Directions Newsletter Vol. I No. 16
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Each year on December 6, Canadians take time out to reflect on the tragic murders of 14 women at a Montréal engineering school – targeted for no reason other than that they were women.
Remembering and reflection are good, and necessary. But they alone are not enough. The lessons of the 1989 massacre need to be reinforced continually in order for us to learn, and to work for change in our society. That is what the December 6 commemoration is all about – the realization that the Montréal massacre was more than an isolated incident: it was an act resulting from an imbalance in our social structure that we must never stop struggling to correct. Anyone can become a victim of violence. But the statistics bear out what we all know. Women are victims of domestic violence on a greater scale because, in the past, it has sometimes seen as acceptable. In some parts of the world, sadly, it still is. Slowly, that is changing. But we cannot afford to be negligent, because positive change will not continue without our vigilance and help. We all can and should be involved in the struggle to end violence against women – by speaking out, by donating to and supporting shelters, by attending events planned for December 6 in our communities, and by wearing a white ribbon as a reminder of the work that goes on around the year. UFCW Canada is a long-time supporter of the White Ribbon Campaign (www.whiteribbon.ca), a charitable effort celebrating its 10th anniversary as a movement to encourage men to speak out, educate each other, and bring about change. Founded in Canada, the White Ribbon Campaign has become global in scale, and is recognized by the United Nations as a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) working in 25 countries to educate an end to violence. The annual White Ribbon Days are a good reminder of what will be on many minds as December 6 approaches, and I hope you will join me in wearing one. By never forgetting, we are beginning the process of ending the cycle of violence.
In solidarity, More Price Chopper workers join There is strength in numbers – as Price Chopper supermarket workers in Ontario can tell you. Members of UFCW Canada Local 175 working at eight stores in the Sobeys-owned chain welcomed a ninth store in early November as 56 workers at a Mississauga ON location voted overwhelmingly to join the union. Chief issues prompting them to join are increased wages and benefits, job security, and just-cause protection. More: Bob Linton, Kevin Shimmin, UFCW Canada Local 175, www.ufcw175.com UFCW Canada Local 503 members at DistAgro, a food-distribution company in St-Augustin, west of Québec City, signed a new collective agreement in October. The 70 members will gain annual wage increases of from 2.9% to 7.9%. Start rates have been increased by $1.14-an-hour. More: Murielle Desjardins, UFCW Canada Local 503 Shoe workers step into new contracts UFCW Canada Local 175 members at the Bata Shoe facility in Batawa ON (between Toronto and Kingston) have ratified a new three-year agreement. The 20 workers won a guaranteed severance package, and im-provements in bereavement language, anti-harassment language, boot allowance,vision plan, and a $10-per-week bonus for perfect attendance on evening and night shifts. Batawa was established in 1939 around the Bata manufacturing plant, which employed as many as 1,300 people at its height. It employed just 200 in 1999 when the international shoe giant announced it would consolidate its North American manufacturing in Belcamp MD. Although there are no known plans to close the facility altogether, members sought the severance clause because Ontario plants of this size are not, under current employment standards, required to provide such a package in the event of closure. At the Brown Shoe Company in Stirling ON, meanwhile, Local 175 members have ratified an agreement providing increases of 2.75% in the first year, and 2.5% in the second, along with substantial increases in employer contributions to health, vision, dental, and pension plans. Other improvements include strong anti-harassment language, enhanced seniority clauses, and changes in shift times to protect members during heat waves. More: Bob Linton, Kevin Shimmin, UFCW Canada Local 175, www.ufcw175.com New contracts for HoJo, Holiday Inn UFCW Canada Local 832 members at a Howard Johnson Hotel on Ellice Avenue in Winnipeg have reached a new agreement that includes wage increases retroactive to August 1, 2001. In addition, new wage formulas are tied to the province’s minimum wage, so that additional increases are possible if the minimum is increased. The 80 members have won an additional stat holiday (Boxing Day), as well as improvements to sick benefits, vacations, uniform allocations, disciplinary procedures, bereavement leave, severance pay, and leaves of absence. Finally, gratuities shared by banquet workers will increase from 55% of the total collected to 61%. At the Holiday Inn in Yorkton SK, meanwhile, 35 UFCW Canada Local 1400 members won increases of 3.2%-4.2% retroactive to September 1, with another 2.5% and 3% respectively on September 1, 2002 and 2003. The employer will also increase dental plan contributions, and addressed members’ concerns including expanding locker facilities, increasing lighting in the employee parking lot, and ensuring banquets are adequately and properly staffed. More: Don Keith, UFCW Canada Local 832, www.ufcw832.com; Don Logan, UFCW Canada Local 1400 Peak Manufacturing members ratify UFCW Canada Local 1400 members making recreational vehicles at Peak Manufacturing in North Battleford SK ratified a new agreement last month, providing the 150 members with wage increases from 3%-6%, retroactive to September. Further increases of 3% and 3% will come into effect on March 1, 2002 and 2003. A further retro-active bonus of 2% from February to September of this year was also won. Despite concessionary demands by the employer, members also won improvements in benefit premiums, boot allowance, employer-paid workplace coffee, a new paid holiday, and improved job-posting language. More: Don Logan, UFCW Canada Local 1400, www.ufcw1400.ca Members of UFCW Canada Local 633 at Cargill Foods (formerly Trillium Meats) in Toronto have ratified a new agreement. Members gain 50¢-an-hour in the first year of the agreement, and 40¢ in subsequent years. The STD benefit increases, employer contributions to the pension plan more than double, there are improvements to shift premiums, and benefits, and the chief steward now has language for paid time. More: Bob Linton, Kevin Shimmin, UFCW Canada Locals 175 and 633, www.ufcw175.com UFCW Canada Staff Snapshot: Frank DeCesari Based in Vancouver, Frank DiCesare has been a union activist for more than 30 years, as president of UGWA Local 483G, then as a staff representative prior to that union’s merger with UFCW Canada in 1994. He currently assists garment workers locals in western Canada with merger negotiations. Facts on File: Violence against women
Additional sources: Family Violence (Statistics Canada 1999); Violence against women (UNICEF 2000) |
