British Columbia

Wildfires in BC cause state of emergency and Air Quality Advisories

August 16, 2018 - The USW Local 1944 Health and Safety Committee would like to alert members to the potential dangers of airborne particulate being caused by forest fires.

The Canada Labour Code defines “danger” as “any hazard, condition or activity that could reasonably be expected to be an imminent or serious threat to the life or health of a person exposed to it before the hazard or condition can be corrected or the activity altered.”

The Provinces of BC and Alberta have issued Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) Advisories as a result of the forest fires burning in BC and the North West United States.

2018 District 3 Conference - Vice-Chairs

August 13, 2018 - The USW will be holding its 2018 District 3 Conference on the theme "Our Unity. Our Strength". It will be held in Kamloops, BC, at the Coast Kamloops Hotel & Conference Centre, from October 30 to November 1, 2018.

The conference will include workshops (please see list below), speakers and lots of discussion on the issues important to Steelworkers across the District.
 
USW Local 1944 will be selecting an additional 3 Unit Vice-Chairs to attend the District 3 Conference.

Shaw Vancouver and Surrey tentative agreements have been ratified

August 10, 2018 - Yesterday, Thursday, August 9, 2018, Unit 60 members from the Vancouver/Richmond and Surrey/Langley certifications attended a ratification meeting in Burnaby, BC.

Results of the ratification vote for the proposed USW Local 1944-Shaw Vancouver and Surrey Collective Agreements have been tabulated and the agreements have been ratified. They will be signed by the Local Union and the Company and will be effective, upon signing, from March 24, 2018 to March 23, 2023.

Unit 60 members were asked to vote “Yes” or “No” to the question “Are you in favour of ratifying the tentative Collective Agreement reached on July 25, 2018?”

Summer 2018 edition of the Transmitter available online

August 9, 2018 - USW Local 1944 is proud to release the Summer 2018 edition of The Transmitter online. The publication can be found at: Transmitter - Summer 2018.

In this issue, you will find the following highlights:

  • Women’s Marches
  • Women of Steel spread hope in Surrey
  • Unit 60 Shaw Bargaining Update
  • Winter coat and sleeping bag drive in Kamloops
  • Giving back in Nelson
  • Coming together in Toronto
  • District 3 Alberta government lobby
  • AFL Brunch in Edmonton
  • Celebrating Pink Shirt Day
  • Remembering Brenda Forward
  • CBTU Convention

USW Local 1944 Annual Scholarships Application Deadline is extended until August 7

August 3, 2018 - Good news for our members who have children graduating from Grade 12: the application deadline for USW Local 1944's Annual Scholarships has been extended to Tuesday, August 7, 2018.

There are three scholarships of $750 and four scholarships of $1,000. These scholarships are open to all members' children attending any post-secondary institution.

2018 Vancouver Pride Parade

August 1, 2018 - The 40th Vancouver Pride Parade is this Sunday, August 5, 2018! For our members interested in participating, Local 1944 will meet you at the Multi-Union Pride section, on the NW corner of Robson and Thurlow streets, by 1:15 pm.

Multi-Union Pride is a committee of labour activists organizing in our communities and workplaces on issues involving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirited and queer community.

The Pride Parade is a chance to recognize how far we have come and reflect on where we need to go from here to achieve equality for the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Tentative agreement between Unit 60 and Shaw

July 26, 2018 - USW Local 1944 is pleased to inform our members that after six months of negotiations, and a marathon 32-consecutive hour bargaining session, a tentative agreement was reached between Unit 60 Vancouver and Surrey certifications and Shaw Cable on Wednesday, July 25, 2018.

Full details of the tentative collective agreement will be sent to members of Unit 60 along with details of the upcoming ratification meetings.

NDP Leadership Race 2017

July 26, 2017 - USW Local 1944 is excited for the upcoming NDP leadership race.

Unit 60 Shaw Bargaining Update #13: Tentative agreement reached with Shaw Cablesystems

July 25, 2018 - The Unit 60 Shaw Bargaining Committee would like to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement with Shaw Cablesystems on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Further details will be communicated shortly.

"We want to thank the members of Unit 60 for the support that you have given the bargaining committee throughout this process. We couldn't have made it to this point without your solidarity," stated Lee Riggs, Chief Negotiator.

An Introduction to the Administrators - July 18, 2018

July 18, 2018 - As USW Local 1944 is now under administration, here is brief introduction to the administration team: