AFI International Group announced on August 8, 2005, the appointment of Michael Thompson as Executive Vice-President, citing his 'esteemed career' and describing his investigative service as "revered for its preventive programs designed for the corporate sector." +++|+++ 3.> health support workers begin job action against French corporation More than 1,100 members of the Hospital Employees' Union (HEU-CUPE) who work as support staff in BC health care facilities began taking job action September 15 against French corporation Sodexho. The Hospital Employees' Union says wages are the main issue in the dispute. Sodexho pays 90 percent of its workers just $10.15 an hour to provide critical health services such as meeting the special dietary needs of frail seniors and patients and cleaning special care nurseries and operating rooms. Those wages rank among the lowest for hospital support work in Canada and are lower than those paid by their competitors Aramark and Compass Group, which also provide contract support services to BC's health authorities. "Staff turnover is approaching 50 percent annually because these women and men cannot support their families on $10.15 an hour," says HEU secretary-business manager Judy Darcy. Darcy says that while HEU has not heard from the company since strike notice was served on Monday, the union is prepared to return to the bargaining table if Sodexho is willing to table a reasonable wage proposal. The union says its members will rotate and escalate its job action over the next few days. Two-hour study sessions will be held today beginning at 11:45 am at UBC, Mission Memorial, Eagle Ridge and MSA hospitals and limited job action will take place at German-Canadian, Foyer Maillard and Rosewood care homes in the Lower Mainland and at Central Care in Victoria. Sodexho's largest contract in BC is a massive ten-year food services deal inked with VCHA in 2003 worth $330 million. The company's five-year cleaning contract with the Fraser Health Authority is worth more than $70 million. Sodexho took in more than $17 billion in global revenues last year. And its Paris-based CEO, Michel Landel, pocketed $1.4 million in salary and benefits. In the two years since Sodexho won major privatization contracts in BC's health care system, the company's performance has been the centre of a number of critical media stories. In a recent cleaning audit, the company failed to achieve a passing grade at half of the hospitals it cleans for the Fraser Health Authority. +++|+++ 4.> Airport Authority cancels contract with Worldwide Flight Services, CANADIAN AUTO WORKERS' (CAW) members lose jobs Members of CAW Local 2002 who work for Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) performing baggage handling, aircraft loading and grooming for nine different airlines could lose their jobs on December 1 if the Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) proceeds with a plan to cancel the company's contract. Most of the nine airlines using WFS are happy with the service they have received and Worldwide was on the verge of expansion to take on other airlines' businesses when they learned their licence was in jeopardy. The news is a devastating blow for the 400 workers, who have been doing the work for the past six years. YVR has granted the license to a new operator, which has no obligation to Worldwide employees. The CAW has launched a postcard campaign to urge the Airport Authority to re-consider its decision. For more information, please visit: < http://www.caw2002tca.ca/e/index.htm > +++|+++ 5.> Steelworkers on strike against Teck-Cominco's Trail operations protest rising exports of hydro-electric power to AMERICANS B.C. Federation of Labour Secretary-Treasurer Angela Schira today joined Steelworkers in Vancouver to call for a halt to Teck-Cominco's exports of hydroelectric power from their operation in Trail. The BC Utilities Commission and the provincial government are allowing the company to reap record profits from a hydro licence granted to Teck Cominco for the production of metals in British Columbia. About 100 union members joined the rally at 9:30 am at the BC Utilities Commission, then marched to Teck Cominco Headquarters on Burrard. The union is fighting for a fair salary increase to help offset years of concessions. "Remember what the company said to you in the 80's and 90's - when times get good we'll remember that you stepped up to the plate when we needed it," said Schira, addressing the crowd in front of Teck-Cominco headquarters. "Well today commodity prices are soaring, times are good and apparently Teck-Cominco has amnesia." +++|+++ 6.> Unions gearing up for Community Elections One of the biggest opportunities for working people to make a political difference is coming up on Saturday, November 19. That's the day we go to the polls to elect our municipal politicians and School Boards, and the B.C. Federation of Labour has a campaign underway to get as many unionized members as possible to the polling stations. "Union workers were incredibly successful during the community elections in 2002 and during the provincial election last May," said BCFL President Jim Sinclair. "Our goal is to build an even better campaign on the ground for this next election so that we can ensure elected officials are accountable to local communities." Since 2002, progressive Councillors, Mayors and School Trustees have passed several resolutions in support of job security and social justice, including many on privatization and poverty and support for public education. "As governments download costs and responsibility onto the shoulders of community politicians, it's more important than ever to make sure those who are elected will stand up and fight for the communities we live in," Sinclair explained. "A strong union turnout can really make a difference in these elections, especially given that most people don't bother to vote." Unions will be conducting an initial canvass of their members beginning in October to encourage members to get out to the polls. Local Labour Councils are currently recruiting and scrutinizing local candidates and will release a list of endorsed candidates near the end of October. +++|+++ 7.> Throne Speech and mini-budget prove BC Liberals still out of touch with reality Working families saw nothing in this week's provincial budget to help them with tuition, pharmacare costs, higher energy costs and the growing challenge of supporting a family. "I'm disappointed the Gordon Campbell government found money to hand out tax giveaways to their corporate backers," said Sinclair, "but did nothing to take the pressure off working families who are still paying more for services and getting less." Sinclair also criticized the Throne Speech, delivered September 12, which normally sets the tone for year. "I was hopeful we would see some signs on the part of the BC Liberals to build a new relationship with the labour movement, but that wasn't there today." Finance Minister Carole Taylor chopped the corporate income tax rate from 13.5 percent to 12.0 percent and directed a smaller portion of the budget surplus to aboriginals and seniors. Sinclair says the BC Liberals are still a long way off from repairing the damage and pain caused to seniors during the last four years. +++|+++ 8.> BC Teachers prepare to take strike vote BC's Teachers will be taking a strike vote across the province September 20-22, with results of the vote to be announced September 23 and have launched an ad campaign in support of quality education. Teachers are looking for a negotiated agreement which includes the right to bargain all terms and conditions of employment, the right to strike, a return to the teaching and learning conditions that existed prior to 2002 (when the BC Liberals stripped the contract and imposed a new contract) and a fair and reasonable salary increase. The union has lauched Kids Matter-Teachers Care, an ad campaign in support of bargaining and hopes parents will get involved in efforts to improve learning conditions for students. "In our fight to improve the quality of education, we think it's really important for parents to talk about what's really going on in schools," says BCTF President Jinny Simms. "Get out and talk to your neighbours, write letters and support us at the local PAC meetings." For more information: < http://www.bctf.ca > +++|+++ 10. Printing company refuses telus business PrintCraft of BC Ltd., a small Burnaby-based printing company, used to do work for the TELUS graphics department, but not any longer. When TELUS decided to lock out its employees, PrintCraft owner Dave Schindel in consultation with PrintCraft employees made a decision not to accept TELUS work while the lockout continued. The action took place well in advance of hot edicts being declared against TELUS. Schindel, along with PrintCraft employees, belongs to the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers' Union of Canada (CEP), Local 525G. He estimates that for many years his company has regularly done between $50,000 - $100,000 worth of annual business with TELUS, so the lock out has had a significant impact on his revenues. According to Schindel, the decision to turn down TELUS business was based on principles of trade unionism and not for any kind of recognition, but this tremendous act of solidarity should be considered whenever any of us has a print job to do. PrintCraft is located at 5283 Imperial Street, near the TWU's Burnaby office. +++|+++ ======================= Subscription Information To subscribe to E-News to the electronic newsletter of the B.C. Federation of Labour. TO UNSUBSCRIBE or suspend your subscription while on vacation or change your password, please visit: < http://bcfed.net/mailman/listinfo/bc_labour_enews > TO SUBSCRIBE: < http://www.bcfed.com/BFNews/E-Newsletter/Subscribe+to+E-News.htm > TO CONTACT THE FEDERATION, send an email to bcfed at bcfed.com COPE 15