steeldrum – fall 2015

STEELDRUMUSW1998 NEWSMAGAZINE FALL 2015 | Vol.XIII No.I

New Exec! | Interesting Times!… p8

President’s Message | Interesting Times!… p3

Global Youth Exchange | Revealing the Impact of Neo-Liberalism… p5

Local Union Happenings!… p6

SD Interview | Bargaining as a Next-Gener… p10

Education & Reports | Dist 6 Conf & More… p12

INSIDE!

NEW SD TEMPLATE Dec 1 2015 NEW COVER staggered.indd 1 2.12.2015 12:07:45

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The saying “may you live in interesting times” can be viewed

as either a curse or a blessing. The past year has certainly been

interesting in our Local.

After a rather long hiatus, Steeldrum is back in circulation.

Members have told us that after a long day at the office looking at the computer, they prefer to read something in a paper format when they get home or when they are riding the TTC.

Steeldrum will now be published on a quarterly basis — in March, June, September and December. If you are a writer, an artist or a photographer, we welcome your participation in producing the next edition of Steeldrum. If you know a colleague who has a unique hobby or talent, showcase them in the pages of our newsletter. If your co-worker has won an award, got married or had a baby, share the good news. Steeldrum is about telling the stories of our members, not only in the workplace but beyond. We will use the pages of Steeldrum to reach out to all members and to engage them in a meaningful dialogue.

A new Executive is now in place that is committed to working together with our membership to return our Local to solid, autonomous operations focused on our key purpose — representing our members and bargaining strong contracts with the university. The Steelworkers International Executive Board, led by International President Leo Gerard, is committed to providing resources to our Local including training and expertise to help us rebuild our capacity as a proud and strong membership-driven local union.

Our Local Union holds regular membership meetings, and as always, all members

EDITORIAL ....Welcome to the new STEELDRUM NEWSMAGAZINE!

of USW Local 1998 are encouraged to attend to learn more, ask questions and get involved. We have already begun to make the monthly financial reports more accurate. Any future hiring of staff will be made with full disclosure and transparency and only with the approval of the membership.

Efforts are being made to revive the various committees that had become dormant and exist in name only. Members are encouraged to join one or more of these committees — Women of Steel, Communications, Political Action, Human Rights, Pride and Next Gen.

The new Executive, of which I am a part of, is committed to greater transparency when reporting back to members. We will publicly announce the names of members who are chosen to go for courses, both at our monthly local meetings and also in the pages of Steeldrum (see “Happenings”, page 6.)

We will continue to reach out and engage our members as we grow from strength to strength. Along the way, we will make mistakes. As the saying goes, s/he who makes no mistakes, does not learn. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

— In Solidarity, P. C. Choo, Interim Editor & Vice-President, USW 1998

S T E E L D R U M D I R E C T O R Y Newsletter Committee Laura Amodio Allison AndresMarcella BollersMary-Marta Briones-BirdMargaret Bucknam (Co-Chair)Colleen Burke PC Choo (Co-Chair) Jenny Fan San Yip

Production & DesignKim Walker S T E E L D R U M NEWSMAGAZINE is published by USW 1998 at the University of Toronto and is printed by Hamilton Web Printing. STEELDRUM is a member of the United Steelworkers Press Association (USPA) and the Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM).

All inquiries & submissions are encouraged. Please send to [email protected]

25 Cecil Street,

Third Floor Toronto, ON M5T1N1

[email protected] 416.506.9090

www.usw1998.ca

The new executive is committed to greater transparency.


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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

We bargained a contract in a very difficult economic climate, we were audited, our office staff unionized, and job evaluation in

the Staff-Appointed Unit fell off the rails. It has been a challenging and often confusing time for our members. The incoming Executive is committed to bringing back some stability and focusing the Local on our primary role of engaging and representing our members.

The bargaining climate in 2014 was very difficult, affected by the austerity agenda of the Ontario government and the University’s insistence on a net zero increase in the financial envelope. The bargaining committees for the Staff-Appointed, St. Mike’s and VIC Units worked hard to get the best deals that they could in such challenging circumstances. A positive note in the 2014 bargaining was an agreement by the Staff-Appointed and VIC Units to explore pension reform which will ensure the long-term sustainability of our defined benefit pensions. Stay tuned for developments in the next year. The Local is currently in bargaining for the Casual Unit and is pushing for language to improve job security and wages for casual workers, and UTS bargaining is starting soon.

Our Local was audited by the USW international auditors in 2014. An interim report came out in December 2014, and a Commission was appointed by the International Executive Board to review the situation. It met in January, the auditors continued their work and a final report came out in March. The final report listed a number

of findings, including that the Local had been spending without appropriate membership approval and had not been adequately reporting the finances to the members. While there were serious issues of transparency and errors, it is important to remember that the audit did not find any evidence of theft, misappropriation of funds or fraud. No one was lining their own pockets. The Local was put under Administration until the Commission’s recommendations were carried out. The Administrator, Ron Wyatt, had the power to remove the Executive from office and chose not to do so because he felt that they were all willing to work in good faith to get the Local back on sound financial footing. The previous Executive worked with the auditors and Administrator to get the Local’s financial practices back on track and the new Executive is continuing this work. (see side bar)

The people in the Local office who assist our members consist of USW 1998 members on paid release from their regular jobs and staff who are employed by the Local. In 2014, the staff organized and are now represented by CUPE Local 1281. Members have raised questions about this in meetings and some feel that it is a conflict of interest for USW staff to be represented by another union. In fact, this is the norm in the Canadian labour movement. Most people who work for unions are, themselves, unionized. There are some exceptions, but generally, people are not represented by the union for which they work. Just like I work for the University of Toronto and I am represented by USW, our Local staff work for USW and are represented by CUPE. We are committed to having fair working

“Interesting Times”The saying “may you live in

interesting times” can be viewed as either a curse or a blessing.

The past year has certainly been interesting in our Local.

EDITORIAL ....

Continued on next page


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conditions for our staff and we have started negotiating with CUPE Local 1281 to bargain their first contract.

One of our top priorities after being sworn in was meeting with the University to get job evaluation for the Staff-Appointed Unit back on track. For more than a year, the University had refused to meet with the union to discuss job evaluation disputes and the process had stalled. While we do not agree with the University on all the reasons why the job evaluation protocol broke down, we started negotiating with them and agreed to a revised protocol to get things back on track. The main difference is the addition of “referees” to consider disputes before they are sent to arbitration — thus avoiding a time-consuming and costly process for many disputes. At the time of writing, we are still working with the University to develop a plan to deal with the backlog of disputed positions. In December we will be having town hall meetings on all three campuses to explain the protocol to members in the Staff-Appointed Unit. P.C. Choo has been brought out on release time for six months to lead the Job Evaluation team. As we deal with the backlog and get a sense of the workload with

The Commission recommendation gave the Local and the Administrator several tasks.

The following have been completed:

• the creation of a balanced budget to be passed by the membership

• the Local move to the required International USW accounting methods

• the Financial Officers receive training from the International Union

• the Local track and monitor the ongoing usage and reimbursement of lost time releases from the University

• the Local hold elections

These tasks are in progress:

• the Trustees complete their quarterly audits (this will be done following the October financial training)

• the Local implement formal procedures to track workload and attendance of its full-time officers and staff

• the Local strike a by-laws committee to review and make recommendations to bring Local union practices in line with USW standard by-laws and the International Constitution

• identify, recruit and train USW members to do job evaluation work• re-negotiate support from the university for members on release working

on job evaluation• retain an outside, independent party to assess the state of the job

evaluation program, the work and the resources required.

Our Greatest Strength is YOU, our members. With your involvement, we will thrive

in these “interesting times”

President’s Message cont’d…

the new protocol, the Executive will assess the staffing levels for the JE Team and determine if more people are needed.

“Interesting times” do not have to be bad times. Our Local has been going strong since 1998 and will continue for many years to come. The union is not the Executive or the people in the Local office — it is every one of you. With 7000 members, there is no shortage of work to be done, and there is definitely no shortage of talented and committed people in our Local! Our shared task is connecting with and engaging all members so that we move our union forward to meet current and future challenges in a strong and united way. Get involved. Come to a meeting. Ask questions. Join a committee. Take a union course. If you have an idea of something the union should be doing, let us know and help us organize it. If you are unhappy, let us know and help us fix it. Our greatest strength is YOU, our members. With your involvement, we will thrive in these interesting times.

— Colleen Burke, President, USW Local 1998


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I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Global Youth Exchange in London, England this past summer. United Steelworkers, Unite the Union, Los Mineros and la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba organized an international youth exchange aimed

at creating a new generation of trade union activists with connections around the globe.

Global Youth Exchange

The Global Youth Exchange is a program run by Workers Uniting, an independent union registered in the UK, USA, Canada and Ireland. The Unite union in the UK and the Steelworkers in North America signed a merger creating Workers Uniting to combat the challenges of globalization. The leaders of both unions recognized that they were dealing with the same issues and with the same multi-national companies. Although the laws are different in different countries, Workers Uniting can work together and exchange information to address the challenges

Photo: Global Youth Exchange delegate Tamara Vickery (left) and Vice-President P.

C. Choo with some of the food donated for Global Solidarity Day. In the background are Nik Redman (holding USW flag) and Victoria

University Unit President John Ankenman.

of globalization such as neo-liberalism, austerity, anti-union governments, and Right to Work legislation. Globalization brought neoliberalism which aims to break down unions and labour rights in the name of free trade and government deregulation. Continued on page 13


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USW 1998 member Kristy Bard (standing) facilitating a workshop at the CLC Ontario Region Women’s Summer School. For a full report on the

CLC Women’s Summer School please see page 13.

LOCAL HAPPENINGS

MEET YOUR USW 1998 COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS!!

L to r, top to bottom: Mary-Marta Briones-Bird, Women of Steel (Information), Kristy Bard, Women of Steel (Anthropology) ; Margaret Bucknam, Communications (Family & Community Medicine) ; Rachel McKenzie, NextGen (UME Psychiatry) ; Nik Redman, SteelPride (Student Life) ; Natasja Vanderberg, SteelPride (East Asian Studies) ; Not shown: P.C. Choo, Communications (Enrolment Services ; Tamara Vickery, NextGen (Test & Exams).

LOCAL 1998 JOINS UOFT MARCH AGAINST GENDERED VIOLENCE!

Hundreds of students, staff and faculty at the University of Toronto took to the street to march against gendered violence to protest recent on-line death threats targeting students and faculty at the Department of Sociology. and the Department of Women and Gender Studies September 14, 2014.

LOCAL 1998 GAINS GRIEVANCE OFFICER

In January 2016 Tamara Vickery (Test & Exam Services) will be joining the staff at Cecil Street to help assist and represent Local 1998 members. Welcome Tamara!


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LOCAL HAPPENINGS

SUMMER SOCIALS

Local 1998 held its Summer Social on all three campuses. More than 120 members turned up for the summer social at UTSC, while at UTM, more than 60 members attended. About 250 members attended the St. George Social. Photo, below: members take time out to enjoy the UTSC Summer Social. Photo, left: Mark Austin (Health & Safety Officer) with Ludmila Elias (Executive Member) at the UTSC Summer Social.

USW 1998 MEMBERS marched alongside other fellow

Steelworkers in the Labour Day Parade in Toronto, September 7, 2015.

USW 1998 TAKES PART IN THE UTMSU CLUB DAY

USW Local 1998 participated in the UTMSU Club Day. Local 1998 members Laura Patterson (left, in white) and Wing-Mun Wong (right, with sun-glasses) at the Steelworkers booth.


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Elections for a new Executive for Local 1998 were scheduled

for June 3, 2015 after they were postponed when the Local was placed under administration in February this year.

Nominations took place on May 14, 2015. Acting President Paul Tsang opened nominations.

The following were acclaimed to their respective positions:

President: Colleen Burke Vice-President: P. C. Choo Recording Secretary: Mark Austin Financial Secretary: Toni Eyre Treasurer: Lillian Lanca Guide: Christine Beckermann Guards: Ludmila Elias & Nik Redman

The three Trustee positions were contested. Alex Thomson (VIC), Tamara Vickery (Test & Exam Services), Victoria Simpson (Cardiovascular Sciences), Mary-Marta Briones-Bird (Information), Stephanie Michelle (OISE) and Marco Adamovic (Centre for International Experience) were nominated. Elections for the three Trustee positions were held on June 3 and Alex Thomson, Tamara Vickery and Victoria Simpson were elected for a three-year term.

NEW LOCAL

EXECUTIVE Takes Office

At the University of St. Michael’s College, Steven Koschuk was elected Unit President while Manda Vrkljan was elected Unit Secretary.

John Ankenman was acclaimed as the Unit President at the University of Victoria College and Alex Thomson as the Unit Secretary.

The new Executive was sworn into office on June 10, 2015 by Tony De Paulo, the Assistant to District 6 Director, Marty Warren. In her maiden speech at the July membership meeting Colleen thanked former President Paul Tsang and former Vice-President Allison Dubarry for all their hard work and sacrifice over the years. She also thanked all former Executive members who did not seek re-election for their services. Colleen said that the new Executive wants to bring in a number of changes but at the same time, also build on the work of previous executives. The new Executive is committed to job evaluation and getting things back on track with the university. She also said that the new Executive plans to ramp up our outreach efforts and continue to engage with our members.


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In his remarks, Administrator Ron Wyatt said that he is excited to see a new Executive elected. He noted that there is a lot of work to be done especially in the areas of job evaluation, by-law review and steward training.

At the University of St. Michael’s College, Steven Koschuk was elected Unit President while Manda Vrkljan was elected Unit Secretary.

John Ankenman was acclaimed as the Unit President at the University of Victoria College and Alex Thomson as the Unit Secretary.

The new Executive was sworn into office on June 10, 2015 by Tony De Paulo, the Assistant to District 6 Director, Marty Warren. In her maiden speech at the July membership meeting Colleen thanked former President Paul Tsang and former Vice-President Allison Dubarry for all their hard work and sacrifice over the years. She also thanked all former Executive members who did not seek re-election for their services. Colleen said that the new Executive wants to bring in a number of changes but at the same time, also build on the work of previous executives. The new Executive is committed to job evaluation and getting things back on track with the university. She also said that the new Executive plans to ramp up our outreach efforts and continue to engage with our members.

Administrator Ron Wyatt said he is excited to see a new Executive elected and that there is a lot of work to be done. Staff Representative Omero Landi

thanked the in-coming Executive for leading the Local at a critical juncture in its history.

Staff Representative Omero Landi expressed his appreciation to all former Executive members and congratulated the in-coming Executive and thanked them for taking on the responsibility of leading the Local at a critical juncture in its history.

Photo: Executive members and Chief Stewards are sworn in during the ceremony at Cecil Street. L to r: Mark Austin, Rachel Mackenzie, Tamara Vickery, Ezinwanne Odozor, Colleen Burke, P.C. Choo, Toni Eyre, Christine Beckermann, John Ankenman, Bill Mboutsiadis. Not in photo: Martin Aeillo, Ludmila Elias, Steven Koschuk, Nik Redman, Victoria Simpson, Alex Thomson.


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Sam Xu, Next Gen Member and First-Time Staff Appointed Bargaining Committee member

SD: What were the biggest challenges serving on the bargaining committee for the first time, and as a NextGen member?

Putting regular work aside, committing 3+ weeks exclusively on bargaining was one of the biggest challenges I’ve experienced. My director was super supportive of my bargaining duties; however, we still had to make progress in our new and existing projects – huge thanks to my fellow team members for lending a helping hand!

My next biggest challenge was respecting others’ perspectives and priorities — NextGen members identified that ATB increase was priority #1; while the rest of the group believed job security and no increase in pension contribution were the most important. It was difficult to see the change in direction at times, but respecting the majority and their perspectives was equally important.

SD: What was the biggest reward?

I took Economics 100 (ECO 100) eight years ago, but didn’t truly understand what “opportunity cost” mean. Now I do! It means we need to give up something (like personal days) in order to gain something else!

In all seriousness, the biggest reward was the experience — it was always intensive, sometimes frustrating, and exhilarating at the end.

SD: What are your overall thoughts/take-away from the experience?

From this experience, I learned the significance of being well prepared, informed, and unified. This doesn’t apply to just bargaining, it applies to a lot of things in our life too!

SD: What advice would you have for any members that may get elected to serve on a future bargaining committee?

If you could free up some time for bargaining, definitely do it! You will learn a lot from other experienced negotiators, and discover a lot about yourself too! Being at the bargaining committee is one of the best ways to fix / improve policies if you strongly believe something is not quite right and needs fixing!

Mary-Marta Briones-Bird, Next Gen Member and First-Time Staff Appointed

Bargaining Committee member

SD: What were the biggest challenges serving on the bargaining committee for the first time, and as a NextGen

NextGENers R E P O R T

NextGeners tell us what it’s like to represent young workers at the bargaining tableST

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While NextGen targets workers under 35 years old,

we encourage all members to participate in our events and join

our committee. We rely on the experiences and wisdom of more

experienced members, so email us at [email protected] if

you want to get involved!

member?

The biggest challenge perhaps is the intimidation factor, ‘Am I up to this, what am I taking on here?’ As an Admin Assistant at the University, I am not often partaking in large scale decisions so it’s easy to be intimidated. When you agree to run for the bargaining committee, you’ve already heard the process is going to involve long days, stressful decisions, etc. but I think the biggest challenge is in fact your perception of your own abilities. Once I got into bargaining it all made sense and we collaborated as a team with input from everyone. As well, the more experienced members of the team were very supportive of us younger team members and answered our questions.


The biggest reward has to be the working together as a team and also collaborating on an agreement to serve the members. Also learning how decisions are made and how to negotiate proposals. Every member of the committee came from a different Department or Faculty at the University and had different experiences, so we all brought something different to the table.


We need to get going a lot earlier. We rallied our efforts in the spring, summer and fall but I would have liked more time to analyze the employee survey and talk to members. The survey is rich with data about issues that members are facing across the university and we need to be able to have more time to meet and explore the issues raised by members.


You can absolutely do it! I enjoyed the experience. The skills that make you so valuable to the University, such as reading, writing, numeracy, people skills and adaptability, are the exact same skills you would need for bargaining.

Tamara Vickery, Next Gen Member and First-Time Staff Appointed Bargaining Committee

member

SD: What were the biggest challenges serving on the bargaining committee for the first time, and as a NextGen member?I felt the biggest challenge for me was coming to terms with the employer’s proposals which included many demands for concessions. Trying to see the situation holistically and to identify the larger structural (political and economic) factors at play was hard.

Secondly, our membership is diverse and sizable and as a result the needs, wants and desires are also varied. Serving on the bargaining committee as a NextGen member was interesting because we tend to have a very different perspective on things (given we may have MANY years left in

our working lives compared to someone nearing retirement). Trying to reconcile what members wanted, needed and wished for with the difficult negotiating climate was probably the most difficult thing for me.


Although it was clearly a tough round of negotiations, the biggest reward for me was getting the best possible deal. Our committee was tenacious; we pushed back and had agreed that unanimous support of the deal was necessary in order to bring a tentative agreement to the membership.


It was painful, frustrating and at times I felt a lot of guilt. Collective Bargaining is difficult and unions are facing very serious threats. Participating in bargaining gave me the opportunity to reflect on what compensation/benefit packages, vacation accrual and pension plans would look like without the support and resources of USW.

This experience was thought provoking, scary and yet rewarding. I learned a lot and yet have a lot to learn. Contract negotiation is exhausting yet exhilarating. If I was asked to do it again I’d probably say yes.


Do it! Get involved!!! If you feel strongly about something, let the union know. Change starts with us, it’s a long process but we need to be part of that process.

If you decide to do it, pack your patience and take it all in. What seems like a very straight forward process is actually quite complex. You will be required to think about things in a unique way and you have to be open-minded. Committee work is challenging, luckily for me, our committee was amazing! We shared a vision, we were committed and above all we respected one another.

— Kristy Bard, Anthropology

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This summer I attended the CLC Summer School

in Port Elgin, Ontario, and took part in the Facing

Management Effectively Course, which was one of the

eight courses offered. The participants were from a

diverse range of ethnic

backgrounds, nationalities, and cultures, which represented union workers from various sectors such as elementary school teachers, television and film industry workers, hospital workers, and various types of manufacturing, mining, and industrial personnel. The diversity of the participants added great value to the learning experience. During the opening plenary, the CLC conducted various group activities that gave participants the opportunity to network and share one’s union experiences. There were participants that had attended the summer school in the past and others that were attending for the first time, like myself.

The Facing Management Effectively course covered the history and evolution of management theory and work systems dating back to the Guilds and Crafts Unions of the 1300’s, the scientific management systems conceived by Frederick Taylor (Taylorism) and Henry Ford, which were a vital part of the industrial revolution and the creation of the assembly line, along with the high performance work systems of today.

Participants learned various communication techniques including verbal skills such as speed and tone of speech and non-verbal skills, such as body language and written communications. There was a great focus on critical thinking and the analysis, synthesis, interpretation, and evaluation that is involved in the process. There was a module on developing active and strategic listening skills which are critical for understanding the underlying messages that are sent from management. The training allowed participants to develop skills to look beyond the positions that management may take and to focus more

Photo, left: Strategizing is the name of the game when taking on management! Above: Attendees of the “Facing Management Effectively” course are now ready to put their new-found skills into practice!

EDUCATION… Facing Management Effectively: putting theory into practice


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backgrounds, nationalities, and cultures, which represented union workers from various sectors such as elementary school teachers, television and film industry workers, hospital workers, and various types of manufacturing, mining, and industrial personnel. The diversity of the participants added great value to the learning experience. During the opening plenary, the CLC conducted various group activities that gave participants the opportunity to network and share one’s union experiences. There were participants that had attended the summer school in the past and others that were attending for the first time, like myself.

The Facing Management Effectively course covered the history and evolution of management theory and work systems dating back to the Guilds and Crafts Unions of the 1300’s, the scientific management systems conceived by Frederick Taylor (Taylorism) and Henry Ford, which were a vital part of the industrial revolution and the creation of the assembly line, along with the high performance work systems of today.

Participants learned various communication techniques including verbal skills such as speed and tone of speech and non-verbal skills, such as body language and written communications. There was a great focus on critical thinking and the analysis, synthesis, interpretation, and evaluation that is involved in the process. There was a module on developing active and strategic listening skills which are critical for understanding the underlying messages that are sent from management. The training allowed participants to develop skills to look beyond the positions that management may take and to focus more

on identifying their underlying interests.

There was also a module on learning to recognize the different types of management negotiation and decision making styles and tools to help address the different styles. To ensure that participants understood the theory of the skills that were taught, there was a considerable amount of time allotted for role playing activities, which gave participants the chance to put the newly acquired skills into practice. Participants had to exhibit these skills both from the perspective of management and the union. For example, the participants were split into management and union teams and had to negotiate a renewal of a collective agreement.

After each jam packed day of learning, the evenings were spent winding down with social activities. There was a Bocce ball tournament which quickly became highly competitive. One of the teams that were involved came to the

Photo, left: Strategizing is the name of the game when taking on management! Above: Attendees of the “Facing Management Effectively” course are now ready to put their new-found skills into practice!

camp with their own set of bocce balls – they really meant business! There was also a Karaoke night and I must say that “Steelworkers have Talent!” On the final evening of the camp, there was a talent competition that was made up of participants representing their respective course groups. The competition included singing, dancing, game shows, which was all very entertaining, and at times, hilarious.

Overall the CLC Summer School was a great success and a great learning experience. I encourage all who would like to become more active in the union to attend.

—Mark Austin, USW1998 Health & Safety Officer

This was the second Global Youth Exchange and it brought together youth delegates from the UK, USA, Canada, Cuba and Mexico. During the educational portion of the exchange, delegates talked about and shared economic, political and social issues that we face in our respective countries. Lo and behold, we found that we were almost all facing the same issues! As we see next phase of neoliberalism on the horizon (which many dubbed a “turbo speed neoliberalism”) we recognized that our elected governments (in democratic countries) are even less powerful than ever before. Rather, we see the power shifting to international organizations such as the IMF and multi-national corporations. A real example of this are the recent trade agreements, such as CETA and TTIP, that directly impact already vulnerable workers, the environment and our power as citizens.

There was also a practicum component to this exchange where we met with members of parliament at Westminster and union leaders from around the world.We participated in a working class tour of London’s east end and also visited the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School. We had the opportunity to meet with activists participating in a breadth of campaigns from “Justice for Colombia” to “Play Fair Qatar” and we had several fruitful discussions about youth apathy and engagement. In deconstructing myths, we recognized issues that youth face and how we can overcome them. We know unemployment rates for youth are high; precarious work and part-time contract work is the norm; and high interest rates and heavy student debt loads create a vicious cycle. There are limited full-time jobs but ample low-paying service sector jobs that hinge on our surplus of labour which further decrease wages and make it difficult to escape the cycle. “What can unions do?” we asked and many of you are probably wondering. Uniting workers around the globe, sharing information and building strong alliances that can put pressure on their own governments when workers in another country are being attacked is the first step and it has been shown to be successful.

Being part of this exchange and being able to connect with the youth delegates from the previous exchange has inspired me to continue my activism in my community. As a result of this exchange, a Global Solidarity Day was created. The Global Solidarity Day is when activists in the labour movement all across the globe participate in activities to help their own communities. Local 1998 participated this year and I hope we participate in the coming years. This initiative helped to combat the negative media portrayal about unions and showcase what unions are fighting for – the rights of workers and access to good jobs.

—Tamara Vickery, Test & Exam Services

Global Youth Exchange continued…

Facing Management Effectively: putting theory into practice


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All five table officers — President Colleen Burke, Vice-President P. C. Choo, Recording Secretary Mark Austin, Financial Secretary

Toni Eyre, and Treasurer Lillian Lança — attended the Steelworkers District 6 Conference in Sault Ste. Marie August 17-20, 2015. A new feature of this year’s

conference was the dedication of a whole day to “Steelworkers

Make Great Neighbours: Giving Back to the Community”.

A new feature at this year’s conference was the dedication of a whole day to “Steelworkers Make Great Neighbours — Giving Back to the Community.” A brainchild of USW District 6 Director Marty Warren, the event was a great success which generated a lot of positive publicity in the local papers. Over 400 Steelworkers from across Ontario fanned out to work on nine projects in the community. Sault Ste. Marie

USW District 6 C O N F E R E N C E

Mayor Christian Provenzano proclaimed the week of of August 17-20 as “Steelworkers Days in Sault Ste. Marie.”

Photo, top: USW International President Leo Gerard with Local 1998 delegates at the District 6

Conference. Photo, middle: Local 1998 delegates Lillian Lança (l) and Candace Zinkweg (r)

cut watermelons for the Community Picnic Event. Photo, bottom right: Local 1998 (U of Toronto),

Local 4120 (U of Guelph) and Local 4820 (Haley Industries) delegates outside the Community Hub where they distributed

some 360 back packs and school supplies.

EDUCATION…


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Women from Steelworker locals came together for the Canadian Labour Congress Ontario Region

Women’s Summer School held at the UNIFOR Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario from July 12-17, 2015. USW sisters from District 6 came from locals in Toronto, Brampton, Peel, Cambridge, Kingston, Windsor and as far as Yellowknife, North West Territories. The USW sisters came from diverse workplaces, from education, to health, to security, to manufacturing and service sectors. Although working in many different areas, we came together and found that we had many of the same concerns and priorities.

The USW facilitators did a fantastic job educating us on topics ranging from challenging systematic barriers, learning about the union movement and how it intersects with global solidarity movements to learning about economic factors affecting women and the wage gap. Sisters attended hands on segments including topics such as understanding the Steelworkers International Constitution, practicing rules of

order in meetings and developing proposals and plans. All of these activities were meant to allow sisters to find their voices, work together and brainstorm ideas to implement with both a local and international focus.

Sisters had the opportunity to connect and meet women from other unions in the movement and to hear from such inspiring women leaders such as Judy Rebick, activist and former head of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, Miriam Abou-Dib, Executive Assistant to the President of the Canadian Labour Congress and Nancy Hutchinson, Secretary Treasurer for the Ontario Federation of Labour, among many others.

We are grateful to the facilitators, Adrianne Paavo, Education & Equality Department Leader, United Steelworkers, Jackie Edwards, Kristy Bard, Lisa Cook who led the workshop along with the Canadian Labour Congress for holding this important conference and the United Steelworkers for supporting Woman of Steel leadership training.

—Grettell Atahue (Innovations & Partnership Office) & Mary-Marta Briones-Bird (Information) If you are interested in joining the Women of Steel Committee please email [email protected]

Finding My Voice, F i n d i n g M y S t r e n g t h s

at the CLC Ontario Region Women’s Summer School


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LOCALREPORTS

Some of the changes have been either neutral or beneficial in their effect on staff, but others have been less successful and have raised concerns among our members who work in the department, such as:

• chronic lateness in the posting of the weekly work schedule

• conflicting directions from multiple managers

• a lack of opportunity to take coffee and lunch breaks

• increased tension between management and workers

• workers being regularly pulled off their regular duties to cover the duties of another job

• managers doing union work• information in the employee

handbook that is contrary to provisions in the collective agreement

• distribution of weekend work.

The Union has raised these concerns in two meetings with Human Resources. We were able to have a constructive conversation and will continue to work towards resolutions but, given that the weekly schedules have been posted so late for a number of months without any improvement, the Union has filed an “improper posting of weekly shift schedules” policy grievance.

Vic Grievances — An Update

14-13 (Individual) – failure to accommodate

This grievance was filed when the University failed to temporarily accommodate an injured employee into a different job. After the step 2 grievance meeting, the University agreed to pay the employee all regular wages they lost during the regular sick day and short term disability periods. The University also agreed to credit back to the member’s bank any vacation time they used to cover lost wages.

14-14 &14-15 (Individual) – improper letter to file14-18 (Individual) – improper implementation of management rights 14-21 (Individual) – unjust written warning

A member was issued two coaching letters and a written warning that contained what the member and the Union considered to be unsubstantiated criticisms. The member was also the subject of a personal cell phone use policy that was inconsistent with policy implemented for other employees. All four grievances were dismissed by the University at step 2, advanced by the Union to arbitration and settled in mediation. The settlement included the reversal of the coaching letters and cell phone policy, as well as a shorter period of time that the warning would stay in the member’s file.

14-16 (Individual) – improper layoff14-17 (Individual) – improper implementation of layoff provisions

These grievances were filed in response to a temporary layoff and the University’s refusal to grant the member’s request to bump into a particular job. When the member was able to bump into a job that was paid more than the first job they had wanted to bump into, the grievances were withdrawn.

15-1 (Policy) 15-2 ; 15-3 ; 15-4 ; 15-5 ; 15-6 (Individual) – improper implementation of holiday pay

The Union filed a policy grievance and five members filed individual grievances when the University did not pay laid off Food Services members for the 2014 Victoria Day holiday. According to Article 22.02 (b), employees on temporary layoff must be paid for a holiday listed in Article 22.01 if it falls within the first thirty days of their layoff and they work the regularly scheduled shifts immediately before the start of their layoff and after their layoff. The grievances were settled when the University agreed to pay, retroactive to January 1, 2014, all members who had not been paid for a holiday according to the Union’s interpretation

Along with the introduction of a new management structure and the hiring of new managers, there have been a number of policy changes implemented in Food Services during the past year.

V I C T O R I A U N I T R E P O R T

unjust one day suspension

This grievance was filed when the University issued a one day unpaid suspension to a member for what the University characterized as insubordinate behavior towards a manager. After the grievance was dismissed by the University at step 2, the Union advanced it to arbitration. The first day of arbitration has been scheduled.

15-10 (Group) – improper scheduling of breaks and lunches

Two members filed this group grievance when their manager implemented a new schedule for their breaks and lunches that had the grievors take turns being on a break and lunch schedule that isolated them from each other and a co-worker. The grievors’ were concerned about the motivation for the new schedule.

15-11 (Individual) – unjust termination

This grievance was dismissed by the University at step 2 and advanced by the Union to arbitration. A mediated settlement was reached.

15-12 (Individual) – unjust three day suspension

A step 1 grievance meeting will be scheduled.

15-13 (Policy) – improper posting of the weekly Food Services shift schedule

This grievance was filed because, for the past few months, management has chronically posted the weekly Food Services shift schedule only a couple of days before the beginning of the new week. The shift schedule is supposed to be posted one week in advance. A step 2 grievance meeting will be scheduled.

—John Ankenman, Victoria Unit President

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of Article 22.02 (b). The University also agreed to implement Article 22.02 (b) in the future according to the Union’s interpretation.

15-7 (Individual) –


steeldrum – fall 2015

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