Quebec City, QC – Twenty Quebec Machinists were among 108 QFL delegates who lobbied in Quebec City on Thursday April 6th. The delegates lobbied more than 50 members of Quebec’s National Assembly on securing a $15 an hour minimum wage, modifications to the Quebec Pension Plan and the elimination of Quebec’s disparity clauses.
‘The fight for 15 is an ongoing campaign and we won’t realize it unless we continue to pressure the politicians,” explained IAM Quebec Coordinator Dave Chartrand. “We also lobbied to have Quebec get on board with the Quebec Pension Plan. All the other provinces signed an agreement with the federal government regarding Canada Pension Plan except Quebec and this will impact severely on Quebec pensioners, leaving them with a significant financial shortfall. We want parity with the rest of the country.”
The two tier system in Quebec is another sore point with delegates. “We have what are known in collective agreements as Disparity clauses or two tier systems for both benefits and pensions,” explained Chartrand. “Simply put, we want this practice outlawed, we want the two tier system removed from collective agreements period. Some of our members lobbied on their own, others were paired with members from other unions but we all spoke from the same page and the message was clear, we want to see change.”
Photo: Members of the IAM delegation in Quebec City.
