British Columbia

July 1944@Work: Executive Board meeting, thank you to departing Regional Executive Officer Alberta David Skrober, Interview with Local Union Representative Tamara Marshall, and more

July 30, 2020 - Check out the July 2020 issue of your magazine.

As the Executive Board met by Zoom videoconference in mid-July, members addressed their thanks to long-time activist and departing Regional Executive Officer Alberta David Skrober for his invaluable commitment to the Local Union.

The Women of Steel Committee releases a series of four Special Publications

July 28, 2020 - Members of the Women of Steel Committee have been working on a series of four Special Publications addressing common mental health issues, including burnout. They will be releasing one publication each month. All four publications are inter-linked and ready now if you wish to read ahead for further information.

Reminder: Only a few days left to send in your application for the USW Local 1944 Scholarships 2020

July 22, 2020 - Members’ children have only a few days left to submit their application and seize the financial opportunity of a USW Local 1944 scholarship for their post-secondary education! Application deadline for the USW Local 1944 Scholarships: August 1, 2020

Acting President’s message: Change to the composition of the Executive Board – July 16, 2020

July 16, 2020 - I’d like to advise all Local members that David Skrober has resigned, effective today, from his position of Regional Executive Officer Alberta on the Local 1944 Executive Board. The Board thanks Brother Skrober for his dedicated and principled contributions since being installed to the office in January 2019.

Local Union Representative’s first arbitration ends in big win for member

July 9, 2020 - The Local Union received a favourable arbitration award on June 29, 2020, reinstating a terminated member, in a case led by one of our Local Union Representatives, Tamara Marshall. The Local’s past practice has been that lawyers represented union members at arbitrations, but Local 1944’s Local Union Representatives have now been trained so that they can represent our members instead.

Telus takes down Union’s “Thank you to Telecom Workers” poster

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. 

Shaw downsizing update

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: 

June 1944@Work: Acting President’s statement on systemic racism, Benevolent Society annual general meeting, Wearing a mask during periods of heat stress, and more

June 30, 2020 - Check out the June 2020 issue of your magazine.

An Update on the Concierge Grievance Settlement Proceedings

June 26, 2020 - A November 27, 2019 hotline communicated the Union’s intent to seek a ruling from the Arbitrator over the Company’s proposed compensation to our members, stemming from the Arbitrator deciding the Concierge grievance in our favour.

Victory for LGBTQ+ workers’ rights

June 16, 2020 - On Monday, June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that their 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ+ employees from being discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status. FINALLY!

In Canada, these rights have been recognized for the last TWENTY-TWO years. In 1998, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Vriend V Alberta that irrespective of sexual identity, or expression, employers could not discriminate.