News@6 - Spring/Summer

All around District 6, Steelworkers are busy fighting for our members in workplaces, at the bargaining table, on the picket line and in our communities.

We are making progress in achieving better lives for families. These victories are important in reducing the growing inequality created by bad government policies and greedy multinationals. I am proud of the victories and bargaining successes we continue to have.

As an example, the recent Ontario Mine Safety Review and its recommendations only occurred because of Steelworkers activism. Were working to ensure these important recommendations are effectively implemented. Thats what Steelworkers fight for.

Our campaign to Stop the Killing, Enforce the Law and our efforts against the Temporary Foreign Worker Program abuses are proud examples of our advancement of fairness and justice for working families.

The brave fight by our Local 9176 members at Crown got a boost from the Canadian Labour Congresss

national beer can boycott and a mass solidarity rally by the Toronto and York Region Labour Council.

Were in a crucial legal battle for fairness against global giant U.S. Steel and its outrageous demand to give itself creditor preference over thousands of pensioners and workers as part of bankruptcy proceedings. Were also asking the court to release details of the secret

deal between U.S. Steel and the Harper government.

I am extremely excited about our coming District 6 Conference Strong Union, Strong Community in Sault St. Marie in August. Like no conference youve ever seen, we will build our skills, prepare for ongoing victories, show off our talents and demonstrate how strengthening our communities strengthens all of us.

I invite every Steelworker in District 6 to contribute to our growing victories by joining us in our union work, our community activities, our social events and our efforts in the coming federal election.

Please follow USW District 6 on Facebook and Twitter. Say a good word about your union. Be proud of your union. Help us continue winning victories for working people.

Check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

Marty Warren USW District 6 Director

for AllWorking Families

Building VictoriesSPRING-SUMMER 2015

United Steelworkers District 6 200 Ronson Drive, Suite 300

Etobicoke, Ontario Canada M9W 5Z9

Tel.: 416-243-8792 www.usw.ca/district6uswdistrict6 @uswdistrict6

United Steelworkers District 6United Steelworkers District 62 3

USW District 6 is excited to announce the opening of a Steelworkers office in Kirkland Lake, rebuilding our unions presence in Northern Ontario. The USW represents a number of locals in the area that have lately been serviced from Sudbury.

As precious metal prices have rebounded, so have the mines in the area, particularly gold mines. They are all non-union operations; Steelworkers want to change that.

A number of miners have approached our union quietly, looking for information on work rules, what employers can and cant do. And while the wages are good, there is unfair treatment, favouritism and often workers are fired without reason or recourse.

Health and safety is also a big issue in mining, and without a union, employers largely call the shots with unsafe practices continuing until dire or deadly consequences force a wake-up call.

The conversation in the mines is, we need a union, say USW organizers Patrick Veinot and Pascal Boucher.

The Steelworkers Humanity Fund made a donation to the Kirkland Lake food bank over the holiday season last year. The Steelworkers helped organize the 2015 Day of Mourning ceremony with Tony De Paulo, Assistant to the Director, speaking on behalf of USW at the event.

Steelworkers have a great reputation in Kirkland Lake. People in the coffee shop are so happy to see us, says Patrick.

Steelworkers Return to Kirkland Lake

Steelworkers are waging a fierce court battle to prevent multinational U.S. Steels attempt to give itself creditor preference over thousands of pensioners and workers affected by bankruptcy protection proceedings.

Basically U.S. Steel says it owes itself and will take care of itself before fulfilling its legal obligations to its retirees, said USW District 6 Director Marty Warren. We will do everything we can to defend the interests of our members and pensioners and ensure that U.S. Steel is held to its obligations.

The USW has called on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to reject the outrageous claim by U.S. Steel (USS) that it is owed more than $2 billion as a creditor of its own subsidiary, U.S. Steel Canada (USSC).

The USW argues in court documents that Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel exercised complete control over its Canadian operations, directly undermined those operations and caused much of their financial difficulty.

USS, by virtue of its control of USSC, has directed USSCs operations in a way which has caused it to significantly underperform, requiring it to incur significant debts, the USW has stated in court.U.S. Steel

Defending Pensioners and Workers


USW District 6 is asking the labour relations board in Newfoundland and Labrador to make Vale live up to its word. More than a hundred workers were promised jobs at the new Long Harbour, Nfld., refinery that is 5-10 minutes down the road from the now-closed Argentia plant, where workers were members of USW Local 7144.

One member of USW Local 7144 says if hed known Vales promised employment letter was false, he wouldnt have built his house or moved back from Thompson, Man., where Vale sent him for work after Argentia closed.

We were told we were going to be working. It was going to be a mainstay, says the Steelworker, who

preferred we not use his name. Hes hopeful the board will force Vales hand, but in the meantime, I feel let down, frustrated.

Vale has been hiring in Long Harbour for two years, but many of those with letters of guarantee are still waiting. The USW has two complaints before the board on successor rights and bad faith bargaining.

USSs conduct has completely undermined its own and USSCs obligations to the unions members and beneficiaries in respect of pensions and OPEBs, among other things.

Its shameful that U.S. Steel, which created this situation in the first place, wants to trample over seniors and see these pensioners worry about losing part of their incomes, said Gary Howe, President of USW Local 1005 in Hamilton.

The USW also is petitioning the court to open a secret deal between the federal government and U.S. Steel. The deal was struck in 2011 when the Conservative government dropped its legal challenge of U.S. Steels broken commitments on production and employment levels in Hamilton and Nanticoke, Ont.

It is offensive that the federal government is opposing the release of the secret agreement, said Bill Ferguson, President of USW Local 8782 in Nanticoke.

To see this government trying to keep this information hidden from us just confirms that it is squarely on the side of U.S. Steel and has absolutely no interest in supporting the workers, pensioners and families who risk losing so much, Ferguson said.

Vale on the Rock: Keep Your Promises


Mining Health and Safety ReviewThe Ontario Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Reviews final report has been released. The review was launched after months of advocacy and lobbying by the USW and the Sudbury community, including

families of miners killed at work. We hope these recommendations will lead to meaningful changes and enforceable regulations that will prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. Our union played a significant role in this review. The report is on the Ministry of Labours website.

Ontario Coroners InquestA coroners inquest into the deaths of miners Jordan Fram and Jason Chenier concluded in May with the jury making 24 recommendations to improve mining safety in Ontario.

Health Safety News&

Toronto-area Steelworkers marking April 28, the National Day of Mourning for workers injured or killed on the job.


USW Local 6500 Health and Safety members Ryan St. George, Craig Allair and Joe Guido represented the union and the Fram and Chenier families at the inquest. USW representatives also were among numerous witnesses to testify during the process, which was a highly emotional ordeal for the families to endure, nearly four years after the deaths.

Jason Chenier and Jordam Fram were killed by a run of 350 tons of muck while working at the 3,000-foot level of Vales Stobie Mine. Ontarios labour ministry laid 15 Health and Safety Act charges against Vale and a supervisor after a year-long investigation. Vale pleaded guilty to three charges and was fined $1.05 million for, among other things, failing to take reasonable precautions to prevent water accumulation in the mine. Six other charges against Vale and six against the supervisor were dropped.

A simple fine is not justice for the families. A criminal investigation should have occurred and possible charges laid under the Westray Law. Fines are not enough! Workplace fatalities should be looked at through a criminal lens just like any other death in society.

Showing Solidarity and Lending a Helping HandIn a show of solidarity and strength, USW Local 6500 is helping other families and union reps to understand the inquest process. Pascal Goulet was killed at the Lac des Iles mine on July 10, 2014. Widow Melanie Goulet, her father Mayor Renald Beaulieu and a Local 9422 Health and Safety Rep were invited by Local 6500 to attend the Fram/Chenier inquest as observers, in order to learn about the process

which they will be experiencing in the future. Local 6500 Health and Safety Co-Chair Mike Bond and colleagues have been assisting Melanie and Local 9422 in preparing for the upcoming inquest. We are proud of Local 6500s ongoing health and safety expertise and support.

Stop the Killing Municipal CampaignMany of you have helped with our Stop the Killing, Enforce the Law campaign that is calling for criminal charges when workers are killed or injured because of employers disregard for worker safety. For the past six months, the campaign has been growing across the country. This is a campaign we can win. Visit the website at www.StopTheKilling.ca. See the progress weve made and view the many endorsements from municipalities across the country. Is your city on the map? If not, contact us and help get your municipalitys endorsement.

Get Involved in Mental Health Mental health issues account for the most significant cause of absenteeism in our workplaces. Find local events at the Canadian Mental Health Association website at www.cmha.ca.

We believe all workers have a right to a physically and psychologically safe and healthy workplace. Lets be proactive, learn about mental health and the impact it has on our lives. District 6 is sponsoring Partners for Mental Health. www.partnersformh.ca. There are many ways we can support and become involved with the mental health cause. For starters, lets talk about it, instead of thinking its a taboo.

Some basic things we can do:

Support someone who is experiencing a mental health problem or illness.

Share ones own experiences and stories about mental health.

Participate in local events, programs and activities that promote mental health.

Contact leaders or politicians to influence policies and regulations.

We are the Health and Safety UnionEvery worker has the right to a healthy workplace, and the right to return home safely at the end of the day. Our union will never stop demanding improvements to health and safety laws, regulations and policies, to prevent injuries and eliminate fatalities.

USW Local 9422s Alf Mills, Pascal Goulets father-in-law Renald Beaulieu, Goulets widow Melanie Goulet, Mike Bond and District 6 Health and Safety Coordinator Sylvia Boyce at the Coroners Inquest in Sudbury.

United Steelworkers District 6United Steelworkers District 66 7United Steelworkers District 66

Prices are goin

g up while wag

es stay the sa

me.

Minimum wag

e is about fairn

ess no one s

hould work

full time and s

till fall below th

e poverty line

.

Unions suppo

rt advances fo

r workers righ

ts that extend

to all workers.

Thats why w

e support stro

nger health

and safety law

s, expanding t

he Canada Pe

nsion Plan/

Quebec Pens

ion Plan (CPP

/QPP) and ot

her measures

that improve l

ives for all wo

rkers.

Only Tom Mulc

air and the ND

P are proposin

g fairness

with a $15 fed

eral minimum

wage.

PLEASE POST

NDP: Fairness for Wor

kers, Fairness for our

Economy

www.usw.ca/electio

n2015

Steelworkers are activists by nature, and we will be out in force this year in preparation for the federal election coming up. Well be talking to our members about the issues and our support for NDP candidates in ridings across our District.

For Steelworkers, our election theme is Vote Fairness. The policies that Tom Mulcair and the NDP have announced are ideas that are practical, fair and will be in the best interests of workers and our families.

Vote Fairness Election 2015

PLEASE POST

Canadians arent saving enough for retirement and many face a

25 per cent drop in income when they retire. More than 11 million

Canadians dont even have a workplace pension plan.

Pension experts, labour unions, provincial governments and seniors

organizations all support substantially increasing the Canada/Quebec

Pension Plan as the most cost-effective way to help all Canadians

retire with dignity. We can double CPP/QPP retirement benefits for

the cost of a coffee and donut a day. Only Tom Mulcair and the NDP will restore retirement to age 65 and

strengthen the CPP/QPP.

NDP: Fairness for Workers, Fairness for our Economy

www.usw.ca/election2015

United Steelworkers District 6United Steelworkers District 66 7United Steelworkers District 6 7

The Liberals are not on the side of working people. They have supported the Conservatives over and over again, like Justin Trudeaus blank-cheque support for the secret police Bill C-51. We have already included a number of Steelworker election flyers in mailings to USW Locals on issues that the NDP is

promoting that members can post and share at our workplaces.

$15 minimum wage: Its only fair Better pensions for all: Fairness

for seniors

$15 per day childcare: Fairness for families

We encourage all members to get involved in this election. Invite your

local NDP candidate to your next union event. Steelworkers make a difference when we vote.

The USW election posters pictured here are available. Email [email protected] to order copies for your members or workplace.


PLEASE POST

Canadians arent saving enough for retirement and many face a

25 per cent drop in income when they retire. More than 11 million

Canadians dont even have a workplace pension plan.

Pension experts, labour unions, provincial governments and seniors

organizations all support substantially increasing the Canada/Quebec

Pension Plan as the most cost-effective way to help all Canadians

retire with dignity. We can double CPP/QPP retirement benefits for

the cost of a coffee and donut a day. Only Tom Mulcair and the NDP will restore retirement to age 65 and

strengthen the CPP/QPP.

NDP: Fairness for Workers, Fairness for our Economy


PLEASE POST

NDP: Fairness for Wo

rkers, Fairness for ou

r Economy

www.usw.ca/electio

n2015

$15per day

Too many fam

ilies struggle t

o find decent

childcare, an

d when they

do, its expen

sive. Liberals

promised nat

ional childcar

e in 1991 but

never delivere

d during 13 ye

ars in power. S

tephen Harpe

r promised

125,000 new

spaces, but h

asnt created

even one.

Affordable, sa

fe quality chil

dcare gives a s

trong start for

our kids

and our econo

my grows by

more than $2

for every $1 in

vested.

Quebec has 7

0,000 more w

omen in the w

orkforce since

childcare

was introduce

d. Unions sup

port progress

ive policies lik

e affordable

childcare for

our kids, our f

amilies and ou

r economy.

Affordable, qu

ality childcare

is one election

away. Only To

m Mulcair and

the NDP will d

eliver affordab

le childcare fo

r Canadian fam

ilies.

United Steelworkers District 68

Pay and benefit gains at Tenaris TubesOur 540 members in Local 9548 who make seamless tubes in Sault Ste. Marie at Algoma Tenaris Tubes have bargained an agreement that will give them more vacation weeks, increase their pensions, expand their orthodontics by $1,000 and eyeglasses by $160, as well as allowing more lost time for union business. The $1,750 signing bonus is in addition to the 5% wage increase over three years.

Improved profit-sharing and pensions at Kaiser AluminumLocal 4885 have improved their extended health benefits, dental schedule and increased their long-term disability benefits by $250 per month, as well as Life and A.D.& D. improvements of $5,000. Our members who make aluminum billets and extruded products will have their profit-sharing and pension gains supplemented with a 6% increase over three years and a signing bonus.

Dramatic increases for neglected classifications at Cooper StandardIn March our 200 Local 719 auto parts members in Mitchell, Ont., ratified a three-year agreement with wage increases of 10% to 15.8% for many of their work classifications. Likewise, the O.D.A. fee schedule was improved by four years and extended health benefits were increased, as were numerous health components: vision, physiotherapy, chiropractic and massage.

Increases for the next 3 years at Noront SteelSteel fabrication plant workers from USW Local 2020-33 in Sudbury passed an agreement that includes a 5.5% wage increase over thee years, improved long-term disability and safety equipment benefits and auxiliary health benefits.

99% vote for improved contract at Winpak PackagingOur Toronto Local 267G members gladly ratified a four-year agreement with an 8% wage increase over four years. The agreement for our 150 plastic manufacturers includes increases to the pension plans, the addition of a holiday and better language for make-up hours for plant shutdowns.

FEATURED ACTIVISTSuper-Activist Secures Plant ReopeningFor more than two years, veteran USW Local 1-2010 activist Girard Lamothe doggedly pursued a bid to reopen the plywood plant in his hometown of Cochrane, Ont.

Following the plants closure in late 2012, the irrepressible Lamothe worked tirelessly with other community leaders to secure public and private investment in the facility. Those efforts paid off earlier this year when the plant reopened as Rockshield Engineered Wood Products.

Approximately 80 Local 1-2010 members were recalled immediately, with more jobs being added as the operations ramp up. A new collective agreement was negotiated, with wages, pensions and contract language comparable to the industry average.

None of it would have happened without Lamothes dogged work, prompting his selection this spring as recipient of the first USW Local 1-2010 Presidents Award.

Because of his dedication to his community and to his brothers and sisters, he has saved 100 good jobs, not to mention pensions and other benefits, said Local 1-2010 President Guy Bourgoin.

LOCA

L 2020-33

United Steelworkers District 6 9

10% and 8% increases at Chemetics The April agreement at Chemetics in Pickering with USW Local 03-9 covers three years and will give a 10% wage increase to welders/fitters and an 8% increase for other classifications. There also will be increased shift premiums and a $3,000 bonus each year.

Wage, pension, language gains at Haley IndustriesThe 370 aerospace manufacturing members of USW Local 4820 in Renfrew County, Ont., reached a three-year agreement in April with Haley Industries Ltd. The new deal includes wage gains totalling 4.6%, a 7.5% increase in the employers pension contributions and several improvements in benefits and contract language.

YWCA Genevra House gain Workplace Safety and Insurance Board coverageFor USW womens shelter support workers at Sudburys YWCA Genevra House replacing their inadequate and term-limited private coverage with Workplace Safety and Insurance Board coverage was a key issue. In addition to that gain, Local 2020-57 members also obtained wage increases, a signing bonus and improvements on employment conditions.

96% support improved recall language at Timmins Hospital For our 370 members of USW Local 9350 it was a no-brainer to accept the two-year contract that included retroactive salary increases and a 2% going forward raise. As personal support workers, registered practitioner nurses, maintenance clerks and accounting staff, our members are dedicated professionals who insisted on language improvements regarding layoffs and recall. Vision care and wage improvements central at Shaw Almex As manufacturers of conveyor belt vulcanizing equipment and galvanizing units, our Local 2020-50 members in Parry Sound, Ont., completed hard negotiations that resulted in a wage increase and improvements to some benefits and contract language.

FEATURED ADVANCEMENT University Sector Closing in on Innovative Pension Plan SustainabilityWith the Ontario Liberal government mandating zero-sum agreements and 50/50 cost sharing on pensions, our locals at University of Toronto (Local 1998), University of Guelph (Local 4120) and Victoria University (Local 1998) faced very difficult bargaining in 2014.

Under this pressure, each local negotiated increases to salaries and benefits and better protection during layoffs.

The U of T agreement also provided improved eyewear, health therapies, and childcare enhancements. At the U of G, members gained significant improvements in job evaluations.

Pensions have been a major issue at every university. For the first time, there is substantial advancement for the long-term sustainability of these pension plans.

At U of T, the local signed a historic cooperation agreement

with the Faculty Association to establish a Joint Working Committee that will review pension models including a multi-employer sector-wide joint-sponsored pension plan (JSPP). Guelph and Victoria Locals have also moved towards a JSPP.

LOCA

L 2020-57

LO

CAL 4820

United Steelworkers District 610

Tenneco Steelworkers improve pensions and reject two-tier In February, 430 members of USW 2894 at the Tenneco Automotive plant in Cambridge, Ont ratified a three-year collective agreement with wage and pension increases in each year, as well as improved benefits.The company wanted to create a two-tier pension system that would have excluded a new generation of workers from the security of a defined benefit pension. But effective bargaining and membership support stopped that plan and won advancements. 96% say 3 yrs of wage improvements good for Centre Jubilee The hard work of staffing in a substance abuse treatment centre and counseling centre has turned our Timmins members of Local 9350-02 into good negotiators, as was shown in their new 3-year contract that included wage increases, contract language improvements and a signing bonus.

Gains for new members at Chalk River NuclearRecently joining the Steelworkers, 900 technical, professional and support staff at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (formerly Atomic Energy of Canada) now form USW Locals 4096 and 1568. Their first-ever agreements include 1.5% annual wage increases, extended income supplements for parental leave, a new process to address contracting out issues and an expedited arbitration system to deal with grievances, as well as restoration of seniority rights and the resolution of numerous longstanding grievances.

Union Gas (Spectra Energy) sign 3-year agreement with improvementsIn addition to a 2% wage increase, our 103 Union Gas members at northern Ontarios Local 2020-5 received important workplace and benefit gains such as bereavement leave, safety equipment and stand-by pay.

FEATURED AGREEMENTSteelworkers Bargain Strong Vale AgreementWhen veteran USW Local 6500 activist Rob Churchill supports a collective bargaining agreement, you know its a good deal.

For nearly his entire 23-year career, Churchill has been perhaps the harshest critic of the contracts his union has negotiated with mining giant Vale and its predecessor Inco.

That changed when he saw the five-year agreement reached by Local 6500 and Vale in April.

I never voted yes for a contract, but this is one of the best deals Ive seen over the years, said Churchill, a Local 6500 steward and a heavy equipment operator at Vales Sudbury operations.

We made real improvements. We got back contract language that was taken away last time.

I cant say enough about our bargaining committee. Im proud to be a Steelworker and Im proud to have these guys bargaining for me.

The new contract covers 2,700 Local 6500 members in Sudbury and 115 Local 6200 members in Port Colborne, Ont. The deal was ratified by 77% of Local 6500 members and 87% of Local 6200 members.

The agreement improves pensions, wages, benefits and contract language and provides each member a $4,500 signing bonus. By the contracts end, the basic pension for a 30-year employee will be $3,750 per month.

In addition to across-the-board wage increases, cost-of-living

adjustments are projected to generate an additional $2.20 per hour over the contracts term.

The agreement was reached more than a month prior to the May 31 expiry of the existing contract a first in the USWs bargaining history with Vale/Inco.

The early settlement and substantial gains are in stark contrast to the previous round of bargaining, which saw Vale provoke a year-long strike with unprecedented demands for concessions.

United Steelworkers District 6 11

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: More than 100 workers from unions across the GTA showed solidarity for our USW 9176 members at a May Day rally outside the Ministry of Labour organized by the Toronto & York Region Labour Council; Canadians pledged to drink their beer in bottles, not cans over the Victoria Day weekend; USW members from Canada joined 32 members of Los Mineros, the National Miners and Metalworkers Union of Mexico, to confront Crown Holdings directors at the corporations annual shareholder meeting, held in Mexico in April; USW District 6 Director Marty Warren and USW Staff Rep Rob Mason in Cambridge for the Bottles, Not Cans Day of Action.

Cheers to SolidarityCheers to Solidarity

This spectacular conference will embody the theme of Our Union Helps Build Strong Communities:

Inspirational speakers Involvement with Sault community groups A community celebration concert Steelworkers Got Talent show Skills development for the delegates Unsung Heroes and health and safety awards

To register, or find more: www.usw.ca/d6conf

District 6 Conference 2015

August 17-20 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Documents

News@6 - Spring/Summer