Directions Newsletter Vol. III No. 7

In this issue:

Visit to build Coalition

Beer store workers get new structure

Historic vote at Manitoba Wal-Mart; Texas meat cutters reinstated

Back to the Supreme Court

Ontario mushroom workers vote

Wages rise for Fairmont Workers

Letters for Literacy poster contest

Third migrant centre opens in Simcoe

June is Leukemia Awareness month - What a month of fundraisers!

Annual conferences of UFCW Canada members int he red-meat and poultry packinghouse and flour-milling industries, and meeting of the National Defence Fund

Settlement at Alberta Safeway

Staff Spotlight - Nancy Quiring

The Hunger Site provides one-click free donations

The more than 16-month strike at Canada Safeway in Thunder Bay – which ended earlier this year with the successful reopening of the four supermarkets that had been “permanently” closed – affected the lives of hundreds of UFCW Canada members and their families. Many realized during the ordeal the true meaning of friendship and solidarity. One of them was Heidi Pineau, who wrote the following: I would like to take this opportunity to give a great big “thank you” to UFCW Canada Local 175, the national and international offices, and staff for all your support during the Safeway strike in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The dinner and mementos last spring were wonderful. Without your continued support, a lot of us would have never been able to survive! The 504-day experience is certainly one we will never forget. The highs and lows, the new lifetime friendships that were made, the tears and support of one another. This certainly showed the true colours of a lot of members, and hopefully made a lot of our brothers and sisters stronger union supporters. I hope this has made them realize how important it is to have the benefits of being a union member. A big thank you to our local union rep, Colby Flank, for having a big heart and always a listening ear. She always tried to help whenever we were in need and did her best to achieve this. Also, to our local office staff, Carol and Tracy, for listening and putting up with all the phone calls and complaints they had to put up with. Things were always hectic at our local union office. This experience leaves a lifetime full of memories that will affect me forever. It certainly has made me a much stronger and more level-headed person. Finally, a "big thank you" to all who were with us, whether on the picket line or just in your thoughts and your prayers. Thank you, Sister Heidi Pineau, and all your Thunder Bay brothers and sisters. Your dedication and perseverance have set an example for Safeway and other workers everywhere. In solidarity, Michael J. Fraser National Director

Visit to build Coalition

UFCW Canada national director Michael Fraser (right) recently invited Don Cash, executive assistant in UFCW Local 400 in Landover, Maryland and president of the UFCW Minority Coalition, to Canada to discuss means of increasing the profile and involvement in the Coalition across Canada. “We had a number of productive meetings with UFCW Canada activists, and we have already established some good ideas for outreach to various minority communities, both within UFCW Canada’s membership, and to assist in organizing the unorganized as well,” Cash says. In a speech to the Coalition in 2001, UFCW international president Douglas Dority said, “That’s what we believe in as a movement. That as workers there is more that unites us than divides us. That by bringing together all workers without regard to race, or colour, or immigration status, or gender, we can make life better for every worker. “That is why I applaud the work of the UFCW Minority Coalition.” Fraser says he hopes activists in UFCW Canada locals across the country will become more involved in the Coalition and its work. “In recent years, especially through programs like the youth internship, we’ve witnessed the benefits of being more inclusive as a union,” he says. “If there are ways in which we can be still more inclusive and to help members benefit from being members, we owe it to them to explore every avenue.” Details, Winston Gordon, UFCW Canada

Beer store workers get new structure

The United Brewery Warehouse Workers (UBWW) council has succeeded in winning approval from members for a restructuring plan that will see all 15 affiliated local unions restructured into a single local with full-time representative staff. The new Local 12R24 has been chartered to represent the approximately 6,500 beer store and warehouse workers who are employed by Brewers Retail in nearly 500 stores and facilities across the province. Already under a single collective bargaining agreement with their employer, they are now moving into Local 12R24 one local at a time, starting with the largest, Local 326W in Toronto. Details, John Montgomery, UFCW Canada Local 12R24

Historic vote at Manitoba Wal-Mart; Texas meat cutters reinstated

Following a major breakthrough in Wal-Mart organizing in Quesnel, B.C. (see Directions 3.06), Wal-Mart workers in Thompson in northern Manitoba have held a representation vote to decide if their future lies with UFCW Canada Local 832. Ballots will remain sealed while the province’s labour board hears submissions from the employer and union regarding the determination of an appropriate bargaining unit. Just getting to the point of a vote, however, was a major step forward, says Local 832 president Robert Ziegler.
“Many Wal-Mart associates in Thompson understand that our union offers them a better life,” Ziegler says. “Whether it is in wages, health-and-welfare benefits, job security and equality in the workplace, UFCW Canada will improve the lives of Wal-Mart associates.” While a successful vote at the Thompson store would make it the only unionized Wal-Mart store in North America thus far, meat cutters at a Wal-Mart in Jacksonville, Texas recently won an historic decision by federal labour authorities in the U.S., ordering Wal-Mart to recognize and bargain with UFCW Local 540 on their behalf.

More than three years ago, meat cutters at the store joined the local, but instead of bargaining with the union, Wal-Mart sidestepped the issue by switching to case-ready meats, turning the meat cutters into “sales associates”. The employer even boasted to its managers in a PowerPoint presentation, “It’s the ultimate union avoidance strategy!” A U.S. federal judge saw it differently and made the order along with an order to restore the department to its prior stucture. Details: Grant Warren, UFCW Canada Local 832; Johnny Rodriguez, UFCW Local 540

Back to the Supreme Court

In the wake of the Ontario government’s failure to comply with the 2001 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada – when UFCW Canada’s historic case was won as the court ruled the Ontario Conservative government had acted improperly in 1995 in stripping agriculture workers of their union rights, as guaranteed in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms – UFCW Canada has returned to the court to have the order clarified and enforced. In addition, UFCW Canada has filed another Charter challenge, this time on the basis that Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) is also in violation of Charter rights. That application has been filed at the Supreme Court of Ontario. The three applicants in that case are: Michael J. Fraser, national director of UFCW Canada; Savon Hak, an agriculture worker from Essex County who, in 14 years of dangerous work in mushroom- and tomato-growing facilities, has seen numerous on-the-job injuries but has never received any form of health-and-safety training; and Teresa Ferrier, widow of Gary Ferrier, who was killed in an agricultural accident in Drayton three years ago along with two co-workers. Ferrier has been trying to pressure the Tory government to include coverage of agriculture workers under the OHSA, believing such inclusion would have prevented her husband’s and co-workers’ deaths, a view supported by the coroner’s inquest into the deaths. “There is no moral, economic, or legal justification for excluding any group of workers from basic health-and-safety rights,” Fraser says. “If an operation cannot be run safely for workers, it should not be run at all.” Details, Bob Linton, UFCW Canada

Ontario mushroom workers vote

Despite the Ontario government’s insistence that workers in the agriculture sector will continue to be denied the right to bargain collectively, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) recently ruled that a new UFCW Canada application to represent workers at Rol-Land Farms – a Leamington-area mushroom factory – was in order and that a representation vote could be conducted, but that ballot boxes would remain sealed until further rulings in the matter. Following the vote, UFCW Canada organizers were optimistic that workers at the Kingsville factory had chosen to be represented by UFCW Canada. “We are doing everything we can to get the OLRB to count those ballots as quickly as possible,” says national organizing coordinator Shane Dawson. “The workers at Rol-Land Farms have been waiting long enough.” UFCW Canada national director Michael Fraser approached the owner of the Rol-Land Farms operation, Hank Vander Pol, to seek voluntary recognition of the union as the workers’ representative through a co-operative, low-cost process of confirming workers’ support for the union. Vander Pol did not respond. Despite the proclamation of the province’s so-called Agricultural Employees Protection Act on June 18 – which was the Conservative government’s response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dunmore v. Ontario, but does little to restore the rights of agriculture workers – “there is no law preventing agribusiness corporations like Rol-Land from voluntarily recognizing their employees’ desire to be represented by a union,” Fraser says. Organizing of the approximately 270 workers at Rol-Land began after they approached UFCW Canada organizers with complaints of harsh working conditions and workplace abuses. Reports from inside the factory are among the worst heard in decades:

non-stop 12-hour shifts with little or no break time for personal needs such as eating, resting, or even bodily functions;

piecework rates set by management at a whim, with overtime pay unheard-of;

extremely hazardous working conditions including exposed dangerous machinery and noxious air quality;

racial- and sexual-harassment and verbal abuse by supervisors;

"gag orders" prohibiting workers from speaking to one another in their mother tongues, even if they cannot speak English well enough to communicate; and

a "tight-leash" policy giving workers only a few hours’ notice if they will have the next day off, depriving them of any semblance of a normal family life. "If what we have been told by nearly 200 of these workers is true, these working conditions would be considered disgraceful in any country on earth," Fraser says. “That such conditions are allowed in Canada is appalling.” Fraser adds, "I believe the OLRB is acting prudently by conducting this vote. Although the ballots will be sealed, the board will hear submissions from the parties concerning certification, and we believe the board has the authority to count the ballots and issue a certification order." Should the application to represent the workers be denied, on the other hand, UFCW Canada intends to continue its public campaign to pressure Rol-Land Farms into a meeting to discuss the issues and improve conditions for the people working there. Details, Shane Dawson, UFCW Canada

Wages rise for Fairmont workers

About 190 workers at the Fairmont Winnipeg (formerly The Lombard) hotel, members of UFCW Canada Local 832, have ratified a new collective agreement with wage increases ranging from 2.75% to 3% in each year of the contract. The first increase is immediate, retroactive to February 1. The night shift premium increases to 55¢ in 2004, and rises again in 2005. The agreement includes a number of benefit and language improvements, including vision care, leave, shoe allowance, and banked holidays. Details, Grant Warren, UFCW Canada Local 832

For the second straight year, UFCW Canada is sponsoring a Letters for Literacy poster contest, open to UFCW Canada members and their families. On September 8, the world celebrates International Literacy Day. The UFCW Canada Letters for Literacy poster contest is an initiative to promote the union’s commitment to literacy and lifelong learning for members. Literacy programs help people participate more fully in their jobs, in their communities, and in their families. To enter, design an original poster based on a single letter of the alphabet, using it as a theme that promotes literacy skills in the workplace, in the community, and at home. Judging will be in three categories: junior (grade 8 and younger), senior (high school), and adult (all others). Entries must be received by local unions or the national office by Labour Day. Winners will have their posters published in the annual Our Union national membership magazine and on the UFCW Canada website. Details, Susan Jones, UFCW Canada

Third migrant centre opens in Simcoe
UFCW Canada opened its third migrant agriculture workers support centre with a public ceremony on June 29, this time in Simcoe, Ont., a central location in southwestern Ontario’s farmlands near the shores of Lake Erie. Housed in a commercial section of the Simcoe Town Centre, the newest centre complements similar operations already up-and-running in Leamington and Bradford (see Directions 3.05 and 3.06). “These support centres are part of UFCW Canada’s ongoing commitment to the rights of all agriculture workers,” says national director Michael Fraser. “Our union has stepped up to fill a void left by government inaction on the federal level, in the case of migrant workers from outside of Canada, and to correct the mistakes of the stubborn big-business agenda of the Eves Tories on the provincial level” (see “Back to the Supreme Court”, this issue). The migrant centres provide multilingual services and a gathering place for migrant workers.
		Cutting the ceremonial cake to open the Simcoe centre are (far left, l-r) Bryan Neath from the UFCW Canada national office, migrant agriculture worker Naurrete Castillo, and centre coordinator Fanny Bekoski.

June is Leukemia Awareness Month WHAT A MONTH OF FUNDRAISERS!
		Blue Rodeo (1) was the headline act at the 14th Annual UFCW Canada LRFC Gala Evening in June, along with comedian Mike McDonald (2). Emcee Joe Bowen (3) spent much of the night autographing T-shirts to raise funds, while Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo welcomed fans backstage (4). Former Canadian heavyweight boxing champ George Chuvalo (5) kicked up his heels with daughter Vanessa.
Raising money and awareness for leukemia research was what the evening of June 13 was all about in Toronto, as the 14th Annual UFCW Canada LRFC Gala Evening did both. On the awareness end of things, inspirational speaker Harriet Lye (6) , age 17, a recovered leukemia patient, addressed the 800 in attendance. She is seen on stage with LRFC president Walter Lumsden, LRFC director Rudy Putns, emcee Joe Bowen, and UFCW Canada national director Michael Fraser. Local 500R president François Lauzon (7) made a presentation of $210,000 on behalf of UFCW locals in Québec, helping push UFCW Canada’s total contributions for the year to a grand total of more than $665,000.

The UFCW Canada annual Joe Bowen Celebrity Golf Classic was a successful fundraiser for the seventh year in a row. Newly renamed for Bowen, the Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, for his consistent support of LRFC fundraising over the years, the tournament raised $30,000 this year to support leukemia research.
Among the several dozen celebrities participating were (above) golfer Fuzzy Zoeller and Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn, seen with tournament co-chairs Joe Bowen and Michael Fraser. At left is Canadian TV and film comedian Steve Smith – a.k.a. Red Green – golfing with lawyers John Stout and John Evans, and local union president John Montgomery.	One of the original chapters of the LRFC, Durham Region held its annual Walk for a Cure in Whitby, Ont. along the Waterfront Trail. Participants included LRFC national president Wally Lumsden (above right), a retired UFCW Canada staff member. At right, Local 175 staff volunteer Mike Brennan helps retired member Bernice Dow arrange items for raffles and sole for fundraising.

Racing for a Cure program off to fast start
The UFCW Canada Racing for a Cure program got off to a rocketing start in 2003, as CASCAR driver Kerry “Iron Man” Micks won his first-ever race flying the UFCW Canada colours at Peterborough in early June, adding another two podium finishes in the first six races to lead the CASCAR championship points. New to the Racing for a Cure program in 2003 is a fundraising kit for local unions – including a cooler, T-shirt, and racing cap (see next page) – that can be purchased at a special price for re-sale to add to the amount local unions raise for the Leukemia Research Fund of Canada. Last year’s racing apparel program raised more than $25,000 for leukemia research.

At the annual LRFC awards luncheon held in Toronto in June, Bryan Neath of the UFCW Canada national office presented the UFCW Canada Research Award to Dr. Lawrence Panasei (right). Below, UFCW Canada leukemia fundraising coordinator Murray Margarit poses with guest speaker Susan Hay of Global TV and Neath.	BOTTLE DRIVE UFCW Canada Local 12R24 members like Michelle Bergeron of Oshawa (right) volunteered to collect donations of empties at Beer Stores across Ontario on June 7 that raised the lion’s share of the $32,000 donated by brewery workers and their employer at the LRFC gala (below).

UFCW Canada - Racing for a Cure 2003 Local Union Fundraising Program	Micks Motorsports is proud to offer this fundraising kit to all UFCW Canada local unions for the price of $32.95. Locals can use this kit at conferences, meetings, or other local fundraisers, selling for $49.95: “Buy the bag and hat, get the T-shirt for free!” All prices/values quoted before applicable taxes. Prices do not include shipping and handling. Micks Motorsports will be selling these kits to the public for $49.95. Individual item prices to local unions only: Cooler bag, $19.95; T-shirt, $12.95; Cap, $12.95. For details on ordering, contact Brian Noonan at the UFCW Canada national office, 416-675-1104, fax 416-675-6919, e-mail [email protected]
The three-piece kit includes: One Canadian-made cooler bag. Screen-printed in both English and French, completely waterproof with drawstring closure and shoulder strap. Measures 30cm/12” high by 20cm/8” diameter. Value $29.95. One Canadian-made by UFCW Canada members (Gildan) 100% preshrunk heavyweight cotton black T-shirt. Front large seven-colour race print of the 2003 UFCW Canada Racing for a Cure No. 02 Ford Taurus of Kerry Micks. Available in L or XL, not currently available in French. Comes sealed in plastic bag. Value $24.95. One Canadian-made by UFCW Canada members racing cap in black and red with embroidered Racing for a Cure logo (English or French available). Bull denim with velcro closure and pre-curved sandwich-style peak. Value $19.95.

Total kit value, $74.85 Fundraising price to members, $49.95 per kit "Buy the bag and hat, get the T-shirt for free!" "Fundraising cost to locals, $32.95

Annual conferences of UFCW Canada members in the red-meat and poultry packinghouse and flour-milling industries, and meeting of the National Defence Fund
Mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE) was the hot topic of the day when UFCW Canada packinghouse workers and others from across the country got together for their annual conference early in June. In a keynote address, UFCW Canada national director Michael Fraser told delegates and invited media that the federal government needed to take stronger and immediate action to reopen the U.S. border to Canadian beef exports, and to assist packinghouse workers on layoff due to the crisis. Delegates representing both red-meat and poultry packinghouses, including several from the U.S. (below, left), as well as flour-milling units and other units belonging to the National Defence Fund, were welcomed to Winnipeg by UFCW Canada Local 832 president Robert Ziegler (below right). The annual three-day gathering brings together representatives of many locals with similar memberships and common employers, says conference chair Bryan Neath. “It’s important for these members to get together regularly, to share information and insights that wouldn’t otherwise be available,” he says.

Settlement at Alberta Safeway

UFCW Canada Local 401 members in Alberta cancelled plans for strike votes against Canada Safeway last month when the union negotiating committee announced a tentative agreement had been reached on June 5. Voting was conducted at various locations across the province through the month, and a final ratification was announced on July 2, with an 81% overall acceptance rate. At press time, UFCW Canada members in British Columbia were facing a potential strike or lockout at Canada Safeway. Details of the Alberta settlement were not yet available.

Staff Spotlight - Nancy Quiring

The newest member of UFCW Canada's national staff is Nancy Quiring, a veteran union representative from UFCW Canada Local 832 in Manitoba. Nancy was a UFCW Canada member and shop steward at a Shoppers Drug Mart store in 1987 when she was brought onto the local union's staff to assist temporarily during a strike at Westfair supermarkets. Following that strike, she was hired on a permanent bases. Nancy is the new Assistant to the National Director for western Canada, replacing Shane Dawson who has been reassigned to the national office to coordinate national organizing.

Labour magazine has special subscription offer for UFCW Canada members

The Hunger Site provides one-click free donations You’re not going to end world hunger with the click of a mouse, but every little bit helps! A daily visit to thehungersite.com is a common event for thousands of people with a spare moment, and it costs them nothing to make a small donation – donations are paid for through the banner advertisement donors see after clicking on the donate button. Started in 1999, thehungersite.com used to be a strictly charitable effort, sanctioned by the United Nations hunger-relief agency, which was its beneficiary. More recently, however, it has become a commercial property – while 100% of the banner ad revenue goes to two hunger-relief agencies, other revenue is accrued through items for sale and other advertising on the site. Still, with a typical day netting 132,244 cups of staple food for the hungry, and a grand total in 2002 of some 2,717 tonnes, it makes a worthwhile visit. Links to related sites that work on the same principle are also available there: thebreastcancersite.com, thechildhealthsite.com, therainforestsite.com, and theanimalrescuesite.com. Thanks to Fernando Reis of UFCW Canada Local 175 for reminding us about this site. Have a favourite site you would like to share? Please e-mail [email protected].

Canada's Private Sector Union