Category Archives: Uncategorized

Report on results of National Survey on the Impact of Domestic Violence on Workers and Workplaces

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To: Members of the Canadian Council
CLC Women’s Advisory Committee
RE: Report on results of National Survey on the Impact of Domestic Violence on
Workers and Workplaces

Sisters and Brothers,
Attached please find a copy of the report of our National Survey on the Impact of Domestic Violence. We are releasing the report to the media this morning at 10am at concurrent press conferences on Parliament Hill and Western University. We have also produced a promotional video which is available along with the report at www.domesticviolenceatwork.ca.
As we heard at Canadian Council, the results are quite powerful and represent an opportunity for us to redouble our efforts to ensure our workplaces are safe and workers receive the support they need. We have requested a meeting with Kellie Leitch and have asked her to consider holding a roundtable of employers, unions and government to discuss the survey results.
We have also included a list of key messages. Many unions and federations will be participating in December 6 events, and we encourage you to incorporate this messaging into your speeches, social media and member communications.
We will be working in the coming months to develop a list of promising practices on domestic violence in the workplace. We are aware of some great initiatives?in collective bargaining, member education and public awareness?but your locals may be doing things we are not aware of. We will put together a package of resources and educational materials and would like to point to specific success stories, so please share any materials or language with our women’s and human rights department at womens-hrights@clc-ctc.ca.
Questions about the survey and next steps can be directed to Vicky Smallman, National Director, at vsmallman@clc-ctc.ca
Thank you once again for your work promoting the survey.
In Solidarity,

Barbara Byers
Secretary-Treasurer
ea:COPE*225
***********************
Destinataires : Membres du Conseil canadien
Comité consultatif sur la condition féminine, CTC

Let’s stop pretending all is OK at CBC — it’s not

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Source: cwa-scacanada.ca

LISE LAREAU | CMG National Vice-President

One day, in between one major layoff announcement and another terrible revelation in the Jian Ghomeshi case, an email appeared in my inbox declaring the winners of the CBC President’s Awards. It stunned me; it seemed so wrong to pretend things were normal and the annual tradition was going on uninterrupted, while so much at CBC was disintegrating.  I didn’t read on and tried — like many of us — just tried to get through another sorry day at work.

So hats off to the Radio-Canada employees in Sherbrooke, Que., who had the same feeling, but amplified it and acted upon it. They were the winners of a President’s Award for their coverage of the rail disaster at Lac-Mégantic. When CBC President Hubert Lacroix went to deliver it this week, in person, he was rebuffed.  The employees refused the award, citing the cuts.

Lacroix is quoted as saying their move was, in effect, useless. But that’s evidence of the massive disconnect between those making decisions to dismantle much about the CBC and the people who do the programming every single day that makes the CBC what it is.

No Mr. Lacroix, what’s useless is pretending it’s business as usual at the CBC these days.

When senior managers write memos of yet another cut (this one the outsourcing of weather to another network, no less) that say people are “pleased to announce” a “new content sharing agreement” before mentioning the people who will lose their jobs, and the president of the CBC declares it’s a “good day” to announce 1,500 job losses in the next five years, one has to seriously wonder if senior CBC managers are deliberately deluding themselves in the hope that if they use words like this, it will all be OK.

There is nothing normal, usual or “good” about any of this. That’s why employees openly ask their CEO who will be their champion as the CBC is attacked by government cuts.  The answer should be obvious, but in this strange world of dismantling a public institution, nothing is as it should be.

What we do see is an increasingly empty Broadcasting Centre. We see empty offices. We see one empty studio, another one used by a former network competitor (Rogers) and a few more slated to be shuttered by next year.

We see whole areas of expertise parcelled out (documentary production, weather, hockey). We see a single permanent reporter in a city the size of Fredericton. We listen to talk about selling the Broadcasting Centre itself. And today all of us will bear witness as hundreds more people across the country get notices that their jobs are redundant.

I could go on.

We at the CMG are planning to do a full inventory of the losses in all their grim detail, mostly because we know no one else will.  Others, apparently, will keep declaring things are “good” and be pleased to hand out awards – until the very last studio door is closed.

– See more at: http://www.cwa-scacanada.ca/EN/news/2014/141113_cbc_lareau.shtml#sthash.tGmfhUJ3.dpuf

Enabler to a media hatchet job

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Source: theglobeandmail.com

Patrick Lagacé is a columnist with La Presse.

In early 1995, CBC/Radio-Canada president Tony Manera handed his resignation to prime minister Jean Chrétien, citing the proverbial “personal reasons.” Later, Mr. Manera opened up about the real reason why he suddenly quit his job as chief of the public broadcaster: “I will not preside over the dismantling of the CBC,” he told Macleans.

 Read the entire story here

DALLAS MORNING NEWS: CAN UNIONS AND BIG BUSINESS BE FRIENDS?

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Source: dallasnews.com

Mitchell Schnurman, a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, challenges the “conventional wisdom about unions and big business.” On the heels of CWA’s successful campaign to organize American Airlines’ passenger service agents, Schnurman looks at AT&T’s potential merger with Direct TV.(*)

He writes:(*)

Many believe that unions are a drag on business because they drive up costs, resist change and limit flexibility. In right-to-work states, where unions are a smaller factor, economic growth has been stronger.(*)

But AT&T and the CWA offer a counterpoint. Their long-term relationship benefits employees and the company, and one expert said it gives AT&T an edge in the marketplace.(*)

“AT&T’s business strate

Read the full article here.

CBC’s effort to uncover bodies in an alleged 58-year-old triple murder

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Source: poynter.org

On Wednesday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship evening newscast dedicated 15-and-a-half minutes to a single jaw-dropping story.  It is the story of a horror that a woman said she witnessed 58 years ago and spent decades trying to get someone to care.

Three years ago, my church pastor called to say he knew a woman who desperately needed a journalist to help her. The pastor said her story might seem to be outlandish and unbelievable, but asked me to give the woman a chance. He believed her, he said, beyond the shadow of a doubt. In more than 40 years of working in journalism I have come to understand that the most unbelievable stories can be true and when they are, they can be blockbusters.

read entire story here

Kennedy Heights closure agreement approved

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Local 2000 members who work for PNG at Kennedy Heights have voted 135 to 47 in favour of accepting Postmedia’s latest offer for severance and other matters related to the closure of the printing plant. There was one spoiled ballot.
About 74 percent of the members who cast ballots voted yes to the closure agreement that includes a severance package of $17.5 million. Members had previously turned down a package of $16 million.

New tentative Kennedy Heights closure deal

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Following discussions this week between Unifor National President Jerry Dias and Postmedia President Paul Godfrey, a new tentative closure agreement has been reached concerning the Kennedy Heights printing plant.
An additional $1.5 million has been negotiated to bring the total severance package to $17.5 million. The Kennedy Heights bargaining committee has also met to adjust the distribution of the severance pay, based on the new amount.Other than a changed amount and settlement date, all other aspects of the closure agreement remain the same, including the arrangement that the money will be put into a trust account to ensure it is available when the plant closes on January 31, 2015.Following discussions with bargaining reps from the different departments, chapel meetings will be held at Kennedy Heights Wednesday and Thursday to fully discuss all aspects of the agreement. Each member will also receive a calculation of what their estimated severance will be. The union is also making arrangements to have voting take place at the plant, from Thursday through Saturday. Details and times will be posted later this week.

TransForce Announces Acquisition of Total Delivery Systems

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Source: newswire.ca

MONTREAL, Sept. 26, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ – TransForce Inc. (TSX: TFI) (OTCQX: TFIFF), a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry, today announced that, through its subsidiary Dynamex Canada Limited, it has acquired all the shares of Total Delivery Systems (“TDS”).

 

Headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, TDS operates a network of 18 locations across British Columbia. TDS provides a wide range of courier and distribution services, such as local messenger, time sensitive delivery, overnight service, storage, logistics, LTL and just-in-time package delivery. The acquisition is expected to generate annual revenue of approximately $20 million.

 

“This acquisition significantly expands Dynamex Canada’s geographic footprint, service offering and density across British Columbia. We are pleased to work with TDS’s senior management to further develop the business opportunities that will arise from this transaction,” said Alain Bédard, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of TransForce.

 

ABOUT TRANSFORCE

TransForce Inc. is a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry operating across Canada and the United States through its subsidiaries. TransForce creates value for shareholders by identifying strategic acquisitions and managing a growing network of wholly-owned, operating subsidiaries. Under the TransForce umbrella, companies benefit from corporate financial and operational resources to build their businesses and increase their efficiency. TransForce companies service the following segments:

 

Package and Courier;

Less-Than-Truckload;

Truckload, which includes specialized truckload and dedicated services;

Specialized Services, which includes services to the energy sector, waste management, logistics and ancillary transportation services.

 

 

TransForce Inc. (TFI) is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: TFI) and the OTCQX marketplace in the U.S. (OTCQX: TFIFF). For more information, visit http://www.transforcecompany.com.

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for historical information provided herein, this press release may contain information and statements of a forward looking nature concerning the future performance of TransForce. These statements are based on suppositions and uncertainties as well as on management’s best possible evaluation of future events. Such factors may include, without excluding other considerations, fluctuations in quarterly results, evolution in customer demand for TransForce’s products and services, the impact of price pressures exerted by competitors, and general market trends or economic changes. As a result, readers are advised that actual results may differ from expected results.

 

SOURCE TRANSFORCE INC.

 

For further information:

Investors:

Alain Bédard

Chairman, President & CEO

TransForce Inc.

(514) 331-4200

abedard@transforcecompany.com

 

Media:

Rick Leckner

MaisonBrison Communications

(514) 731-0000

rickl@maisonbrison.com