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Fraser Papers pensioners occupy Brookfield head office
TORONTO (January 27, 2010) - Forestry pensioners and their union leaders have today occupied the office of Brookfield Asset Management at 181 Bay St. in Toronto.. The group has a message for CEO, Bruce Flatt, and Board of Directors member Frank McKenna: Respect retired forestry workers and pay their pensions.

"We don't intend to leave these offices until Mr. Flatt and Mr. McKenna get our message," says Gaétan Ménard, Secretary-Treasurer of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. Mr. Ménard is with four retirees - two from the Edmunston mill in New Brunswick, and two from the Thurso mill in Québec. (More) (Photos)

CEP-AbitibiBowater negotiations temporarily adjourned
MONTREAL (January 22, 2010) -- Negotiations between the AbitibiBowater CEP caucus and the company have temporarily adjourned and will resume March 1.

The adjournment comes after five days of union deliberations over discussions with governments and the company concerning the company’s insolvent pension plan.

“We are frustrated and disappointed, but the company and its creditors are not ready to make an economic offer to resolve the pension issues and renew the collective agreements,” said CEP President Dave Coles. (More)

Hearing needed on CITY-TV cuts
Ottawa (January 22, 2010) – Canada’s largest media union is asking whether the silence from the CRTC about the latest shutdown of local news at CITY television stations is the result of Heritage Minister James Moore muzzling the CRTC.

"Despite Canadians' overwhelming demonstration in the past several months of the importance of local news to their daily lives, the CRTC and the Harper government have been alarmingly tight-lipped about this drastic cut in local coverage," says Peter Murdoch, Vice-President Media for CEP, Canada's largest media union. (More)

Respect retired forestry workers and pay their pensions:
GATINEAU, QC (January 15, 2010) – Pensioners who worked for Fraser Papers joined CEP Secretary-Treasurer Gaétan Ménard at the head office of Brookfield in Gatineau today to deliver that message to CEO, Bruce Flatt, and Board of Directors member Frank McKenna. They had intended to present this letter but were denied access to the building. Mr. Ménard and the pensioners instead delivered their message to several TV cameras and other assembled members of the mainstream media. (Link to letters, video footage, photos and to send a message)

“As the controlling shareholder of Fraser Papers, with $649 million in profits last year, Brookfield Asset Management is planning to purchase Fraser Papers,” said Mr. Ménard. “But, it is using the bankruptcy process to get out of its pension obligations.” (More)

Humanity Fund help for Haiti
OTTAWA (January 15, 2010) - CEP’s Humanity Fund has contributed $25,000 to Oxfam Quebec to assist with emergency aid, following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, and it will look at making a further contribution toward the country’s re-construction. (More)

Fraser Papers/Brookfield scheme to shirk pension obligations
OTTAWA (January 13, 2010) -- Canada’s largest forestry union says Fraser Papers restructuring plan is a deceptive scheme to get out of its financial obligations to pensioners.

Dave Coles, President of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada says “Fraser is using the bankruptcy process to take pensioners money to pay off investors and then continue to operate profitably under a new name.”

“It is quite clear that the restructuring of Fraser Papers is in fact an inside job whereby Brookfield Asset Management – the controlling shareholder -- is selling part of the company to itself and divesting itself of its pension obligations for all pensioners and employees, as well as severance and other obligations to workers at the Thurso, Quebec mill.” (More) - (Backgrounder)

Greed, not newspapers, caused CCAA
OTTAWA (January 8, 2010) - The Canwest decision to put its chain of newspapers into bankruptcy protection is a sad but clear affirmation that concentration of media ownership wasn't good for consumers, employees and investors, says Canada's largest media union.

"It is important to note these papers are profitable, but they were encumbered by the enormous debt of too ambitious ownership," says Peter Murdoch, CEP’s Vice President Media. "It is our hope that whomever are the new owners, they will not handcuff themselves by a debt load in the process." (More)

International solidarity for Mexican workers
MEXICO CITY (January 8, 2010) -- CEP President Dave Coles at a news conference today denounces the repression of labour rights in Mexico including the government's action to abolish SME Mexican Electrical Workers and fire 40000 workers, and the four-year persecution of the country's largest independent union, Los Mineros. President Coles and Ken Neumann, USW Canadian National Director,are in Mexico this week for the ICEM's North Amercian conference. (Photos) (Rabble story)

CEP calls for probe into Hollinger transactions
Ottawa (January 6, 2010) -- Canada’s largest media union is demanding an investigation into what appear to be certain questionable financial dealings revealed by Hollinger Canadian Publishing Holdings Co (HCPHC) in its recent filing under Canada’s bankruptcy protection legislation, CCAA.

“This company appears to have given away tens of millions of dollars,” says Peter Murdoch, vice-president media for the CEP. “Hollinger paid out $43 million to its shareholders at a time when it should have been apparent that this would have an adverse impact on the rights and entitlements of retirees.” (More)

Solidarity with locked-out Cadillac-Fairview workers
TORONTO (December 10, 2009) -- From left to right, CEP Ontario Region Administrative Vice-President Kim Ginter, National President Dave Coles, Ontario Administrative Vice-President Barb Dolan and Assistant to the President, Fred Wilson marched with locked out Cadillac Fairview workers on the picket line at the TD Centre in Toronto, Dec. 10. (Video 1) (Video 2)

"Shop Fair" campaign gets underway
Cadillac Fairview, which made nearly a billion in profits last year, locked out the members of CEP Local 2003 last June, and then fired by them. In mid-December the picketers were ordered to remove their tent shelter from the front of the TD Centre. So they will now be leafleting inside shopping malls owned by Cadillac Fairview, urging shoppers to go elsewhere to spend their hard-earned money. For more information, visite the campaign site: http://www.cadillacunfairview.com/

Pensioners send message to Whitehorse meeting
OTTAWA (December 16, 2009) – Finance ministers meeting tomorrow in Whitehorse on pensions are being urged to deal with the plight of tens of thousands of pensioners who will see significant benefit cuts as their employers face bankruptcy.

The union representing forestry workers and the Nortel pensioners association – two organizations that speak for those pensioners -- have today sent a letter to the finance ministers asking them to “make sure we don’t abandon pensioners and other workers, who through no fault of their own, face major cuts to their retirement and replacement incomes because their employers took refuge in the bankruptcy courts.” (More)
(Click here to read the letter)

Globalive decision “an illegal affront to democracy”
OTTAWA (December 14, 2009) -- Canada’s largest telecom and media union has condemned the Conservative government’s decision to abandon Canada foreign ownership restrictions on telecom companies as “a sellout of Canadian interests” and “an illegal affront to Canadian democracy.”

“This decision is a sellout of Canadian national interests and a betrayal of Canadian culture,” said CEP President Dave Coles today in response to the government's decision to overturn the CRTC rulings on Egyptian-owned Globalive. (More)

Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
OTTAWA (December 8, 2009) -- CEP recognizes that December 10th, is the signing Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Adopted by the member states of the United Nations in 1948, the UDHR consists of 30 articles, which set out human rights fundamental to the dignity and development of every human being. (More)

N.B. forest workers rally at legislature
photo: St. John's Telegraph Journal (Click on photo to see more images)
FREDERICTON, N.B. (December 9, 2009) -- Forest workers and pensioners gathered in front of the N.B. legislative assembly in Fredericton on Tuesday, December 8, at 1:00 p.m. to demand government support for a pension trust fund that would protect the pensions of Fraser Papers’ retirees and others whose employers have filed for bankruptcy protection.

New Brunswick government officials were receptive to the trust fund proposal when they met with CEP leaders, Nov. 17, but the government has so far refused to take any action. (More)

Union dragged through bogus process to find out who gave undercover police orders at Montebello
OTTAWA (December 3, 2009 ) -- As Canada prepares to host the G20 summit next spring, the president of one of Canada’s largest unions is committed to ensuring that protestors won’t be baited by undercover police, as they were at the North American Leaders Summit in Montebello, Qc. (More)