Transport Workers Solidarity Committee

CN rejects offer from striking Canadian IBT engineers for partial arbitration

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/cn-strike-sparks-recovery-worries/article1382006/

CN strike sparks recovery worries

CN Rail work stoppage by 1,700 engineers imperils fragile economic momentum and threatens already downtrodden companies with costly shipment delays
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Brent Jang
Published on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 7:58PM EST
Last updated on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 7:59PM EST
A strike by Canadian National Railway Co. (CNR-T55.640.641.16%)locomotive engineers threatens a nascent recovery in freight shipments.

Canada's largest railway, which is seen as a barometer for the economy because the carrier hauls a wide range of goods, finally began to see signs of a turnaround in November.

But a strike that began Saturday by 1,700 engineers comes at a precarious time for farmers, manufacturers and other corporations dependent on CN to move cargo ranging from grain and chemicals to lumber and consumer products.

While the recession may be over for the broader economy, it continues to be a tough time for many companies, said Jean-Michel Laurin, a vice-president at the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.

Canadian National Railway Engineers Begin a Strike

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/business/global/29canadian.html

Canadian Rail Engineers Begin a Strike

By IAN AUSTEN
Published: November 28, 2009
OTTAWA — About 1,700 locomotive engineers with the Canadian National Railway went on strike early Saturday morning. The walkout, which may create difficulties for manufacturers and resource companies, followed a decision by Canadian National to impose a new contract on its workers.

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Although the strike does not involve engineers for Canadian National’s operations in the United States, it may nevertheless cause problems in both countries. Some American imports from Asia and Europe land at Canadian ports and then are moved to the United States on Canadian National trains.

The railroad, based in Montreal, said in a statement that it would try to maintain service by using managers to operate trains. Given the scale of the walkout, however, it was not clear whether that would be possible.

Automobile manufacturers in Ontario are particularly dependent on Canadian National both for parts shipments and for delivering cars, most of which are destined for the United States. In Western Canada, the strike will make it difficult, if not impossible, for many farmers to ship grain to ports in British Columbia.

Injured Canadian Railway Worker Says Redtape Prevents Recovery-"They Are Trying To Kill Me"
Fred Palmer Feb 17 2009 CBC Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv-0AHaIBOE

5,000 Canadian ILWU B.C. Port Workers Set To Walk
http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/business/37098334.html

SURREY NORTH DELTA LEADER
Port foremen in strike position

By Jeff Nagel - Surrey North Delta Leader

Published: January 05, 2009 11:00 AM

Weekend negotiations aimed at averting a port strike ended with no deal but the two sides are expected to meet again later this week.

Any strike by more than 450 ship and dock foremen at B.C. ports is expected to lead to another 5,000 port workers walking off the job, halting container and other cargo shipments by water and triggering a chain reaction of impacts and disruptions for other businesses.

The port foremen have been without a contract since March of 2007 and are represented by local 514 of the international Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).

Federally mediated talks ended at 2 a.m. Sunday morning with negotiators for the B.C. Maritime Employers' Association (BCMEA) promising a response to the union's latest proposal as early as Wednesday but no later than Friday.

Neither the union nor the employer has issued 72-hour strike or lockout notice yet, but either can now do so because a cooling-off period expired on Dec. 30.

http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081211/OTT_Opinion_081211/20081211/?hub=OttawaHome

Transit union, city battle to get their message out

Updated: Sat Dec. 13 2008 13:44:48

ctvottawa.ca

As motorists battle traffic gridlock in the capital, the transit union and the city are waging a war for public support.

"To me, the union leader needs to be changed. That is definitely not a professional guy. My 12-year-old daughter can answer better questions," said car salesman Stefan Polacek.

Others think the strike is designed to hurt the public: "I feel sorry for the bus drivers and I don't like the unions manipulating everybody because it's not worth it. Nobody wins in a strike," said commuter Dana Clark.

Public sentiment means Amalgamated Transit Union President André Cornellier has a hard pitch to sell in a public relations battle that's impacting commuters and hurting an already crumbling economy.

"Inconveniencing people, what's wrong with that?" Cornellier told CTV Ottawa on Wednesday.

Watch interviews from both sides of the dispute
While some might perceive his comments unnecessary, those who know Cornellier say he's just passionate about what he believes in.

http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1056604

Nathan VanderKlippe, Financial Post
Published: Wednesday, December 10, 2008
More On This Story

Pulp backlog clogs B.C. port
St. Lawrence Seaway, union deal averts strike
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Courtesty of PRINCE RUPERT PORT AUTHORITYPort of Prince Rupert Fairview terminal.
The movement of goods through Canada's West Coast ports could slam to a halt in the New Year if a festering labour dispute is not resolved soon.

Workers at British Columbia ports in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert will be in a position to strike beginning Jan. 2. Port officials say imports and exports of all commodities – save grain, whose shipments are protected by law – will immediately halt if that happens.

"Nothing could move," said one executive close to the talks. "It would affect the entire coast."

Negotiators for the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have spent the past 60 days working with a pair of conciliators. Those talks were expected to halt Tuesday night, which was set as a pre-established conciliation deadline, but will resume Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. in hopes the two sides can find some resolution.

http://www.nupge.ca//news_2008/n17no08b.htm
Unsafe private highway trucks endanger workers and public

BCGEU calls for immediate system-wide safety audit of all maintenance vehicles

Vancouver (17 Nov. 2008) - The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) is demanding disclosure of all incidents in the past year where vehicles operated by private highways maintenance contractors flunked safety checks carried out by the province's commercial vehicle safety and enforcement branch.

The union, which represents 2,000 highways maintenance workers across B.C., is reacting to reports that a private highways contractor was caught operating vehicles so unsafe that a number of trucks were ordered out of service.

A government spokesperson admitted that a dozen pieces of heavy equipment operated by private highway contractor VSA in the Merritt area failed safety inspections on at least two occasions. Four trucks used in snow removal were in such poor mechanical state that they were put off the road.

"These are serious violations in which the well-being of our members and the travelling public has been put at risk," say BCGEU president Darryl Walker.

"That's why we're calling (for disclosure) of all recent violations. We also want (the Campbell government in) Victoria to carry out an immediate system-wide safety audit so that the public and front-line highways maintenance workers can be reassured that highways maintenance vehicles are in safe working order," Walker says.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/oct2008/toro-o24.shtml

Canada: Toronto transit system avoids essential service designation
24 October 2008

Earlier this month the Executive Committee of the Toronto municipal government voted 8–1 against a motion asking the Government of Ontario to strip the city’s 9,000 transit workers of their right to strike and make the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) an “essential service.” The motion had been sponsored by four right-wing city councilors and had received support from several business organizations, as well as from numerous local and national newspapers and talk-radio hosts.
The demand to designate the TTC an essential service arose in the wake of last April’s 36-hour, weekend shutdown of the transit system by Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). The strike was precipitated by the memberships’ massive repudiation of a tentative contract settlement that had been recommended by both the majority of the union’s bargaining committee and Toronto Mayor David Miller and his allies on city council.
In the run-up to the strike, Liberal Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had made no secret of the fact that he would not only quickly draft punitive back-to-work legislation, but that he would favourably consider more permanent restrictions on transit workers’ right to strike. Said McGuinty, “If there was some kind of approach made within the course of the next three years by the City of Toronto…saying we have decided ourselves that it would be a good thing for us to have our public transit system essential, that is something that we, at Queen’s Park, would have to consider.”

http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080725.waircanada0725/BNStory/Business/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080725.waircanada0725

Globe and Mail July 25, 2008 at 4:19 PM EDT

Ottawa rejects Air Canada's request for layoffs

Ross Marowits

Montreal -- Federal Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn has rejected Air Canada [AC.A-T]'s request for a waiver that would have allowed the airline to lay off flight attendants Nov. 1 without first setting up a joint union-company committee to examine ways to ease the impact of the cuts.

"After carefully examining the application, I have decided that there are insufficient grounds to grant a waiver to Air Canada," Mr. Blackburn said in a statement Friday.

The minister has offered the airline and the union access to mediators and instructed department officials to monitor the situation to ensure that any affected Air Canada employees receive their entitlements under the Canada Labour Code.

Under the code, the airline must create a joint committee with employees to try to minimize the impact of the Montreal-based carrier's planned streamlining of about 2,000 jobs, including more than 600 flight attendants, from its 24,000-employee work force.

By Carl Bronski - 9 May 2008, wsws.org

Toronto’s Mayor David Miller has referred to the city’s Executive Committee a motion that would designate the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) an essential service. Such a designation would invite action by the provincial government to strip transit workers of the legal right to strike or to so restrict job action as to make it a token gesture.

The call to restrict the right to strike, put forth by two Toronto city councillors, follows closely on the heels of a day-and-a-half walkout by 9,000 transit workers organized in Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

That job action began on the night of Friday, April 25, after workers overwhelmingly rejected a tentative agreement recommended by a thin majority of the union’s executive committee. The strike was abruptly ended the following Sunday afternoon when Ontario Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty marshalled the unanimous support of the opposition Conservative and New Democratic parties to force the workers back into the subway and bus barns and impose binding arbitration in the contract dispute.