September Conciliator

The General Meeting is on Tuesday, September 24th at 5:05 PM at the Union Hall (200 Hodsman Road).

Volume 19 | Issue 9 | September 2019

IN THIS ISSUE:

Unsustainable

Whatever It Takes

Community Update

Bargaining Process

A Huge Thanks

594 Swag

EXECUTIVE

President:

Kevin Bittman

Recording Secretary:

Carla McCrie

Treasurer:

Kaleena Baulin

Negotiating Chairperson:

Nathan Kraemer

Maintenance V.P.:

Jason Kelly

Process V.P.:

Avery Richie

Administration V.P.:

Lance Holowachuk

PDD V.P.:

David Limacher

Chief Shop Steward:

Richard Exner

Information Officer:

Ashlyn Heintz

Guide:

Brandon Mang

Sergeant at Arms:

Brandon Klatt

Trustees:

Daryl Nylen (19)

Amy Wisniewski (20)

Daryl Watch (21)

UNSUSTAINABLE

Brothers and sisters, I hope you have all had a chance to learn about and reflect upon the company’s monetary proposal. You may have also heard about the presentation given to the Unifor 594’s Executive during bargaining in August. What is the theme being propagated by the company you’re wondering? UNSUSTAINABLE.

We have just been told by the company after 2 years of record profit from CRC, we have somehow become unsustainable financially in the oil and gas refining business. The lines they feed us are that unless they dismantle the pension, freeze our deserved wages, and cut benefits like the savings plan and overtime, we will find ourselves in a financially difficult position.

The rhetoric of Solomon stats ‘this’, Solomon stats ‘that’ are the words we hear often from management. FCL is cherry picking the industry data to use as justification for the cuts and attacks.

As the business has grown and profited, the pressures on the members under attack have to perform have grown. For example, Stores people need countless courses and qualifications and carry the liability that comes with shipping dangerous good across the country. The accountants are Certified Management Accountants (not an easy program) and their value was agreed through the extensive education and qualifications. Our Dispatchers need to ensure loads go out safely and quickly, and work in one of the highest paced most stressful environments in the plant. We now ship more fuel out by rail and truck than ever before, but the complement isn't growing.

Remember this, the people are responsible for creating the profits. The markets mean nothing if you don’t have the people. Our people make the difference and are responsible for the ability to make those profits.

Assume the roughly 67 people in stores, accounting and dispatch all made 100k a year. At the average of just shy of 3% in our contract that means 3 grand a year per person, or $201,000. While making $1,000,000,000 do they really call that unsustainable?

If that’s so unsustainable why did they hire so many planners? Are planners more important to the operation than our folks?

The company’s message is unsustainable. Spending piles of money and time on a plan that’s fraught with risks is unsustainable. Lying to people about spending and it’s profits while hoping their union can’t do the math is unsustainable.

Is it sustainable to lockout workers while profiting 2.5 million dollars a day to save 200 thousand over the year? We negotiated a wage above industry standard because we have above industry standard employees.

WHATEVER IT TAKES...

“When we formed this union 6 years ago, we were going to be different. We were going to be a bold, progressive, aggressive union.

-Jerry Dias, Unifor National President, Convention 2019

SHOP STEWARDS

Section IA:

Wade Schnell

Section IB:

Charles Brittner

Section II:

Chad Gettle

Section III:

Curtis Baht & Kevin Geiger

Section IV:

Ryan Jelinski

Section V:

Chad Thompson &

Andrew Murray

Building Maintenance:

Gary Gruell

MRP: Vacant

Pipefitters:

Shaun Jenkins & Karl Dahle

Mechanics:

Derek Kups

Stores:

Dallas Allen & Nathan Fafard

Electrical:

Les Bonkowski

Instrumentation:

Jaret McCloy &

Dave Mushynsky

Inspection:

Keith Britton

Fire & Safety:

Daryl Watch

Lab:

Scott Weber

Pumpers:

Ryan Dzioba

Decokers:

Jon Javorik

Welders:

Scott Wickland

Scaffolders:

Nelson Wagman

Construction:

Mike Pelzer

Boilerhouse:

Matt Wason

Insulators:

Luke McGeough &

Brandon Mang

PDD Office:

Andrew Fowlow

PDD Loading:

Dylan Bailey & Derek Empiringham

Packing & Blending,

Warehouse: vacant

Administration:

Tasha Davis &

Randy Guillemin

This year’s Constitutional Convention in Quebec City provided our local with an opportunity to make a change to the Strike and Defence Fund Benefit, aka Strike Pay. Every year National has a nation-wide meeting, but only every three years is the constitution open for amendments. Back in April, we submitted an amendment to the Unifor National Constitutional Committee to increase strike pay from $250 to $300 per week per member. We were not the only local to submit an amendment like this. Our president, Kevin Bittman, put his name forward to sit on the Constitutional Committee, assuring that our local would have input into the recommendations the committee gives to the delegates at the convention. Initially, the Constitutional Committee recommended raising the strike pay to $275. That was not what the floor wanted, and the recommendation was voted down by 75% of delegates. The committee looked at the amount again and recommended that the floor vote in favour of 594’s $300 amendment. Both Nathan Kraemer and I spoke in favour of an increase on the convention floor. This is a big win for our local and our Union Continuity Plan! Now, we’ve increased the basic strike pay by $200 a month. Last year because of some heavy campaigning by our bargaining chair and president, the Energy Supplemental Strike Pay was increased from $100 to $200 a week. That’s an extra $400 each month if we walk for a national pattern issue.

There was lots of talk about Saskatchewan bargaining at the convention. Jerry Diaz mentioned 594 in his opening remarks, speaking to how we are bargaining against a billion-dollar cooperative and they are asking us to go backwards. How much is enough profit for this company? Kevin got up and told the delegation about our bargaining and just how far the company is asking us to go backwards. There were members from across Canada asking about our negotiations and offering support, from large locals, like the Bell Canada workers, to small ones, like SaskWater. We are never alone in this big family we call Unifor.

This fight we are having with the Coop Refinery is not unique. It is personal, but not unique. Companies across Canada are trying to change the workplace landscape. ‘Wages aren’t growing’, says Bill Murnigham, Director of Research at Unifor Canada. Despite signs of a recent uptick, the long-term trend of stagnating wages compared to inflation (“real wages”), shows little sign of abating. ¹ Unionized wages are keeping up mostly with inflation, but the earnings of companies continue to outpace wage increases. It’s even worse in non-unionized workplaces. Contract work is outpacing full-time work by 2 to 3 times. So, our fight to not go backwards is a fight many workplaces are having.

Now that all the chips are on the table, monetary and non-monetary, our bargaining will start to heat up. At Convention, we listened to Bill Murnigham speak about bargaining, the economy, corporate and labour culture in Canada; and on a whole, large companies just always want more of the pie; it doesn’t matter how much profit is brought in or how many other areas there are to save money. Generally, large companies (and cooperatives) want to have workers go backwards. We need to do whatever it takes to stand up for ourselves because we are the force behind those record profits. With a billion dollars in profits, there is enough to respect refinery workers.

¹ Convention 2019 Delegate Resource Guide, Unifor Collective Bargaining Program, Context, Pg 79

Carla McCrie, Recording Secretary

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT UPDATE

All hands on deck to promote our new video series that launched Sept 11!

"Who is Unifor 594?" is our main video: find it on our website homepage and social media channels.

We are also rolling out sixteen 30-second videos, each featuring a proud Unifor 594 member talking about our commitment to safety, community, and the workplace.

To the proud brothers & sisters in these videos: BRAVO! You are amazing representatives of our membership who did an impressive job telling our stories! And we can all thank Unifor National for supporting & promoting these videos.

Now, all of us need to:

Click ’Like’ on the videos
Share the hell out of them
Engage in (positive!) conversation in the comments

Meanwhile, offline … Appreciation to the volunteers who repped us well at Summer Bash YQR on Aug 25. On Sept 8, a group of us laced up for the Queen City Marathon with friends from Unifor 1S and Unifor 649 – we had a booth and every participant got a handout about us in their race bag. Next up, we're running against cancer at CIBC Run for the Cure Oct 6: to join our #UniforSupportSquad, contact Heather Bell habell73@gmail.com .

What else?

Our roadside billboards get a makeover on Sept 15
An interview with our president, Kevin Bittman, will be featured this month in communications from the group, Co-op Members for Fairness

Read the interview here:

https://www.coopmembersforfairness.ca/what-does-co-op-have-planned-for-refinery-workers/?fbclid=IwAR2YbN3Ln2U3MJfwmm1PUp3N7c4MPCngMynVmuUW7eWajFmjss3hLKgV2oA

THE BARGAINING PROCESS

A HUGE THANKS:

On behalf of the Executive, I would like to thank all of the members who have stepped up to work union relief shifts.

This relief allows our elected officers time to do important work (such as bargaining and attend training) that benefits all Unifor 594 members. It does not go unnoticed!

Kaleena Baulin, Secretary Treasurer

Are you interested in sporting Unifor 594 Swag?

Check out our list of swag at:

www.unifor594.com