From Anita.Miotto at bcgeu.ca Thu Sep 1 13:48:36 2005 From: Anita.Miotto at bcgeu.ca (Miotto, Anita) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 13:48:36 -0700 Subject: [LabComm] BCGEU LABOUR DAY MESSAGE Message-ID: <517DADDBB3EDAF44A2620DCB53689BD6018CE1F8@exchange.bcgeu.bc.ca> BCGEU LABOUR DAY MESSAGE Workers at TELUS, COMINCO and CBC need our support Their struggles belong to all of us George Heyman BCGEU President Business spokespeople often insist unions are a thing of the past-perhaps necessary once but no longer needed by workers, and certainly not welcome in the competitive global business environment. On Labour Day-the one day set aside to honour workers and our contribution to the economy, society and history-it's a good time to reflect on what nonsense this is. Thousands of workers in British Columbia are locked out of their workplace or on strike because their employers want more power, or more money. If these workers can win the job security, wage increases and respect they deserve it will only be because they have unions. At TELUS, for example, workers have had no wage increase for five years; more than 3,000 workers have been laid off. Yet, the company made profits of more than a billion dollars in the last two years alone. Top managers enjoyed wage increases of 54% to 88% and CEO Darren Entwhistle, after only four years on the job, is eligible for a gold-plated pension of $700,000 a year. The company has demanded the right to contract out work, planning to send jobs to the Philippines. Telus locked workers out when they refused to sign a contract on these terms. It's a similar story at COMINCO where workers tightened their belts to help the corporation during the lean times. Now, corporate profits have soared. COMINCO earned more than $450 million in the first six months of this year, but the company will not provide the wage increases and pension improvements the workers deserve. CBC management has a similar vision. They demand the "flexibility" to keep many workers constantly on short term contracts, but still expect creativity, loyalty and commitment. Support the workers at COMINCO, CBC and TELUS when you get the chance. These disputes are symptomatic of a business environment where private and public employers alike want a union-free workplace where they can wield more power, at the expense of the workers who deliver the services, create the products and generate the profits. For info on Labour Day events around BC, visit www.bcgeu.ca cep 467 cope 378 From Carol.Adams at bcgeu.ca Thu Sep 22 14:53:01 2005 From: Carol.Adams at bcgeu.ca (Adams, Carol) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 14:53:01 -0700 Subject: [LabComm] TELUS DISPUTE - BCGEU urges members to make the switch Message-ID: <517DADDBB3EDAF44A2620DCB53689BD6036C016D@exchange.bcgeu.bc.ca> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 22, 2005 TELUS DISPUTE BCGEU urges members to make the switch The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) is stepping up its support for locked-out members of the Telecommunications Workers' Union (TWU) by urging its members who are Telus customers to switch internet providers. "This is a warning to Telus that this lockout is more than just an attack on TWU members. It's an attack on all working people," said George Heyman, BCGEU president. "We are mobilizing our 57,000 members to send a strong message to Telus: get back to the bargaining table and negotiate fairly with your employees or you will risk your customer base." The BCGEU is urging any member who currently uses Telus to switch to the unionized Shaw Cable or, if that's unavailable, any other internet provider. "The BCGEU cancelled special calling services like call display soon after the lockout began and encouraged our staff and members to do the same," Heyman said. "We will be terminating the contracts we have with Telus Mobility as they expire, and are exploring switching all 68 cell phones used by union staff and officers to another cellular provider. "We're taking the next step of urging our 200 staff and 57,000 members and their families to switch internet providers and have started the process of switching to Shaw at our headquarters in Burnaby and 12 area offices, where available." Heyman said he has heard from many BCGEU members who are disgusted over the company's plan to ship thousands of customer service jobs to places as far away as the Philippines. "Telus is a greedy, anti-union company that's reaping huge profits, giving senior managers big raises but refusing to share any of the profit with customers or employees. They're cutting thousands of jobs without a care in the world about the impact on customer service, or workers and their families. That's not a company our members and our union want to deal with." -30- For more information, contact Carol Adams at (604) 291-9611 or cell (604) 319-4363. You can switch to Shaw by following this link:: http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/Internet/ cep 467 cope 378 From Soren.Bech at bcgeu.ca Thu Sep 22 15:18:57 2005 From: Soren.Bech at bcgeu.ca (Bech, Soren) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 15:18:57 -0700 Subject: [LabComm] TELUS DISPUTE - BCGEU urges members to make the switch Message-ID: <517DADDBB3EDAF44A2620DCB53689BD6023D8CB1@exchange.bcgeu.bc.ca> Hallelujah. Great release. -----Original Message----- From: Adams, Carol Sent: September 22, 2005 2:53 PM To: labcomm at bcfed.net Subject: [LabComm] TELUS DISPUTE - BCGEU urges members to make the switch FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 22, 2005 TELUS DISPUTE BCGEU urges members to make the switch The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) is stepping up its support for locked-out members of the Telecommunications Workers' Union (TWU) by urging its members who are Telus customers to switch internet providers. "This is a warning to Telus that this lockout is more than just an attack on TWU members. It's an attack on all working people," said George Heyman, BCGEU president. "We are mobilizing our 57,000 members to send a strong message to Telus: get back to the bargaining table and negotiate fairly with your employees or you will risk your customer base." The BCGEU is urging any member who currently uses Telus to switch to the unionized Shaw Cable or, if that's unavailable, any other internet provider. "The BCGEU cancelled special calling services like call display soon after the lockout began and encouraged our staff and members to do the same," Heyman said. "We will be terminating the contracts we have with Telus Mobility as they expire, and are exploring switching all 68 cell phones used by union staff and officers to another cellular provider. "We're taking the next step of urging our 200 staff and 57,000 members and their families to switch internet providers and have started the process of switching to Shaw at our headquarters in Burnaby and 12 area offices, where available." Heyman said he has heard from many BCGEU members who are disgusted over the company's plan to ship thousands of customer service jobs to places as far away as the Philippines. "Telus is a greedy, anti-union company that's reaping huge profits, giving senior managers big raises but refusing to share any of the profit with customers or employees. They're cutting thousands of jobs without a care in the world about the impact on customer service, or workers and their families. That's not a company our members and our union want to deal with." -30- For more information, contact Carol Adams at (604) 291-9611 or cell (604) 319-4363. You can switch to Shaw by following this link:: http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/Internet/ cep 467 cope 378 _______________________________________________ LabComm mailing list LabComm at bcfed.net http://bcfed.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/labcomm From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Fri Sep 23 15:58:04 2005 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP NEWSWIRE) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 14:58:04 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] NDP Calls for Full Public Hearings into Terasen Sale Message-ID: NDP Calls for Full Public Hearings into Terasen Sale VICTORIA -- The Campbell government is ignoring the public interest by refusing to demand full public hearings into the sale of B.C.-owned Terasen Gas to Texas-based energy giant Kinder Morgan, NDP Leader Carole James said today. "This proposed sale will affect every family and thousands of business in British Columbia," said James. "The Campbell government has an obligation to put the public interest first and demand open public hearings in every region of this province." NDP Energy Critic Corky Evans said that on September 9, the BC Utilities Commission held a "procedural conference" to consider the sale of Canada's third-largest public utility without the benefit of public hearings. He said the Campbell government flew an official to Vancouver to inform the BCUC that the Province had "no position" on public hearings. And earlier this week, BC Liberal Energy Minister Richard Neufeld dismissed public concerns regarding the sale, and suggested concerns were largely "manufactured." Neufeld stated instead that anyone with concerns could simply write a letter to the BCUC. "The BC Liberal government wants to slip the sale through under the public radar to avoid serious scrutiny of the deal," said Evans. "Already, Terasen Gas executives are awarding themselves big financial bonuses in anticipation of this sale, while the public is left with skyrocketing gas bills and little say in a deal that could have serious environmental implications." According to media reports, an internal Terasen Gas memo indicates that senior Terasen executives "are poised to cash in stock options worth $20 million if shareholders approve the transactions at meetings in Vancouver on October 18." Last week, the BCUC approved a 13-per-cent hike in natural gas prices Terasen charges to B.C. consumers. "Our energy resources belong to the people of British Columbia," said James. "And British Columbians have right to speak out on this sale and have their voices heard before a B.C. based company is sold off to an American conglomerate." -30- To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bc.ndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Thu Sep 29 13:52:05 2005 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP NEWSWIRE) Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 12:52:05 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] James urges civic leadership to tackle challenges together Message-ID: James urges civic leadership to tackle challenges together An excerpt from NDP Leader Carole James' speech to community leaders gathered at the Union of BC Municipalities meeting in Vancouver "British Columbia enters this century well-positioned to take advantage of the profound change taking place all around us. The forces of globalization, technological innovation, demographic and environmental change all come together in this province. No place on earth has our combination of environmental and human potential. We are blessed with first-class institutions of learning and a highly educated workforce. Our citizens are connected to every part of the world. Leaders in business and science are driving innovation and new technologies. And in five short years we will host the world at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. You don't need a government ad to make the point. We already know this is the best place on earth. The question is how are we going to play the incredible hand we've been dealt. How do make sure the new opportunities ahead of us are not squandered? How are we going to ensure there's a stake in our future for every British Columbian, not just a few? How do we ensure long-term, sustainable economic growth for our province, instead of boom and bust, time and time again. BC may be integrated into a global economy of receding borders, but it's local government that provides the glue that ties our province together as a community of citizens. High-minded rhetoric from government about the importance of local communities. . . and the primary role you play in the social and economic life of the province . . . is wonderful to hear. But it's meaningless if new responsibilities for municipal government are not coupled with adequate resources to carry out those responsibilities." ---------------------- To read the rest of Carole James' speech to community leaders gathered at the UBCM meeting in Vancouver, click here. For more information on how the new NDP team is working to hold Gordon Campbell accountable and propose positive solutions to make life better for ordinary people, visit www.bc.ndp.ca To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bc.ndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: