Machinists ratify new deal with Hudson Bay Mining!

Thursday February 12, 2009 For Immediate Release Flin Flon, MB – The 200 members of IAMAW Local Lodge 1848 have ratified a new three-year collective agreement and avoided binding interest arbitration with Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting. “We were fortunate to reach an agreement and thus avoid the Interest Arbitration process this time around in light of the current economic situation that both primary and secondary manufacturing are facing right

Alerte chimique sur Bisphenol A

ALERTE CHIMIQUE Le bisphénol A (BPA) est un produit chimique industriel utilisé dans la fabrication d’un plastique rigide et transparent, le polycarbonate. Le polycarbonate entre dans la fabrication de nombre de produits de consommation, dont des bouteilles d’eau réutilisables et des biberons. Le bisphénol A se trouve également dans des résines époxydes, servant de revêtement de protection à l’intérieur de contenants métalliques pour aliments et boissons. Les travailleurs peuvent donc

Chemical alert on Bisphenol A

CHEMICAL ALERT Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used to make a hard, clear plastic known as polycarbonate, which is used in many consumer products, including reusable water bottles, and baby bottles. Bisphenol A is also found in epoxy resins, which act as a protective lining on the inside of metal-based food and beverage cans and epoxy resins that may expose workers to BPA. The Government of Canada is

Machinists ratify new agreement with Revco!

Friday February 6, 2009 For Immediate Release Toronto, ON – Members of IAMAW Local Lodge 235 have ratified a new collective agreement with Revco Incorporated. “Considering the current economic situation in Canada, this was a good agreement,” said IAMAW District 78 Business Representative Paul Mitchell. “We managed to keep our agreement intact and make some modest gains.” The two-year agreement provides for a wage increase of 1.5 per cent in

Machinists sign first agreement with Bombardier Tube!

Friday February 6, 2009 For Immediate Release Montréal, QC – The newest members of IAMAW Local Lodge 1758 have ratified their first collective agreement with Bombardier Tube Centre. “The biggest challenge facing the negotiating committee was establishing a wage scale that would satisfy the membership,” explained IAMAW District 11 Business Representative Claude Boisvert. “The committee did an outstanding job considering they had no negotiation experience. More than two thirds of

Une occasion ratée d'appuyer les plus vulnérables au Canada, selon le NPD

Face à une crise financière sans précédent, le gouvernement conservateur du Canada a déposé un budget cette semaine. Le document regorge de demi-mesures qui laisseront pour compte trop de Canadiens vulnérables. L’absence de mesures pour réformer l’assurance-emploi, l’absence de mesures vigoureuses pour lutter contre la pauvreté pendant cette période tumultueuse, la décision de lier les investissements dans les infrastructures et le logement abordable à des programmes à coûts partagés :

NDP on Budget '09

A missed opportunity to support Canada’s most vulnerable In the face of an unprecedented financial crisis the Conservative government of Canada tabled a budget this week. The document is full of half measures that would leave too many vulnerable Canadians behind. Whether it was the lack of action on Employment Insurance reform, the lack of aggressive measures to fight poverty in these tough times, or the decision to tie up

Pensions: A tale of two (and a half) commissions - and four provinces (by Louis Erlichman)

For several years before the most recent stock market meltdown, there was already a lot of talk about a pension crisis in Canada. The 2000/01 collapse of the tech market bubble and declining interest rates meant that sponsors of defined benefit pension plans could no longer take the contribution holidays they had gotten used to, and had to make significant pension contributions. Even though pension surpluses were no longer common,

Budget fédéral 2009 : Analyse préliminaire du Congrès du travail du Canada

Impact sur les emplois et l’économie Ce que nous avons demandé : La grande priorité du budget aurait dû être d’empêcher le taux de chômage de grimper à au moins 8 % cette année et de s’établir dans les deux chiffres l’an prochain. Un « plan de relance », ce n’est pas la même chose qu’un déficit. Si le gouvernement fédéral se dirige vers un déficit, c’est d’abord et avant