Meeting Notice:

_____________________________

A Valued Member Takes a New Path

Long time member, Lodge Financial Secretary, and Trustee Neil MacKenzie will take his leave of us on September 9 when he, and his wife Gwen, relocate back to the mainland from where he moved to Victoria in 1970.

Neil came to this city for work, and spent several years at Windsor Chain before following his destiny to the Dockyard where he worked until his retirement.

Always active in Lodge 456, Neil gave freely of his time and was a valued addition to our executive. Good Luck Neil and Gwen, we'll miss you.

SKF Agreement includes Pension boost for Retirees!
Tuesday August 17, 2010
 

Toronto, ON – Members of IAMAW Local Lodge 901 have ratified a new collective agreement with SKF Canada Limited that includes a pension boost for retirees. “It’s just another example of how the union looks after its members following their retirement,” explained IAMAW District 78 Business Representative Paul Mitchell. “The bargaining committee deserves all the credit because if there’s a pension benefit improvement for current workers, the committee ensures retirees are not forgotten.” >>MORE

Whitby, ON – The members of IAMAW Local Lodge 901 have agreed to a one year contract agreement with Nemato Composites Limited. “The economy had a great deal of influence on this round of bargaining,” said IAMAW District Lodge 78 Business Representative Paul Mitchell. “Considering we were faced at one point with either a strike or a lockout, this is definitely a compromise by both sides.” >>MORE

24/08/10

Machinists sign One-Year Agreement with PHCP!
Wednesday August 18, 2010

Machinists in Kitchener Sign Up Patient Transfer Workers

Medical Attendants who provide non-emergency patient transfers at Ontario Patient Transfer’s (OPT) base in Kitchener, ON, are the newest members of Local 1295 in Canada. The newest members bring the total number of members at OPT to 182 at locations in Hamilton, Kitchener, Winchester and Arnprior.

“These workers were looking for representation and a champion for their concerns over province-wide regulation and standardization of the industry,” said District 78 Organizer Ralph Martin. The 60 Medical Attendants provide patient transfers between Waterloo Region and Perth-Oxford Counties to the west and Wellington County to the east.

The IAM also represents patient transfer workers at Medi-Van in Winnipeg, Ambutrans in Toronto and Voyageur Patient Transfer Services in Sarnia.

IAM Cites China Link in Gulf Equipment Failure

The IAM faulted British Petroleum (BP) this week for ordering the use of low-cost repair facilities in China to modify critical safety equipment on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to The Observer, BP ordered the use of a Chinese repair facility to overhaul the rig’s blow-out preventer, a device that subsequently failed and led to the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

“High-quality machining within extremely high tolerances is what American Machinists take pride in doing on a daily basis,” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. “News that British Petroleum sent the most critical piece of its blow-out preventer to China for overhaul comes as no surprise. Companies like BP consistently – and erroneously – equate cheaper with better.

“American Machinists have the skills to take us to the bottom of the ocean and the furthest reaches of space. But if company executives cannot tell the difference between materials and workmanship that can withstand the enormous pressures of the deep ocean and those that cannot, then they cannot be trusted to protect the environment nor even their own firm’s survivability,” said Buffenbarger. “Their negligence is unbelievable.”

So there you are...(Web Steward's Comment)

26/7/10

Machinists in North Bay Welcome Seymour Workers

Workers at Seymour Windows & Doors Limited in North Bay, ON, are the newest members of the IAM in Canada.

“These workers were looking for someone to represent their concerns with their employer and they found a voice with the Machinists,” said District 78 Organizer Scott Jackson. “This organizing victory was made possible through the efforts of Ernie Giroux, of Local Lodge 2412 in North Bay. He’s well known to these workers and they trust his judgment regarding the quality of representation we provide to each member.”

The 52 newest members of Local 2412 manufacture windows and doors for the home construction industry in Canada.

26/7/10

G20 in Toronto:  The Irony

(Re-printed from the IAMAW Canada bulletin, The Dispatch)

If you look past the media images of vandalism and police in riot gear, what actually came out the billion-dollar G20 summit meeting this weekend in Toronto?

As the world economy struggles out of recession created by financial deregulation and growing corporate power, Prime Minister Harper’s summit “victories” were all negative.   

Instead of common action to sustain a job-creating recovery, Harper got an agreement for countries to commit to cut their budget deficits through austerity measures – not for the corporations who caused the crisis - but, as we are already seeing in Greece, Spain, and other countries, through cuts to pensions and services to people.  Not only that, but he was able to head off demands for taxes on bankers and cuts in subsidies to the oil industry.

The Prime Minister is not noted for his sense of humour, but you would think that even he could see the irony in spending a billion or two of our tax dollars to defend the interests of his friends and supporters, and make sure that the rest of us will keep paying.

29/06/10

Lodge Elects New Trustee

Before adjourning for the summer, LL456 elected a new trustee to replace a member who wished to step down after many years of loyal and faithful service.

Brother Dave Penalea has taken up the position and we welcome him to the executive.

08/06/10

Dispensing Fees

 Since All of us, at some time or other, take prescriptions to a pharmaceutical dispensary to have them filled, you must know that they all charge a dispensing fee for the time it takes the employee to either make up the compound, or count out the capsules from the bottle.

Below is the list of charges in this locality in descending order.

27/5/10

In addition to organizing 45 new members at a pair of newly-merged auto dealerships in British Columbia, District 250 also succeeded in winning a seminal ruling on seniority rights from the British Columbia Labour Relations Board.

The first organizing win followed an election among workers in Nanaimo, BC, where a Pontiac dealer absorbed a Chevrolet dealership. The election for the combined workforce drew support from an overwhelming 87 percent for representation by the IAM.

Meanwhile, in Victoria, BC, three dealerships were merged into a single entity. The new employees signed authorization cards but the employer applied to the Labour Relations Board to have the Collective Agreement modified to grant full seniority rights based on company service not union membership.

A successful defense by District 250 led to a precedent-setting ruling that confirms the special nature of working under a collective agreement and prevented the dilution of seniority rights held by IAM members.

13/05/10

Improved Contract Ends Ontario Auto Dealer Lockout

After 119 days, the lockout of Local 2332 members by three auto dealerships in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, is finally over.

“It’s been a long and bitter struggle but we got most of what we were after,” said IAM Business Representative Rob Thompson. “We got the standard pension language in the body of the agreement which is what started this whole fiasco and we now have a basic dental plan. I can’t say enough about the solidarity of this group and what they went through. They were locked out just before Christmas, withstood freezing temperatures on the picket line, survived a Ministry of Labour vote which saw 12 of their number return to work at Prouse Motors and they still held out for a better deal.

The 27 mechanics, paint shop workers, body men, parts department staff, apprentices, general helpers and clerical staff employed at Superior Dodge Chrysler and Highland Ford agreed to a four-year agreement that provides wage increases, a basic dental plan and improved contract language. “One of the areas that I am pleased with is that probationary members will have benefits paid after 90 calendar days instead of five months,” said Thompson.

Hotel Discounts for Union Members

The hotel Chateau Victoria offers discounts to members of trade unions. If any members have guests staying in the city and want to put them up in a hotel then click the link here

09/02/10