Well, it’s now day 12.
There has been a lot of chatter on the floor about last contract, and why we have made the choices we have. It’s to ensure that we protect what we have in the CBA. Last contract, copper was at 4.30$ a lb, the Company had tabled 7 non-monetary issues and we had a plan in place to achieve a contract by Sept 30th. Last contract, we had management in place that knew the history, the language, and respected the employees for the work they do every day on the floor. Last contract, the Company was building a 650 million dollar float bank with over 2000 contractors on site. Last contract, things were very different than they are now. Today, copper is stable at 2.15$, and slowly climbing each day. The Company has pulled out all the stops to cut every corner, defer every investment, and to put as much cash as possible back in their pocket. Coal has taken a massive swing to over the last month, and most investors figure it will stabilize at 200$ a ton. Today, we have management in place that doesn’t care about its employee base, both Staff and Unionized, and everyone is terrified to speak out about how bad things are. The Company is only worried about making copper at the lowest possible cost, and that means they are going to try and strip everything out of the contract to get there. Hence the Company’s latest phrase, “trying to survive”. When they propose picking favorite employees for that next job opening, apprenticeship or technical position, rather than using seniority, they’re just trying to survive. When they propose using casual labor instead of asking you for overtime, they’re just trying to survive. When they propose castrating the contracting out language to hire non-union contractors, as well as not being able to protect your jobs in the future, they’re just trying to survive. It’s no secret, the Company is really good at spending money. New projects and announcements are almost weekly now, with Billions invested in new mines. New partnerships with local communities with monetary gains and yearly percentage payouts. New agreements that have made big promises on the backs of all of you. Where does it come from? It comes from your pockets. This is the message that the Company ultimately has presented to us. We have to give them everything, all of it, because they are just “trying to survive”. It’s all bullshit. Everything. Every time the Top open their mouths, they lie. Not making any money? The Company has made hundreds of millions in profits and spent hundreds of thousands a year hot shotting parts up to the mine site because they didn’t plan for the mills to explode or the cables to break on the shovel. Dust control and mandatory shaving? The Company has cut back on the maintenance on dust control systems, pushing off maintenance and safety issues, claiming that “they will decide if it’s a safety issue or not”. Drug and alcohol policy? Stating “you can’t put a price on safety” then denying cages around splitting pumps in the mill, or saying that we had a record month on safety when everyone is to terrified to report safety issues. 300 plus grievances? It’s cost them several million dollars to screw with your paycheck, your jobs and your life over the last few years. 2040? Gary Winslow once said it, there are only two things that can affect if the mine runs or not. One is the price of copper. The other is the strike vote. So, now to the red herring. Why have we not pushed the Company into a corner? Why would we? We already have the language. We already have 3.07. We already have seniority. We already have all the things the Company is trying to strip away from us. There’s a trusted old adage in bargaining, never be in a rush to get nothing. With the amount of proposals the Company has on the table, it’s taking longer than we hoped to get them off, but we are making progress. Out of the 57 proposals, 24 are resolved and another five have been withdrawn. We have resolved a number of our own proposals, with many still in discussion. There will be a time where the hard decisions will have to be made, but we are not there yet. We have a long ways to go, and while we are still bargaining, why would we all walk and not make any money? As of Oct 1st, we will all still make a paycheck, pay our bills and go to work. We will continue to work towards a fair and reasonable contract. We have more dates booked with the Company in October, and will keep you updated as the process continues. We have changed the membership meeting date to Oct 18th in Kamloops, and expect that anyone interested in discussing the minor details attends. The times are, as always, 930am, 630pm and 915pm. Until that time, don’t listen to rumors, and don’t start them. All information will come directly from the bargaining team, CAT team members or updates like these. Stay focused, watch out for your brothers and sisters, and work safe. In Solidarity, Kyle Wolff USW 7619 President To The Membership,
It's been a slow process so far. Out of the 57 non-monetary proposals the Company has put on the table, many which have gutted our contract, we have been able to resolve 18 minor issues. The major concessions still remain on the table, and we don't expect to see a quick resolve to things like Casual Labor and Contracting Out Language. We are going to have to methodically work through each piece, which most likely means working beyond the end of the contract, possibly well into next year. We have what is called a continuation clause in our contract, which means as long as each party is still engaged in meaningful bargaining in an attempt to conclude a contract, the contract remains in full force and effect. This means your going to come to work on Oct 1st and still collect a pay check, have Thanksgiving with your family and take the holiday Monday off, and plan your Christmas holidays. This is not a typical contract, being one of the best in Canada, and this is not a typical bargaining session, with this amount of distasteful concessions they have asked for. We are going to protect this language we have fought for over 30 years, and getting these items off the table is not going to happen over night. The requests the Company have put on the table are ridiculous, over zealous and extremely unreasonable due to their economic stability. We have not taken a concession in 30 years and we are not going to take one now. Talks will continue. The hard bargaining is beginning. We need your patience and cooperation as we progress, and we will make every attempt to keep the membership abreast of any new information. Don't give this Company an inch. In Solidarity, Kyle Wolff President, USW 7619 To the Membership, We hope that everyone had a great long weekend, minus the 4 inches of rain in Kamloops and that everyone’s kids (and parents) have adjusted to the schedule of being back at school. Our week has been very eventful, as we finally received the last portions of the Company’s non-monetary proposals, with a final total of 57. Some of these are moving Letters of Understandings into existing language, and will not be a big issue. Some issues have already been resolved. The majority are a different story. As you have seen in the last update, the Company has asked for major concessions in language and our rights as employees, and we will not stand for it. Casual workers, contracting out at will, non-union contractors doing work that is normally performed by us, it’s all a slap in the face for everyone who has worked so hard to ensure that this Company survived the last economic downturn. They have cut bodies, funding, projects, parts, tools and equipment to cut costs, and made everyone work harder, longer, and less safely, creating more injuries, hazards and accidents than ever before in our past. The only reason we haven’t seen a rise on paper, is that our members are terrified to report accidents as they will be piss tested if they do. Now, after over two years of trying to make it through the hard times, the Company has recorded a profit of over 440 million at HVC alone, and continue to purchase and fund new major projects to the tune of billions of dollars, as well as continue to fund the oil sands project with our blood, sweat and tears. (Oh, by the way, Fort Hills is now past 60% completion). Yet they continue to ask for more. Regardless of what we give, or how much we give, it will never be enough. Last week, it was the removal of the replacement of rubber boots for Lube Truck drivers whose last pair of literally melted off their feet. And this week it will not be allowing friends and colleagues to attend your retirement dinner after 35 years of working at HVC. This all to save a buck, regardless of how this affects your mental or physical health. Even having nieces and nephews at the CHILDRENS Christmas Party were cut until the Union pleaded with the Company to change their mind. Ultimately it’s up to us. The future of the mine depends on our labour, our drivers, our journeyman and our operators. It’s each one of us that makes that difference on the floor, not the manager that tells us how to do our job wrong. Never forget that. We meet with the Company again on Monday Sept 12th, and the entire bargaining committee will be at the membership meeting in Kamloops on Tuesday, Sept 13th. Those meeting times will be at 9:30AM, 6:30 PM and 9:15PM. We highly suggest that if you want to hear the latest news, or talk about the negotiations, that you attend the meeting. For now, we ask you all to be patient, as we progress through the process. We will keep you informed to the best of our ability, through text alerts and email, or via CAT team members. We still have a long way to go, so take it slow and don’t panic, we will get there together. Stand strong, stand together. In solidarity, Kyle Wolff President of United Steelworkers 7619 Representing Employees at Highland Valley Copper |
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August 2021
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