Local Voice

VOLUME 8 | Issue #4 Fall 2013

Quarterly publication for members of the Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union, Local 378

together FAIRNESS WORKS

ALSO INSIDE

COPE 378 Social Events Strong Steward Training Call Centre Action Month African Grandmothers Tribunal BC Hydro Accountability

CONtENtS

In This Issue

3 4

PRESiDENtS OpENiNG MESSAGE by David Black TRANSLATIONS

6 SOCiAl EVENtS 7 NEW tRAiNiNG FOR StRONG StEWARDS 8 pRESiDENtS WORD 10 CAll CENtRE WORKERS DESERVE RESpECt AS pROFESSiONAlS 11 StAFF pROFilE: CAtHY HiRANi 12 AFRiCAN GRANDmOtHERS tRiBUNAl 14 15 16 WiNNiNG A tRANSit REFERENDUm StANDiNG Up FOR SiCK timE At iCBC AiRCARE iS pEOplE CARE

6
COPE 378 Events

8
President's Word on a New Campaign

17 lESSONS FROm lABOUR COllEGE 18 FORCiNG ACCOUNtABilitY ON HYDRO FiNANCES

19 DAY OF RECKONiNG COmES FOR BC LiBERAlS ON HYDRO RAtES by John Horgan 20 BARGAiNiNG BRiEFS 22 FRASER iNStitUtE AttACKS pENSiONS 23 BARGAINING UNITS 24 ORGANiZED LAUGHtER

10
Call Centre Action Month

Presidents Opening Message

The Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378, is affiliated with the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, the British Columbia Federation of Labour, the Canadian Labour Congress, UNI Global Union and IndustriALL. Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378, Executive Board Members: President: David Black Secretary-Treasurer: Lori Mayhew Vice Presidents: Annette Toth (ICBC), Gwenne Farrell (Utilities), Heather Lee (Combined Units) Accenture Business Services Executive Board Members: Melanie Greenlaw, Nancy de Vries BC Hydro Executive Board Members: Calvin Jonas, Rysa Kronebusch ICBC Executive Board Members: Yasmin Carroll, Karin Cirez, Mike Ferguson, Joyce Galuska, Trevor Hansen FortisBC Energy Board Member: Tim Bouzovetsky FortisBC Inc. and FortisBC Customer Service Centres: Stephanie Smith Combined Units Executive Board Members: Colleen Finn, Laurie Kirk, Petro Koromvokis, Keith Parkinson, Tim Weigelt COPE 378 Communications & Campaigns: Communications Director: Sage Aaron Communications Officer: Jarrah Hodge COPE 378 Senior Union Representatives: Brad Bastien, Glen MacInnes, Jaime Zygmunt COPE 378 Union Representatives: Carrol Edwards, Jack Gerow, Cathy Hirani, Barry Hodson, Ken Howie, Barbara Junker, Pat Junnila, Sarah Melsness, Bonnie Merriman, Brian Nelson, Kevin Payne, Cheryl Popeniuk, Kelly Quinn, Karen Rockwell, Stephen Von Sychowski COPE 378 Administrative & Office Staff: Joanne Baneld, Karen Caston, Elaine Chilman, Lise Cluff, Adele Earwaker, Yudon Garie, Shelley Lockhart, Carol McLuskie, Karen McRae, Kim Smith, Miriam Spinner COPE 378 Financial Staff: Damen Bring, Sandi Malhame, Donna Morris, Barbara Liang, Amandeep Sandhu COPE 378 Legal & Advocacy Department: Jim Quail (Legal Director), Leigha Worth Occupational Health & Safety & WCB Appeals: Steve Milne Organizing: Georgi Bates, Caitlin Gilroy Job Evaluation: Teresa Davie LTD Trust Administrator: Jim Moynham

COPE 378 Local Voice is the official quarterly magazine published for the members of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378. ISBN 1918-9753 COPE Local 378 Voice Letters to the editor are welcome but may be edited for brevity and clarity. Please contact COPE Local 378 for permission to reprint articles, graphics, or photographs. Address all correspondence to: COPE 378 Communications 2nd Floor, 4595 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 1J9 Phone: 604-299-0378 Toll Free: 1-800-664-6838 Fax: 604-299-8211 Visit COPE 378s website at www.cope378.ca Or contact us via email at editor@cope378.ca Editor: Sage Aaron

y twin daughters started kindergarten this fall. Of course, my wife and I have done our best at home to encourage their kindness and empathy, and instill a sense of fairness. But its one thing to do that with us and their older sister, its another thing altogether within a group of strangers. Theyre doing great perfecting the alphabet and counting higher, and each day brings a new lesson about fairness, sharing and teamwork. When I hear about their days at suppertime Im reminded how much these early lessons form the foundation of your unions daily work. To that end weve enthusiastically joined the Canadian Labour Congress together FAIRNESS WORKS campaign, which you can visit online at fairnessworks.ca. The goal of the campaign is twofold: to engage members with their unions by sparking open, honest dialogue; and to talk to Canadians about the benets unions bring to our broader society not just for union members. Read more on page 8. We are rening the education we offer our stewards for this fall. In response to feedback from members, classes will focus on worksitespecic training. This addition will allow activists to delve more deeply into their collective agreements and talk about strategies specic to the culture of their employers. Starting on page 12 we feature a story on an event COPE 378 was proud to sponsor the Stephen Lewis Foundations African Grandmothers Tribunal. Participants heard directly from women whose adult children had died of AIDS and are now raising their grandchildren under deplorable circumstances. Despite success in stemming the tide of the pandemic, international funding for HIV and AIDS programs is dropping. But as the grandmothers stories were in turn heartbreaking and inspirational, there is hope that bearing witness to this tribunal will spark renewed help from Canadians and the rest of the international community. And, as always, were working on serving and supporting our members in their worksites. Im proud of the lessons my daughters are learning in kindergarten, and I hope we at COPE 378 are making them proud through our commitment to fairness and teamwork.

David Black President, COPE 378

USW 2009
COPE 378 Local Voice VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013 | 3

VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013

COPE 378 Local Voice

COPE 378 Local Voice

VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013

Social Events
with

COPE 378
This summer was packed with social events for our union members.

COPE 378 members marched in the Vancouver PRIDE Parade and attended family-friendly Labour Day picnics across the province. Members from a variety of workplaces in Victoria formed a team to take part in the Michael Dunahee Slo-Pitch Tournament of Hope. Our team brought home the trophy for their division. COPE 378 also held social nights for our members at Whitecaps soccer, BC Lions football and Canadians baseball games.

2013
6 | VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013 COPE 378 Local Voice

New Training for Strong Stewards

jOB StEWARDS

Job stewards training

tarting in December, COPE 378 job stewards will be offered new training opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge needed to effectively represent their coworkers. Even though our annual spring Job Steward Seminar and fall Job Steward 1 and 2 classes have always been very valuable, we heard from a lot of stewards that they wanted more opportunities to build their skills, said COPE 378 Vice-President and Education Committee Chair Gwenne Farrell. This ts with the unions move to have stewards more actively engaged with grievance handling. Grievances are made up of formal steps. Each step is an opportunity for the union and the employer to nd a resolution to the grievance. Most, but not all collective agreements outline three steps. COPE 378s new training will provide stewards with the full skill set needed to take grievances past the initial investigation and ling stage on to step two of the procedure. In addition to teaching a broader set of skills the training will also place new emphasis on workplacespecic issues. The fall 2013 training program is broken into separate sessions for ICBC, Accenture, the Fortis group (gas, electric and customer service), BC Hydro and the Transit group. These will feature updated materials and multimedia content that the union hopes will empower more stewards to monitor and resolve dayto-day issues for members. In 2014 COPE 378 will roll out similar training for all of the other bargaining units. Smaller workplaces with similar collective agreements may be grouped together, and every activist in each bargaining unit will have the opportunity to attend a session.

Senior Union Representative Brad Bastien has been spearheading the creation of the new curriculum for stewards. The new materials draw on feedback from COPE 378 stewards, staff and elected representatives, and integrate best practices from training provided by other unions and the Canadian Labour Congress. This is one of the most important things we do, because the job steward is the most important position in the union. Stewards are the rst point of contact most members have with the union, Bastien explained. With the right knowledge, stewards can le and resolve grievances, but without it, most of that work ends up falling on the union representatives who work in the COPE 378 office. Its become clear thats not sustainable in terms of staff workload, and it leaves stewards and members disempowered, Bastien noted. When a steward can condently le grievances and present the grievances at stages one and two, it can be really rewarding for them and the member, Farrell explained, because theyre giving individual attention and using their on-the-ground understanding of the culture of that specic workplace. When asked why stewards should be interested in the new training, Farrell drew on her own experience: Learning to handle grievances taught me better public speaking, improved my writing, and focussed my critical thinking and people skills. While helping out fellow union members I added skills to my toolbox that helped my career, inside and outside of the union. Im excited to offer our stewards the same opportunity.

Job Steward Level 1 and 2 training held in October 2013

COPE 378 Local Voice

VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013

DAViD BlACK

Presidents Word

"...Signicant labour achievements like the 40-hour work week, the establishment of Employment Insurance, pensions, basic workplace safety requirements and the weekend have been around for a long time... This is why your union is pleased to join with unions across Canada as part of a new together FAIRNESS WORKS campaign."
David Black

I
David Black

t can be all too easy to take for granted the role of unions in improving both our working conditions and our ability to support our families. After all, signicant labour achievements like the 40-hour work week, the establishment of Employment Insurance, pensions, basic workplace safety requirements and the weekend have been around for a long time. But the work unions do today is no less important and it requires the same type of commitment to standing together. This is why your union is pleased to join with unions across Canada as part of a new together FAIRNESS WORKS campaign. Throughout the year well be having many oneon-one conversations about the union advantage and why it not only helps COPE 378 members, but makes Canada better for all. For example, did you know the average union worker earns $4.97 per hour more than the average non-union worker in Canada? In B.C. that works out to an extra $48 million every week paid into local economies, supporting local businesses and community services. And unions are continually ghting on specic initiatives to make our country and communities better. COPE 378 is working hard as part of the Canadian Labour Congress to win signicant improvements to the Canada Pension Plan, which will help every Canadian when they retire, regardless of whether or not they are a union member.

Closer to home, our union also contributes to a better world through our work campaigning for safer working conditions. Members are volunteering on their workplace health and safety committees and broader union committees which advocate for a variety of issues including defending Grants Law in solidarity with latenight retail workers. But the caring acts of our members dont end there. Each year so many of you participate in workplace United Way campaigns to make sure those less fortunate and those who need help in our community are supported. COPE 378 partners with employers for these drives and time and again, members have been recognized for the money and time they donate to the United Way each year. Our efforts in these campaigns make it possible for the United Way to deliver key services to ght child poverty, bullying and seniors isolation. As our workplaces are affected by globalization, Canadas unions are more relevant than ever. Through unions, working people are the one group standing up for good jobs and protecting the middle class since our governments certainly arent. This is why the together FAIRNESS WORKS campaign is so essential. COPE 378 looks forward to having conversations with as many members as possible about what union membership means for them, and how it contributes to health, income, safety and security. We look forward to having an ongoing discussion with you about how together FAIRNESS WORKS, and how your union helps make things better in your life, your community and Canada.

President David Black at together FairnEss WOrks training with steward Patty Kim and executive board members Rysa Kronebusch and Colleen Finn.

VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013

COPE 378 Local Voice

together
WE'VE GOT
FAIR TREATMENT

AT WORK.

CAll CENtRE ACtiON

Call Centre Workers Deserve Respect as Professionals

BY JARRAH HODGE, COmmUNiCAtiONS OFFiCER

Bruce, ICBC

In many call centres employees are frequently under pressure to meet a quota while having very little control over their own schedules or work ow. UNI 's report

Janie, FortisBC

elping a senior determine which bus to take to the library, ensuring someones electrical account is set up in their new home, collecting important information after a car accident these are just a few of the jobs hundreds of COPE 378 members perform in call centres. In October, COPE 378 is highlighting as the work of these professionals as part of UNI Global Unions Call Centre Action Month campaign. Based on their education, skills, and the complex tasks they perform each day, call centre workers are professionals, states UNIs 2013 global call centre report. Stephen Von Sychowski, now a COPE 378 union representative, started in customer service at the Coast Mountain Bus Company. The members in that call centre are well-trained and committed to providing good service, he explains. Theyre helping people get around the Lower Mainland by public transit. A lot of our callers were people who couldnt afford a smartphone or computer, or didnt have technological skills, but they still needed to get around. Were the front line, says fellow COPE 378 Executive Board Member Nancy de Vries, who works at the Vernon Accenture call centre for BC Hydro, We deal with everything, from someones power getting disconnected to trouble calls like when someone spots a downed power line. We make sure it gets passed on so things get xed and we walk the caller through steps to make sure theyre safe. The call centre staff are the number one contact for everything. They probably have more overall knowledge than most people working in any other department, agrees fellow Executive Board Member Stephanie Smith of the FortisBC Inc. call centre workers.
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Unfortunately call centre workers skills and professionalism arent always recognized in their wages and working conditions. In many call centres employees are frequently under pressure to meet a quota while having very little control over their own schedules or work ow. Threats, heavy monitoring and the pace of work lead to quick burnout, UNIs report notes. COPE 378 members working in call centres face challenges seen across the sector. Smith says she hears from members who are stressed and burned out by overly strict and punitive monitoring of employees work while dealing with nearly impossible targets. COPE 378 Executive Board Member Melanie Greenlaw has worked at BC Hydro Customer Care (Accenture) for eight years. She says she and her coworkers face the same issues, which have led to high turnover. The presence of a union can make a big difference. UNI found median annual pay in union call centres was about seven per cent higher. Union call centres also tended to invest more in training and place limits on performance monitoring. Its not just workers who benet: customers receive better service when theyre talking to someone whos properly trained, and companies see a much lower turnover rate. COPE 378 members share in that union advantage. Of CMBC, Von Sychowski explained: There are always things that can be improved, but it wasnt like the horror stories you hear about non-union call centres. Through the union we got fairer wages, a regular work schedule and benets. de Vries agrees, Day-to-day, it denitely helps to have a union to make sure the employer is being fair overall.

VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013

COPE 378 Local Voice

Cathy Hirani
BY SAGE AARON, COmmUNiCAtiONS DiRECtOR

StAFF pROFilE

"I liked giving a voice to people who didn't have one." Cathy Hirani

nion Representative Cathy Hirani started at Enterprise Car Rental in 1993 when the company was still called National. Cathy became involved with the union in 2007 after the business changed hands. Most of the managers left the new company due to a new contract. New managers were brought in and, as Cathy puts it, Everything went to hell. In 2008 the company moved to pare down staff. Management and non-union staff started performing work that shouldve been reserved for COPE 378 members. I realized I had to become more proactive, especially after the other job steward at our location left, Cathy explains. I liked giving a voice to people who didnt have one. But thats always been my personality I stand up for other people. Being a job steward gave me the credibility I needed in the employers eyes to get things done. It was quite rewarding. A friend who was a former job steward at COPE 378 encouraged Cathy to run for a councillor position. When she was elected, she started attending regular council meetings, and took advantage of more steward training opportunities. I really liked the positive, supportive energy of the union, Cathy remembers as she realized how fullling the involvement could be. Cathy applied for and was accepted to COPE 378s union representative training, using a fund set aside by the car rental companies for member training. The training included some classroom time, but most of Cathys learning was done by job shadowing various union representatives in the

COPE 378 office. She is particularly grateful for current Senior Union Representative Glen MacInnes support and guidance at that time. What surprised Cathy most when she started working in the union office was the sheer size of the job: After the rst few days I remember thinking What a big job. I didnt realize the scope, the depth or the learning curve involved ... Its been a little over a year and Im still learning so much. Since being hired as a full-time union rep, Cathy has participated in two rounds of collective bargaining and has presented one case to arbitration. She will be taking the lead on bargaining for the rst time in the upcoming negotiations with Hertz. Cathy is an anomaly in the COPE 378 office because she represents the unit where she used to work, along with other car rental companies. "Its a mixed blessing, she says. On one hand you have the advantage of really understanding the issues. On the other hand, youre personally invested. The members you represent are like family and sometimes it can be difficult to achieve the necessary detachment, Cathy explains. The car rental companies are also very diverse and multicultural. I need to be sensitive to where there might be language barriers or cultural differences when Im investigating grievances or supporting members in arbitrations. Its rewarding. Overall, I love the work, Cathy adds. Cathy lives in south Surrey with her husband of 20 years and their two sons and one daughter.

Staff Prole

COPE 378 Local Voice

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STEPHEN LEWIS FOUNDATION

African Grandmothers Tribunal

BY JARRAH HODGE, COmmUNiCAtiONS OFFiCER

Theo Sowa, CEO of the African Womens Development Fund and one of the tribunal judges

Above: Left to right is Magret Ongwen and her translator

I was at the end of the road... I was thinking of suicide. Mama "F"

one of us will leave this place the same, said Patsy George, moderator of the Stephen Lewis Foundations African Grandmothers Tribunal held in Vancouver on September 7. The purposes of the tribunal were to shine a public light on the denial of African grandmothers human rights and to help African grandmothers and their organizations issue a call for urgent action. The tribunal focused on personal stories delivered by African grandmothers whose adult children died of AIDS, leaving them to care for orphans. One grandmother, Thusile Dladla from Swaziland, found herself caring for six grandchildren after three of her four children died. She told the audience: You lose the love you had together with your family and instead of that love you have bad memories of AIDS. Mama F from Zimbabwe was not able to attend in person but told her story through a proxy. In 1992 Mama F found out she was HIV-positive. I thought about my son, who was two-and-a-half then, she said, I kept saying to myself, I will stand up, I will be strong. When she told her husband, an alcoholic, he refused to get tested. The next day she got a letter saying he had led for divorce. The divorce law in Zimbabwe has a three-year waiting period to try to force the couple to reconcile. During that time, Mama F said, he would come back and beat me up. Her husband stole her HIV results and produced them in court, trying to get the right to the house and children, but the judge ordered him to move out and let her stay in the house with the children. Unfortunately, he soon lost his job and came back.

Getting him to leave now has been a big problem, she said. Mama F went to the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association and got help getting a protection order. However, shes had difficulty getting police to enforce it. Mama Fs daughter died of meningitis and she lost her brother to suicide. She is now caring for four children in addition to her son. She faces challenges getting medical care and feeding the children. However, an organization called Chiedza has helped teach her new skills and pay for the kids to go to school. I was at the end of the road I was thinking of suicide, she said. But Chiedza saved my life. As Stephen Lewis said in his introduction to the program, At the root of all this lies gender inequality Until we break gender inequality we will never break the pandemic. No two grandmothers had the exact same story. One widow from Uganda told about dealing with her male in-laws attempts to forcibly take her land. Magret Ongwen, from rural Kenya, had challenged her communitys tradition of wife inheritance. When her husband died she was expected to let herself be inherited by one of his male relatives, but she refused. When her co-wives all died soon after, she was left to care for six orphans plus her own children and grandchildren. Community members told her if she was not inherited her children would die, but it is now ten years later and they have all survived. Everyone is marveling in the village, she said proudly. But there were also common threads between the stories: the experience of ignorance and stigma being directed at their families, the pain of losing their loved
12 | VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013 COPE 378 Local Voice

African Grandmothers Tribunal

STEPHEN LEWIS FOUNDATION

ones, frustration at the lack of access to HIV/AIDS treatment. Remarkably, they also shared a sense of empowerment and pride for having cared successfully for many orphans (one woman and her husband were caring for 24 children from both sides of their family), helping other grandmothers in similar situations, and making change in their communities. For example, in addition to her volunteer work feeding orphans from her home, Dladla is working with other grandmothers to lobby the Swaziland government to change the pension laws to better support them. Mama F now volunteers with Chiedza, doing counseling and working as a paralegal with battered women. I always tell people they must know their rights. They mustnt be quiet, she said. I will step in if something is wrong. Later, the audience also heard observations and recommendations from a panel of judges, including B.C. Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond; feminist Gloria Steinem; former Botswanan Minister of Health Joy Phumaphi; and Theo Sowa, CEO of the African Womens Development Fund. The judges thanked the grandmothers for making such a tremendous difference in their communities. They also strongly condemned the situation. What it reects is a really pernicious intersection between HIV/AIDS and discrimination against women, said Theo Sowa. She pointed out that many African countries have enshrined legal rights for women, but that does very little when the rights are not enforced and women have little knowledge of them. Sowa said we need to support on-the-ground organizations working specically with women, and grandmothers in particular. She said that out of $15 billion in UNAIDS money spent in Africa last year, only $20 million was actually spent on programs targeted at women. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond asked us to consider the human rights context. Of all the accords endorsed worldwide, she said, Nowhere is it once asserted that it is the grandmothers of the world who have the responsibility to deliver the rights to the people. In addition, grandmothers own human rights are violated because they face poverty, homelessness and lack of access to medical care. We must be clear that failure to remunerate caregiving work is actually a form of structural discrimination against women, Turpel-Lafond added. She said grandmothers need to have access to state pensions or at least cash transfers at a reasonable age, and that tuition costs and school fees must be abolished. Joy Phumaphi added that we need better data, disaggregated so we can tell who is not receiving treat-

ment and why. She also drew attention to a major problem that she sees: women like grandmothers being de-prioritized for treatment because they are unlikely to spread the disease. We must continuously insist on the human rights to HIV/AIDS treatment for each and every member of our community, Phumaphi concluded. Finally, Gloria Steinem looked at the issue through a wider lens of global gender inequality. She highlighted the way the grandmothers had talked about their home and family lives: There is a major difference in power between males and females If we do not have democratic homes we will never have a democratic society. To end the day, Stephen Lewis Foundation cofounder Ilana Landsberg-Lewis took the stage along with the grandmothers to call for action. We, the grandmothers of Africa, speak to you now as the guardians of the future, said Zodwa Hilda Ndlovu of South Africa. It is time. We shall overcome.

Moderator Patsy George and judges

COPE 378 joined with other B.C. unions to support this unique and extremely important event. President David Black said, It was one of the most moving events Ill probably ever attend. The stories really stay with you. I hope the grandmothers courage will help continue to build support for their movement to help make the urgent legal and cultural reforms that are needed.
PLEASE SUPPORT To help the Stephen Lewis Foundation support African Grandmothers visit stephenlewisfoundation.org

Crowd at the Chan Centre

SEPTEMBER 7, 2013

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tRANSit

Lessons From L.A.: Winning a Transit Referendum

Transit jobs are good, green jobs that support our economy while reducing our collective carbon footprint.

n the lead up to the 2013 provincial election Premier Christy Clark surprised many municipal leaders by promising any new money towards transit spending would be put to a referendum. Many are worried that a referendum would be an unfair and risky way to allocate resources and could end up pitting neighboring communities against each other. Regardless, the government seems intent on carrying the referendum through. COPE 378 represents members at TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus. Its important not only for the job security of our members that the referendum be successful, but for other reasons as well. Transit jobs are good, green jobs that support our economy while reducing our collective carbon footprint. Expanded transit will also have a measurable impact on improving the quality of life for all COPE 378 members who rely on transit to get around through shorter, easier commutes. Late this September COPE 378 Communications Officer Jarrah Hodge attended a Carbon Talks session focused on how to win such a referendum. The speakers were columnist and political strategist Bill Tieleman and Denny Zane, the executive director for Move LA a coalition that was instrumental in getting a two-thirds referendum passed to double the rapid transit in Los Angeles County. Coming out of the Carbon Talks sessions there were a few clear takeaways. First: it is possible to win. But to do so organizations and individuals working towards expanded transit need to bring together strange bedfellowsbusiness, labour, environmental groups, student groups, and political parties of all stripes.

Another key factor is the timing and the shape of the referendum question. Ideally, the question would be specic: a question that ties funding to specic projects and initiatives, and it should have something that appeals broadly to everyone, especially south of Fraser communities. The preference would also be to have a vote that requires a majority across the region, not thresholds for each municipality. And lastly, a mail-inballot would be preferable rather than a one-time vote in conjunction with the civic elections. It would also be unwise to have TransLink lead the referendum. It would be too easy for anyone opposing expanded transit to make the question about giving more money to TransLink. Instead, a winning argument would promote how expanded transit would meet the needs of people in Metro Vancouver by improving service, air quality and quality of living all for a modest cost. Interestingly, the Move LA coalition members that were perhaps most inuential with government were businesses. In Metro Vancouver there is clear evidence that expanded transit has an economic benet trucks moving goods are less encumbered by traffic, consumers get to shops more easily and workers spend less time commuting. Former Vancouver city councillor and Business in Vancouver co-founder Peter Ladner has been working with local businesses by talking about the L.A. model and what could be replicated here. As labour groups and other organizations grapple with the referendum, the L.A. experience sets out a strategic route towards a successful campaign.

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COPE 378 Local Voice

Standing Up For Sick Time at ICBC

BY ANNEttE TOtH, ViCE-PRESiDENt, ICBC

ICBC

Annette Toth

f youre off work for an extended period of time for a medical reason, chances are youd rather not be. But you know you have to take care of yourself and talk with your doctor so you dont risk making things worse by going back too soon or taking on duties you might not be physically capable of. Unfortunately, ICBC might sometimes be more concerned with the bottom line than whats best for your health. Luckily, your union is there to help. COPE 378 gets to appoint a return-to-work coordinator at ICBC to help sick and injured employees return to their jobs with dignity. The union also sits on a joint return-to-work committee to make sure ICBC doesnt overstep their bounds with these employees. In 2011, after lengthy negotiations, your union won an arbitration that helped to establish the Framework Agreement a process that ICBC must follow when obtaining medical information from members on sick leave. We wanted to make sure ICBC wasnt getting more information than they really needed about members medical issues. It was about protecting members health and medical privacy to the greatest extent possible. The Framework Agreement clearly establishes that if ICBC needs more information even once an employee has submitted their form for paid sick leave, they may require the employee to take ICBCs written request for clarication to their doctor to discuss. That way ICBC can request the information it needs, but not without the employee talking to their doctor rst. This provision was put to the test earlier this summer when an ICBC employee took sick time after major surgery. Her doctor gave her a return-to-work date, but ICBC wasnt satised and wanted her back

sooner. Their disability management specialist called her at home to try to get her to agree to an earlier return date. ICBC ended up creating a new return-to-work plan and sending it directly to her doctor for his okay. He signed off on it and the member was forced to return early, even though she didnt get to discuss the new plan with her doctor. The member called her union representative at the COPE 378 office. We tried arguing this was unfair without the proper procedure being followed, that the member shouldve had a chance to run the new plan by her doctor in person instead of ICBC going behind her back. When ICBC wouldnt agree, we took the matter to an arbitrator for a decision. Arbitrator Judi Korbin affirmed that ICBC cannot go directly to a members doctor, even if they ask and the member agrees. The arbitrators ruling is clear and applies to all COPE 378 members at ICBC you have rights in place to protect your health and your medical privacy. If theres going to be a change to your return-to-work plan, that change must be decided by you and your doctor rst and foremost.

"Unfortunately, ICBC might sometimes be more concerned with the bottom line than what's best for your health." Annette Toth

If you or any of your coworkers on sick leave are being asked by ICBC to let them contact your doctor directly, please contact your union representative at icbcmail@cope378.ca.

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AiR qUAlitY

AirCare is People Care

BY HEAtHER LEE, ViCE-PRESiDENt, COmBiNED UNitS

"The BC Lung Association calls TRAP a clear public health concern because of the documented links between air pollution and a variety of respiratory illnesses." Heather Lee

Approximately

1/3
of Canadians
live within 100 metres of a major road or 500 metres of a highway Heather Lee

iving in Maple Ridge, I couldnt help but notice the impact of poor air quality during this summers heat wave. Problems with Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP) in B.C., particularly in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, are well documented. The BC Lung Association calls TRAP a clear public health concern because of the documented links between air pollution and a variety of respiratory illnesses. Approximately one-third of all Canadians live within 100 metres of a major road or 500 metres of a highway. Nearly one-third of elementary schools in Canadian cities are located in high-traffic areas, notes the BC Lung Associations 2013 State of the Air report. The report also notes that improved monitoring of and controls on emissions have led to notable improvements over the years. This fact is why jurisdictions like Ontario and Washington have extended their vehicle emissions-testing until 2019. But even though MetroVancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional District voted unanimously to recommend that our own AirCare program be extended until 2020, the BC Liberal government is still intent on phasing it out for passenger cars and trucks by the end of next year. This concerns our union directly because COPE 378 represents eight workers at Pacic Vehicle Testing Technology (PVTT), which administers AirCare as a subsidiary of TransLink. Another 150 BCGEU workers also stand to lose their community-supporting, green jobs if the program ends. But just as importantly, the problem should concern all of us as people whose families and communities are affected when our air quality declines. Despite the government declaring mission accomplished on this issue, AirCare still catches close to 40,000 vehicles with emission problems each year. The provinces own program review in 2010 found AirCare keeps 50,000 tonnes of CO2 out of our atmosphere. Without testing that number will compound from one year to the next, growing exponentially. Even newer vehicles will eventually age and that puts them at risk for producing harmful emissions. Unfortunately, the government gave no opportunity for consultation and offered no evidence that would justify cancelling this proven program. We believe AirCare should be expanded to include heavy trucks and diesel engines, but not instead of testing passenger vehicles and trucks. Light-duty vehicles are the largest source of smog-forming pollutants and greatest contributor to ground-level ozone, a signicant factor in respiratory illnesses, especially among children and the elderly. One set of emitters shouldnt be swapped for another. The government needs to wake up to the facts and maintain this program that provides good, green jobs and a cleaner environment for all of us.
16 | VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013 COPE 378 Local Voice

Lessons from Labour College

BY TREVOR HANSEN, tEmpORARY UNiON REpRESENtAtiVE AND COPE 378 BOARD mEmBER

EDUCAtiON

Ultimately, the collective agreement we achieved was one of the best contracts of those negotiated in the B.C. public sector during this period.

or two weeks this past May and August, I attended the Canadian Labour Congress Labour College of Canada with 28 other activists from unions across the country. The college is an intensive learning program for union activists who want to enhance their leadership capacities and gain a greater understanding of broader social justice and labour movements. The program asked us to take on a variety of readings, assignments, lectures, discussions and research. We studied political economy, theory and practice of unions, organizing for change, emerging issues, strategic research, and leadership, and more. Between the May and August sessions, each of us also conducted a research project in conjunction with our unions. I chose to research the most recent round of collective bargaining and job action in my own bargaining unit, ICBC. Having served on the unions bargaining and job action committees during this difficult round of negotiations, I was away from the workplace during much of what happened. I wanted to engage in conversation with my colleagues from across the corporation to better understand their perspectives and what resonated with them now, several months after signing our new collective agreement. I sincerely thank those who took the time to speak with me in condence. It was deeply valuable to have these conversations. Despite the fact that extensive attention was devoted to communicating with members throughout the bargaining and job action process, many I spoke with remained unsatised with at least one aspect of their experience during bargaining and job action. Ultimately, the collective agreement we achieved was one of the best contracts of those negotiated in the B.C. public sector during this period. I credit this to the resolve

of each and every member who supported one another and our leadership during the bargaining process. That being said, careful consideration must be given to the feedback of my colleagues. They reported overwhelmingly that they still feel overworked, underappreciated, and somewhat disengaged from ICBC and feel that the bargaining process did not fully address their concerns. There is an expectation for those who graduate from Labour College to apply what they learned into something concrete: to give back to our union and the larger labour movement. With that in mind, I am looking forward to being able to work with my brothers and sisters at ICBC to understand what we need to achieve, what is possible to achieve, and what each of us can contribute toward our goals. I thank the leadership of COPE 378 and COPESEPB for their support in allowing me this opportunity to work with and learn from union activists from across Canada.

Labour College Graduation Left to right: Trevor Hansen, Gwenne Farrell, David Black and Angela Mclean, president of COPE 397.

INtERViEWEE StAtiStiCS FROm TREVOR'S ICBC RESEARCH:

75 per cent female 13.75 years = average seniority 50 per cent work in the claims division 25 per cent work in the driver licensing division 25 per cent work in other divisions of ICBC 88 per cent participated in the strike vote 100 per cent participated in the ratication vote 62 per cent were satised with how their job steward performed during bargaining/job action

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BC HYDRO

Forcing Accountability on Hydro Finances

"Theres some really nasty medicine to be administered, but its only necessary to get over the consequences of really bad policy over the last decade ..." Jim Quail

Jim Quail, COPE 378 Legal Director

Voice of BC, public affairs show

ate this summer an internal BC Hydro document was leaked to our union. Inside was explosive information that would be deeply troubling for our Hydro and Accenture members, as well as all BC Hydro customers. The document predicted BC Hydro would have to raise rates by 26.4 per cent by 2016 to even begin to address the debt brought on by the last 12 years of BC Liberal mismanagement. Energy Minister Bill Bennett said he would try to scale back the increase, but ruled out doing so through a public, independent process at the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC). This wasnt surprising: the government has repeatedly exempted BC Hydro from BCUC scrutiny on key issues like this, smart meters and private power projects. But COPE 378 Legal Director Jim Quail joined forces with an unlikely ally, Richard Stout of the Association of Major Power Customers of BC, as special guests on the Shaw public affairs show Voice of BC with Vaughn Palmer. The concept was for the show with questions from commentators and policy experts to ll the accountability gap left by the governments repeated avoidance of the Utilities Commission. Theres some really nasty medicine to be administered, but its only necessary to get over the consequences of really bad policy over the last decade, said Quail during the show, calling the rate forecasts chickens coming home to roost. Stout said the businesses he represents are looking for an open, transparent ling where we can get into all the accounts of the utility in my experience what a utility asks for and what it

gets can be very, very different numbers with an effective utilities commission. During the show Marjorie Griffin Cohen of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives asked: Whereas BC Hydro used to supply most of the generation of electricity, now it has been instructed by government to buy it from private power producers. To what extent is this responsible for the increase in prices? Its a large part, Quail replied immediately. The independent power producers provide a little more now than 15 per cent of BC Hydros electricity, but are almost half of the cost of energy. Thats how out-of-whack things are. Stout said his big concern was not so much who owns the project, but that its necessary to ask: Do we need it and when do we need it? ... The hidden cost of some of these IPP projects is what it actually costs to make that power reliable. Quail and Stout agreed on the vast majority of issues brought up during the show: Hydro should have had to demonstrate a business case to the BCUC for Smart Meters before rolling out the program, it must stop using deferral accounts to create the illusion of a balanced budget, and more transparency and independent oversight is desperately needed. One of the few disagreements was over the hydro rates charged to big industry, a question asked by economist Marvin Shaffer. Stout said he believes industry currently pay fair rates, while Quail argued industry should pay more because their projects bear a bigger load on the system and require more infrastructure. In the end, the public still deserves a BCUC hearing on BC Hydro rates, but this show went a long way toward showing the public what major issues are facing the Crown corporation. Watch the entire show online at the Voice of BC Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/user5085932

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COPE 378 Local Voice

Day of Reckoning Comes For BC Liberals

BY JOHN HORGAN, BC NEW DEmOCRAt ENERGY CRitiC

pOlitiCAl ACtiON

...a secret 26 per cent increase in hydro rates over the next two years...

hen COPE 378 recently revealed leaked documents concerning a secret 26 per cent increase in hydro rates over the next two years, they helped customers in B.C. realize just how poorly the BC Liberals have managed our utility, and what the consequences will be for family budgets. Everyone in British Columbia knew a hydro rate hike was on the way - everyone except Premier Christy Clark who said as recently as July, I cant say if they will go up. The document, produced by a Hydro "rates working group," which is made up of senior public officials including the deputy energy minister and deputy nance minister, shows British Columbians can expect to see a shocking hike that will add $273 per year to the average residential customers bill. This means that when the Liberals told British Columbians before the election that rates were under control, it simply wasnt true. New Democrats and BC Hydro workers, like those at COPE 378, have been saying for years that this day of reckoning would eventually come to pass after years of bad Liberal policies that have been damaging BC Hydro. At every step of the way the Liberals told voters the opposite. It was the Liberals who brought in expensive private power contracts that force B.C. to buy energy at high rates and sell it at a loss during peak periods. Its the Liberals who are hiding billions in hydro debt in deferral accounts. And it's the Liberals who have repeatedly sidelined the independent BC Utilities Commission from being able to do their job of looking out for the best interests of Hydro customers. The 84 per cent cost overrun on the Northwest Transmission Line was on the Liberals watch. Its because of this mismanagement that Hydro customers across the province face an unmanageable spike in their Hydro bills. While a massive rate hike may be inevitable, the New Democrats believe government needs to put the brakes on some of their worst policy decisions. The BC Utilities Commission needs to be allowed to do its job free of political interference from the Liberals.

The New Democrats believe we can no longer afford to hide more Hydro debt in deferral accounts, and that the Liberal government needs to develop a plan to pay down the existing accounts. We believe the Liberals need to stop forcing BC Hydro to contract with private producers that result in buying expensive power we dont need. The Liberal government needs to stop raiding dividends on BC Hydro prots that dont exist. In September, Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett revealed the reason for raiding BC Hydro, saying, We will not be able to balance our budget if we don't receive that dividend. New Democrats believe it is wrong for Hydro customers to pay even more for their utility bills just so the Liberals can save face on their bogus budget election ploy. The election is over, and the premier needs to start being honest with voters. Its time to own up to her bogus budget and the rate hike thats around the corner. With the BC Liberals in charge, this wont be the last massive spike.

John Horgan

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VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013

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BARGAiNiNG BRiEFS

FALL 2013 EDITION

BY SHEllEY LOCKHARt, CAROl MCLUSKiE AND Kim SmitH

ABS

The collective agreement expired on August 31, 2013. The committee has met and prepared a survey for the membership and then will develop proposals for bargaining. The bargaining committee consists of Nancy DeVries, Melanie Greenlaw, Mike Novak, Jane Tighe and Union Representative Karen Rockwell.

DOLLAR THRIFTY

ALMA MATER SOCIETY

The collective agreement expired on May 31, 2013. A tentative agreement was reached, but on Sept 30, 2013, the membership voted to reject it. A strike vote meeting to discuss what membership is looking for and to conduct a strike vote was held on September 30, 2013. The result was 92 per cent in favour of strike. The bargaining committee consists of Sterling Aurel, Angela Geib and Union Representative Carrol Edwards.

The collective agreement expired on December 31, 2012. The members at Dollar Thrifty ratied a three-year collective agreement after 28 days on strike. Highlights of the deal include: wage increases of 2.5 per cent, 3 per cent and 3 per cent retroactive to January 1, 2013, established shifts for part-time employees, employer to fully pay dental plan premiums, and clearer language preventing managers doing bargaining unit work. The bargaining committee consists of Jim Fleck, Steve Gill, Raj Muni, Union Representative Cathy Hirani and Senior Union Representative Glen MacInnes.

DW SERVICES

BC HYDRO

The collective agreement will expire on March 31, 2013. A bargaining committee has been struck and the members were surveyed in October. Once the survey results are back, the committee will meet to prepare proposals for bargaining. The bargaining committee consists of Bojan Bucic, Andrea Foster, Calvin Jonas, Rysa Kronebusch, April Young and Union Representative Barbara Junker.

This is a newly organized bargaining unit. After several tries at negotiating a collective agreement, the union applied to the Labour Board for mediation. We are in the process of negotiating a successful collective agreement with the assistance of a mediator. Progress is slow; however, the union is optimistic we will have a rst collective agreement for this bargaining unit before the end of the year. The bargaining committee consists of Union Representative Carrol Edwards.

ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR

BERLITZ CANADA

The collective agreement expired on June 30, 2011. As previously reported, Berlitz proposed a rollover agreement and stated they are not in the position to discuss any monetary issues. The union had requested Berlitz open up their nancial records for viewing. After long delay the employer conrmed a meeting in November to review nancials. The bargaining committee consists of Collin Patterson and Union Representative Sarah Melsness.

The collective agreement expired on July 31, 2013. In August, members at Enterprise ratied a three-year collective agreement. Highlights of the deal include: wage increases of 3 per cent, 3 per cent and 3 per cent retroactive to August 1, 2013, employer to fully pay dental plan premiums, extended plan premiums and orthodontics premiums, cleaning allowance, increase in boot allowance and full-time shift protection. The bargaining committee consists of Osman Halane, Paul McDonnell, Amar Sandhu, Val Salgado, Union Representative Cathy Hirani and Senior Union Representative Glen MacInnes.

FORTIS ELECTRIC

CHC

The bargaining between Columbia Hydro Council and Allied Hydro Council went to interest arbitration as per the collective agreement on June 14, 17 and 24, 2013. The decision of the arbitrator will be nal and we are awaiting the decision. Senior Union Representative Brad Bastien sits on the bargaining committee.

The collective agreement will expire on December 31, 2013. The bargaining committee has been struck and a survey sent out to members in June. The committee met October 8, 9 and 10 to prepare for bargaining. The bargaining committee consists of Stephanie Smith, Janet Maloff, Richard Gaylard, Senior Union Representative Brad Bastien and Union Representative Pat Junnila.

HANDY PACK

COASTAL COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

The collective agreement expired June 30, 2013. Proposals have been nalized and bargaining dates were held with the employer in October. The bargaining committee consists of Laurie Kirk, Wanda Neil, Emma OSullivan, Donna Hedley, Colleen Berge and Union Representative Sarah Melsness.

The collective agreement expired on May 31 2013. Bargaining will start in late fall. The bargaining committee consists of Union Representative Pat Junnila.

HASTINGS ENTERTAINMENT INC.

COASTAL COMMUNITY INSURANCE

The collective agreement expires December 31, 2013. Proposals have been nalized. Bargaining dates with employer continued in October. The bargaining committee consists of Laura White, Myra Charlton, Sunshine Defrane and Union Representative Sarah Melsness.

The collective agreement expired on July 31, 2012. The employer submitted a nal offer vote through the Labour Relations Board, and that was voted on June 21 and 22, 2013. The membership at Hastings Entertainment ratied the nal offer. The new collective agreement is currently being edited. The bargaining committee consists of Greg Goulding, Keith Parkinson, Margaret Sykes and Union Representative Karen Rockwell.

KEKINOW NATIVE HOUSING SOCIETY

COAST MOUNTAIN BUS CO.

The collective agreement expired on March 31, 2011. The parties have almost completed bargaining, with just a few items remaining. The parties have agreed to meet in sub-committee to discuss retiree benets. Dates have not yet been scheduled. Once this issue is resolved the parties should be able to nish the bargaining process. The bargaining committee consists of Petro Koromvokis, Ray Manning, Ron Williams, Doug Fergus and Union Representative Kevin Payne.

The collective agreement expired on March 31, 2010. The proposals have been prepared and reviewed with the bargaining committee. The bargaining committee consists of Terry Frank and Union Representative Bonnie Merriman.

KELOWNA CABS

COllEGE OF PHARmACiStS OF BC

More info at cope378.ca

The collective agreement expired on February 28, 2013. Notice to start bargaining was given to the employer in January and the members have been surveyed. The bargaining committee consists of Union Representative Pat Junnila.

The collective agreement expired on May 31, 2013. Proposals have been drafted and approved by the members. Now that proposals have been exchanged with Kelowna Cabs, bargaining began on October 21, 2013. The bargaining committee consists of Al Lewis and Union Representative Barry Hodson.

KRUGER PRODUCTS

CORAL CABS (RiCHmOND TAXi)

The collective agreement expired on December 31, 2011. The bargaining committee has nalized proposals and reviewed them with membership at a meeting on August 26. We will be arranging dates with the employer to begin bargaining. The bargaining committee consists of Ernie Baliss and Union Representative Cathy Hirani.

The collective agreement expired on May 31, 2012. The new collective agreement has been ratied and is currently being proof-read by the employer. The new term is from June 1, 2012 to May 31, 2016. Highlights include: a signing bonus of $2,500, a lump sum payment of $2,500, wage increases of 0 per cent, 0 per cent, 2 per cent and 2.5 per cent and a new vacation supplement of one week after the fth and tenth years of employment and two weeks after the 15th, 20th and 25th years of employment. The bargaining committee consists of Barb Duncan, Bev Woods and Union Representative Karen Rockwell.

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COPE 378 Local Voice

BARGAiNiNG BRiEFS
MACLURES CABS TSML (TRANSIT POLICE)

The collective agreement expires on March 14, 2014. The union has sent out a bargaining bulletin and survey to be completed by members. The bargaining committee consists of David Clancy and Union Representative Barry Hodson.

The parties exchanged proposals September 12. The next bargaining dates were held on October 29 and 30 with further dates scheduled through the end of the year. The bargaining committee consists of Dan McLachlan, Aaron Chan, Rob Gladwin, Dan Dickhout, Renata Clements and Union Representative Kevin Payne.

MARINE WORKERS AND BOILERMAKERS

The collective agreement expired on December 31, 2012. Bargaining started after Bonnie Merriman's return from mid-October holidays. The bargaining committee consists of Nancy Batchelor and Union Representative Ken Howie.

TRANSLINK

MASTER TRADE UNION

The collective agreement expired on March 31, 2012. The new collective agreement has been ratied. The new term is from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2015. Highlights include: wage increases of 0 per cent, 0 per cent, 2 per cent and 2 per cent. The bargaining committee consists of Pat Keeping, Dave Bunderla, Sara Dhaliwal and Union Representative Kevin Payne.

The collective agreement expires on December 31, 2013. Notice to start bargaining will be served and the bargaining survey will be sent out to the membership soon for their input. The bargaining committee will be elected and will work with Union Representative Bonnie Merriman.

TREE ISLAND

NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

The current collective agreement expired on June 30, 2013. Notice to start bargaining has been served and the bargaining survey has been sent out to the membership soon for their input. Then bargaining dates will be set. The bargaining committee consists of Karl Riley and Union Representative Stephen Von Sychowski.

The collective agreement for the members at Tree Island Industries expired on September 30, 2012. The new collective agreement was ratied by the members on September 26, 2013. The collective agreement is now being formatted for proofreading. The bargaining committee consists of Doug Howard, Hani Dakkak and Union Representative Pat Junnila.

UNITED FISHERMAN AND ALLIED WORKER UNION

PVTT

The collective agreement expired on March 31, 2010. The bargaining committee has prepared proposals in preparation to begin bargaining. The bargaining committee hopes to get bargaining dates with the employer this fall. The bargaining committee consists of Ron Leavitt, Adrian Yee and Union Representative Stephen Von Sychowski.

The new collective agreement was ratied on September 12, 2013. The term and duration for the renewed collective agreement will be January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014. The bargaining committee consists of Joanne Demmery and Union Representative Bonnie Merriman.

VANCOUVER TAXI (CENtRAl TAXi DiSpAtCH)

SEIU

The collective agreement expired on June 30, 2011. COPE 378 has received a quote from Pacic Blue Cross for a medical benet plan. The union will be arranging dates with the employer to nalize bargaining. The bargaining committee consists of Bernie Stroh and Union Representative Dave Park.

The collective agreement expires on December 31, 2013. Soon notice to start bargaining will be served and the bargaining survey will be sent to members. The bargaining committee will be elected to work along with Union Representative Bonnie Merriman.

VICTORIA SHIPYARDS LTD.

STRATA CORPORATION 2321 (MElVillE RESiDENCES)

The collective agreement expired on February 28, 2013. After an initial setback the members were offered the same agreement as the other union members at the shipyards. The members voted on and accepted the new agreement in late October. The bargaining committee consists of Union Representative Kevin Payne.

This is a newly organized bargaining unit negotiating their rst collective agreement. All union proposals have been presented to the employer and future bargaining dates are currently being arranged. The bargaining committee consists of Rick Clare and Union Representative Trevor Hansen.

WESTMINSTER SAVINGS CREDIT UNION

TEAMSTERS LOCAL 213 MEMBER BENEFIT PLAN

The new collective agreement has been ratied for the term May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2017. Union Representatives Michael Novak and Scott Watson, and steward Bilbeer Sandhu met with the employer in September on a policy grievance for annual vacation. A draft Letter of Understanding on new annual vacation language has been sent to the members for ratication. The bargaining committee consists of Dianne Cecchin, Carol Cumming and Union Representative Bonnie Merriman.

The collective agreement expired on December 31, 2012. In late June, members at Westminster Savings ratied a four-year collective agreement. Highlights include: wage increases of 2 per cent, 2.4 per cent, 2.6 per cent and 2.75 per cent. The bargaining committee consists of Rosie Tzortzatos, Shannon McRae and Union Representative Jack Gerow.

YELLOW PAGES

TELECOMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION TWU

The collective agreement expired on July 31, 2011. The bargaining committee has met and nalized proposals. Dates will soon be scheduled to meet with the employer. The bargaining committee consists of Linda Lund, Bill Nielsen and Union Representative Kelly Quinn.

The collective agreement expired on June 30, 2012. YPG is unionized in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. Both Ontario and Alberta have ratied a new collective agreement.Our bargaining committee met October 3 and 4 in order to prepare proposals, after receiving input from members. On October 28 we presented and exchanged proposals with the employer, with further bargaining scheduled for November 20 to 22. The bargaining committee consists of Traian Moldovan, Tim Nemeth, Patrick Evangelista, Ken Simms and Union Representative Cheryl Popeniuk.

THUNDERBIRD WINTER SPORTS

The collective agreement expired on March 31, 2010. There have been tentative dates set to begin collective bargaining in October. The union is currently waiting for the employer to conrm dates. The bargaining committee consists of Union Representative Barbara Junker.

iS pUBliSHED BY
Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378, 2nd Floor, 4595 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 1J9 POSTAL AGREEMENT #41267023

Phone: 604-299-0378 Fax: 604-299-8211 E-mail: editor@cope378.ca ISSN 1918-9753 COPE Local 378 Voice COPE 378: President David Black Secretary-Treasurer Lori Mayhew

LOCAL VOICE Editor: Sage Aaron USW 2009 DESIGNED BY: Dansk Design Group danskdesigngroup.com PRINTED AT: Mitchell Press, Burnaby, B.C.

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VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013

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pENSiONS

Fraser Institute Attacks Pensions

BY LORi MAYHEW, SECREtARY-TREASURER

"Lets work to bring everyone up to the same level, not race to the bottom."
Lori Mayhew The average pension paid out by the Public Service Pension Plan in 2012 was $19,500. Even when you factor in what the average pension is from CPP that only brings it up to an annual pension of $26,700. Thats not a terrible income, but certainly not what could be described as gold-plated.

Statistics Canada website shows that only about 33 per cent of Canadians have any type of workplace pension

o, where do I begin? Once again that right-wing think tank known as the Fraser Institute is attacking the decent pensions enjoyed by many public sector workers. Not only are they trying to create a divide between workers who have a pension and those who dont, now they are trying to divide public sector and private sector workers. A quick search of the Statistics Canada website shows that only about 33 per cent of Canadians have any type of workplace pension. This number has been declining each year. Most of those workers covered by workplace pensions are in the public sector. Public sector pension plans are usually dened benet pension plans, while private sector pension plans tend to be dened contribution pension plans. Dened benet pension plans guarantee a benet to the retiree, and the contribution rates are set based on actuarial assumptions about what is needed to fund that guarantee. There are a few aspects to this that the Fraser Institute has picked up and twisted around. The rst thing usually said to attack pensions is that these plans are gold-plated. The average pension paid out by the Public Service Pension Plan in 2012 was $19,500. Even when you factor in what the average pension is from CPP that only brings it up to an annual pension of $26,700. Thats not a terrible income, but certainly not what could be described as gold-plated. The Fraser Institute has also made a lot of noise about contributions. Both the employees and the employer contribute to the pensions. The Fraser Institute likes to state that its really the taxpayers that pay for the pensions of these workers. But really, if these workers didnt have a pension plan, their wages would be higher. Overall, the compensation level wouldnt be any different than what it is with the pension plan.

In the private sector, most pension plans tend to be dened contribution plans. With these plans, a certain percentage of a workers wages are paid into a savings plan. When the worker retires, their pension is based on what the market will pay them. We saw what could happen to these types of plans in the global nancial crisis of 2008, when the value of most of these plans fell by 30 per cent. While the Fraser Institute likes to make much about the fact that public sector workers pay "only" half of their pension contributions, they conveniently forget that in the private sector it is often only the employer who contributes to the retirement savings plan. The Fraser Institutes goal is to divide and conquer: they aim to make most people jealous of what others have in an effort to take it away from them ("If I cant have that, why should they?"). I prefer the opposite: we have achieved this lets get it for you, too. Im constantly reminded of the quote from J.S. Woodsworth, What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all. Lets work to bring everyone up to the same level, not race to the bottom.

33%
app rox .

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COPE 378 Local Voice

COPE 378 members work at the following properties

Accenture Business Services Union Rep: Jack Gerow Alma Mater Society Union Rep: Carrol Edwards Alma Mater Society Security Union Rep: Carrol Edwards Aviscar Union Rep: Cathy Hirani BCAA SC & ERS Union Rep: Carrol Edwards BC Computerized Dispatch (Yellow Cab) Union Rep: Barry Hodson BC Federation of Labour Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk BC Ferry & Marine Workers Union Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk BCGEU Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman BC Hydro (including Powertech Construction Services) Union Reps: Barbara Junker, Karen Rockwell BC Nurses Union Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman BC Transit Union Rep: Kevin Payne Beach Place Ventures Union Rep: Barry Hodson Berlitz Canada Union Rep: Trevor Hansen Bonnys Taxi Union Rep: Barry Hodson Canadian Freightways Ltd. Union Rep: Kevin Payne Canadian Northern Shield/RSA Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk Capilano Pet Hospital: Union Rep: Trevor Hansen Capilano University Union Rep: Karen Rockwell Carpenters Local 1928 Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Catalyst Paper Union Rep: Jack Gerow CIATU Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Coast Mountain Bus Union Rep: Kevin Payne Coastal Community Credit Union Union Rep: Sarah Melsness Coastal Community Financial Management Union Rep: Sarah Melsness Coastal Community Insurance Union Rep: Sarah Melsness College of Pharmacists of BC Union Rep: Jack Gerow College of Registered Nurses Union Rep: Jack Gerow Columbia Hydro Union Rep: Brad Bastien Columbia Valley Credit Union Union Rep: Sarah Melsness Community Savings Credit Union Union Rep: Sarah Melsness Coral Cabs (Richmond Taxi) Union Rep: Barry Hodson CUPE 374 Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk CUPE 454 Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk CUPE 1978 Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk CUPE 3338 Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk CUPE BC & Locals Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk DA Townley & Associates Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk Dollar Thrifty Union Rep: Cathy Hirani DW Services Union Rep: Trevor Hansen Ecojustice Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk Enterprise Rent-A-Car Union Rep: Cathy Hirani FortisBC Customer Service Centres Union Rep: Pat Junnila FortisBC Energy Inc. Union Rep: Pat Junnila FortisBC Inc. Union Rep: Pat Junnila Gulf & Fraser Fishermens Credit Union Union Rep: Sarah Melsness Handy Pack Union Rep: Pat Junnila Hastings Entertainment Inc. Union Rep: Yasmin Carroll Hertz Union Rep: Cathy Hirani ICBC Union Reps: Ken Howie, Kelly Quinn, Stephen Von Sychowski Island Savings Credit Union and Insurance Union Rep: Sarah Melsness IWA Forest Industry PP Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk Kekinow Native Housing Society Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk Kelowna Cabs Ltd. Union Rep: Barry Hodson Konica Minolta Union Rep: Trevor Hansen Kruger Products (Scott Paper) Union Rep: Karen Rockwell Ladysmith & District CU Union Rep: Sarah Melsness Lake City Casinos Union Rep: Trevor Hansen LuMa Native Housing Society Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk MacLure's Cabs Ltd. Union Rep: Barry Hodson Marine Workers & Boilermakers Union Rep: Ken Howie Master Trade Office Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Melville Residences Union Rep: Trevor Hansen New Democratic Party Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk Pacic Vehicle Testing Union Rep: Kevin Payne Schneider Union Rep: Cathy Hirani Seaspan International Ltd. Union Rep: Kevin Payne SEIU 244 Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Southern Railway Union Rep: Pat Junnila Teamsters Local 31 Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Teamsters Local 155 Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Teamsters Local 213 & 213 Member Benet Plan Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Telecommunication Workers Pension Plan Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Teletheatre BC Union Rep: Jack Gerow Thunderbird Winter Sports Union Rep: Barbara Junker TransLink Union Rep: Kevin Payne Transit Police Union Rep: Kevin Payne Tree Island Union Rep: Pat Junnila United Fishermen & Allied Worker Union Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Vancouver Musicians Association Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Vancouver Shipyards Ltd. Union Rep: Kevin Payne Vancouver Taxi Ltd. (Central Taxi Dispatch) Union Rep: Barry Hodson VantageOne Credit Union Union Rep: Sarah Melsness Victoria Shipyards Ltd. Union Rep: Kevin Payne Victoria Trade Union Union Rep: Bonnie Merriman Westminster Savings Credit Union Union Rep: Sarah Melsness Working Enterprises Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk Xylem Water Solutions Union Rep: Jack Gerow Yellow Pages Union Rep: Cheryl Popeniuk

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VOlUmE 8 Issue #4 Fall 2013

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custom cartoons for cope 378 members

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