CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:

PENSIONERS AND ALLIES OCCUPY 21 ONTARIO TORY OFFICES:

It's called "Blue (collar)-Grey Power", an alliance of workers and pensioners to oppose Tory plans to gut Canada's Old Age Security (OAS). Here's the story, from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) of how they occupied 21 Conservative MP offices across Ontario. You can read more about this action and find out which Tory bench warmers were targeted at the website of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). A great example of how labour is taking up the innovative tactics of the Occupy movement.

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Seniors and the OFL occupy 21 Ontario Tory offices: Threats to Old Age Security ignite new movement of Blue-Grey Power
Share Labour activists teamed up with seniors, retirees and supporters on February 9 to occupying 21 Tory MP offices across Ontario, while other actions are taking place elsewhere in Canada. The Harper government’s recent threat to cut Old Age Security (OAS) benefits has inflamed a new movement of workers and pensioners, calling itself a movement of “Blue-Grey Power,” that is bringing the fight against the Conservative assault on retirement security directly to Tory constituency offices.

“Prime Minister Harper’s hypocrisy is stunning. He chose to announce his plans to cut Old Age Security in front of the one percenters in Davos, Switzerland when he knows full well that if he were to retire in 2015, he would have a Platinum-Plated, taxpayer-funded pension of $223,517 a year,” said OFL President Sid Ryan, from the sit-in at Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s Whitby constituency office.

Feeling pushed to the brink, the outraged pensioners, soon-to-be pensioners and supporters resorted to the constituency office occupations to demand that Conservative Members of Parliament abandon plans to push back the OAS eligibility age from 65 to 67, or make any reductions to benefits. Instead, they are calling for the Harper government to introduce modest increases to Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions that would double benefits for all retirees and seniors.

“Harper’s attack on retirement security is another example of the Conservatives putting ideology over reality and the interests of working families,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “Even the government’s own Parliamentary Budget Officer, Kevin Page, has said that the pension system’s long-term sustainability is sound. We as workers in Canada need to take note of this most recent attack on our rights and standard of living, and mobilize to once and for all elect a government that works for working families.”

To find out more about the occupation, go to www.ofl.ca .

CANADIAN LABOUR BRITISH COLUMBIA:

MIGRANT WORKERS LAUNCH LAWSUIT AGAINST DENNY'S FOR WAGE THEFT:

The service industry has traditionally been both penny pinching and outright dishonest when it comes to their employees. This has been exasperated by a recent trend across the western world of hiring migrant labour, many of whom don't know their rights (and bosses are certainly not going to inform them out of the kindness of their overflowing hearts) or who are intimidated by their status in the country that they have emigrated to. One example in the USA, the workers at Chipotle, was recently mentioned on this blog. Here's another from Canada, out BC way. Seems that Filipino workers at the Denny's restaurants in that province have gotten together to demand their rights. Here's how the story is seen by the BC Federation of Labour.

TWTWTWTWTW
BC Fed in the News:

Fillipino Denny's workers launch class action
January 13, 2011
Fifty temporary foreign workers from the Phillipines have launched a class action lawsuit against Denny's restaurant. The workers allege Denny's has not paid them in full and say the restaurant has not reimbursed them for recruitment and processing fees they paid in order to come to Canada.

The B.C. Federation of Labour is calling for a moratorium on the recruitment of workers under the Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker Program until all alleged abuses are investigated and the program is cleaned up.

To see the CBC Television story on the class action lawsuit against Denny's click here.
TWTWTWTWTW
And here is how the story is seen by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).
TWTWTWTWTW
Migrant Workers File $10 Million Lawsuit against Denny’s in British Columbia
More than 50 Filipino migrant workers recruited to Canada under the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program have filed a $10 million class action suit against Denny’s restaurants in British Columbia, charging the company did not live up to the employment contract the workers signed before they arrived from the Philippines. The suit was filed in the B.C. Supreme Court on January 7, on behalf of the Filipino migrant workers employed at Denny’s from 2006 until the present.

One of the lawyers representing the workers, Charles Gordon, alleges that “the workers came to Canada, mainly as cooks and servers, to take jobs at Denny’s Restaurants in B.C. but were required to pay approximately $6,000 each to an agency that was recruiting employees for the Defendants, and the workers have not received the hours of work, overtime pay, air travel and other conditions they were promised.”

“These workers were encouraged to come to Canada with a set of promises that have never been met – they have done their part but the Denny’s has not lived up to their end of the deal,” says Christopher Foy, another member of the legal team.

“The federal government’s Temporary Foreign Workers program continues to be a shameful treadmill that lures workers to Canada, and then leaves them defenseless and vulnerable,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “The fact that the Denny’s workers have been forced to go to court is yet another blatant example of how the exploitative TFW program turns a blind eye to what happens to migrant workers once they arrive in Canada.”

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:

MALTEUROP STRIKERS HOLD FIRM:

Strikers at the Winnipeg branch of the international Malteurop corporation are holding firm since going on strike on December 9th. The workers, represented by UFCW Local 832 have received extensive community support since the strike began at the malting plant at 3001 Dugald Road. Here's a report from the UFCW website.

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Malteurop members’ spirits remain high on picket line
The 22 UFCW Canada Local 832 members at the Malteurop facility in Winnipeg continue to hold strong on the picket line, since voting down the company’s last offer on December 9.

The support from the community has been tremendous as many people, friends, family and the labour movement have come to join the workers walk along Dugald Road in Winnipeg.

Support from CUPE, CAW, Manitoba Hydro, Winnipeg firefighters, the Manitoba Federation of Labour, as well as and many small businesses in the area has been greatly appreciated.

UFCW Canada Local 832 has kept in contact with the conciliation officer, who has indicated that currently the employer is not interested in returning to the negotiating table.

Because of the strike, the Holiday party scheduled for December was cancelled, but that didn’t dampen the holiday spirit and solidarity on the picket line Christmas Eve and throughout the holiday season.

The holiday get-together has now been rescheduled for members and their families for a day of fun on Friday, January 14.

WWWWWWWWWW

Here's another similar report from the website of Local 832 that gives a little more information.

WWWWWWWWWW

Malteurop members’ spirits remain high on picket line.

The 22 UFCW Local 832 members from Malteurop have been walking a picket line for 30 days, since voting down the company’s last offer. The support from the community has been tremendous as many people, friends, family and the labour movement have come to join the workers walk along Dugald Road in Winnipeg. Support from CUPE, CAW, Manitoba Hydro, Winnipeg firefighters,the Manitoba Federation of Labour and many other small businesses in the area has been greatly appreciated.

The picket line has been calm with the exception of initial incidents when managers, contractors and scabs tried to cross the picket line. Cooler heads prevailed and after a couple visits from the Winnipeg Police ensuring we were following the proper picket line protocol, all has been quiet.

The union has kept in contact with the conciliation officer, who indicated that the employer is not interested in returning to the negotiating table.

The members will be enjoying a late holiday party next week as a company Christmas party was cancelled due to the strike. Members will have a chance to bring their families together for a day of fun on Friday the 14.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

UFCW WINS BATTLE FOR FREE SPEECH:

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union of Canada has just won an important court victory against the Walmart giant. For 18 months a suit on the part of Walmart that attempted to shut down Walmart Workers website has wound its tortuous way through the courts. Two days ago the Québec Superior Court settled the lawsuit. Here's the story from Marketwire. This is important not just for the UFCW and Walmart employees but for all Canadians who value free speech.

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Union Declares Victory Over Walmart in Free Speech Battle
A Settlement Reached at the Quebec Superior Court Upholds www.walmartworkerscanada.ca , the Labour Rights Website Dedicated to Helping Walmart Associates Know and Exercise Their Rights as Workers in Canada


MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Dec. 15, 2010) - The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW Canada) is declaring victory in an 18-month free speech battle with Walmart that concentrated on the labour rights website www.walmartworkerscanada.ca. In June 2009, the world's largest retailer filed a motion with the Quebec Superior Court for an injunction against the popular and long-standing website maintained by UFCW Canada citing trade-mark infringement.

On Dec. 15 a confidential settlement was achieved that does not affect the continued existence of www.walmartworkerscanada.ca and its long-established commitment to communicating with Walmart workers in Canada about their rights.

"This is a huge victory for Walmart workers and their ability to freely communicate on the internet," said UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley from the Superior Court house within moments of the settlement win for www.walmartworkerscanada.ca , which will continue to be dedicated to helping Walmart workers to empower themselves and improve their lives through collective bargaining.

"Despite the best efforts of the world's largest corporation to dictate the terms of online communication, www.walmartworkerscanada.ca will remain an excellent labour rights resource, and will proudly continue a seven year tradition of serving Walmart Associates as a place where they can learn about their rights, and how to exercise those rights as workers in Canada," added Hanley. "Today's victory also ensures that www.walmartworkerscanada.ca will remain a safe and familiar place for Walmart workers to freely share their experiences with other Associates across the country without any fear of reprisal."

UFCW Canada has been leading the campaign to help Walmart Associates exercise their rights as workers in Canada for over a decade.



For more information, please contact

UFCW Canada
Michael Forman
National Representative
416.675.1104 x2249
mforman@ufcw.ca

CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:

UN FINDS CANADA AND ONTARIO GUILTY:

The International Labour Organization of the United Nations has found that Ontario's ban on farm workers' unions violates internationally accepted human rights. We'll see what the response is from governments that crow loudly about human rights elsewhere. Here's the story from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Canada (UFCW).

CLCLCLCLCLCL

UN FINDS CANADA AND ONTARIO GUILTY

An agency of the United Nations has ruled a ban on farm unions violates the human rights of Ontario’s 100,000 migrant and domestic farm workers

GENEVA, November 18, 2010 – The UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) has ruled that Canada and Ontario, through Ontario’s ban on farm unions, violate the human rights of the more than 100,000 migrant and domestic agriculture workers in that province. It follows a complaint filed in March 2009 by UFCW Canada — the country’s largest private-sector union and a leading advocate for farm workers’ rights for over two decades. The ILO is the UN agency responsible for formulating international labour standards including basic labour rights.

“The ILO has sent a clear message to the Canadian and Ontario governments that Ontario must end its blatant abuse of the rights of the workers who grow and harvest our food,” says Wayne Hanley, the national president of UFCW Canada. “These are farm workers, not farm animals, and people have human rights including the right to collective bargaining.”

The ILO ruling was handed down in Geneva. It found that Ontario’s Agricultural Employees Act, 2002 (AEPA)which denies all Ontario agriculture workers the right to join a union and engage in collective bargaining is a violation of human rights under two United Nation’s conventions: Convention No. 87 – Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, and Convention No. 98 – Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining.

Canada is a signatory to Convention 87 and supported Convention 98, “so you would expect a federal government that bid to get on the UN Security Council would have the integrity to follow up on the UN conventions,” said the UFCW Canada president. “The feds can say it’s a provincial matter but the reality is that both the Harper and McGuinty governments are partners with the farm lobby in plowing under the human rights of people doing some of the hardest and most dangerous work there is.”

The ILO ruling reinforces a November 17, 2008 Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that found the AEPA violated Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms by denying Ontario farm workers their freedom of association. The Ontario government appealed that decision to the Supreme Court of Canada which has twice before upheld the Charter guarantee of collective bargaining rights. The Supreme Court heard the appeal in December 2009 and its final and definitive ruling is pending.

“While Ontario continues to stall by using the courts, the lives of the workers continue to be at risk,” says Hanley. “Without labour rights, Ontario farm workers remain powerless when faced with abusive employers and dangerous working conditions. The Ontario courts have said it. The Supreme Court has said it, and now the United Nations has said it. Labour rights are human rights, and that must include Ontario farm workers.”

UFCW Canada, in association with the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA), operates ten agriculture worker support centres across Canada. The AWA is Canada’s largest national association and support network for both domestic as well as migrant agriculture workers.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

NO TO LAYOFFS AT BIG Y GROCERY:

The following appeal for solidarity with American grocery workers comes from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union.

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Take Action: Grocery Workers Need Your Help!‏

Workers in Connecticut and Massachusetts NEED YOUR HELP on Facebook and Twitter!
The Big Y grocery company has been buying A&P stores and reopening them as Big Y stores in Connecticut--and has barely hired back any of the experienced, long-time A&P workers who were already working in those stores. At the same time, Big Y has laid off many of its own workers and has encouraged full-timers to take voluntary layoffs.

It's terrible any time someone loses a job, but when a company is expanding--what sense does that make? Why get rid of experienced workers from our communities, only to hire new ones to replace them? Full time OR part time, these grocery jobs should all be good jobs--jobs that offer good wages and benefits and a path to advancement.

We're forced to ask: Why, Big Y? What kind of a company does Big Y want to be? The kind that rewards loyal, hard-working employees? Or the kind that lets them--and their customers--down? The kind that creates good middle class jobs in our communities, or the kind that destroys them? The kind that offers a real path to advancement for part-timers and full-timers alike? Or the kind that offers only low wage, dead-end jobs?

Please help us support these laid-off workers and fight for good middle class jobs. With your help, we want to hold Big Y accountable--by asking Why, Big Y?

Please join us in asking the tough questions on Big Y's Facebook page and Twitter feed, like:

►Why did Big Y lay off so many of its own workers, and ask others to take voluntary layoffs—when the company is expanding and hiring?
►Why did Big Y refuse to hire back most A&P workers when it re-opened old A&P stores under the Big Y banner?
►Why is Big Y making these tough economic times even tougher for working families?
►Why won't Big Y listen to loyal A&P shoppers--who’ve asked repeatedly for Big Y to re-hire the A&P workers who customers have come to regard as family?
►Why won’t Big Y reward years of hard work and loyalty, so full-timers AND part-timers alike can have the opportunity they deserve?

Just ask any of the above questions--or Why, Big Y? on Facebook or Twitter to show your solidarity with laid-off Big Y workers.

You can find Big Y's Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/bigyworldclassmarket

And Big Y's Twitter feed is: @BigYFoods

Thank you so much for all your help on this, and please spread the word--we can't fight for good jobs at Big Y without you!

CANADIAN LABOUR GATINEAU QUÉBEC:

SECOND ORGANIZED WAL-MART IN NORTH AMERICA:

A recent Labour Board decision has certified a Wal-Mart in Gatineau Québec as the second unionized Wal-Mart on the North American continent. The only other location now represented by a union is also in Québec in St. Hyacinthe. Previous attempts to unionize Wal-Mart in Québec and in locations as far afield as Texas and Weyburn Saskatchewan have been beaten back either legally or by the expedient of simply closing the outlet affected.

The latter is both a favoured threat and a favoured action on the part of Wal-Mart management. The largest example of this was when Wal-Mart decided to withdraw from the whole German market rather than tolerate unions in its stores in that country. The only country where Wal-Mart is happy to coexist with a unionized workforce is...China. In China's case the "union" is, of course, the official government controlled federation which takes its marching orders from the Communist Party. Nothing could be plainer in pointing out the ideological affinity of neo-conservative managerialism and it communist counterpart. Two sides of one coin.

This Board decision may benefit the workers involved only marginally as the wage increases stipulated were only minimal, and the biggest issue, the use and abuse of the part time system, remained outside the Board's decision. Still it shows that even the Wal-Mart colossus is not invulnerable. It is a shame that the unions involved in Wal-Mart organizing are not imbued with at least a minimum of the internationalism and industrial unionism of the anarcho-syndicalist unions or revolutionary syndicalist unions such as the IWW. Things would go much better then.

Be that as it may if you want to follow the misdeeds of Wal-Mart in more detail Molly can suggest the following sites: Wake Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch. It`s almost a classic 'Perils of Pauline' series complete with evil top-hatted capitalist. A refreshing old fashioned morality play in an age when the corporate rulers more often than not adopt fuzzy "progressive" and "new age" public personae. Here`s the story from the CBC.

WMWMWMWMWM
Quebec Wal-Mart workers get rare union deal
Only one other North American Wal-Mart has a collective agreement

CBC News
The contract covers more than 150 employees at the store on Boulevard du Plateau in Gatineau. (CBC) Workers at a Wal-Mart store in Gatineau, Que., have won a new collective agreement, only the second at any Wal-Mart store in North America — but not everyone is celebrating.

A government arbitrator imposed the agreement, after negotiations between the union and retailer were judged to be going nowhere.

The contract covers more than 150 employees at the store on Boulevard du Plateau. It took three years for the United Food and Commercial Workers to unionize the store, and another two years to get the contract.

"We had a first assembly last night to present the first collective agreement that was imposed by the Labour Board of Quebec," said union member Matthieu Allard.

He said the collective agreement gives employees a grievance process, recognizes statutory holidays and considers seniority in determining working hours.

Wages will go up 30 cents an hour this year, and another 30 cents next year. None of the employees, however, would say how much an hour they make now.

The arbitrator modeled it on the contract at the Wal-Mart in St-Hyacinthe, Que., the only other store with such an agreement.

"It might not have been as much as we could have gained in a normal negotiation process, but it's a definite step forward," Allard said.

Some employees at the store think otherwise.

In the parking lot outside the store, Denise Barre said she and her coworkers are disappointed with a 30-cent-an-hour raise, especially when it means paying union dues.

She said only 13 of the 150 employees went to Wednesday night's meeting with the union, which she says shows employees aren't interested.

Barre said she doesn't need this contract.

She said Wal-Mart treats her well and gives her benefits.

In a statement, the company also pointed out that the arbitrator found its wages competitive with other retailers, and adopted the wage scale Wal-Mart proposed.

The union said employees at the store were concerned by Wal-Mart's previous actions at unionized stores, but the Gatineau location is busy, and they hope Wal-Mart will not close it

In 2005, Wal-Mart closed a store in Jonquiere, Que., days before an arbitrator imposed a contract for its employees. The employees took Wal-Mart to court over the closure but lost their case.

In 2008, Wal-Mart also closed a tire shop on Maloney Boulevard in Gatineau after its employees received union certification.

The new agreement has a start date back in 2008, which means the union will be back to negotiating next year.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/10/08/ottawa-wal-mart-deal.html#ixzz11vWkUx1U

AMERICAN LABOUR:

MOTTS STRIKE ENDS VICTORY OR DEFEAT ?:




Well the strike at the Motts plant in Williamson New York has finally ended after a vigorous continent wide solidarity campaign. Now Molly can go back to buying Clamato juice by the case. Yum ! The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) who are the parent union of the RWDSU who represent the Motts workers are 'declaring victory". Here is their statement from the Canadian website.
MWMWMWMWMW
Mott’s strike ends in victory

The four-month strike by three hundred RWDSU-UFCW Local 220 members at a Mott’s bottling plant in upstate New York has come to a successful conclusion.

Workers at the plant, owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS), have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement by a margin of 3 to 1.

“This is a very important victory for our Local 220 brothers and sisters,” said UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “Their resolve was reinforced by the solidarity and support of UFCW International and UFCW Canada members and local unions across North America through their letters, petitions and boycott of DPS products.”

More than 300 members work at the Mott’s plant in Williamson, New York. With the successful conclusion of the strike, the campaign to boycott DPS products has also come to an end. The conclusion of the work stoppage also marked the end of UFCW Canada's very successful No to Clamato/Down with Caesar campaign, which was widely received by Canadians across the country.

"Our brothers and sisters in Canada were a key part of this fight," says RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. "The donations to the hardship fund we received from Canadians, the support of Members of Parliament, and innovative campaigns like UFCW Canada's "No to Clamato/Down with Caesar" petition drive - all of these things helped Local 220 members know that they were not alone as they fought for good middle class jobs. We are grateful to our brothers and sisters in the UFCW."
MWMWMWMWMW
All, however, is not wine and roses in this agreement. It is, I guess, expected that the unions involved would blow their own horns about "victory". Expected yes, but is it either useful or desirable ? This fault called in old-fashioned language "triumphalism" is hardly restricted to unions or the business world in general. It is a widely spread human tendency. Where it becomes harmful is where the disconnect from reality is so great that pretty well anyone other than a protagonist can see the discrepancy. In such cases the claims do little other than discredit the claimant. This is where it becomes undesirable. It becomes a hindrance ie not useful when it prevents the protagonist from dispassionately analyzing what went wrong and what went right and making future plans. be my guest to judge where the union proclamations of "victory" fall in this case.



Many others outside of those immediately involved have opined that the strike was less than a clear victory. I could quote many sources, but here is a particularly good one from Mike Elk in the Huffington Post. This has been a long running theme on this blog. Truth is usually a messy affair in which one side is never always either right or good. After many years of being "on one side" I have come to accept it as a truism that many on my own side may exaggerate, lie or even be simply out to lunch. In this case I would personally definitely support the Motts strikers, but I don't see the usefulness of lieing and pretending that they achieved an unsullied victory.
MWMWMWMWMW
Was the Mott's Strike "Victory" Really a Victory?
While organized labor spends close to $100 million to propel Democrats to victory in November, members of the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union/UFCW (RWDSU/UFCW) Local 220 on Monday won perhaps labor's most important victory of the fall.


The Mott's applesauce plant workers went on strike in Williamson, N.Y., on May 23, after Mott's parent company, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, demanded what amounted to a $3,000 per year wage cut for every worker across the board, as well as cuts in pension and healthcare. Companies and unions across the country were watching the Mott Applesauce Strike as a sign of bargaining trends to come. So Monday's settlement is being seen as a "victory" because it stopped profitable companies from demanding wage cuts.

But was the "victory" at Mott's really a victory? For the first time, Mott's workers were forced to accept a two-tier employee structure -- a system that breaks union solidarity over the long run by pitting new hires against older employees. Under the new system, new hires will not have guaranteed pension plans like current workers, but instead have riskier 401(k) plans. Likewise, the company will decrease its matching payments to all retirement plans as well as force employees to pay health care contributions of 20 percent.

As Stephen Franklin reported last week, Snapple argued that because the average worker in the Williamson area was making $14 an hour, while Mott's workers were averaging $21 an hour, Mott's workers should accept wage cuts because the local area contained so many workers who would work for less. Mott's demanded this despite boasting one of its best annual profits on record last year--$550 million, up from $312 million the year before.


As Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), an affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, said, "This is the first time a very profitable company has come to us and asked for concessions, and I've been with the union for 23 years."

Yes, the new agreement does "restore" wage levels for current employees. But it also freezes them for three years.

One has to wonder how much of a victory this truly is for labor. At a time when Mott's overall profits are increasing, workers wages' should be increasing. By threatening massive wage cuts, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group was able to force the union to accept small benefit concessions and a two-tier employee system that saves Dr Pepper Snapple money.

The fact that a corporation was able to force these concessions on workers while making record profits is a testament to the weakened state of organized labor, and the desperation of American workers.

Follow Mike Elk on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MikeElk

CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:

FARM WORKER DEATHS SHOW NEED FOR CHANGES:

The recent deaths of two Jamaican migrant workers in southern Ontario highlights the need for changes in the system of migrant labour employment. Here's a press release from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) on what happened.

FWFWFWFWFW

Migrant worker fatalities at Ontario farm under investigation
Deaths of two Jamaican seasonal workers at Ontario agriculture operation was “job-related” says Jamaican official

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 12, 2010) -

The cause of death of two Jamaican migrant agriculture workers who died Friday, September 10, at a central Ontario farm is still under investigation. The chief liaison officer in the Jamaica Liaison Service (JLS) in Toronto would only describe it as a "job-related accident".

The two men, aged 36 and 44, were working at the Filsinger's Organic Foods apple orchard and processing facility in Ayton, Ontario - about 70 kilometers south of Own Sound. Their bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in Hanover, Ontario awaiting an autopsy.

Provincial police and the Ontario Ministry of Labour are conducting an investigation. The names of the victims have not been released.

"We are saddened by the death of these two men, and our sincere condolences go out their families," said Wayne Hanley, the National President of UFCW Canada, and the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA).

For more than two decades UFCW Canada has led the campaign for improved safety and workplace rights for migrant and domestic farm workers. UFCW Canada, in association with the AWA, operates ten agriculture worker support centres across Canada, including centres in Leamington, Simcoe, Virgil and Bradford, Ontario.

"The deaths of the two workers in Ayton is a tragic reminder of the dangers and risks in involved in the agriculture sector," said Hanley, the leader of Canada's largest private-sector union.

"Certainly what happened has to be investigated, but at the same time the Ministry of Labour must also take a more proactive role - with stepped up inspections and increased regulations - to reduce and prevent farm place fatalities and accidents."

Jamaican migrant agriculture workers have worked each season in Canada since 1964. This season more than 6,000 Jamaican migrants were employed on over 300 Canadian farms.


/For further information:
www.ufcw.ca
www.awa-ata.ca/

CANADIAN LABOUR QUÉBEC:

NEW EXPLOITATION OF FARM WORKERS IN QUÉBEC:

Always in search of new sources of underpaid migrant labour to exploit agribusiness in Québec has finalized a deal with a new source- Honduras. Here's the story from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

QLQLQLQLQL

Federal Government Asked to Intervene After Quebec Agribusiness Owners
Cut a Deal With Honduras Under Federal Temporary Foreign Workers Program
Migrant agricultural workers from Honduras began toiling in Quebec fields this week, after a Quebec farm lobby group and Honduran officials cut a deal to bring the workers to Canada under the federal government's controversial Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program. The TFW program provides no oversight to prevent the abuse of foreign workers contracted to Canadian employers, yet it is a program the federal government has aggressively been expanding by the tens of thousands of workers.

"The TFW program is the federal government's "Exploitation Express" that delivers migrant workers to Canada as a vulnerable and disposable work force," says Wayne Hanley, the national president of UFCW Canada - the country's largest private sector union.

"The collusion between the farm lobby and the governments is not only appalling, but an assault on the rights and safety of precarious workers who are fired and shipped out if they voice any concerns."

While the newly arrived Honduran workers do have visas and a work permits, the employment contract they are forced to sign clearly states that Canada "has no power to intervene or ensure the contract is enforced" in case of dismissal, abuse or exploitation.

The abuse of migrant workers under TFW program was recently in the news after UFCW Canada and community allies launched a campaign to denounce the nefarious living and working conditions of migrant Guatemalan farm workers. For a number of years workers from Guatemala have been brought to Canada under TFW contracts that force them to sign away some of their basic workplace rights to get the job and keep it.

Yet in spite of the well documented problems with the TFW program, the federal government has begun discussions, along with industrial agriculture lobbyists, to "harmonize" the system; potentially allowing employers even less supervision, as well as passing housing and transportation costs that are now paid for by employers onto the workers.

"The TFW program absolutely has to change," says Hanley, "but what's going on here is the private sector, behind closed doors, calling the shots on employment and immigration policy."

"The abuse has to end - not increase. That will only happen with an open and just public review and reform of the programs that bring temporary workers to Canada," said the UFCW Canada national leader.

"Whether workers come from Honduras, Mexico, the Caribbean, Guatemala, Thailand, the Philippines or other sending countries, the story is the same. They are forced to surrender their human and workplace rights at the border in order to work here. The federal government would say it's not so but a public review would definitely show otherwise."

UFCW Canada has been an ally and advocate for migrant agricultural workers in Canada for more than three decades, and in association with the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA) operates ten agriculture worker support centres across Canada.

AMERICAN LABOUR PITTSBURGH:

TELL GIANT EAGLE NOT TO SOIL ITS NEST:

Giant Eagle is an American supermarket chain centred on the mid-Atlantic states. Presently this company is waging an anti-union campaign, and the following letter is one of their mendacious tactics. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) are the union attempting to organize in their stores, and the following story and appeal comes from them.

GEGEGEGEGE
Tell Giant Eagle to Respect Worker Rights


Giant Eagle is sending intimidating and misleading letters to its non-union employees, trying to scare them away from talking to UFCW Local 23, the union nearly 7,000 of their coworkers are proud to belong to. Tell Giant Eagle to respect all its workers!

Take a look at the letter Giant Eagle workers have received at home:

Dear Team Member, (cough, cough...Molly )

It has come to our attention that you may be approached by Union organizers, employees of our competitors, and some of your current co-workers, to sign one of their union cards or a list/petition for the Union. We want to take the opportunity to inform you about this matter.

If anyone told you that if you refused to sign up for the Union now, you will not be able to work at our store, that is simply not the case and it makes your signature for the Union invalid.

Let's discuss the union card/list of names, addresses and email addresses. The union may tell you that these cards/lists really don't mean anything. Don't believe them.

First, no one has any legitimate reason to ask you for your address or email address, social security number, home phone number or other identifying information. ( Ohhhh, and how pray tell does the company get all this information for its employees. I guess that "no one" doesn't include the company...Molly )The NLRB only requires your name and the date you signed and nothing else. You must ask yourself why you are asked to give any more information.

The union can actually use your signed card or your name on a list to try to prove that they represent a majority of employees. The union can then demand that we turn over all of your individual rights to them without you having a chance to vote in a secret election. ( But turning over "individual rights" to the company as a condition of employment is OK I guess...Molly )

Signing a union authorization card, or a list for the Union, is a lot like signing a blank check because you don't know how much your signature will cost you. By signing a union card, or the Union's list, you may be committing yourself to initiation fees, monthly dues, fines, penalties, political action funds and other charges. Wouldn't you rather know and have control over where your money is going, and solve whatever problems we may have without outside interfrerence ? ( Who could be more "outside" than management, unless you believe the buddy,buddy 'team member psychoboo ?...Molly )When you sign one of those lists/cards, you really lose that control. How many of you would sign a blank check, endorsed to someone you didn't know ? ( Answer every worker who works for a period of time in the hopeful expectation that they will be paid at the end of that time and that the employer will not declare bankruptcy and skip out on their debts...Molly )

No one can force you to sign anything. If someone tries to threaten or coerce you into signing a union card or petition, or if they commit other illegal acts, please call the NLRB office in Pittsburgh at 412-395-4400.

If you have already signed one of these cards or lists and are having second thoughts about it, you have a right to demand that your card be returned to you or that your name be removed from the list.

It is important to understand that even if you signed a card or their list that you are not obligated to support the union. ( Uhh, but didn't management claim that once you signed the card that you had turned over all your "individual rights" ? It has to be one way or the other...Molly )

Please think about all these things before signing a "blank check" union card.

Sincerely yours,

Dave Daniel

Vice President, GetGo & GEX Operations

A final Molly Note... I'd suggest that the company hire somebody who knows a bit more about grammar and punctuation. Is "union" spelled with a capital U or a small U or whatever you type at the moment ? It would also lend a bit of credibility if the letter writer had a better grasp of the use of commas. But I'm being pedantic here.


Take action - tell Giant Eagle to stop this coercive and manipulative smear campaign.

GEGEGEGEGE

THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following letter to the management of Giant Eagle. Unfortunately this solidarity action seems to be restricted to US residents.

GEGEGEGEGE

Giant Eagle: Respect all your workers!

Dear [Decision Maker],

I was deeply disappointed to learn that Giant Eagle has been sending intimidating and misleading letters to its non-union employees.

The entire Pittsburgh community relies upon the good jobs provided by local employers like you and I feel strongly that all Giant Eagle workers deserve the chance to have a voice on the job and the choice to join the union that already represents nearly 6,000 of their coworkers. Workers at non-union Giant Eagle stores have said they feel threatened by misleading and intimidating letters they received from the corporate office. These letters need to stop.

You should treat all of your workers with respect.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

CANADIAN LABOUR AMERICAN LABOUR:

NO TO MOTTS:

Seems that the Mott's company is waging a campaign to have the Caesar declared the "national cocktail" of Canada. I never knew that countries had "national cocktails", and I'm sure that this would be an occasion for endless puns. If the idea ever takes off, however, Mott's behavior would probably fit it to be the 'national cocktail' of a place like North Korea. Molly has blogged before on the long standing strike at the Mott's plant in Williamson New York. In response to this latest Canadian campaign the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada have opened a petition in solidarity with their American fellow workers and against the Motts campaign. Here's the story >>>>

MPMPMPMPMP
No to Clamato! Down with Caesar!

Mix one part greed with a big dash of corporate bullying, and what you get is the company behind Mott’s Clamato beverage.

Doesn’t sound very Canadian does it? Well, Mott’s isn’t Canadian, and Clamato isn’t made in Canada — so don’t be fooled by a new campaign to have the Clamato Caesar named the national cocktail of Canada!

Mott’s Clamato is a brand owned by Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) Group — the hugely successful multinational which has tried to force a bitter and malicious cocktail of wage and pension cuts on 300 workers at a very profitable Mott’s plant in Williamson, New York.

That’s why tens of thousands of activists across Canada and the USA have said NO to buying Mott’s products — including Clamato — to show their support for the UFCW/RWDSU Local 220 workers in Williamson, New York.


So add your name to the petition and say “NO to Clamato" and "Down with Caesar” until the DPS/Motts empire stops acting like a bunch of dictators.

MPMPMPMPMP

THE PETITION

Please go to the UFCW.CA website to see and sign the following petition and also to play their exciting online game of 'bean the Mott's executive'.

MPMPMPMPMP

I say NO to Clamato and Down with Caesar because of DPS/Mott’s shameful treatment of UFCW/RWDSU Local 220 workers in Williamson, New York. Canadians believe in justice, fairness and honesty — not the malice now being served up by Clamato headquarters.

CANADIAN LABOUR:
SUPPORT GUATEMALAN MIGRANT LABOUR IN CANADA:


When one thinks of migrant labour in Canada one usually thinks of Mexico, but there are large numbers of workers from other Central American nations presently in Canada, and they perhaps have even less protection than the Mexicans whose situation is already a national scandal. Here's a news item and appeal from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union about this situation.
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New campaign calls for action on Guatemalan migrant abuse

UFCW Canada and the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA) are spearheading a new campaign to denounce the systematic abuse and violation of the rights of Guatemalan farm workers who come to Canada through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP).

The campaign, called No More Injustice and Oppression against Migrants!, calls attention to the illegal treatment of Guatemalan workers and the degrading terms of a contract imposed on them by FERME, an employer association, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – an intergovernmental agency mandated to “promote humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all,” according to its website.

“Over 4,000 Guatemalan workers come to Canada every year to harvest our food and make one our most important industries possible,” says Andrea Galvez, coordinator of the AWA Centre in Saint-Remi, Quebec, where many Guatemalan migrants work. “But we repeatedly hear from Guatemalan migrants who are degraded and demoralized by the individuals and organizations who cash-in on the temporary foreign workers program.”

Workers are recruited in Guatemala by the IOM and must ante up a $400.00 deposit – a huge amount of money for the average Guatemalan – before they’re allowed to work in Canadian fields. If the worker refuses to obey the outrageous terms listed in the contact, he or she can be terminated and the deposit is not returned, which is a terrifying prospect for workers because they generally borrow from friends and family to get the cash.

Although the TFWP is administered by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), the contract imposed on migrants does not allow the ministry to intervene in the terms of work. Once the contract is signed, the worker is brought in and left to the mercy of employers.

UFCW Canada and the AWA are strongly urging Canadian authorities to open an official investigation into FERME and the IOM’s management of the project, and are calling for immediate and substantive reforms to the TFWP.

All activists are encouraged to join this fight by sending messages and by using their social networks to help spread the word by posting links to the campaign page.
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THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following letter to (shudder) Prime Minister Steven Harper in support of Guatemalan migrant workers in Canada.
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Dear Prime Minister:

Approximately 4,000 Guatemalan men and women come to work in the Canadian agriculture industry every year. As you know, they enter Canada through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, which has been widely criticized since it was introduced over seven years ago because it offers even less protection for migrants who come to Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP).

Workers are recruited in Guatemala by the IOM and have to accept a series of inhumane conditions to come to Canada. Although the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training is administered by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), the contract imposed on migrants does not allow the ministry to intervene in the terms of work. Once the contract is signed, the worker is brought in and left to the mercy of employers. I am writing to strongly request a complete review of the pilot project and the dehumanizing contract it imposes on workers.

I am asking Canadian authorities to open an official investigation into FERME and IOM’s management of the pilot project. I also want to make sure that those workers willing to come forward and file complaints will be heard without fear of deportation, and that workers already fired for voicing their concerns are given the opportunity to be heard as well.

Moreover, I am asking for the creation of a neutral body that will regulate the program and ensure acceptable working conditions and fair treatment.

We all have an interest in creating a strong Canadian agriculture industry. However, we cannot allow this to be done at the expense of workers’ rights and Canada’s well earned international reputation for decency and fairness. I strongly urge you to demonstrate leadership on this issue by doing the right thing.

Sincerely,

AMERICAN LABOUR- MASSACHUSETTS:


TAKE RESPONSIBILITY SUPERVALU:









Since last month workers at the Shaw Supermarket distribution centre in Methuen MA have been on strike. Supervalu is the parent company of Shaw, and even though they basically set the negotiations for their subsidiary they refuse to acknowledge their responsibility. The following appeal from the Jobs With Justice group asks that you support the workers by putting pressure on Supervalu.
SVSVSVSVSVSVSVSV
Tell Supervalu to be good Parents!
Support Striking Shaw's Grocery Workers‏

Supervalu, the parent company of New England grocery store chain Shaw's, is behaving badly. The 310 workers from Shaw's Supermarkets Distribution Center in Methuen, MA, members of UFCW Local 791, have been on strike for almost 7 weeks. Although Supervalu is the driving force behind negotiations, they refuse to take responsibility and come back to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith. They claim that they are not responsible for their subsidiary Shaw's.


Call and write Supervalu today to tell them to be good parents and settle the strike now!
- Call Supervalu CEO Craig Herkert at (952) 828-4000
- Send a fax to Supervalu http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/supervalu/wukd7sd9y7mbw3k3?


Last month, union workers at Shaw's distribution center voted to go out on strike after the company refused to return to the bargaining table. Workers rejected a company proposal that would have increased employees' health insurance payments, resulting in a net loss of pay.


To make matters worse, the company is threatening to permanently replace all striking workers, placing all the workers at the distribution center's jobs in peril. Shaw's followed up its refusal to bargain with an announcement that they were going to lay off 4% of the workers in its local stores. Then the company announced that, "store associates who are laid off will be offered positions at the Methuen, Mass., distribution center as permanent replacements for 300 striking workers." Then the company announced it was ending health benefits for the workers it has refused to bargain with.


The new CEO Supervalu, Craig Herkert is the former president/CEO of Wal-Mart's operations in North and South America. Supervalu could pay him an annual bonus of more than $2.5 million if the company meets certain "targets" for net earnings. In January, the company announced quarterly net earnings of $109 million. Supervalu is the parent company for grocery stores nationwide, including Albertson's, Jewel-Osco, Cub Foods, Shopper's food Warehouse, and Acme among others. Tell Supervalu to be good parents and settle the strike now!


You can take action on this alert either via email (please see directions below) or via the web at: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/supervalu/wukd7sd9y7mbw3k3? Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/supervalu/forward/wukd7sd9y7mbw3k3?


We encourage you to take action by June 30, 2010
Tell Supervalu to be good Parents!
Support Striking Shaw's Grocery Workers
----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I support Shaw's Methuen Warehouse workers in their struggle fora fair contract and a living wage with decent benefits. I am writing to express my outrage that your company has forced hundreds of Shaw's warehouse workers onto a picket line to protect good jobs in their community and affordable health care, and has threatened to replace your workers.


Supervalu, as Shaw's parent company, has a responsibility to ensure that Shaw's comes back to the table to negotiate a fair contract. Shaw's cut off health care coverage for strikers and their families, ignoring the plea from U.S. Congressman Michael E.Capuano (D-MA) to reinstate their coverage. The company announced a lay-off of 1,000 workers in their retail stores and offered them positions in the Methuen warehouse in an attempt to permanently replace the strikers.


Many respected voices including political, religious, labor and community leaders have asked Shaw's to come back to the table. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick sent a letter to the UFCW and to Shaw's on April 12 in which he offered to mediate a settlement and Shaw's refused to participate. I urge you to sit down at the bargaining table and bargain in good faith in order to work out a reasonable and fair agreement so that the hardworking men and women at your Methuen, Mass.,warehouse can go back to work and resume their lives.

CANADIAN LABOUR-ALBERTA:

END THE HARVEST OF DEATH:

It has been only 14 months since the workplace death of Kevan Chandler in Alberta, but in that short time there have been 13 other farm worker deaths in that province. Across the country there have been 59 such deaths. This carnage must stop. Here's a story and appeal from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) who are campaigning to have Alberta apply the simple minimum protection that other workers enjoy to farm workers in that province.

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Premier Stelmach: End the Harvest of Death!
Premier Ed Stelmach: 14 months and
13 deaths later and still no action
It’s been 14 months since Justice Peter Barley told Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach that farm workers in Alberta should be granted the same health and safety rights as everyone else.

Despite asking Justice Barley for his advice, the Premier doesn’t want to hear it, and farm workers are paying the price.

After being asked by the Premier to investigate the workplace death of farm worker Kevan Chandler, Justice Barley found that farm workers must be included in Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to prevent future workplace injuries and deaths.

To date, Premier Stelmach has ignored that advice, and since then 13 more people have been killed on Alberta farms in work-related accidents.

Since Kevan Chandler died at work on Father’s Day nearly four years ago, an additional 59 people have been killed in agriculture-related accidents.

As the leader of a majority government, Premier Stelmach is the “decider”. He has the power to save lives with stroke of a pen by granting basic health and safety rights to farm workers – they’re the same rights that most of us already have.

Tell Premier Stelmach to do the right thing by ending the deadly discrimination against Alberta farm workers.

Click here to tell Premier Stelmach: End the Harvest of Death!

CLCLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Please go to this link from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start to send the following message in support of Alberta farmworkers to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.

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Dear Premier Stelmach:

I am writing to you to express my displeasure over your government’s inaction in providing farm workers in Alberta coverage under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.A. 2000 CH.0-2.

In the Public Fatality Inquiry into the death of farm worker Kevan Chandler, Judge Peter Barley recommended that farm workers be covered under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Mr. Premier the death of one farm worker is one too many, yet Alberta has averaged nineteen farm worker deaths per year since 1997. I urge you and your government to take a proactive role in preventing further industry deaths and join the national consensus by immediately implementing the recommendation of Judge Barley and give Occupational Health and Safety coverage to the farm workers of Alberta.

CANADIAN LABOUR- ALBERTA:

THE HARD LIFE IN THE FIELDS OF ALBERTA:

Canada plays host to an increasing number of foreign temporary workers, and their lot is not an easy one. Unless they have the good fortune to be represented by a union they pretty much fall outside of the normal legal protections that Canadian workers enjoy. Here's a story from Alberta about just how grasping their employers can be. From a press release by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union...

ALALALALALALALALALAL
Alberta stats confirm frontline evidence of foreign worker abuse

Workplace violation statistics released as UFCW Canada delegation and allies gather for national conference on challenges faced by immigrants and foreign workers

March 18, 2010 — The violation of the workplace rights of many Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) in Alberta “reinforces what we’ve reported for years now,” says Wayne Hanley, the National President of UFCW Canada. “Except for locations where those workers have a union, TFWs in Alberta and across Canada are regular targets for exploitation and workplace abuse.”

UFCW Canada is Canada’s largest private sector union, and represents thousands of TFWs under collective agreements. These agreements protect these TFWs against workplace violations, require health and safety information in the workers’ language, and provide a legal pathway for these workers to permanent Canadian residency.

“So the story for UFCW Canada members who are Temporary Foreign Workers is positive. But outside the union, TFWs are treated by thousands of employers like disposable commodities, with no respect for their safety or other workplace rights. The latest stats from Alberta back that up.”

The UFCW Canada president’s remarks come in the wake of newly released Alberta Ministry of Labour inspection statistics that show that of the 407 Alberta TFW workplaces inspected this year, 74% of those employers had violated the Employment Standards Act regarding pay rates and record keeping. The data was released by the Alberta NDP, which obtained the records under a Freedom of Information application. ( In other words the Alberta government had to be squeezed to provide the information- Molly )

“We agree with the Alberta NDP and the Alberta Federation of Labour that the federal government’s TFW program needs to be revised to fully respect the human and labour rights of these vulnerable workers. That should also include the right to build a permanent life in Canada for these workers and their families. And that goes across this country — not just Alberta,” said Hanley.

“Unless you’re unionized, the treatment of Temporary Foreign Workers continues to be a national disgrace,” says Naveen Mehta, Director of Human Rights, Equity and Diversity, UFCW Canada.

Mehta is also one of a 25 UFCW Canada delegates from across the country who are attending the 12th Annual Metropolis Conference on Immigration and Diversity being held in Montreal. UFCW Canada is presenting and participating as one of the country’s leading advocates, in the community and on the front lines, for migrant workers in Canada.

“The federal government has to stop turning a blind eye to what happens to these workers once they get to Canada,” says Mehta. “Canada was built on generations of immigrants. That is a proud legacy that is being cast aside by federal migrant worker programs that treat these workers like inputs and not people. We are here with our allies to change that.”

CANADIAN LABOUR-WINNIPEG:

CNIB STRIKERS/LOCKED OUT WORKERS SUPPORTED BY CLIENTS:

The CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) strike/lockout began yesterday March 15 here in Winnipeg. I have to admit that there is one thing that has always puzzled me about labour law here in Canada. Quite frankly I can't see any advantage to employers being the first to "draw their guns" and declare a lockout on the eve of an impending strike. If anything they should wait until labour "makes the first move" in terms of public support. Labour is certainly always happy to declare that they are locked out as opposed to being on strike, and to me the advantages of this are obvious. Could somebody more familiar with the law enlighten me ?

In any case the union, Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, has certainly been quick off the bat in garnering public support for their positions. Here, from their website, is a story about how clients of the CNIB have rallied behind the workers that serve them. Rather inspiring actually as management has been rather treacherous to clients in the past while workers have defended them.

Please refer to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog as well as the Local website for further coverage of this strike.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Clients who use CNIB Services outraged
Will support striking CNIB staff on picket line.
UFCW Local 832 members working at Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB) will have the support of the people they help in Manitoba on the picket line at 1080 Portage Avenue.

Many of the clients that receive assistance from the staff at CNIB are ready to show their support and walk with them in hopes the remaining issue of paid sick leave can be resolved.

“I think it’s appalling that this strike is taking place. The support workers and everyone on strike have been very good to us, and they were there for us when CNIB closed down our specialty store in 2007. So we want them to know they have our support and hopefully the CNIB will put an end to this strike quickly,” said Eric Mackinder who is a client at the CNIB and the Winnipeg Chapter President for the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians.

The members at CNIB have already agreed to the company’s proposal of a wage freeze in the first year and their proposal of 2.5 per cent in the second year. The unionized staff at CNIB is paid generally $5 less per hour less than other non-profit organizations in the province. The remaining issues are over the reductions to the paid sick leave and long term disability the members have had since their first collective agreement. Both of which the company has stated at the bargaining table are not being abused.