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Taxi Drivers Hit Hard by Saskatchewan Government Days Before Busy Christmas Season SASKATOON, Dec. 7, 2018 - With less than 10 days' notice, Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) will be unleashed across the province. The United Steelworkers (USW) Taxi Council is deeply disappointed in the decisions made by the government, SGI, and municipalities to attack the current livelihood of taxi workers. It is also concerning that this move is being championed to reduce drinking and driving over the holidays, while there is no evidence that this is the case. "We have been fighting for safe working conditions for our taxi drivers for over four years. What the province has announced today will put both workers and the public at risk," says Stephen Hunt, USW Western Canada Director. "Too many of our members experience physical and verbal abuse every day, and with the allowance of Class 5 licence holders to drive TNCs, we will see an increase in the number of people with physical and psychological injuries," Hunt says. "Allowing Class 5 licence holders to be de facto taxi drivers with such companies as Uber is totally unfair to current taxi drivers who are held to a higher standard at Class 4," says Malik Umar Draz, President of USW Local 2014 and Chair of the USW Taxi Council. "We have been advocating for regulations that will protect drivers and the public. Unfortunately decisions like this put everyone at risk." It will now be in the hands of the municipalities to do the regulatory heavy lifting, the USW says. "We were hoping for stronger regulations at the provincial level," says Darrin Kruger, USW Staff Representative. "The province is shirking its responsibility and further de-regulating the transportation industry. This is not a good day for Saskatchewan and this announcement will only lead to an increase in precarious and low-paying jobs in our province." The move is contradictory to other changes earlier in the week where the provincial government raised standards for commercial truck drivers. There doesn't seem to be any predictability to the decisions made by this government, only that it is inconsistent and its motivations are unclear. The USW Taxi Council represents over 600 drivers in the province. They will continue to fight for better working conditions and health and safety standards for taxi workers. — Dec 7
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USW Cares: Giving Back to Those Who Built Our Community USW Local 6185 is an amalgamated local that represents members from both the Town of Labrador City as well as the Town of Wabush’s municipal governments in Labrador, Canada. Our members have proudly worked for the residents in our area for 45 years. We thrive to provide services and a well-balanced lifestyle for the citizens of Labrador West. This year, in the spirit of Christmas, we wanted to give back to the many seniors who have contributed to and built up our community over the years. Without them we would not be where we are today. To show our appreciation, we asked people to like our Facebook page and submit names of seniors 65 years and older. Every week we draw names for a free home-cooked meal with dessert, delivered to their door by one of our members. We love seeing the smiles on their faces! In fact, we love it so much, we decided to also host a Christmas dinner for all those away from their families for the holidays. We feel that small, kind gestures are often the biggest in our hearts. This holiday giving has not only brought smiles to faces of our seniors receiving meals, but it has brought our community together. We have been receiving donations from residents in both towns, and because of this generosity, we are able to provide even more meals each week. We started out with four meals per week and are happy to say that next week we will be up to at least 15. Cheers to 45 years of supporting our communities❤️ and being able to give back. — Nov 28
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[email protected] Fall 2018 In this issue:
- Powered Up - Marty's Message
- New Mentorship Program Looking for Participants
- Emergency Response Team - Expanded
- Bargaining Successes
- Steelworkers on Parliament Hill re Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
- Report from the District 6 Conference
- Getting Political for Workers' Rights
- From Steelworkers to Legislators: Jamie West and Guy Bourgouin
- After 4 Years, Family Wants Inquest Recommendations Implemented
- Women Join the Call to Action - Report from the USW National/International Women's Conference
- Woman of Steel Terri Nugent Honoured with Agnes Macphail Award
- Mayson Fulk – OFL Solidarity & Pride Champion
- Randy St. Croix – Silkwood Award Honoree
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Diversity Council Ups Union Involvement What used to be an all-white, mostly male, local workforce in Weyburn, Sask., is diversifying. Among the 120 members of USW Local 6717, working at electrical cable maker Nexans, 36 are visible minorities and six are women. They hail from Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India, Vietnam, China, Philippines, Poland, Romania; and in management, Mauritius, Germany and Bangladesh. Recognizing that “the world is changing everywhere,” Local 6717 developed a human rights training course and established a Diversity Council to help “find a way to ease the transition into something new,” says President Brad Thompson. Former Local 6717 member Harpreet Singh was one of the original Diversity Council members. Employees from non-white backgrounds perceived the work culture to be rigid and non-welcoming, Harpreet recalls. Issues and divisions were percolating. The Diversity Council was keen to deal with this proactively. Working with the USW Regina office, council members got training and learned about human rights laws. The council put up a world map in the workplace with pins marking the countries of origin of all workers in the plant. “The map helped people from different ethnic groups see themselves represented,” says Harpreet. The Diversity Council hosted meetings on topics from anti-harassment to world religions, gender diversity, mental health and more. Now well-established, the council hosts four meetings a year – on work time – with union members and management welcome. Council Advocacy The Diversity Council also took action for workers left in limbo when immigration rules changed without warning. Workers were on a path to citizenship when quotas were changed in their category and they became Temporary Foreign Workers with few rights. The Diversity Council put pressure on company management and the provincial government and succeeded in grandfathering the workers so they could continue on their path to citizenship. Power of the Personal The Diversity Council is never short on topical issues for its meetings. During the Syrian refugee crisis, the council held a meeting on the refugee experience and invited a member who was a Romanian refugee from the 1980s. “He barely escaped with his life under [Romanian dictator Nicolae] Ceausescu. He’s been my friend and neighbour for 20 years, but I didn’t know the ordeal that he went through to get to Canada,” says Brad. “He made an impassioned plea for people to be more supportive of Syrian refugees because unless you’ve lived through something like that, you have no idea what it’s like.” Get Involved A machine operator at Nexans for 12 years, Kendall Hibbard has been on the union executive for eight years, currently as a Trustee, Shop Steward and a Diversity Council and Women’s Committee member. “My dad worked at Nexans for 40 years. He said, ‘You get in that union – and you get involved’.” As a woman, even with her dad working there, sometimes people would say things to her, and she would cower and push back. “I’ve taken courses through the union and I know what my rights are. I stand up for myself now.” Kendall remembers a Diversity Council meeting that explored religions in India – Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. “It’s really neat to know! We’re all so naïve if we stereotype and think that people are the same – they’re not.” Diversity Beyond the Council Beyond the Diversity Council, the local is encouraging workers from different backgrounds to become involved in the union. Fred Waroma has worked on the extrusion line for seven years, putting jackets on medium-voltage cables. Serving on the Health and Safety Committee makes Fred feel more connected to the union. “I always like to volunteer. Back in Kenya I was involved in humanitarian activities. I find a way to do it through the union here, too. It’s another avenue to do things around the community, to help people.” Joseph Intia, one of several workers from the Philippines, was encouraged to get involved in the union and after attending several meetings, he ran to be a Guard – and nominated another Filipino member. “Somehow, I became an example to my brothers,” Joseph says. “‘Come and attend the union meetings,’ I encourage them. It’s a place where we can be informed.” Respect The Diversity Council’s work has branched out: opening a dialogue in the workplace around mental health and addictions issues. “We have a responsibility to look after our membership and make sure we’re treating everybody equally with the same dignity and respect, and that looks different, depending on the challenges that people go through,” Brad says. Brad’s advice to USW locals considering a diversity program: “Do it!” This article appears in the November 2018 edition of [email protected] — Nov 21
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What Rachel Notley has done for Steelworkers? Since USW member Rachel Notley became Premier of Alberta in May 2015, there has been tremendous positive change for all working people. Premier Notley has never forgotten who she is working for. After decades of right-wing, anti-worker governments, Alberta is making progress with a government that is on our side. So what exactly have Premier Notley and the NDP done for Steelworkers? Standing Up for Pipelines USW members in Western Canada make the highest-quality steel pipe in the world, to the highest environmental standards – manufactured with a lower carbon footprint than imported products. Rachel Notley has stood up to attacks on the Trans Mountain pipeline, standing with workers and calling on the federal government to ensure pipeline projects get built. She toured Tenaris Prudential Steel in Calgary in support of USW Local 7226 members and she supports our members at Evraz, too. Updating Employment Standards After decades of Conservative Party attacks on workers, Rachel Notley’s government made major improvements to Alberta’s Employment Standards Code, which had not been updated since 1988.
- New leaves after 90 days of employment to support workers in unstable jobs.
- Job protection extended to 27 weeks for workers needing leave to care for a loved one.
- Parental leave extended to 62 weeks.
- Workers are entitled to one 30-minute or two 15-minute breaks for every five hours worked. Previously there were no breaks under Alberta law.
- People with disabilities are no longer treated as second-class workers; they are entitled to the same minimum wage as other workers.
- Restoring a balance of representation at the board.
- No earnings maximum for WCB benefits.
- More autonomy for injured workers to choose medical providers.
- When in doubt, claims are approved in favour of the worker, rather than rejected.
- Amending the definition of ‘employee’ to allow contractors to unionize and bargain collectively.
- Union certification if over 65% of employees sign cards. Employers won’t be given the chance to threaten their employees.
- Facilitating a union’s ability to communicate with workers in remote or inaccessible locations.