The Guardian - Unifor Local 200
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The Guardian
APRIL 2019 – Volume 76 – Issue 1 – Windsor - Essex
A Tribute to . . . Joh n T o t h
The Unifor Guardian Board of Directors of
Board and its members Workplace Windsor-Essex
were saddened to hear the from 2011 to 2017. He al-
news that John had passed ways maintained his ties
away. For most of John’s to Unifor Local 195 by tak-
working life, he was dedi- ing on a role as a driver for
cated to immediate family, Veteran’s Cab Company
Union family, and the com- from 2009 to 2014. John
munity. was elected as the 1st
John began his career at Vice-President of Unifor
Fabco in 1986 and re- Local 195 and then became
mained there until it President in 2017.
closed in 2010. John always John was a colleague, a
had a desire to help the friend, and a mentor to
community and to advo- many representatives and
cate for his fellow work- others throughout the
ers. He was always a community. To his wife
strong believer in the JOHN TOTH and soulmate, Shelley, and
value and strength of the
Union movement and in
October 9th, 1962 to his children Tiffany
- Anne, Cheryl, Tracey and
2001 he became involved Maxwell, his brothers and
in his local, CAW Local 195, April 4th 2019
sisters and many grand-
in various positions. John children. We offer our sin-
was also a firm believer in cere condolences and
the United Way, and dur- friendship. God bless, and
ing the economic down- farewell to our friend and
turn, John took on the role colleague.
of Chairperson of the Sincerely,
Local 195 Labour Adjust- John D’Agnolo,
ment Program from 2006 President,
until 2012. The Guardian Board
He also served on the and its members.
Unifor Responds
Jan 17th, rolling blockage after bring work back to the United States.
GM unit meeting, lost production. Elections are coming, will their
By Jan 23rd, GM headquarters is shut platform have policies in place to
JOHN D’AgNOlO, down by a blockade until Jan 25th. protect jobs from leaving Canada.
President, Press conference in T.O announcing Unifor has over 300,000 members,
Unifor Local 200 the Mexican built boycott. and we can make a difference collec-
Feb 8th, Lear walks out. tively.
Feb 14th, Sting puts on a concert Windsor and Essex County know
GENERAL MOTORS signed in support of the workers in Oshawa. all too well the impact of facilities
an agreement that kept the Oshawa Feb16th, hundreds of members closing in our community, and we
plant open until 2020, and they protesting the Auto Show and it con- don't want to see any community go
chose to break it. Unifor took imme- tinued onto the following Sat. through what we have endured. We
diate action against GM letting the stand by the workers of Oshawa and
Let's not forget the commercials!
Corporate World know when you the parts facilities throughout On-
In closing, this is a true definition tario, and we will continue to fight
agree to a contract, shake hands
of CORPORATE GREED; the com- Corporate Greed and challenge all
across the table you will live by it, if
pany is making BILLIONS a year, levels of governments to keep good
not we will do what it takes to make
yet they continue to go to Mexico re- paying jobs in Canada.
sure you uphold your end of the bar-
gardless of the quality and produc-
gain. Here's a summary of what Uni-
tivity awards the Oshawa plant
for workers in Oshawa and parts
received. FCA announcement of the loss
FCA Announcement
facilities have done with the support
Our governments have to step up, of the third shift recently was devas-
of unions throughout Ontario since
policies and trade agreements give tating. The leadership of Local 444
the ananouncement of the Oshawa
the corporate world free rein exploit led by Dave Cassidy will do what
Plant closing.
the lowest paid labour communities they can to secure work and keep as
Nov 26th announcement of plant there members working. On behalf
in the world. The United States
closure, plant sit down and plant of Local 200 we will do what we can
elected a President who has no busi-
walked out at 9:00 am the company to support the brothers and sisters at
ness being in that position except for
lost 14hrs in production. FCA.
the fact he told Americans he would . . . cont’d on next page
Nov 27the stop the work practices
and rotating sit-downs in plants cost-
ing them 4 hrs. of production. Pick-
ets at Oshawa Centre, Costco, and
401 Bridges.
Dec 20th meeting in Detroit, no
commitment but will get back to us
on Jan 7th. Unifor asked for a re-
sponse on the 7th; GM delayed to the
8th to let us know there is no change.
Jan 8th, plant sat down on after-
noon shift after the press conference,
loss of 8 hrs of production.
Jan 11th, Windsor holds a protest,
buses come down from Oshawa,
members to shift off to attend. Broth-
ers and sisters throughout Ontario
come to support the Oshawa work-
ers. Unifor Guardian Presidents, Dave Cassidy, John D’Agnolo and Tullio
DiPonti were pleased to donate $20,000.00 on behalf of the Guardian
Jan 16th, Inteva walk out. Board membership to this year’s Easter Seals Telethon.
The Guardian – 2
departments continuing for a short two weeks following the summer
time after to complete some service shutdown. The line is also scheduled
orders. to be down for the first two weeks of
John D’Agnolo
. . . cont’d September. The downtime is due to
the work being done on the line for
We currently have 720 members
the 2021 upgrade for the 5 litre en-
Ford Essex Engine Plant
including TPT's in production. Now,
gine.
our volumes on the engine line are at
LOCAL 200 UNITS
The Crank Dept. is going to be
5712 a week. We have three down-
Presently at Ford, we have 432 down for the three weeks before
Ford Skilled Trades
shifts a week Monday midnight
on the role of which 15 are Electrical summer shutdown and the first week
shift, Friday the afternoon and day
Apprentices, and six are Trade coming out of summer shutdown.
shifts.
Helpers. This week we are inter- This is all do to the 2021 upgrades
The Engine line will be down the
viewing IMM apprentices for our also. . . . cont’d on next page
tentative May 1, 2019 starting date.
We have finished our Oakville can-
vass to see how many have taken up
employment at Ford Oakville will
return home. We had two electricians
out of a possible seven and seven
IMM out of 17 who were eligible to
return to Ford Windsor. With the age
of our workforce and the number of
retirements, we will be looking to
hire some Electricians and IMM's.
The plant currently has 320 em-
Ford Annex
ployees and has been busy through
2017 and 2018 with the tear out of
the old equipment that used to pro-
duce the 5.4 and 6.8 engines.
In 2016 we bargained the 7.3 L Local 200 members Debbie Shaw and Heather MacDonald are seen an-
V 8 engine, the majority of install of swering the phones for donations towards Easter Seals.
the machines is complete, and we are
running a limited amount of engines
down the line. The engines will sup-
ply the Ohio Assembly and Ken-
tucky Truck.
The Annex also machines 5.0 L
Heads and Rods for Essex Engine
Plant. Machine 2L and 3.0L Cylinder
Heads for Lima Assembly Plant and
the 6.8L Heads for Windsor Engine
Plant.
Ford WEP has 265 members
Ford Windsor Engine Plant
building the 2 valve and 3 valve 6.8
engine. Volumes continue to run at
2288 per week based on a 4-day
schedule. The engine is slated to
cease in the middle of November Members from Local 200 take time for a photo-op in Oshawa as they
2019 with some of the machining participated in a protest outside the company’s GM Headquarters.
The Guardian – 3
The plant produces roughly 6 This unit has 34 members, ser-
Diageo Unit Leadec Unit
million cases of Crown Royal per vicing the Windsor Engine Plant,
John D’Agnolo
. . . cont’d year we have five lines that run all Annex and Essex Engine Plant. The
sizes from 750ml, 1.75, 1 litre, and Annex investment is keeping us very
3.75 ml. At our plant, we run Crown busy and will be adding two crib
The new cam carrier dep’t for the Royal regular, apple, vanilla, black
jobs in the 4th Quarter.
2021 upgrade is being installed and now, and then we get other
which is going to consist of 17 new flavours, but this is our core flavours.
jobs. There will be three in machin- With the new investment the We have 135 members at present.
STM Unit
ing and 4 in production per shift. As warehouse project or as we call pro- STM builds the headliners for the
of now, it looks like assembly will ject castle, it expands our Amherst-
Pacifica and Caravan and at present
consist of two shifts and machining burg footprint by cutting out a lot of
running a three-shift operation build-
will be three-shift operation. our third-party warehouse storage
and shipping. The warehouse will be ing 1,426 at day. With the announce-
beneficial to our members as we will ment at WAP, there is a lot of
Nemak has 231 members, - this be getting back the work that has uncertainty on the floor.
Nemak Unit
includes 128 productions, 55 trades, been done outside of our plant.
17 TPT's, 29 SST's and two appren-
tices. We had a slow down at the end Between the McDougall location
Goodwill Industries Unit
of 2018 but is picking up again. We This unit has 42 full-time mem- and drop off centers we have approx-
Penske Unit
are looking to replenish the TPT bers and approximately 3TPT's. We imately 70 members. In the last cou-
pool back up to 25 - 30 members. recently went through some changes ple of weeks Goodwill EKL serving
The base plant is running at 50% with the benefits in regards to S&A Sarnia, Windsor, Chatham, and
capacity right now which includes that will see our members receive Goodwill Ontario Great Lakes
the Base Plant and Cast Line D. Base SUB payments to top up the disabil-
merged. Goodwill Store donated
Plant production is roughly about ity payments as well as receiving a
sleeping bags to Street Help, and the
1400 pieces per day over a three- SUB payment for the wait time.
The company, along with Ford workers did a collection raising
shift operation. That is composed of
2.0 and 2.5 LGE blocks which sup- Motor Company were looking for $1000 for Droulliard Place.
ply GM China, Shanghai, and GM the elimination of jobs but we were Please think of Goodwill loca-
North America. The LGE product successful in preserving the jobs and tions when you're looking to donate
has a potential end date of late 2019 preventing layoffs. items.
with no replacement product as of
now.
Cast Line D is aligned with the
ramp curve and ahead of the produc-
tion schedule for the inline 6 Diesel
Block being produced in CLD,
which supplies Flint. We've come a
long way since the PPAP testing in
July of 2018. A second shift for
cleaning cells was introduced at the
beginning of April and possibly a
second shift for casting will be added
at the beginning of May. Right now
we have a daily target of 500parts
per day.
We will be expecting a two
month shutdown at the end of 2019 Seen is President John D‘Agnolo addressing the media and his displeasure
or the 1st quarter of 2020 for the line over the closure of the Oshawa GM plant along with area MPs Tracey Ram-
conversion of our future Thelma and sey, Brian Masse and Cheryl Hardcastle, and Local 1973 Retiree Chairper-
Louise product. son Tony Sisti.
The Guardian – 4
LOCAL 200
. . . cont’d on next page By
DAN CASSADY
Secretary
Politics at its worst! Treasurer
Unifor Local 200
n the political front provin- their best (which means our worst) is
cially, the Ford Conserva- yet to come I fear.The new provin- We have solid MPs in the Wind-
O tives are well on their way
on what I call their CUT AND GUT
cial budget, which has not been re-
leased at the time I am writing this
sor area, it is important for all of us
to pitch in and help them get re-
agenda. Some examples include; article, will reveal much of what is
elected. Tracey Ramsey, Brian
rollbacks from previously estab- yet to come.
lished ESA Standards and minimum My only question is this. Why Masse and Cheryl Hardcastle have
wages, changes to Ontario College would anyone be surprised? They all gone above and beyond repre-
of Trades (watering it down), re- ran on a platform of cutting waste senting working people in their re-
duced funding for special needs stu- out of the system, now we are find- spective ridings. They are constantly
dents, 350 million in funding for ing out what they consider waste! in the news, dealing with whatever
I am very concerned with what is the issues of the day are.
mental health initiatives cancelled,
going on at the Federal level. Federal
OSAP funding cuts, changes in On- In my experience they have al-
elections are fast approaching, the
tario class sizes (more students per Liberal party is in a state of disarray, ways been ready to listen to our con-
class) which will result in teacher unable to move on from the SNC cerns and explain/discuss/debate
layoffs and more importantly reduce Lavalin scandal. their positions on issues. I cannot
quality of education for our children. If many of the “swing” voters who stress how important it is to all of us
We have already seen protests and voted Liberal in the last Federal to have their access, in order to have
walkouts by Ontario students; there Election jump ship and vote Conser- open and honest dialog. That is truly
was also a mass demonstration in vative this time around, we could the way to resolve issues.
Toronto in early April, attended by quite conceivably end up with the
Please make sure you can plan
well over 25,000 teachers and edu- Conservatives at the helm provin-
some time in the coming months to
cators over the education changes cially in Ontario as well as federally.
Prime Minister Andrew Sheer wins help these candidates out. Our fu-
the government is making.
I could go on and on, but the scary by default? We just cannot let that ture, now more than ever, depends
part is they are just getting started, – happen! on it!
Thank you from your Guardian Board Easter Seals for those who made a donation.
The Guardian – 5
LOCAL 444
DAVE
CASSIDY
President
Unifor Local 444
“We will get through this” President
Windsor-Essex
Skilled Trades
dcassidy@uni444.ca
March 28, 2019 .... and at each and every moment, political agenda, but I worry that
we have risen to meet these chal- Mayor Dilkens’ plan is to diversify
ne of the worst days of my lenges! away from good paying union
life! When the company We should never forget that our jobs, and I wanted to make sure he
O told James and I, in per-
son, that they were cutting the 3rd
workers are still more productive
than any on Earth! We are the best
was doing everything HE could to
be sure WAP, our suppliers and
shift at WAP, it felt like somebody at what we do! We know and they Caesars Windsor continued to be a
had stabbed me right in the heart. know, if you want to build it right, part of our future! Instead of men-
I was upset and angry all at the you build it Windsor! We are still tally planning for them to be gone,
same time. Hearing it sucks! the Local that has overcome great let’s look at how we can keep
Being the guy to tell people also fears and improbable odds. This those jobs here well into the fu-
sucks. I immediately told the of- 3rd shift, as far as I am concerned, ture. So in early JANUARY I
ficers, called in the committee is not a done deal. Our fight has reached out to him in the name of
from WAP and told them, an- just begun and know that we are 10,000 plus workers and their
nounced it at the union meeting, going to fight like hell. families and he simply ignored my
then had the infamous press con-
requests. So when the media asked
ference .... more on that later.
me about Drew and his stink’n
Signs were unfortunately there; Shortly after the announce- “diversification,” I responded how
F*ck Drew
slowing the line, lay-off weeks and ment of the GM Oshawa plant I felt.
the media always seeming too closing, Windsor Mayor Drew Much like during the Casino
eager to print the sales numbers. Dilkens ran to the media to tell strike when I called Drew out for
We knew the company would not them HIS plans for “economic di- not getting more involved, he ran
short-shift forever. Not good, versification.” to the media and you could not
none of it. The effect on our mem- Obviously, I understand his
bership, our city and towns will be
. . . cont’d on next page
felt. I have heard or know of
members across the seniority spec-
trum. Those new hires who are
just married, bought a new home,
have a baby on the way or all the
above. Those that suddenly find
themselves having a hard look at
retirement. The office continues
to be inundated with calls about
the seniority list, those eligible to
retire and buyout numbers.
I know these are difficult times.
I know folks are worried. But I
also know we can get through this!
We as a membership have faced
plant closures, bankruptcies, Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy emotionally addresses the media
strikes, being sold, and the pro- after a membership meeting on the news that FCA notified the Union of its
posed elimination of the third shift intention to eliminate the third shift in September.
The Guardian – 6
EV’s which would otherwise not and damn Dougie Ford will not
qualify for the capital cost al- even return a simple phone call.
lowance :) Again I do not care I do not care who you are or
Dave
who you are or what party you are what party you are from but we
Cassidy
. . . cont’d
from but we need to be all on- ALL need to be on-board here.
find a newspaper, a local radio sta- board here. Maybe he could use a call from
tion or social media page where you?
Drew wasn’t on there now talking Doug Ford Phone: 416-325-1941
I met with the Mayor. I met
Dougie Ford
about the strike. Similarly here, with Federal ministers, all within Doug Ford Email:
after the presser, he could not wait 24 hours of receiving news of the Doug.ford@pc.ola.org
to sit down with me and then he third shift. The only office I have
ran to the media to tell them all the Doug Ford Mailing address:
not heard from is our provincial Premier of Ontario
wonderful things he was going to office of Premier Ford. Nothing. Legislative Building
do to help. So I called, texted, emailed, left Queen's Park
Let me be clear. I do not care messages ..... nothing! This from Toronto ON M7A 1A1
who you are or what party you the man who said he is working Folks, I urge all of you to stick
work for. If you think you can for the people? Who wants to together and lift each other up.
help keep the third shift, I am all change the provincial slogan to There is a lot of anxiety every-
for it! I will be more than happy “open for business.” Potential of where and we really do need to
to give credit where credit is due thousands of families affected and stand up for one another, stand in
and I will shout it from the moun- not even a phone call? Municipal solidarity and trust in your union.
tain tops! Let’s all just get on- and Federal in-person within 24
board and do what we can to keep In Solidarity
hours offering whatever they can Dave
these jobs.
Liberals see
Unbelievably, the Federal Lib-
the Light
eral government came out with an
incentive package for buying hy-
brid vehicles and excluded our
Pacifica! I thought it was a typo.
CANADIAN MADE hybrid vehi-
cle did not qualify for the Cana-
dian rebate....what? Local 444 Unifor Executives were pleased to meet with the Honourable Navdeep
So we planned a rally on Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and the Hon-
March 22nd at the plant with local ourable Patricia A. Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and
Labour and Marco Mendicino, MP for Eglinton-Lawrence to get the commitment to
NDP politicians that clearly got work with all stakeholders in convincing FCA to look at a longer term in preserving
their attention. Once word got to the 3rd shift at the Windsor Assembly Plant. Local 444 was also pleased to have the
them about the 3rd shift and how Federal Government recognize the FCA Pacifica Hybrid in the $5000 rebate.
they looked, I had two Liberal
ministers in my office the next
day. Liberals seeing the light have
extended the federal rebate to bet-
ter encourage the purchase of a
Pacifica. We are also pushing for
a higher rebate than $5,000 (pos-
sibly up to $10,000) for large pas-
senger vehicles, ie: 7 passenger
minivan as well as extend the in-
centive for non-profits to purchase
The Guardian – 7
LOCAL 444
. . . cont’d on next page JAMES
STEWART
3rd Shift . . . Sec.Treasurer
Unifor local 444
Email:
our Priority jstewart@uni444.ca
ith the announcement of goods. Am I saying that the loss of at their sales and marketing of those
the potential loss of the a shift at FCA is going to bankrupt vehicles to get things moving again.
W third shift at Chrysler/
FCA, it leaves us wondering about
the city? No, I am absolutely not
saying that, but the jobs lost have a
This is not a worker issue, this is a
corporate issue!
the future of Windsor and what this ripple effect across this city and will We are living in a Social Media
potential loss could mean for this re- be far-reaching, not just tied to the world now, the past few years espe-
gion. auto sector. cially have taught us a few things
Economically speaking, Windsor FCA workers in Windsor have about how fast messaging, whether
has a good tax base with decent pub- done everything that this company right or wrong, can move from one
lic services with thanks to the taxes has asked them to do, from building place to another. A message put on
paid by individual property owners a top quality vehicle making Wind- Facebook at 9 a.m. in Brampton can
as well as corporations operating sor a household name when it comes easily be redistributed in Windsor a
within the city. FCA would be one to the Chrysler minivan or Pacifica moment later and taken as some-
of the, if not the most significant to implementing and buying into thing happening here instead of
contributor to the tax base in the their WCM manufacturing process there.
Windsor economy. Auto means a lot that they said on numerous occasions When FCA delivered us this no-
to this region, we have suffered dev- would help us solidify our future. tice, we actually had to sit in a room
astating losses over the years with The fact remains that the mini- and figure out, how do we beat so-
the loss of shifts and plants at not just van and Pacifica are tops in quality cial media and make sure all our
Chrysler but also Ford and General and consumer reports in their cate- members get the message right away
Motors. The once vibrant auto in- gory, so the company needs to look
dustry is but a shell of its formal self.
. . . cont’d on next page
With this devastation to the tax
base comes some genuine anguish.
Those workers and their families that
could be affected by the potential
loss of the third shift at the Windsor
Assembly Plant can’t even be de-
fined. The loss of 1500 direct jobs
at the assembly plant will translate
into thousands of jobs in the commu-
nity. We have feeder plants that
would suffer the same fate if this an-
nouncement stays true. This does
not mention the hundreds of jobs
being filled currently at various other
establishments around the city that
are in place because these folks all
have jobs.
Imagine the Tim Hortons work-
ers, fast food servers and small In a partnership with Keegan Henry and his family, Unifor Local 444 officers
‘mom and pop’ shops that rely on were pleased to make a final donation on behalf of the membership towards
auto workers incomes to buy their purchasing a new handicap-accessible Windsor-made FCA minivan.
The Guardian – 8
James
Stewart
. . . cont’d
and at the same time? We knew that
it was the company’s job to do so,
but we wanted to make sure our
members knew that we were work-
ing on this, that this is our top prior-
ity and that we wouldn’t just sit back
and let the company release some
press statement that was cold and
heartless.
We know the impact on our mem- Local 444 Secretary-Treasurer James Stewart addresses the elimination
bers, we see what this potentially of the third shift and other concerns at the most recent 444 Retirees
means to the lives of those affected, monthly meeting.
this is something that needed to be
done right. We took the opportunity
to talk to our members at the mem-
bership meeting the day this oc-
curred. The chairs of the plant
headed back immediately afterwards
to inform the on-shift representatives
of the announcement, and we called
a press conference of our own to
make sure our members heard it
from us at the same time.
The biggest issue I think we are
going to have over the next few
months is the rumour mill. To be
honest, Social Media can be our
friend or our foe in situations like Local 444 1st Vice-Pres. Manny Cardoso and 3rd Vice-Pres. Darryl
this. It is inevitable that rumours will Desjarlais are seen participating in this year’s Easter Seals Telethon.
start, . . . they’re probably already
out there.
Our commitment will be to make
sure we get the most accurate infor-
mation out as soon as we have it. We
can’t control the rumours but we can
commit to getting the correct infor-
mation out.
The bottom line is, our approach
has to be, it is business as usual. We
continue to go to work every day and
build the best damn vehicle we know
how.
We will be pushing FCA on many
fronts from marketing and sales Local Officers, Representatives and Members from Local 444 are seen
strategies to new product allotment in Oshawa as they participated in a protest supporting Unifor
. . . and every option in between! members from Local 222 outside the company’s GM Headquarters.
The Guardian – 9
By
Another Great Loss!
TAMMY
POMMERLEAU
1st Vice-President,
Unifor Local 195
t is with a heavy heart that I write that we must keep burning in his hon-
this article as our Local has suf- our. Rest in Peace John.
I fered yet another great loss. John
Toth, our President, passed away provements to harassment, health and
safety, job postings and new domestic
peacefully in his home surrounded by
Syncreon
Agreement Updates
his loving family on April 4, 2019. violence leave. They now have
John was a remarkable man and truly Automotive Windsor classifications, they bargained 1.50
a great leader. He was an inspiration, a We ratified an agreement on April wage increase starting day one for all
mentor, a fighter, a humble man, and a 2, 2019, and the committee knew what members and a $0.75 cent increase for
true gentleman. He believed in the their members wanted as they worked the pickers, $1.25 for the drivers
union and its membership wholeheart- long hours and fought hard to achieve throughout the life of the agreement.
edly and in this community as he spent a great agreement, and our members Improvements to bereavement,
many years involved at different levels were very pleased with 81% in favour PEL, Health and Welfare Safety shoes,
of our union and several non-profit or- of this collective agreement. and many other improvements along
ganizations, particularly the United The highlights included numerous with a signing bonus.
Way, as he always put his best foot for- language changes which include im- Congratulations and thank you to
ward. Mike Borovic Chairperson, Dave
In the short time, he was our Pres- Chapman Vice Chairperson, Linda
ident, he gave our Local a new shining Poho Committeeperson, Rob Kennedy
light and always continued to set a Committeeperson, Theresa Farao, Na-
tional Representative, John Toth, Pres-
goal to engage our members and to
ident, Local 195, Tammy Pomerleau,
achieve that goal. His positive outlook Vice-President, Local 195.
and his commitments to our Union and
the community inspired many far and Ventra Plastics
wide. He had a gift for speaking that On February 16, 2019, we ratified
was very influential and full of energy. an agreement, as the committee had a
Truly, John’s passion and spirit were tough time but squeezed the company
so contagious as he made us all better to the end. They held their ground and
than we were before. got an agreement that ratified by 66%.
This amazing man, OUR All employees received $0.80 over the
BROTHER, meant the world to us as life of the agreement along with a spe-
cial increase to the maintenance group
he will be in our hearts forever, never Seen are Syncreon members re-
of $0.80. An increase in vacation for
to be forgotten. His legacy will live on viewing the highlights of their new
25 years or more, along with percent-
and has taught us well and lit the fire collective agreement.
age increases.
Language improvements such as
A big
new Domestic and Sexual Violence
Leave, Military Leave, and Leave
“Thumbs
up” from the
Bargaining days, overtime. Increases to health and
Committee welfare and pension and a signing
who suc-
bonus. Congratulations to Randy
Stroesser, Chairperson, April Carr,
cessfully
bargained a
new collec- Committeeperson, Karrie Awram,
tive agree- Benefits Rep, Greg Meunier, Skilled
ment at
Trades rep, Mike Lovric, National Rep
and Tammy Pomerleau, Vice Presi-
Syncreon
for their
members. dent, Local 195.
. . . cont’d on next page
The Guardian – 10creases of $1.80 over the life of the Our Canada Day
agreement, increases to pension, eye- This celebration is underway, set
glasses, safety shoes to $200.00 per for Sunday, June 29, 2019. Dream
Tammy Pommerleau
Local 195 Report year. Catcher is booked and will have you
. . . cont’d up dancing in no time. Ashley, Al and
Congratulations on a fine job to
the rest of the band offer outstanding
Duayne Wagner Chairperson. Theresa
Gates Windsor Farao, National Representative, John
entertainment and you will find more
details on our website very soon.
October 27, 2018, an agreement Toth, President Local 195, Sarkis Gas-
was ratified with Gates Windsor. par, Secretary-Treasurer, Local 195. So don’t forget to check out this
Highlights include a number of great event.
language changes, increases in Health Flex n Gate We will be planting two trees on
this day just prior to the celebration in
and Welfare, Bereavement, Shift Pre- As of this writing, we are currently,
honour of John Toth and Don White.
mium, wage increases of $1.50 over in bargaining at Flex n Gate Canada Forever our Brothers, as they may go
the life of the agreement for all classi- and Catalent. We wish them well. but are never forgotten.
fications.
Also, a signing bonus was obtained
and a commitment letter The commit-
tee went to deadline bargaining to
Established 1952
achieve the new agreement.
Congratulations to Lloyd Tierney,
The Guardian
previous Chairperson, Rose Foster,
Vice Chairperson, Bryan Adam, Com-
INC. OF WINDSOR, ON
The Directors are:
Local 195–Sarkis Gaspar, Sec.-Treas.
mitteeperson, Theresa Farao, National Local 200–John D’Agnolo, Dan Cassady
Representative, John Toth, President,
Local 240–Jodi Nesbitt, Stacey Ferguson
Local 444–Dave Cassidy, James Stewart,
Local 195, Emile Nabbout, Vice Pres-
FINE TOUCH COMMERCIAL
Local 1498–Steve Morash, Allison St. Pierre GRAPHICS PRINT-CRAFT
ident Local 195.
Local 1941–Bob Ashton, Dean Mitchell
LTD.
Local 1959–Bill Wark, Matt Kelly
Local 2027–Steve Taylor, Steve Moon GORD GRAY, Editor
Romeo Machine Shop Local 2458–Tullio DiPonti, Ken Durocher
On December 12, 2018, we ratified The Guardian, 1855 Turner Road, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 3K2
an agreement with substantial wage in-
Telephone (519) 258-6400, Fax 258-0424. Address changes should be directed to your Local Union Office
Area Unifor Retirees Executives
support Oshawa Workers in their fight to keep their plant from closing!
The Guardian – 11LOCAL 195
By
Together We Can Continue Sarkis Gaspar
Sec. Treasurer
to Build and Maintain the Unifor Local 195
Email: finance@
Momentum . . . uniforlocal195.com
t is an extraordinary honour to workplaces, families and in the broad- on the financial aspect of the local in
write to you as the newly ac- ercommunity in general here in the the capacity of Trustee Chair or Secre-
I claimed Financial Secretary Trea-
surer of Unifor Local 195. I have a
Windsor EssexArea as well as
throughout Canada.
tary Treasurer
Late November of 2018, we sud-
long history with Local 195 and came denly lost our brother Don White (Sec-
out of the Kautex Textron Operation in retary Treasurer), Don was a long
Windsor serving the membership there Since officially taking office in serving Union Rep. who throughout
Unexpected Changes
for the last 26 uninterrupted years as early February, the Local has been in- his long career showed strong will and
their Chairperson. credibly busy in several rounds of bar- courage.Don White was the type of
I am so thankful for the support I gaining, some of which are ongoing as leader who believes that leadership is
have received throughout those years I draft this report . . . (I will update in not about being in charge, but it is
by the Membership at Kautex, and at subsequent writings) . . . and has un- about taking care of those in charge.
the Local 195 level as well. I do not dergone some incredibly unexpected Don will be missed.
have the words to express my deep ap- changes on many other fronts to say How much we can take as a Local?
preciation to you all. the least. We have had to deal with some very
significant leadership changes and cir-
I bring to this Secretary Treasurer cumstances.
position a background in accounting I guess it is our fate at Local 195 to My condolences goes out to John
. . . Another leader falls . . .
and bookkeeping, as well as my expe- lose one leader after another. Late No- Toth’s entire family, his wife Shelley
rience and previous role as the Chair- vember was Don White; Now is John and his children and also to Don
person of the Trustees of Local 195. I Toth. White’s family as well.
will work hard on your behalf and April 4th was the date of our Pres- It is my sincere hope that under the
keep the finances of the Local on the ident John Toth met with his fate. John Local 195 Leadership of Tammy
right track and this will be without was the type of leader who always saw Pomerleau (Acting President), Emile
compromising the representation of opportunities in every difficulty pre- Nabbout (Acting 1st VP) and the Sup-
the membership, nor Local 195’s pres- sented, rather than the difficulty in
ence in the community. port Staff of Shelly and Tim that we
every opportunity. His leadership was can continue to work together to
groundbreaking and took stride in achieve what John Toth and Don
I hope that I am able to live up to everything he did. It was his dream to
the faith that you have placed in me. White had envisioned for us and set
be the voice of those wo had no voice out to do and that was put Unifor Local
Moreover, I am looking forward to and continued working tirelessly to de-
working together for the betterment of 195 and its Membership front and cen-
liver on this and to do them proud in tre in the Community once again and
our Membership and the Local in gen-
the process. that we can continue to be the catalyst
eral. I will be here to represent you, I
Mr. Toth stayed active in the local for positive change and continue to ad-
will be here to defend you, I will be
union movement until the last hours of vocate for those who are under
here to stand up for you, and I will be
here to learn from you, and as the Sec- his life. Two weeks prior to his death, worked, under paid and feel marginal-
retary-Treasurer, I will welcome your John asked the local full time officers ized and for those that are of the opin-
opinions, your thoughts and your and the support staff to come over to ion that they do not have a voice in
input. his residence. John asked every single “Our Union”.
I strongly believe that, together we representative about their assignments This, we believe is what John Toth
can continue to build and maintain the and encouraged them to keep working and Don White wanted for their Mem-
momentum our Local has achieved to the betterment of the Local and the bership and it is our hope we can work
over the last couple of years. We can Membership. tirelessly to deliver on this and to do
remain in the forefront for the kind of I feel privileged that I was part of them proud in the process.
positive change we want to see for our his team, and worked closely with him
. . . cont’d on next page
The Guardian – 12LOCAL 195
. . . Sarkis Gaspar
John and Don will be forever
remembered but never forgotten!
Our 38th Annual Al Carriere
Our Golf Tournament
Memorial Golf Tournament will be in
support of the Canadian Cancer Soci-
ety this year. The tournament will be
held on Saturday, June 1st, 2019 at
Sutton Creek Golf & Country Club.
With the continued support of our
members and friends, we look forward
to making this year’s event a great
success!
Hope to see you there…
The Guardian – 13LOCAL 2458
By
Tullio DiPonti
Bill 74 threatens President
Unifor Local 2458
and
Public Health Care Ken Durocher
Sec.-Treasurer
ighty jobs eliminated at our deadly infections, like C-diff.
hospital. That was the an-
Often, these jobs are the first to Minister Elliott insists that we will
E nouncement from Windsor
Regional Hospital on Friday, April
go. We’ve seen a steady decline
over the last couple of decades. But
still have public health care, but
that’s clearly absent in the text.
5th.
as hospital acquired infections in- Bill 74 creates a health care super-
We don’t know the details yet. creased, smart hospitals made a con- agency, Ontario Health, whose 16
In fact most of what we know, we scious decision to clean up their act. member board has already been ap-
heard from the media. Our meeting In fact, Windsor Regional actually pointed. Their compensation is se-
is scheduled with CEO David increased housekeeping two years cret. Based on the trajectory of this
Musyjs for next week. It won’t be ago to keep patients safe. legislation, many mergers, takeovers
pleasant. We will do what we can to
Make no mistake. This decision and “integrations” would result in
mitigate the affects on our current
will put patients at risk. the concentration of health care ser-
members, but these jobs will be lost
Sadly, this is just a piece of the vices being controlled by a small
for future generations.
big picture in Ontario. With almost number of large health care con-
The message from the hospital is glomerates.
no consultation (30 were selected to
consistent. The jobs lost are consid-
present to committee of the more But here is the kicker. Bill 74
ered “non-clinical”, like housekeep-
than 1600 that applied), Bill 74 is does not include a stated commit-
ing and dietary. But let’s be clear.
likely to pass with Premier Ford’s ment to the provision of health ser-
Dietary workers ensure proper meals vices by not-for-profit organizations,
clapping caucus doing as they are
reaching hundreds of patients. An nor does it include a commitment to
told.
error could result in an allergic reac- the principles of the Canada Health
tion or choking. Housekeepers don’t Ironically titled “The People’s
Act, like the principle of publicly-ad-
just clean rooms. They prevent the Health Care Act” Bill 74 threatens
ministered care.
spread of infections, – sometimes public health care as we know it.
. . . cont’d on next page
HEALTH CARE RALLY
Chartwell Oak Park Terrace
The Guardian – 14severe and have lasting conse- We don’t need buck-a-beer
quences. April 30th we will do the or new slogans on our license
same for health care. And if you plates. We need public services.
. . . cont’d from previous page
Tullio DiPonti
can’t make it, you can still make a
difference. Call you MPP. Call or
We need good jobs, especially
text the Premier. His cell number is for our kids. We need to fight
Imagine a public hospital oper- back!
416-805-2156.
ated by a for-profit corporation. This
Bill does nothing to prevent that sce-
nario.
We already know the private sec-
tor does not do health care better.
For-profit nursing homes deliver a
lower standard of care. Tests in for-
profit labs cost more than when done
in public hospitals. Both expand
their profit margins on the backs of
the front-line workers.
The motions are being put in
place for private clinics to charge for
services. The Ford government is
floating ideas of what they can delist
from OHIP. Two-tier health care is
right around the corner if we don’t
stand up.
As I write this, thousands have
Local 2458 Vice-President Shelley Smith speaks to other Health Care
taken to the lawn of Queen’s Park to Unifor members at the Round Table Consultation recently held in
protest cuts to education that will be Windsor which is one of many series of the Ontario Health Coalition.
Easter Seals 2019
The Guardian – 15By
SCOTT
RICHARDSON
Chairperson
The SWORC Council meets monthly to discuss the recreational activities E-mail:scott.richardson@fcagroup.com
for our respective Locals and Unifor sponsored tournaments. We encourage
all Unifor members and their families to get involved and take advantage of
these and other events we coordinate throughout the year. There is no other
union that gives back to its members in terms of entertainment and recreational
events. Visit our website for more information www.uniforsworc.ca or join
our group “UNIFOR SWORC” on Facebook.
On January 27th, the Annual The annual SWORC Moonlight • NATIONAl “BUD
REGIONAL 10-PIN BOWLING MOONLIGHT BOWLING
SWORC Regional 10-Pin Bowling Bowling tournament was held on JIMMERFIElD FISHINg
Tournament went very well with 36 February 24th 2019 at Rosebowl TOURNAMENT
teams participating. There was a lot Lanes. This event continues to be an
Sunday, May 19, 2019
of positive feedback from the extremely popular event with our
AMA Sportsmen Club
bowlers thanking us for continuing Amherstburg
members and retirees with over 100
to host this event. Thanks to the team • SWORC REgIONAl
couples participating. A fun night
of volunteers from Unifor Locals gOlF TOURNAMENT
across the region for helping run this every year with food, refreshments,
trick shots and prizes. Congratula-
Sunday, May 26, 2019
event. Roseland golf Course
Here are the results with handi- tions to the committee for another Windsor
cap: fantastic year hosting and thank you
Men’s Team Score to all that participated. Check our Website at
Top placers in this fun tourna-
www.uniforsworc.ca
John Thivierge. Loc. 200 3371 and/or join our group
Jean Barrette, Loc. 444 3350 ment were Barb Yott and Steve Hoy “UNIFOR SWORC”
Women’s Team with 1332, Chris Lee and John Bat- on Facebook for applications,
Tina Silverio, Loc. 341-0 3113 son 1302, Jessica Cowie and Jim future tournaments and past
Patty Napier, Loc. 195 3085 Fowler 1165.
tournament results.
Men’s Singles
Gary Dunn, Loc. 1973 737
Jamie Charles, Loc. 195 736
Women’s Singles
Jessica Batson, Loc.195 753
Patty Napier, Loc. 195 726
In March, our retirees got to-
RETIREE EUCHRE
gether for a social and competed in
their Annual “Bill Percy” Euchre
Tournament. The only prerequisite is
that you have to be a retiree. Our re-
tirees got together for a fun-filled
day of cards and food. Thanks to Jim
Closs and Linda Closs for once again
hosting this event. Unifor members seen at Jack Battersby Memorial Crib and
Euchre Tournament
The Guardian – 16LOCAL 240
By
JODI
President’s Report NESBITT
President
Unifor local 240
to benefits, received an additional holiday and increased hours
Last year was an exciting year for our Secretary-Treasurer, for their full time. The tone at the table with the employer this
Welcome Back to Stacey
Stacey Ferguson. She and her husband Rick became proud par- round was quite different. Elizabeth Espesito, Executive Di-
ents again as they adopted two more children. Stacey took rector worked collaboratively to reach a fair and respectful deal.
parental leave to be home with them for the transition and I am Thank you to Jack Robinson for his assistance in achieving this
incredibly proud of both their love and dedication for these great agreement!
beautiful children. Their brothers, Dylan and Lucas have been
gracious to share their parents with their new brother and sister.
Since the writing of my last report, we were successful in
Caboto Club
We are all very happy for their family. We missed her im-
negotiating a new collective agreement on behalf of over 100
mensely in the office while she was off, and I am thrilled to
members at Caboto Club. We were able to do this because of
have her back. She is doing a great job on behalf of our mem-
the strong support and the strike mandate that the members gave
bership and helps everything run smoothly.
the union committee. This was despite the many attempts at
scare tactics from those not in support of the strike mandate nor
I want to congratulate Tim Fitzgerald, Chairperson and our union. I applaud these workers for their confidence and the
Local 195 Office Staff
Shelly Gouin, Committeeperson for negotiating a new three- respect that they gave to the bargaining committee. This ab-
year collective agreement. They were successful in reaching a solutely changed the direction of bargaining.
deal that brought increases to their benefits and wages along The bargaining committee was so diligent and prepared and
with many language improvements. Thank you to Jack Robin- that is why we were able to achieve a great first collective
son, our National Staff Representative, for his expertise and as- agreement. I want to personally commend the committee:
sistance in achieving this great deal. Marybeth Punzalan, Alyssa Angelini and Giorgio DiNatale,
who all went above and beyond to complete this difficult round
of bargaining. They were faced with much adversity for their
A great agreement was reached with H.I.A. because of the assumed roles they had in organizing the workplace, even
Harmony In Action
hard work and dedication of the bargaining committee, Sara though many workers supported and signed cards to belong to
Chenier, Chairperson and Renee Martin, Committeeperson. Unifor. I am extremely proud of their passion and commitment.
They were faced with some difficult decisions, they thought it This committee is a great example of leaders who are fierce,
through and negotiated the best agreement on behalf of the en- determined and fearless. Because of that, we were able to
tire membership. In addition to wage increases for each mem- achieve wage increases, health and safety language, scheduling
ber, they were able to fix the wage gaps between classifications language, holiday pay in accordance with the ESA, an addi-
where requirements were no longer required. They made gains tional holiday for full time, benefits for full time, among so
many other improvements.
The club has been under great scrutiny for not allowing
women on their executive board. They have been boycotted by
many in our community, which has had an impact on their job
security. Despite this, they did not back away from joining Uni-
for and they continued to take on the injustice’s workers had
faced without the union.
Thank you to our national staff representative, Mina Sara-
jcic, for her strong support and tenacity, which ensured we re-
ceived an agreement that was respectful and fair.
The committee is working tirelessly to implement the new
From Left to right: Renee Martin, Jodi Nesbitt, agreement. We thought that the negotiations were going to be
Sara Chenier, Jack Robinson . . . cont’d on next page
The Guardian – 17agreement that worked for both sides. Thank you to Danielle for
her willingness to work together to reach a fair deal.
The part time members who didn’t have much stability or fore-
Jodi Nesbitt . . . cont’d
cast to their work schedules, now have a better and more struc-
tured schedule that allows them to plan their life. It also benefited
the company by making scheduling more consistent and easier to
plan for the business
I want to thank Jolayne Janisse, Chairperson, along with her
committee Trish Bruner and Ashley Meloche for their collabora-
tion and hard work that they put into getting this excellent agree-
ment. They truly put their heart into every discussion and that
was proven by the final agreement.
Thank you to our national staff representative, Mina Sarajcic,
for all the excellent work that she put into bringing this together.
Caboto Club Bargaining Committee: From Left to right in
front: Mina Sarajcic, National Staff Representative, Mary-
beth Punzalan, Jodi Nesbitt, Alyssa Angelini.
Back row: Giorgio DiNatale. At the time of this writing, we are currently in negotiations
Beach Grove Golf & Country Club
with BGGCC. I am hoping by the time this is published we will
the most difficult part, however, we couldn’t have been more
be able to reach a deal. This has been difficult round, as the com-
wrong with that assumption. We have had the language dis-
pany came to the table with 6 pages of concessions. This is a
puted by the employer, which has, in turn, created a large
membership who hasn’t had a wage increase in over 9 years. Even
amount of grievances. We are hopeful that we will be able to
after the employer locked them out and rolled back their wages
avoid arbitration and come to a resolve with the company.
when they left SEIU and came to CAW, now Unifor, they still did-
n’t demand raises to bring them back to their original wages from
I am happy to report that we reached an agreement with 10 years ago. They are still not at the wages they were 10 years
Motor City Community Credit Union
the employer and ratified on March 8, 2019. The committee ago. They have sacrificed many monetary gains to help the em-
worked very hard in making gains for their membership. They ployer afford renovations to attract new members. It is time that
were able to make wage increases, gains to their vision/mas- the employer respects and acknowledges these significant sacri-
sage and other monetary improvements. Many of our difficult fices. These are the workers that provide the members at Beach
conversations were surrounded around language and the inter- Grove the exceptional food and service they’ve come to expect.
pretation of it. We were not successful over the last two agree- They will not be able to retain workers at the level that they are
ments to make any movement on those issues with the previous currently paying. This is their livelihood! We will not tolerate
CEO. This round of bargaining, the tone was entirely different concessions or stagnant wages. It seems that in each round of ne-
and much more productive. The company had their VP of gotiations, we are faced with a new club manager, who doesn’t
Human Resources, Danielle Bombardier, to lead negotiations have the history, knowledge or respect for the union. This is very
on behalf of the company. She brought management with her troublesome.
who understood the work so that decisions could be made. I am hoping my next report will have a positive outcome for
This made conversations and decisions much easier to get an all involved.
Welcome to our Young Worker
I am excited to introduce our newest board member, Michelle
Executive Board Member
Boots who is our Young Workers’ Executive Board member.
Michelle has been a fantastic addition to our board, bringing a
fresh perspective and enthusiasm that will motivate young work-
ers to be involved in our union. Michelle attended the Youth Con-
ference held in Toronto in December.
She accepted the position and within a few short months or-
From Left to Right: Ashley Meloche, Jodi Nesbitt, Tricia ganized a terrific evening at House of Pong for young workers
Bruner, Mina Sarajcic and Jolayne Janisse. . . . cont’d on next page
The Guardian – 18our local and to our executive board. She will be attending the
Aboriginal and Workers of Colour conference in June. We
know that this is the beginning of great things to come. Our
Jodi Nesbitt . . . cont’d
union and our local require diversity in order to ensure we are
fully representing all our members. There is no doubt that
Marybeth will give 100% to this role.
It has been a painful six months since my last report. We
In Honour for Local 195 Brothers
have lost two very important brothers from our union who were
leaders of Local 195.
First Don White, Secretary-Treasurer in December and then
John Toth, President of Local 195 in April. We are deeply sad-
dened for the membership of Local 195 and our Local 240
members who work in the office at 195, Shelly and Tim for the
losses they have endured. We too, as a labour movement, have
lost incredibly strong brothers who were truly committed to
workers and our union. They will be at the forefront of my
mind whenever I am defending workers rights. That is how
to meet up. Participants came together and enjoyed a ping pong we will remember them and keep their memory alive.
tournament, ate pizza, and shared in comradery. I want to per- Our deepest condolences to their family and friends. Rest
sonally thank Michelle for going above and beyond. I’m so easy Don and John!
excited to watch this committee flourish under her leadership.
On behalf of our executive board, we thank Allen Bistany
for being our Youth Chairperson prior to Michelle. Allen was
an asset and a great support to our local. Thanks, Allen. All
the best to you, Allen.
I am proud to introduce our Worker of Colour Chairperson,
Worker of Colour Chairperson
Marybeth Punzalan, who is the chairperson of the Caboto Club.
I am truly excited for the perspective Marybeth will bring to
Local 240 members wearing red on April 9 to highlight
the gender wage gap that continues in our country.
Wearing red symbolizes the gap that continues to leave
women in the red by April 9. We will not stop raising
awareness of the inequality until our government cre-
ates concrete laws to ensure the gap is closed. Under
Doug Ford’s leadership, the Pay Transparency Act is
being stalled.
Unifor Local 240 delivered draw string back packs
filled with toiletries and a Valentine’s Day treat.
The Guardian – 19LOCAL 240
By
STACEY
FERgUSON
Federal Election 2019 Secretary Treasurer
Unifor Local 240
SWORC meets every second Wednesday of the month.
Volunteering for
With a federal election on the horizon, it is important
Tracey Ramsey
that we volunteer for a government that cares about the
core principles of Canadians. We know based on what
is happening in Ontario, the Conservatives don’t meet
these core principles and that is why we must get out
there to share the real information with voters. All of
our local NDP MPs represent our area well, and we
know that the riding of Essex will be under attack in this
upcoming election. We must do everything we can to
ensure Windsor Essex is represented by the current MP’s
Tracey Ramsey, MP of Essex has been a strong voice
in Ottawa for all Canadians and she requires a strong
volunteer base to ensure she can continue the good fight.
There are many different types of volunteering that
Valentine’s Day at W.E. Trans
Supporting Our Community
can be done like dropping off flyers or participating in W.E. Transgender and Allied Support is a local or-
phone banks if you are comfortable doing so. Please ganization whose mission is to enhance and sustain the
consider taking some time over the next several months health and well being of transgender, gender queer, two
to help with this very important campaign. spirit, gender non-binary, sexual diverse and gender and
You can contact any of their offices for more infor- sexual questioning communities and their families.
mation on how you can help and make a difference in W.E. Trans does this through many activities, pro-
such a pivotal election. grams and services that create community and empow-
Tracey Ramsey – Essex – 519-776-4700 erment, as well as advocate for civil and human rights.
Cheryl Hardcastle – Windsor-Tecumseh, 519-979-2707 Visit their website for more information: https://we-
Brian Masse- Windsor West – 519-255-1631 transsupport.ca
Eric Mailloux - Local 240 Health & Safety
The Executive Board of Local 240 would like to con- On January 23, 2019 Local 240 members travelled
Representative
GM Oshawa Rally
gratulate Eric on his new role as Local 240 Health & to Oshawa to participate in the Save Oshawa GM Cam-
Safety Representative. Eric is a member of the Joint paign at GM Headquarters. This rally sent a strong mes-
Health & Safety Committee at Green Shield Canada and sage of the utter disappointment in the announcement
we know he will be a great person to assist our local with GM made in November 2018.
providing support to our workplaces. Welcome, Eric!
SWORC – South Western Ontario
Looking to meet other Unifor members while partic-
Recreational Committee
ipating in fun events and activities?
Think about getting involved with SWORC.
SWORC offers many different activities like bowl-
ing, cards and volleyball so please check your union
board and you can visit our website uniforlocal240.ca
for upcoming events. . . . cont’d on next page
The Guardian – 20volumes about their genuine concern for their commu-
Stacey Ferguson nity and we were happy to be there in support of these
. . . cont’d workers as well as to donate to such a worthy cause.
The “restructuring” decision by GM was made not in
a time of financial crisis for the Company but rather in a
time when GM was performing well in the market.
Local 222 members at GM Oshawa have been building
outstanding products for many, many years that have re-
ceived quality awards and these workers have been there
for GM. It is a shame for GM to abandon and disregard
these workers in the middle of a collective agreement.
This loss of good jobs in Ontario is concerning and the
message it sends to big business is a dangerous one for
all Canadians.
Campaigns like these are so very important for all
workers, and when big business believes that bailing out
on a negotiated Collective Agreement is okay and our At the time of writing, ONA members continue to
sisters and brothers are struggling with emotion and fear strike after voting against ratifying a tentative agreement
over their uncertain futures, we must all stand together and they continue to need our support. Please stop by
and fight for these jobs. Together we are strong. and see them.
On March 20, 2019 Local 240 stood in solidarity with
Student Walk Out
students from University of Windsor in protest of Doug
Ford’s cuts to post-secondary education and the attack
on independent student unions. These attacks are a con-
cern for education workers too as they will likely result
in job loss.
Local 240 members supporting GM Oshawa
workers at a rally in downtown Windsor
on January 11,2019.
On March 15, 2019 Local 240 participated in a rally
Strike Support for ONA
supporting striking ONA members from The Windsor
Health Unit. During this rally workers held a diaper
drive with the donation going to The Downtown Mis-
sion. They have continued to support this community by
sponsoring a blood drive for Canadian Blood Services,
volunteering at the Street Help Homeless Centre and also This government has proven to be relentless since
challenging their colleagues at Windsor Regional Hos- coming into power and we must stand against all of the
pital to bring personal care products to the picket line attacks that affect students and education workers.
with these donations going to New Beginnings and The Keep your eyes open for further actions in the near
Bridge Youth Resource Centre. All of these things are future.
being done while they themselves are facing difficult With spring finally here, I hope everyone is enjoying
times and an employer who has been unwilling to nego- the nicer weather and is looking forward to a great sum-
tiate a respectable agreement. This action speaks mer with family and friends.
The Guardian –21You can also read
