October 2019

Report on DL140 Convention, Victoria, BC (John Vincent)

PHOTO: New Delegates at the DL140 Convention By John Vincent District 140 and Local Lodge 16 Communicator Transportation District 140 Convention 2019 was held in Victoria, BC located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Victoria is also the capital of British Columbia and it’s also known as the “The Garden City”. The convention was hosted at The Hotel Grand Pacific. Special thanks to both Local lodge 764 and Local lodge

IAM 3111 CULR STAFF Ratify New Agreement - Back to Work Tomorrow

For Immediate Release 30 October, 2019 Ottawa, ON – Members of IAMAW Local Lodge 3111 CULR (Canadian Union of Labour Representatives) held a ratification meeting on the evening of Wednesday October 30th, followed by a ratification vote. At 11:45pm, following the vote and tabulation of ballots, the union announced that the Tentative Agreement with the Employer (the Canadian Labour Congress) was ratified, ending the strike which began in the early

Freedom Report : Peace, Democracy and Rights in 2019 (ITUC)

Democratic rights and freedoms, wages and social protection remain under attack in the majority of countries around the world, and the conditions for peace and equality are absent. The ITUC’s Global Rights Index depicts a world where democracy itself is at risk as people lose trust in institutions – 54 countries denied or constrained freedom of speech and assembly last year. FULL REPORT https://www.ituc-csi.org/freedom-report-peace-democracy-and

Bulletin: Air Canada CCAA Final Funds Distribution

Bulletin: Air Canada CCAA Final Funds Distribution October 17, 2019 -In 2003, Air Canada filed for and obtained Bankruptcy protection under the Company Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). Over the course of the following years, the Machinists Union (IAMAW) arrived at a settlement of claims filed by the Union in those proceedings, including a claim for the restructuring of the Collective Agreement. Between 2004 and 2007, the Union disbursed cheques of

In a Minority Government – We can make a difference

22 October, 2019 Last night’s election results confirmed that Canadians were not comfortable living with four more years of a Liberal majority government. The results also confirmed a rejection of the Harper-inspired, Doug Ford, Jason Kenney Conservative-led policies of slashing public services, giving tax cuts to the wealthiest while lining the pockets of their corporate friends. One of our own, Local Lodge 2323’s Dan Janssen ran a strong campaign in

New Federal Employment Standards, What's in Force and What is Not?

Weak employment standards negatively impact worker health and safety, particularly as they relate to hours of work and the employment relationship. Many provisions have yet to come into force, others have built in loopholes and many of these changes remain unaddressed. The majority of Canada’s employment standards were developed in the 1960’s when workers were generally employed in full-time, permanent jobs with living wages and benefits. Today, workers are increasingly employed in

IAM Protests another needless death at Fiera Foods

14 October, 2019 Toronto – On October 4, 2019, IAM activists joined labour and migrant rights activists from across the Greater Toronto Area to protest unsafe working conditions at Fiera Foods, an industrial bakery in Toronto, and demand that the company protect workers’ health and safety – and their very lives! The protest follows another needless death at Fiera Foods: 57-year-old Enrico Miranda, a cleaner at the bakery. Miranda was the

GO VOTE

Every one of us has the POWER to vote for a better Canada Canadians turned out in record numbers for the advance polls over the long weekend. According to Elections Canada, an estimated 4.7 million voters cast ballots, that’s up 29 percent from the 2015 early polls! Polls report that since Sept. 13, the NDP has surged by nearly four points to 19 percent support. We have the momentum – this is

Staff of Canadian Labour Congress Reject Employer Offer - CLC EMPLOYEES TO STRIKE TUESDAY MORNING

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release — October 13th, 2019 Staff of Canadian Labour Congress Reject Employer Offer CLC EMPLOYEES TO STRIKE TUESDAY MORNING OTTAWA — After nearly two years of ongoing negotiations with their employer following the expiry of their Collective Agreement on June 30th 2017, members of the Canadian Union of Labour Representatives (IAMAW Local Lodge 3111 CULR), which represents the majority of staff at the Canadian Labour Congress

The “New Normal”: IAM Members Share their Experiences with Workplace Automation

By Ivana Saula IAM Canadian Research Director “People don’t realize how automated [our workplace is]” Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a new buzz word everyone has heard of; it has piqued our collective imaginations on what our world might look like with the availability of new technologies. It seems every day there’s a new breakthrough powered by artificial intelligence, and the concern everyone has relates to the implications for workers and