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

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
Machinists' News

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

The 2009 Federal Budget: Preliminary Canadian Labour Congress Analysis
Machinists' News

Impact on Jobs and the Economy What We Wanted The most important priority for the Budget was to stop the unemployment rate from rising to at least 8% this year and to double digit levels next year. “Fiscal stimulus” is not the same thing as running a deficit. The federal government is going into deficit mainly because tax revenues are slumping along with the economy, but this does not inject

Half-hearted Budget Doesn’t Go Far Enough
News Releases

Georgetti says government must do more to stimulate economy and help innocent victims of recession OTTAWA – The Canadian Labour Congress says that the federal budget doesn’t go far enough to stimulate the economy and put money into the pockets of Canadians who are innocent victims of the economic recession. “We have called repeatedly on the government to fix the Employment Insurance program so that laid-off workers have adequate benefits

Machinists Achieve Five Years of Stability at Messier-Dowty!
News Releases

Monday January 26, 2009 For Immediate Release St. Laurent, QC – Both the workers and the company are viewed as winners in the latest contract agreement signed by the members of IAMAW Local Lodge 1758 and Messier-Dowty. “Recognizing the current global economic situation, I feel we were able to negotiate a contract that will ensure the financial stability of our members and the company for the next five years,” explained

Health and Safety News: MSDS - A FORGOTTEN TOOL
Campaigns

WHMIS or Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System requires Provincial and Federal workplace compliance to its legislation. In our never ending world of Health & Safety acts, codes, legislations, guidelines and standards (lawyers have nothing on us) WHMIS is one of the few regulations that is universally pervasive to provincial and federal workers. Employers must provide WHMIS training to all workers. Inside the WHMIS legislation is the Material Safety Data Sheet

Machinists have new deal with ABB Lachine!
News Releases

Tuesday January 6, 2009 For Immediate Release Montréal, QC – Members of IAMAW Local Lodge 1660 employed by Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) Incorporated of Lachine, Québec, have a new collective agreement. The three-year deal provides for wage increases of 3 per cent in each year. Other agreement highlights include : •A signing bonus upon ratification of the agreement •New classification of Fitter •Creation of a summer schedule •Three sickness days paid

C'est l'économie! qui compte!
Machinists' News

Les Canadiens et les Canadiennes ont été frappés durement par la crise économique. Nous perdons des milliers d’emplois et nos pensions sont mises à mal. Le gouvernement doit trouver des solutions qui aident tout le monde et non seulement les banques et les grandes entreprises qui nous ont mis dans ce bourbier. Les travailleurs et les travailleuses et leurs syndicats feront partie de la solution à mesure que les Canadiens

Get Real! It's the Economy
Machinists' News

Canadians have been hit hard by the economic crisis. We are losing thousands of jobs and our pensions are taking a beating. Government must find solutions that help everybody, not just the banks and corporations that got us into this mess. Working people and their unions are going to be part of the solution as Canadians rebuild their lives and communities. The Canadian Labour Congress has a plan to stimulate

Ontario Patient Transfer Workers Join Machinists!
News Releases

Monday January 5, 2009 For Immediate Release Hamilton, ON – Ontario Patient Transfer workers in Hamilton-Wentworth Region are the newest members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The one hundred new members of IAMAW District Lodge 78 provide non-emergency ambulatory patient transfers from Hamilton to Toronto in the east and as far west as Niagara Falls. “Most of the credit for this organizing victory goes to Apprentice