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Vancouver, BC – A British Columbia arbitrator has ordered Finning Canada pay 10 IAM members in excess of $130,000.00 plus interest in severance following a layoff dating back to March 2016.

“These workers were entitled to enhanced severance under the terms of the collective agreement agreed to by the company,” explained IAM District Lodge 250 Business Representative Paul Pelletreau. “When the company declined to follow the terms of the agreement we filed a grievance and it subsequently went to arbitration and has taken this long to get our members the money they deserved. We proved our case and I’m very pleased with the outcome.” Continue reading →

IAM District 78 representatives attended a retirees breakfast in Goderich on July 11for members of , (now Local 1975, St. Thomas). The group enjoyed breakfast at a nearby restaurant, followed by their regular monthly meeting at the Canadian Legion. At the meeting, members shared their condolences for past members Howie Gottschalk, and Brian Brindley. In addition, the group listened to an audio recording describing member’s recollections of their time at Champion/Volvo Graders in Goderich for the IAM history project. The recordings were an insightful description of the positive memories and impact the group had on Goderich, and the greater community. The group also announced they will be holding a 10 year celebration barbecue next July, and all were encouraged to attend. Following the meeting the group was invited to tour the Champion Antique Grader Club facilities. The group observed past and present projects, and heard stories of the progression of road grader technology from those who built the graders at the Goderich production facility.

http://www.championantiquegraderclub.ca

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The IAMAW LL 1863 Retirees Club was asked to stand on the picket in for UNIFOR Local 16-0, which is on strike against Compass Minerals at the Goderich Salt Mine. These union brothers and sisters have been out since April 27, 2018.

On the afternoonof June 28, 2018, UNIFOR Local 16-0 held a rally and appreciation event. So the LL 1863 Retirees Club stood the picket line while the union brothers and sisters were at the rally.

Toronto, ON – The federal government today announced sweeping tariffs in response to those levied by Donald Trump and the American government on Canadian steel and aluminium products. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland not only announced tariffs, but also financial support for Canadian workers and industries affected by the dispute.

The IAM Canadian Office is keeping a close eye on the trade disputes and tariff wars between Canada and the United States as we represent many members in those industries, particularly in the aluminium industry.

Minister Freeland, accompanied by Navdeep Bains, federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, laid out the $16.6 billion in tariffs which include products like steel and aluminum, as well as ketchup, toilet paper, dishwasher detergent and playing cards.

Brian was hired at Champion/Volvo Motor Graders in Goderich, Ontario, Canada, in the Burning Department on June 13, 1974, at that time he became a member of IAM&AW LL 1863 (now LL 1975) and retired in 2009 when the plant closed.

There was no visitation or Celebration of Life. and cremation has taken place.

Montreal, QC – On this day when Airbus officially becomes the majority partner of C-Series Limited Partnership, the Machinists Union would not want us to forget that it is the workers who are the heart of the aerospace industry.

“The takeover of C-Series by Airbus must be considered the end of a chapter and not the end of the story,” said IAM Québec Coordinator David Chartrand. “This apparatus, which was born from the know-how of Quebecers, will continue to be manufactured in Mirabel, at least until 2041. It should not be forgotten that Airbus has already pointed out that Montreal will become one of its centers of activity. We will remain vigilant but for the moment we have no reason to be alarmist about their intentions.” Chartrand further added,” our determination, our genius and our pride in working in aerospace do not belong to any private company. This industry has been the livelihood of thousands of Canadian workers for generations. If we continue to believe in our means and work together to develop them, we have all the tools to stay among the best in the world in this area.”

In both the Bombardier and C-Series Limited Companies, the Machinists’ Union remains optimistic for jobs. “Air Baltic has placed a firm order of 30 CS-300s with an option on 30 additional aircraft and several other carriers are commending the merits of this aircraft,” said Chartrand. In less than two months, Bombardier has received two orders totaling 45 CRJ 900 aircraft with one option for another 15. The Global program is already on a roll. “Quebec aerospace workers are proving every day that we have our place in this industry. In a context where the skilled and quality aerospace workforce is scarce, we are in a good position to pull ourselves together, “says the IAM Québec Coordinator.

Greetings!
Please forward this to your retiree organizations and/or retiree activists with your Local Lodge.

As you may be aware, the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada is holding their Thirteenth (13th) Convention this fall, from September 19thto 21st. CURC is a retirees organization of the Canadian Labour Congress, and is certain to have many socially-progressive and like-minded members of affiliated Labour organizations in attendance.

The CURC Convention is being held in Toronto, and I wanted to be sure you had the opportunity to discuss this with your Local Lodge and retirees groups, and to send a delegation if anyone is interested. There is also a great deal of additional information, including the CURC Constitution, on their comprehensive website shown below:

CURC’s 13th Constitutional Convention 2018

Thank you for your assistance in this regard.
Cheers and Solidarity,

Stan Pickthall
General Vice President

Toronto, ON – To say that the IAM’s new Organizing initiative has been successful would be an understatement with 3,253 new members joining the Canadian ranks since January 1, 2018.

To keep that momentum going there has been a strong emphasis placed on forming Local Lodge and District Lodge Organizing Committees to assist organizers in growing the union. On May 10-11th, IAM Grand Lodge Organizer Scott Jackson, IAM District Lodge 78 Business Representative/Organizer Ropy Bhansingh and IAM Transportation District Lodge 140 Organizer Sam Jabbar, facilitated Local Organizing Committee training for Districts 78 and 140.

“Under the new Grand Lodge Organizing initiative, we educated the committees that not every industry or group is suitable for the IAM or its Districts to organize,” explained Jackson. “We utilize the SWOT principle, which means on any given target, we study its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In some cases the opportunities may be there but the potential threats to success may outweigh the strengths and so on.”

“We described the use of existing membership to find and develop new targets,” said Bhansingh. “An organizer can only do so much on their own, organizing is very much as team undertaking. We explained the difference between a lead and a target and how to find both. We also conducted role playing on how to talk to a cold lead.”