November 8, 2017 - Today, November 8th, is the one year anniversary of the Shaw reorganization that resulted in 54 of our members being laid off.

One year ago, Shaw Cable terminated the employment of nearly 200 Field Technicians, among which were 54 of our members in Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey and Langley.

Our position remains that the way Shaw conducted this reorganization violated the collective agreement and our members' seniority rights. We know that attacking 73 unionized positions was a deliberate and strategic choice from Shaw.

Shaw has the right to restructure -- but you have to ask why a company like Shaw that is extremely profitable, would make the decision to reduce their workforce?

Restructure or not, Shaw has an obligation to respect the collective agreement that was signed by both parties, in which it explicitly prohibits layoffs out of seniority.

The arbitration is scheduled for February 2018. We thank all our members who are affected for their patience and solidarity.

"This action from Shaw is the reason why we need strong collective agreements that protect our members from unfair contract terminations," said Lee Riggs, National President of USW Local 1944. "We remain committed to fighting Shaw's attack on our members through the arbitration process."

We will continue to communicate with our members as developments occur.

In Solidarity,

United Steelworkers Local 1944