| |
Employers’ union-bashing tactics lead to automatic certification
TORONTO (March 12, 2010) -- The Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) issued an important and far-reaching decision that may fundamentally change the approach employers in Ontario take to future union organizing drives.
In its March 3rd decision, the OLRB ordered automatic certification of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada after finding that the employer, Boehmer Box LP of Kitchener, threatened its employees during a CEP organizing drive, in May 2008, by directly and indirectly linking unionization with risks of plant closure and job loss. (More) (Decision)
UN Status of Women Conference
(February 22, 2010) - With the 54th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women Conference in full swing, the Canadian government has proven itself once again an embarrassment on the international level. (More)
Fraser Papers’ Edmundston workers ratify pension deal
EDMUNDSTON, NB (March 8, 2010) -- CEP members at Fraser Papers’ Edmundston mill have voted 69.3% to ratify an agreement to change the pension plan and complete the conditions required for the company to restructure and emerge from bankruptcy protection.
"This was a very difficult decision for our members but it was the least of two evils," said CEP Atlantic Vice-President Ervan Cronk, following ratification meetings held over the weekend. (More)
Tentative agreement with AbitibiBowater
MONTRÉAL (March 7, 2010) -- After arduous negotiations, CEP has agreed to a tentative agreement with AbitibiBowater to renew the collective agreement. This deal fulfills an essential condition towards the emergence of the company from the current restructuring process.
"We have the best possible agreement, given the precarious financial condition of the company", says CEP President Dave Coles. "We are proud to have been able to protect retirees and to have created a new stable pension plan for the active workers. Our members will no longer have to fear the shadow of an insolvency of their plan". (More)
Budget does nothing for forest workers, pensioners
OTTAWA (March 4, 2010) - “All political parties should vote to bring this government down now,” says CEP President Dave Coles in reaction to today’s budget.
“Yet another budget, filled with rhetoric and platitudes, that does nothing for workers, families and communities in hundreds of forest-dependent communities, says the leader of Canada’s largest forestry union.
“We saw the same show in last year’s budget,” says Coles. “In fact, in the past year, the Conservatives made many announcements about aid to the forest sector, yet we saw a record number of bankruptcies.” (More)
Harper should go down over foreign ownership sellout
Ottawa (March 4, 2010) - The Harper government should be defeated on its plans to sell off Canada's key telecommunications and broadcasting industries, says Canada's largest media union.
"We can't ask young Canadians to excel in Vancouver or sacrifice in Afghanistan while we sell the country out from under them, says Peter Murdoch, CEP Vice-President, Media. “Telecommunications is now an integrated industry with the rest of the media; the sector is key for our cultural sovereignty and national security,” says Murdoch. (More)
International Women’s Day - March 8, 2010
International Women’s Day (IWD) has been celebrated around the world for over 90 years
and on March 8, 1977, the United Nations established an official International Women’s
Day. International Women’s Day gives us an opportunity to reflect on advances towards
women’s equality and the gains we have made over the decades.
Some gains over the
years include: women obtaining the right to vote, achieving employment and pay equity, and
obtaining paid maternity leaves. (More)
White Paper facing bankruptcy: "Forget the photo ops and come home to work," CEP tells Harper”
OTTAWA (February 24, 2010) - Another forestry company, White Birch, has filed for bankruptcy protection throwing the lives of about 1,100 workers into turmoil, and the president of Canada’s largest forestry union puts the blame squarely at the feet of the Harper government.
White Birch has newsprint mills in Quebec City, Rivière-du-Loup, and Gatineau, Québec.
“Bankruptcy filings by this and other forestry giants could have been avoided at no cost to the government,” says Dave Coles. “For months and months, we have been calling on the government to take the simple step of providing loan guarantees at commercial rates for companies forced into bankruptcy protection, to help them weather the recession. (More)
Update telco service CEP tells CRTC
OTTAWA (February 9, 2010) - The CRTC has announced that it will conduct a review of which telecommunications services should be provided to Canadians, as well as the subsidy system that now supports universal service.
In a recent CRTC consultation on whether to hold the review, CEP argued that:
- A review is needed to update telecom services, given rapid technological changes
- Basic service should include high speed broadband for all Canadians
- Subsidies from telecom companies to provide universal service -- now based on revenues only from telephone services -- should be expanded
- Canada’s telecommunications infrastructure should be modernized and upgraded
Click here for CEP’s submission. Click here to see the CRTC Notice of Consultation for the review.
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)
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)
 Take part to end the violence
OTTAWA (December 2, 2009)-- December 6th is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, it is the sad anniversary of the death of 14 women who were killed on December 6, 1989 at l’École Polytechnique in Montréal. This December 6th marks 20 years since those women were murdered simply because
they were women. (More)
Click here to see previous
CEP ON LINE
|
