Imagine That, Another Strike Notice In Saskatchewan!

Saskatchewan Government Insurance workers serve strike notice for Thursday

Topics : 

Saskatchewan Government Insurance ,Thursday.The Canadian Office , Professional Employees Union

Published on July 6, 2011

The Canadian Press  

REGINA — Some workers with Saskatchewan Government Insurance could be in a legal position to strike by Thursday.

The Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union served SGI with 48-hours strike notice Tuesday afternoon.

Wages are the key issue in the dispute.

Management has offered 5.5 per cent over three years while the union is asking for nearly 10 per cent over the same time frame.

Andrew Cartmell, president of SGI, says the corporation has a comprehensive plan in place to ensure customer needs are met in the event of job action.

Cartmell also says SGI remains committed to the collective bargaining process and is still hopeful of reaching a resolution.

SGI's network of motor licence issuers and independent brokers will continue assisting customers, he said, adding online services will remain available.

Well B.C. Your Teachers Are Next!

Aproximately 28,000 members of the B.C. Teachers Federation have voted 90 per cent in favour of job action and president Susan Lambert says the overwhelming mandate sends a strong message to government as the union seeks a new contract.

She says the province's bargaining agent continues to demand major concessions but teachers are prepared to refuse all administrative duties if there's no deal by September.

Education Minister George Abbott is not surprised at support for the vote but says his ministry can't budge from its requirement of a net zero wage mandate.

However, he believes job action is not inevitable, as long as both sides remain at the bargaining table.

Issues include class size, wages and adequate school funding.

Had To Know This Was Coming, Same Old Union B.S.

Postal union to fight back-to-work legislation in court

 

 

BY TERESA SMITH, POSTMEDIA NEWS JUNE 29, 2011 10:38 AM

 

STORY

 

• PHOTOS ( 1 )

 

 

The 15-member national executive board of CUPW has decided to take the federal government to court over last week's back-to-work legislation.

Photograph by: Aaron Lynett, National Post

OTTAWA — Letters and bills may returning to your mailbox, but the union representing Canada's postal workers says this fight is far from over.

The 15-member national executive board of CUPW has decided to take the federal government to court over last week's back-to-work legislation.

Nearly 50,000 locked-out Canada Post workers were forced back to their jobs this week under settlement terms arranged by government.

Gerry Deveau, national director for the Ontario region of the CUPW, says Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms contains the right to belong to a union and Canada's labour code protects the right to collective bargaining.

It's on those grounds, the union wants to file a legal challenge, he said.

"The government intervention here is stripping us of those rights," Deveau said.

He said the union will consult with legal counsel Wednesday and for the rest of this week. He said he anticipates launching the challenge by next week.

Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said Wednesday morning he hadn't heard anything about the possible court case.

"We're focused on delivering the mail and serving Canadians," he said.

The court case will target one of the main sticking points over the bill — the wage settlements.

The government legislated a wage increase of 1.57 per cent, which is lower than the 1.9 per cent that Canada Post had put on the table earlier this month in negotiations with its workers.

"We want to challenge the government legislating us back to work at less than what the corporation offered at a time when the cost of living is far greater than what the government has imposed upon us," Deveau said.

Canada Post locked out its employees on June 14, after the Canadian Union of Postal Workers conducted 12 days of rotating strikes.

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt then introduced the back-to-work legislation.

Opposition MPs condemned the bill as a whole, saying it undermined workers' rights to collective bargaining.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

more:http://www.canada.com/business/Postal+union+fight+back+work+legislation+court/5023096/story.html#ixzz1QgI4dS8V

Canadian Taxpayers Association

A letter from the Canadian Taxpayers Association.



Dear Supporter:

As you know, we’ve given a number of beefs and bouquets to the Wall government over the years. Yesterday we gave them a big bouquet and we want to tell you why.

Everyone knows Saskatchewan is facing severe flooding in the southern part of the province right now. The flooding has had a huge impact on Saskatchewan’s farming community; our thoughts are with you if you are experiencing the problems first hand.

Incredibly, as people across the province pulled together to help fight the flood, the union at the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation decided to go on strike.

Yes, at a time when farmers need them most – to help process insurance claims so that farm families have the funds to put food on their tables - the union bosses decided to pull their services.

What the union bosses have done is on par with nurses in an earthquake ravaged community going on strike minutes after a quake. It is simply unconscionable.

Fortunately, Premier Wall stood up yesterday for farmers and issued a scathing letter to the union, giving them a 24 hour deadline to get back to work. While the Premier was not specific on repercussions, we encouraged him to hire permanent replacement workers should individuals continue to walk away from their jobs.

That would allow conscientious SCIC workers to return while ensuring the entitlement-focussed ones do not.

We urge you to read Premier Wall’s letter (click here) and tell him what you think:
306-787-9433
premier@gov.sk.ca

Also – CTV has two online polls on this issue that you may wish to vote on:
CTV Regina - http://regina.ctv.ca/
CTV Saskatoon - http://saskatoon.ctv.ca/

Thank you for your attention to this email. Again, our thoughts are with you if the flood has impacted your family first hand.

--Colin, Courtenay, Shannon and the rest of the CTF team

5,000 Appointments Cancelled Due To HSAS Strike

Although I do not agree with the strike, I do believe that given binding arbitration it would come out with a fair deal.  The government needs to go into these arbitration meetings and lay everything out as a whole.  Let the arbitrator know what the unfunded pensions liabilities are and how much we have outstanding.  Our Children are going to have to pay dearly for these lucrative pensions and benefits.

Nearly 5,000 appointments cancelled by HSAS strike

BY JANET FRENCH, THE STARPHOENIX JUNE 24, 2011 8:23 AM

STORYPHOTOS ( 1 )

The health sciences workers in Saskatoon were walking the picket lines along College Drive outside of the Royal University Hospital June 21.

Photograph by: Gord Waldner, The StarPhoenix

Nearly 5,000 health appointments and treatments have now been cancelled across the province since the Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan began rotating strikes seven weeks ago.

Job action continued Thursday in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Regina when about 400 workers were off the job in the three cities, picketing along College Drive in Saskatoon, outside Prince Albert's Victoria Hospital and in front of Regina's Pasqua Hospital.

In Saskatoon Health Region, 259 appointments, treatments and groups were cancelled Thursday, along with 73 in Prince Albert Parkland Health Region and 289 in Regina Qu'Appelle.

HSAS represents 3,000 health-care workers across Saskatchewan, including audiologists, respiratory, occupational and physical therapists, pharmacists, social workers, assessor coordinators, addictions counsellors, and others.

jfrench@thestarphoenix.com

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

Looks Like A vote On Canada Post Tonight

One more union set to get ordered back to work.  I think our governments are finally waking up and saying enough is enough, "you are not going to dictate what the terms of any agreement is going to be."  The move in Saskatchewan as well as this move by the federal government is a clear signal to the rest of the unions out there. They either fall in line or will legally get ordered back to work.  We, as shareholders(tax payers) should be thankful that our governments are starting to get tough with the unions, we have too much riding on it as pension reforms are a must.

Government set to force Canada Post workers back to work

Conservatives prepared to sit in House all night if need be

By Randall Palmer

(Reuters) - Members of Parliament will sit continuously, even overnight, until the House of Commons passes a law to force postal workers back to work and restore mail service, the Conservative government said today. Because the government has a majority in the House, the legislation is certain to pass. The only question is how many hours — or perhaps days — opposition parties will continue to debate it before the bill goes through.
Postal employees started rotating strikes on June 3 to back contract demands and were locked out on June 15 by Canada Post, which said the strikes halved mail volumes and were costing it too much money.
The two sides had continued negotiating but management announced on Thursday morning that talks had broken off.
The dispute has not caused the same public disturbance that postal strikes did before the advent of email and the Internet, but the government said it has prompted enough complaints from small businesses that it had to act.
The opposition attacked Labour Minister Lisa Raitt for using the legislation to stipulate wage increases that were less even than management had been offering, and for moving so fast to end the work stoppage.
"She has absolutely kicked organized labour in the teeth," Liberal legislator Rodger Cuzner told the House.
"We're deeply disturbed that the government has gone to such extraordinary lengths to, in effect, cut out collective bargaining," said Libby Davies of the New Democratic Party.
Raitt said the wage increases in the legislation were the same as those received by another public-sector union. The bill sets the increases at 1.75 percent in 2011, 1.5 percent in 2012, and 2 percent in 2013 and 2014.
"These are increases that are not guaranteed for the majority of Canadians," she said.
In any case, she said, "Wages was not the defining issue on the table...The defining issues had to do with pensions, had to do with new employees, had to with short-term disability."
Canada Post was seeking a two-tier package of wages and pensions, maintaining the current structure for existing employees, but introducing a cheaper one for new hires.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which represents the 48,000 urban postal workers, says management has demanded unfair concessions in areas including wages, staffing and safety.
The legislation will appoint an arbitrator who will pick the best final offer from those put forward by the union and management.
After it gets passed in the House, the bill still has to go through the Senate, where it should get speedy approval because of the Conservative majority there.
Mail service, however, is unlikely to be restored before early next week.
(Editing by Peter Galloway)

You Tell Them Brad!

Wall demands end to crop insurance strike

CBC News 

Posted: Jun 22, 2011 12:02 PM CST 

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2011 1:20 PM CST 

Read 29comments29

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, shown speaking to reporters in Weyburn earlier this week, is demanding that striking crop insurance workers go back to work. (Adam Hunter/CBC)

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has sent a warning to the union representing striking crop insurance workers — get back to work, or else.

On Tuesday, more than 400 Crop Insurance Corp. workers represented by the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union walked off the job to underline their contract demands.

The strike comes at a time when many farmers are struggling to put a crop in the field, particularly in the flood-ravaged southeast.

In a letter to SGEU president Bob Bymoen that was released to the media, Wall called the decision to go on strike at this time "deplorable" and "appalling."

"The union leadership needs to reverse this decision," Wall told reporters at the legislature Wednesday. "They need to do the right thing and call off this strike."

Wall vowed the government will "take action" if that doesn't happen in 24 hours, but didn't say what kind of action he would take.

Asked in a CBC Morning Edition interview if the government would order the employees back to work, Wall said he wouldn't answer that now.

It's not the first clash between the Saskatchewan Party government and unions.

Labour groups were furious when the government passed essential services legislation, which places limits on how many government workers and health care workers can go on strike.

Wednesday's letter was arguably the harshest criticism Wall has made against a union in the middle of a contract dispute.

SGEU, which said Tuesday it has been forced to take a stand to get a fair deal from the government. Bymoen was not immediately available to respond to Wall's letter.

Strikers assisting flood victims, union says

In a news release Wednesday, the union said striking crop insurance workers in Estevan and Weyburn have volunteered to assist in local flood relief efforts.

“We are part of these communities, and, with extreme weather conditions threatening homes and livelihoods, we want to lend a hand where we can,” Alan Evans, the chair of the union's negotiating committee said in a news release.

“The decision to withdraw services was a difficult one for us to make. We have a great deal of concern for the well-being of farm families," Evans said. "After all, many of us are farmers, or have farm connections and live in rural communities.
"

My Next Rant On Unions And My Common Sense Solution

In my previous post I brought up the fact that SGEU has decided to send it's crop adjusters out on strike at the moment they are needed the most by the people in Saskatchewan.  By doing so, Bob Bymoen is holding the people of Saskatchewan hostage in order to get what he wants.

The same is going on with the Cancer workers strike and of course the teachers did the same before agreeing to mediation.  There are other strikes to come as the unions align themselves with the NDP going into the fall election.

Time of the unions is in the past, there is no such need for them anymore, no matter what spin the union heads want to put on it.   There are labour relations boards, workers safety boards and more in place to make sure the workers are being treated fairly.  This was once the job of unions, it was not to get into the political forum nor to hold the people hostage like they do today.  Imagine if the members were able to keep their union dues and actually put that money to work for their families instead of going into advertising against a government or into the pockets of union heads?

What I suggest for the Sask government to do is bring in legislation ordering all striking unions back to work and then introducing right to work legislation.  The unions will cry and take everything to court, further wasting their membership's dollars, but this is gaining a lot of traction in the U.S. and around the world.  In today's world we have to compete against other nations who have become much more productive than us, more streamlined and cheaper labour costs.  These other countries don't have the burden that unions have on our country and that gives them a huge advantage which further hurts our economy.

So what is my common sense solution to the union problems in Canada?  Bring in right to work legislation which will kill the unions and then go to the workers and say you can have a collective voice from your membership to negotiate with the employers.  Instead of having the right to strike, like a union does, have both sides go directly to mediation at least a year before the current contract is to expire.  This can be done and should be by changing the legislation.  The mediator would have to be approved by both sides and be from outside the province in order to make sure there is no influence one way or the other.  If within 6 months there is still no contract then it goes to binding arbitration with the result being accepted by both sides.  The fees paid by the membership would be very little as compared to today's membership dues.  The labour side would hire a law firm when it comes time for negotiations instead of paying union heads and a bunch of cronies 24/7/365.  The law firm would then take on direct negotiations with the employer and mediator.

By using this approach I thing the animosity between employer and employee would begin to heal and we can then concentrate on further progressing our province and nation instead of being held back by labour disputes.  By changing the labour laws to allow for this type of process would allow the government and all employers for that matter to have more of a voice with it's employees, to be able to actually talk to them about where they are financially and what they need for concessions when it comes to pension reforms.

It is no secret that we as taxpayers need pension reforms from current labour contracts, the unfunded liabilities that they carry is unsustainable and if we don't do something now we may find ourselves looking at some very big austerity measures in the future.  Entitlements have become the norm in this country and it needs to stop, for the better of our children's futures.

An Update On Flooding In SE Saskatchewan

I am sure most in Canada have heard about the flooding situation in SE Saskatchewan, but I am sure many have no idea just how bad it is.  I just received a phone call from Stoughton(North of Estevan) and they got just under 5 inches of rain yesterday alone, with more expected today.  This brings their total to close to 10 inches of rain from Thursday through yesterday!  That is about all they are supposed to get all spring and if you add that to what was a very high run off from the spring melt and well above normal precipitation this spring it has developed into a world class flood situation.

All activity in the area is at a stand still because people simply cannot work.  Farmers didn't get to put in crops, oil companies haven't been able to drill since break up in March and service companies cannot get to well sights to service the oil wells.  What does this all mean?  It is going to be a hard year for those in the area, not just the people who work in these industries but also those who own businesses in the area.  It will be a tough year but hopefully it will dry up for next year and they will again be rolling along like they were up until spring.

Premier Brad Wall has seen the situation first hand and has promised immediate help for those affected.  The Red Cross is inundated with people needing assistance and places to stay.

Making matters worse today is the fact that 400 SGEU members with the Crop Insurance Corp. have gone on strike.  Bob Bymoen has once again shown what he is made of by putting his union on strike just when they are needed most.  He did so in 2007, in the face of a large blizzard he pulled all of his unionized road maintenance crews off the job.  I think it is time for Saskatchewan residents to say enough is enough with the politics of unions and look to break them once and for all.  Back to work legislation, and then introduce right to work legislation is how I would play this out if I were the Sask Party.  I believe that the Saskatchewan residents on majority would support this move, they are tired of the same union B.S. that keeps happening and threatening this great province.

On With Another Strike

I guess the postal union has not been told that their services are slowly but surely being replaced by economical, cheaper and more efficient methods?

Postal Union says strike will start in Winnipeg; small business scrambling

By LuAnn LaSalle, The Canadian Press – 19 minutes ago

OTTAWA — Businesses and charities were looking for alternatives and preparing for cash crunches after the union representing Canada Post workers said it will begin a series of rotating strikes late Thursday night in Winnipeg.

"Undoubtedly, there will be a lot of money caught in the system when the strike occurs that will just be basically halted and will remain in the mail," Dan Kelly of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said.

"Cash flow issues to small businesses can be a pretty significant deal," said Kelly, the organization's senior vice-president.

Kelly estimated a postal strike will cost small businesses between $200 and $250 daily.

Both the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Toronto-based Yonge Street Mission said they, along with other charities, will be seriously impacted by a postal strike.

The Yonge Street Mission said services it provides to Toronto's poorest people are funded through donations received in the mail.

"The strike could cost the charity approximately $56,000 each week it continues," Ann Barnard Ball, Mission development officer, said in a statement.

She said 70 per cent of the Yonge Street Mission's funding comes through the mail, but she did note that nearly $500,000 was raised last year through online donations.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation said a significant portion of donations are received through direct mail campaigns but added that donations can still be made over the phone or online.

"The postal strike will impede CWF's ability to communicate with many of its over 300,000 donors," said executive vice-president Wade Luzny.

The announcement of rotating strikes came as the Canadian Union of Postal Workers continued negotiations on a new labour contract with the government-owned corporation, as the clock ticked down to the 11:59 EDT strike deadline.

The union gave its required 72-hour notice on Monday and will use volunteers in some provinces to deliver government assistance cheques.

The union plans to hold a news conference in Ottawa on Friday morning to discuss negotiations and strike activities.

Canada Post spokesman John Caines said the Crown corporation remains hopeful that the two sides will reach a negotiated settlement.

"We are committed to getting an agreement and we're still working at it," Caines said from Ottawa.

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved