Weekly Update: November 24-30

New Executive Board Member - Isabelle Chayer, Secretary of Unit 250 (ADTbyTelus in Calgary) has been appointed to fill a short-term Trustee vacancy on the Executive Board. Trustees periodically audit Local books and make financial recommendations to the Board. Isabelle was one of the original organizers among ADTbyTelus employees, helping bring them into Local 1944, and has since held a variety of positions, including being a member of our Local 1944 Women of Steel Committee. Congrats Isabelle!

CapTec Americas workers join 1944 - Last week we received notice from the Ontario Labour Relations Board that Local 1944 is now certified as the official Union for workers at CapTec Americas. These workers construct custom advanced computer systems in Cambridge ON. I met with them recently and I can tell you they are very happy to be with us, and I’m looking forward to us bargaining a great first agreement with them. This was an in-house organizing effort by Local 1944, the latest in a string of workers joining Local 1944.

Just Cause - You may have heard of the term “just cause” regarding discipline, which is a legal standard of fairness for discipline. All of our Collective Agreements state that once you’ve completed your probation, management must have “just cause” to discipline or terminate you. It can be a nuanced concept, and the Union and company may argue at arbitration about its interpretation, but the important thing for you to know is there is a standard of fairness that is legally enforceable. If you’re not at fault, you should not be disciplined, and even if you are at fault, discipline should not be excessive and disproportionate to the offence.

In Solidarity,

Michael Phillips

President

USW Local 1944