January 10, 2020 - Please share this message to anyone you know with Telus home or business services in BC.
Unionized Ledcor (LTS) Employees in BC, unionized with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 213, have been on strike since October 1st 2019. USW Local 1944 wholeheartedly supports IBEW 213 strikers as they try to gain a respectful first Collective Agreement. The better working conditions they can secure, the harder USW Local 1944 can bargain for our own improvements without the company being able to contract work out for cost savings.
The History:
In 2005, after a 5-month lockout of TWU (now USW 1944) members, Telus gained the ability to contract out an unprecedented amount of their work. Ledcor jumped at the opportunity to bid on the first contract.
However, training, pay and working conditions deteriorated quickly. Massive pay cuts ensued; training standards rapidly fell. Ledcor’s Executive message was very clear: they intended to treat their high-skilled employees as low-skilled ones to maximize profits.
When Management consistently refused to listen to their concerns, their Employees determined that collectively, they would fight for change. In 2017, they were granted automatic certification with the IBEW Local 213.
In what appeared to be an attempt to break their solidarity, a great number of experienced employees were fired en masse and replaced with inexperienced Sub-Contractors. Not only are the majority of them poorly trained, they are paid on a “piece-rate/per job” system and required to rush in order to make adequate income, with the end result that (according to IBEW 213):
- property damage has become a norm.
- hydro, gas, and water lines have been drilled through frequently.
- shoddy workmanship has resulted in an abundance of inferior Installations and Repairs.
Quality work on BCs telecom network cannot be thrown together in a rush of improvised patchwork, by under-trained and inexperienced sub-contractors (contractors of a contractor). As Local 1944 techs know well, one poorly performed job can result in job after job after job to make it right, with customers bearing the hardship. Why should Ledcor be able to make Telus customers pay for their financial greed?
According to IBEW 213, Ledcor has refused to bargain in good faith for the last two years. Recently, Ledcor executed an en masse termination of 31 Employees, apparently an attempt to ‘bust’ the Union and intimidate (experienced) Union members who are fighting for protections that include: certified training to provide quality service, fair compensation, contracting-out language and job security. The current legal strike is really the only option left for members of IBEW 213.
How can you help:
If you have a Telus residential or business phone, internet, TV (fibre-optic or copper) or alarm in BC, please DEMAND that any services you require are performed by Telus Technicians unionized with USW Local 1944 throughout this dispute. Ensure that they are the only ones who enter your home. Their training helps to ensure that the Installation or Repair is done properly and safely.
How do you know if they are members of USW Local 1944? They can be identified by a “T” in front of the Telus ID number and their vehicle will NOT say “authorized Telus provider.”
As well, any Ledcor technician working on Telus equipment in BC at this time is very likely a SCAB. Some of their vehicles still have the Ledcor logo, but others have had the logo removed and look like the pictures below. Please report these scabs (including location) by sending a text to Robin Nedila at 604-786-0304. (For Telus employees: Please do so only on your own time (off-shift or on break), not while driving, and if using your company mobile phone make it quick).
Thanks for your support,
In Solidarity,
USW Local 1944
