Edmonton Sun Unionizing Drive

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Edmonton union drive

Employees of Quebecor's thinning Edmonton Sun and Edmonton Examiner launched a united union organizing committee Wednesday, with CEP union reps soon arriving to hand out leaflets.

The union says approximately 200 employees in the building gave the union reps and organizers a warm welcome, with many saying a union was long overdue.

Management attempted to force organizers off the parking lot, but they pointed out the property wasn't owned by Sun Media/Quebecor and they refused to budge.

Employees have been complaining of heavy and increasing workloads, pay raises averaging half the rate of inflation, no grids, no overtime, arbitrary changes in sales commission plans, and very poor morale, says the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.

Employees of both papers notified their publishers they had formed a union organizing committee. Soon after, members of the organizing committee, along with Ray Wade, CEP Local 255-G president, and Brad Honywill, CEP Local 87-M (SONG) president, were outside the building handing out leaflets announcing the drive.

Honywill said the goal is to get 40% of the Sun and Examiner employees to sign cards saying they favour a union. If that is accomplished, the Alberta Labour Relations board would oversee a secret vote.

The profitable Edmonton Sun, hammered by cutbacks, layoffs, buyouts and resignations in the past year, is down to about 150 employees, said one source.

"I've never seen a group of employees so demoralized," said Honywill. "And it's obvious from the size of the paper that it is thriving. But the employees aren't sharing in that success."

Honywill said it appears as if a typical reporter earns about $45,000 a year at the Edmonton Sun, compared to a rate of $76,000 per year for reporters in the unionized Toronto Sun newsroom.

And, he says, Edmonton Sun reporters' rate will go down by 3% this year in real terms because they got an average wage increase of 2% when the Alberta inflation rate is 5%.

What's more, they don't get recognized for experience because there is no grid, he said.

"Some people in Toronto may have forgotten what life was like before they had a union," says Honywill. "The Edmonton situation is a poignant reminder."

He said SONG has organized five Sun Media units in the last four years, including:

Sales/circulation/production employees at the London Free Press;

Editorial units at the Toronto Sun and Ottawa Sun;

Pre-press at the Toronto Sun;

Most of the Simcoe Reformer staff.

"It is now playing a lead role in the drive at the Edmonton Sun," said Honywill.

Medicine Hat Educational Assistants Organize

Medicine Hat Educational Assistants join CUPE

May 17, 2010 03:40 PM

Medecine Hat, Alberta – Recently, one hundred and sixty-five Educational Assistants, working for the Medicine Hat Public School Board, voted 78 per cent in favour of becoming the newest members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The new members join custodial and clerical staff at the board as the third unit of CUPE Local 829, which also represents education workers at the Catholic and Prairie Rose School Divisions.

CUPE Alberta President Dennis Mol said the group joined CUPE because they are looking for better provisions for summer layoff and a pension plan. "Almost every unionized Educational Assistant in the province is part of a pension plan, so that will be a top priority for bargaining," said Mol.

CUPE represents over 7,400 non teaching staff in Alberta and over 110,000 across Canada.

"By joining CUPE, this group gets access to a large network of labour relations experts, massive research resources in the field of education, assistance with bargaining, dispute resolution and public relations. CUPE has faced many issues in education already and we can use our experience to assist these new members," said Mol.

For further information:
Lou Arab, Communications Representative
(780) 271-2722

Support Workers at Foothills School Division Join Union

Foothills School Division joins CUPE family

Oct 5, 2009 11:55 AM

CALGARY -- Almost 180 school support workers at Foothills School Division will merge their staff association into CUPE.

The employees, including Educational Assistants, clerical, technical and library staff, sought to join CUPE feeling their employer did not respect their association or their collective agreement. The members voted 66% in favour of the merger.

The employees join 7,500 other CUPE members from the K-12 sector in Alberta. CUPE represents more school district employees in the province than any other union.

United Breaks Guitars

Interesting that the corporations have broke this economy. It is not the employees fault as the corporation does not want the employees to provide customer service as that cost money.

Does Your Job Site Need a Union

If your presently working in a non union environment the basic rules that the employer has to follow can be found in the Labour Standards legislation if the various provinces of Canada. Unless your work happened to fall under federally regulated industries which would mean that your employer would have to follow the federal labour standards.

The first step in organizing a work site can be found at many of the unionized websites listed on the site of the blog. Please give them a call a union representative would be happy to go over what is required to organize your work site.

One WALMART ORGANIZED...

Well this is start. If you happen to work at the Ste-Hyacithe Wal-Mart you will be working under a union contract. Now we just need to organize the rest of the Wal-Mart's.

Union contract imposed at Ste-Hyacinthe Wal-Mart

Two hundred workers to receive raise of 30 cents an hour.

Dateline: Tuesday, May 05, 2009

by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)

STE-HYACINTHE, April 10, 2009 — A Québec arbitrator has imposed the first legal union contract on Wal-Mart in North America, nearly four years after workers at its retail store in Ste-Hyacinthe voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada).

The company refused to say whether it would close the store to keep its operations free of unions, an option it exercised in 2004 after employees at another Québec store in Jonquière voted to unionize.

Giant retailer won't say whether it will close store as it did when operations were unionized in Jonquière and Gatineau.

Last October, the company also closed a small automotive shop in Gatineau, QC, across the river from Ottawa, after employees unionized and an arbitrator imposed a contract granting workers a 33 percent increase.

The excuse used by the Arkansas-based retail giant to justify both closures was that its operations would not be make enough money with unionized staff.

Since the Gatineau closure, employees at Wal-Mart's main Gatineau retail operation have also voted to join UFCW Canada.

The Ste-Hyacinthe ruling affects approximately 200 workers. The agreement gives them a 30-cent-an-hour increase annually over a two-year contract. Newly hired employees will not be entitled to the increase.

UFCW Canada spokesman Louis Bolduc said employees are delighted. "We feel good," he told the CBC. "It's the only collective agreement [of its kind] in North America. We're really glad to have one."

NUPGE has signed a protocol with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada) to support and cooperate in the UFCW's campaign to organize workers at Wal-Mart stores across Canada.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is a family of 11 component unions. Taken together they are one of the largest unions in Canada. Most of the 340,000 members work to deliver public services of every kind to the citizens of their home provinces. There is also a large and growing number of members who work for private businesses.

LINK http://www.straightgoods.ca/2009/ViewFeature.cfm?Ref=266

Real Union Jobs Working Construction

Source: Newspaper Ad Employer: Communications Energy & Paperworkers Union Location: Regina, SK Canada Last Updated: 05/09/2009

Job Description

JOURNEYPERSON TRADES Various Construction Journeyperson Trades needed for spring work in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Good union benefits and conditions. Please email resume to unionjobs@cep.ca

http://jobs.edmontonjournal.com/careers/jobsearch/results?kAndEntire=cep+union;searchType=resuts;networkView=main




http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/res_eng.aspx?ProvId=09&Keyword=JV+Driver&Student=No

# Job Bank 4408614 Pipefitter
Employer: JV Driver
Salary: $25.28 to $36.11/ Hourly, 40 hours
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Date Posted: 2009/05/07

# Job Bank 4408738 Millwright
Employer: JV Driver
Salary: To be negotiated
Location: Surmont, AB, AB
Date Posted: 2009/05/07

# Job Bank 4408775 General construction labourer
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Salary: To be negotiated
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# Job Bank 4408825 Structural iron worker
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# Job Bank 4408873 Boom truck crane operator
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Location: Surmont, AB, AB
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# Job Bank 4408890 Forklift truck operator
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Salary: To be negotiated
Location: Surmont, AB, AB
Date Posted: 2009/05/07

# Job Bank 4401121 Welder
Employer: JV Driver
Salary: $36.11/ Hourly for 40 hours
Location: Medicine Hat, AB
Date Posted: 2009/05/04

# Job Bank 4401134 Pipefitter
Employer: JV Driver
Salary: $36.11/ Hourly for 40 hours
Location: Medicine Hat, AB
Date Posted: 2009/05/04