Members and Retirees of Local 5328

A message from Daren Green ( President of Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council )

 Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 We are once again preparing for the start of the school year and we recognize that the need this year is even stronger than in the past because of the COVID pandemic and the loss of jobs in our area. For many families juggling rent, food and utilities alone is putting them in jeopardy. For many children the backpacks will be the only thing new they have on that first day back to school.

 Some of the facts:

-The unemployment rate in Hamilton as of June has grown to 10.6%.

-The City of Hamilton’s poverty rate was 15% of all residents, using the after-tax Low Income Measure poverty line and taxfiler data. Hamilton’s poverty rate to 20.5% among children.

-Poverty rates vary substantially among Hamilton’s former municipalities, but there are at least some individuals, families, children and seniors living in poverty in all parts of the city.

-Poverty is strongly linked to negative health outcomes and lower levels of life satisfaction.

-The strong influence income has on all income groups strengthens the need for improved income    redistribution policies to improve health and quality of life for all residents.

 For the Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council “community matters” and getting behind this campaign, is but one way we show it. While we have lost our major sponsor due to business condition we are determined along with all supporting partners to raise $36,000.00 this year so that we can offer 1,272 filled Back Packs to those who need them and we need your help in doing this.

 We are asking for Locals to dig deep in making a donation, you could also do a plant gate collection and you could sell raffle tickets in your workplace. We are asking you to get your employer involved by asking them to be a sponsor and if they are already, ask them if they can contribute a little bit more.

 You should understand that by donating you are indeed doing the work of the union. For many Steelworkers, lending a helping hand is part of being a member of our union. Outside of work, our members are known for their quiet generosity in their neighbourhoods. This isn’t about bragging for recognition, but to show how we are a union that works in our communities.

We’d like to thank you for your consideration and your past help. Cheques can be made out to Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council with the note: Operation Back Pack donation.

In solidarity,

Darren Dreen 
President
...

Members and Retirees of Local 5328

Good evening all. 

 The schedule for the two weeks of shutdown and the week returning after shutdown, week of July 19 are out. The July 19 schedule  may change as there may be people coming back from sick leave. There are a few layoffs upon the return. 

 As most may know, the company did qualify for CEWS for period 4. That payment should have been made last Thursday and will now be paid on the next pay day, July 9. I have demanded a separate deposit and pay statement but I will guess that won’t happen!! 

 Pays are a mess again and the Union has filed a policy grievance and we will not settle for anything less than what the law or an arbitrator states!! Enough is enough!  

 The grievances filed the last year in regards to 5.11/5.12, the right to refuse alternate work when your job is not available, has gone to long. I have instructed our staff rep to proceed with arbitration. 

 Here we are at shutdown with Canada day attached!! Please enjoy the much needed time off with your family! 

 Be safe, be well!! 

 In solidarity, 

Anthony Ciaramella 
President
USW Local 5328

Regular union business

Regular union business

Le 2 juillet 2020 - Vendredi, le syndicat a été informé par Telus qu’un membre avait osé épingler sur une porte du bureau central en Alberta une affiche de la Section locale sur laquelle on pouvait lire : « Merci à tous les travailleurs (ses) en télécommunications qui permettent aux Canadiens (nes) de travailler de la maison ». La direction a retiré l’affiche car celle-ci n’avait pas été épinglée sur un tableau syndical.

Cette affiche a été récemment envoyée à tous les membres, le PDF est téléchargeable ici (n’hésitez pas à l’imprimer).

Le membre qui a épinglé cette affiche l’a probablement fait en supposant que Telus n’y verrait pas d’objection, puisqu’elle reflète le discours habituel de la direction selon lequel ses travailleuses et travailleurs sont indispensables pour garder le Canada connecté et permettre au pays de continuer de fonctionner normalement pendant la crise de la COVID-19, et que tous les efforts des travailleurs sont appréciés, en particulier ceux qui ne sont pas en mesure de travailler de la maison.

Le membre a vraisemblablement épinglé l’affiche pour se rappeler à lui-même ainsi qu’à ses collègues que leur travail a de la valeur et que leurs sacrifices sont utiles, ce que l’on a tendance à oublier lorsque l’on travaille dans un environnement où l’employeur considère que les statistiques sont plus importantes que les individus. 

Cependant, la direction a choisi de considérer cette affiche dans le contexte « Entreprise contre Syndicat », affirmant que c’était du « matériel syndical » qui devait rester confiné au coin de bureau où se trouve le tableau syndical. En vertu de la convention collective, la direction peut peut-être retirer une affiche syndicale épinglée sur une porte, mais elle n’était pas obligée de le faire. Elle aurait pu laisser l’affiche épinglée, car celle-ci était un signe d’appréciation de nos membres les uns envers les autres. Le respect et l’équité aurait dû dicter à l’entreprise de ne pas retirer cette affiche, qu’elle en ait le droit ou non. Simplement pour éviter que ses employés ne voient le logo du syndicat sur une affiche qui reflète par ailleurs son propre discours, l’entreprise a montré ses vraies couleurs. Ne vous laissez pas berner !

Bien que les membres ne puissent peut-être pas épingler ces affiches sur la porte d’un bureau, vous avez le droit de les épingler dans de nombreux autres endroits, notamment :

• Dans votre camion d’entreprise
• À votre bureau si vous travaillez toujours dans les locaux de l’entreprise
• Partout où vous êtes autorisé à afficher...

July 2, 2020 - On Friday, the Union was notified by Telus that a member had dared to post the Local’s poster that reads, “Thanks to all Telecom Workers that allow Canadians to work from home” on a door within a Central Office in Alberta, and that management had taken the poster down as it wasn’t on a Union Board. 

This poster was recently mailed to all members, the PDF is here (feel free to print).

Whoever posted this poster very likely did so under the assumption that of course Telus would not take issue with it as it reflects the sentiment that management continually claims to believe, that their workers are vital to Canada’s effort to stay connected and functioning during the COVID-19 crisis, and that all workers’ efforts are appreciated, especially those who are not able to do their job at home.

The member likely posted the poster to remind themselves and their coworkers that they are of value and that their sacrifices are worth something, which is sometimes easy to forget in a corporate environment where it can feel like the employer thinks your stats are more important than you are.

However, management chose to view this poster with the lens of “Company vs Union”, saying that it was simply “Union materials” to be confined to whatever corner of the office they had placed the Union Board. They may legally have the ability under the Collective Agreement to remove a poster produced by the Union from a door, but they didn’t have to. They could have let our members appreciate one another visibly by keeping the poster up. Respect and fairness means not doing everything you can get away with. To gain the benefit of not having their employees see the Union logo on a sign that otherwise states what they say they believe in, the company has shown their true colours. Don’t be fooled!

While members may not be entitled to place these posters on an office door, you have the right to put them in many other places, including:

• In your company truck
• At your desk if you still work out of an office
• Anywhere you are presently allowed to post personal items

As well, the Local is now inspired to launch a contest to find who can display this poster in the most creative and effective way, and the prizes will be $500 Visa gift cards! However, members must respect the company’s desire not to be associated with a poster that describes how valuable your work is if it has a Union logo on it. We’ll send out a hotline soon to announce the start of the contest, and...

ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL UPDATE: The contract for the St. Luke's Hospital workers was set to expire, but the company and the union have agreed to extend it for one month until July 31st. The extension is because of the pandemic. We'll keep you posted about any further changes.

June 30, 2020 - Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Grievances have now been filed under all three of our Collective Agreements with Shaw in regards to Shaw’s recent layoffs, and the first level meetings have each been held. The company has so far denied all grievances.

We have grieved this downsizing initiative on several fronts: 

• Automation – We believe that these layoffs do not fall within the scope of the Automation language of the Collective Agreement, as claimed by Shaw;
• Layoffs Out of Seniority – Any layoffs must be done in adherence to the lay-off provisions in the collective agreement with respect to seniority
• Foremen demotion/reclassification – The forced demotion of your foremen brothers was completely unnecessary
• Use of contractors during layoff – Where there is work to be done after a layoff, Shaw must adhere to the collective agreement and give it to our workers rather than contractors.

Our proposed resolve is quite clear – adhere to the bargained collective agreement and return our workers to their jobs! 

As you know, the grievance process is the mechanism outlined in the labour code to resolve disputes between rounds of bargaining. It has been able to achieve several positive resolves for our unit. Unfortunately, it can be a very lengthy process. Case in point, “The 54” hearing finally wrapped up this February and we are awaiting the decision of the arbitrator.

As a refresher, here’s a quick run down of our grievance procedure: 

• Step 1: The grievance is presented to the company at the shop steward level with local management. If no resolve is reached, the Union may proceed to step 2. This step usually takes a bit more than a month;
• Step 2: The grievance is presented by a Local Union Representative, and at least one member of the unit executive, to Labour Relations and local management. Further discussion of the articles we allege are being infringed upon takes place in an attempt to reach a suitable resolution. Depending on the sincerity of the discussions between the parties in attempting to reach a resolve, this step may take a bit more than a month;
• Step 3: The Union has a national Grievance Committee that reviews all files and acts as a support structure to the Local Union Representative, helping to identify strengths and holes in a case prior to approving the file to be submitted to arbitration. If the file is approved to proceed, the Union notifies the company of its intent to proceed to arbitration. This is the step that takes the longest. Depending on the reason for arbitration, and which certification the grievance...