Volume X, No. 1Spring 2001

Canada Post Corporation Publication Agreement No. 1501380

Strength and Unity in Simcoe

Simcoe Stewards Training...pages 5 and 6

Negotiations ...pages 7 to 12

Victory at Pearson Budget...page 10

Quebec City...page 12

Youth News...page 15

Stewards Seminar...pages 13 and 14

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On The Cover

Stewards at Simcoe Good Humor: (l-r) Glenn Broughton, Chief Steward WayneJennings, Jim Penfold, Judy McKenzie, Paul Sheppard, Stephanie Scott, HowardDeMerchant, Tim Dedrick and Union Rep Larry Bain. This picture was taken dur-ing a stewards educational program organized by Local 175 at the Little River Innin Simcoe on March 19th, 2001.

Local 175 Mourns thePassing of Mary Linton,Elizabeth Clifford and

Alex AndressMembers, Officers and Staff ofLocals 175 & 633 were deeplysaddened by the death of MaryLinton, wife of CommunicationsRepresentative Bob Linton.Mary passed away on March 4,2001 after undergoing surgeryfor a brain tumor.

Mary was a very active, outgoingand caring woman. As a full-timenurse, she worked tirelessly forthe welfare of her patients andco-workers. Mary was extremelydedicated to her two children,Darcy and Emma.

Last month, we were also sad-dened by the death of ElizabethClifford, mother of Central-WestRegional Director Jerry Clifford.She will be missed by many.

It was then with deep sorrow thatwe learned of the sudden deathof Alex Andress, brother ofSecretary-Treasurer Jim Andre-ss. Alex passed away at the ageof 67 due to a heart attack. Alexwas very active with the LondonTransit Workers and was on sev-eral negotiating committees.

On behalf of the members, offi-cers and staff of Locals 175 and633, we offer our condolences tothe family and friends of Mary,Elizabeth and Alex.

On average, 1Canadian worker out of13 is injured at work.Workers’ compensationboards recognizeapproximately 800 workrelated deaths everyyear or approximatelytwo per day.

Time-loss injuries rose1.4 % from 1993 to1994. Canadian work-ers put in approximately3.5% more time at theirjobs in 1994 than in pre-ceding years.

Sprains and strainsaccount for 45% of allinjuries reported toworkers’ compensationboards across Canada.The back is the part of

the body most ofteninjured (29%) followedby wrists, hands andfingers (20%).

The most frequenttypes of accidents onthe job are contributedto overexertion (30%)followed by being struckby an object and falls(15% each).

Close to 17,000 work-ers between the ages of15 and 19 are injuredeach year. Most ofthese workers stillattend school and workat part-time jobs.

Contact the Union officefor more informationabout Day of Mourning.

April 28thDay of Mourning

for Workers killed or injured on the job

From the Canadian Labour Congress web-site: www.clc-ctc.ca

Wayne Hanley

President’s Message

Prime Ministers andPresidents from across theAmericas will be meeting inQuebec City this month todiscuss plans to expandfree trade south of theMexican border. They willbe talking about privatiza-tion, big corporate profitsand the end of state regula-tion. They will not be talkingabout workers’ rights, aclean environment, publichealth care or democracy.According to free tradeadvocates, these socialconcerns just get in the wayof big business profits. Yetdemocracy, a living wageand a safe workplace arenot simply ‘concerns’ - theyare things you and I dependon every day.

Since the Free Trade Areaof the Americas (FTAA) issetting out to roll back manyof the rights and freedomswe all cherish, there will bethousands of workers, stu-dents and activists alsogoing to Quebec City toprotest the FTAA meeting.While we need to protestagainst international freetrade and its implications forpeople and the environ-ment, we also need to fightfor our rights locally and in

our workplaces. In fact, yourUnion is working every dayto ensure that multi-nationaland national companies donot trample the rights andgains of our members.Local 175 is an expertamong Canadian labour indealing with large corpora-tions. In an era of free traderhetoric and expanding cor-porate control, we need ourUnion in the workplace andin our communities nowmore than ever.

Many of our members areemployed by multi-nationalcompanies. Without theUnion, these memberswould have no guarantee offair wages, benefits, a safeworkplace or grievance sys-tem. And under free trade,the right to even join a unionis in serious doubt. That’swhy Local 175 constantlystrives to get the very bestfor its members who areemployed by multi-nationalcompanies. And that’s whyour Union works hard toorganize non-union workersas well - because we believepeople should always comebefore profits.

When you get past theheadlines about the FTAA,

the police and the protest-ers, remember that yourUnion is working on theground to fight for workers’rights each and every day.When Local 175 goes intonegotiations or arbitrationwith your employer, wedemand that they invest inour members and in ourcommunities. We demandthat members get therespect and compensationthey deserve. No matterhow successful we are instopping the expansion offree trade, your Union willcontinue representing work-ers in multi-national andnational companies both bigand small, with strength andsolidarity.

Ensuring the rights of peo-ple come before free tradewill often involve debate andprotest. It will also dependon how hard your Unionworks to represent yourvoice in the workplace.Local 175 is there for ourmembers both at work andin the global community.

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4

Local 175 members at Steff-Kim Lodge in Ottawa recentlyachieved a major advance-ment in health and safety intheir workplace. The nursinghome employees ratified anew contract at the end of lastyear. The agreement includedacross the board wageincreases, an improved uni-form allowance and coursespaid for by the Lodge. Thecontract also included, for thevery first time, a "No Violenceor Abuse Policy." This clauseprotects employees fromaggressive or violent residentsat the nursing home.

Before the new contract, therewere no avenues available forSteff-Kim workers to protectthemselves from physicallyabusive residents. Now,employees can report violentincidents to a joint labour-man-agement committee and seeksafeguards, legal help or reim-bursement for damaged cloth-ing or eyeglasses. The clausealso means that residents whoare violent towards employeescan be transferred to anotherfacility. The members at Steff-Kim Lodge have achieved avictory in health and safety thatis virtually unheard of in mostnursing homes.

Union rep Marilyn Lang joinedJennifer Enkel, Tim Murphyand Luc Lacelle in the recentround of negotiations betweenSteff-Kim and Local 175. Langhas worked 16 years in nurs-

ing homes and knows howdangerous the conditions canbe for employees. While resi-dents are protected by man-agement, the police and doc-tors, employees are actuallyexpected to put up with violentoutbursts from residents.According to Lang, membershave suffered broken arms,bites and damaged eyeglass-es from such outbursts.

The standard across the nurs-ing home industry seems to beblind acceptance of abuse andviolence in the workplace. Inone incident last year at Steff-Kim, an employee was disci-plined for simply defendingherself from a violent resident.The member was accused ofabuse even though the initialactions of the resident werenot questioned. Lang decidedthat enough was enough. Ifnursing homes refused toguarantee a safe workplace fortheir employees, then it wastime for the union to set a pos-itive example.

Lang remembers how sheattended a women's confer-ence in Calgary a few yearsago, where a resolution wasadopted to protect nursinghome employees from vio-lence in the workplace. Theunion's bargaining team atSteff-Kim agreed that a NoViolence or Abuse Policy wasexactly the kind of improve-ment members shoulddemand in negotiations. The

employer acknowledged thatthe request was a progressivestep forward and the clausewas adopted. The policyincludes improved contractlanguage, a joint labour-man-agement committee, violentincident reports and a require-ment that the Lodge replaceany personal articles damagedby a violent resident. Langsays that at least one memberhas already benefited from thenew policy. An employeereported to have suffered ablack eye as the result of a res-ident lashing out. To the mem-ber's surprise, the authoritieswere contacted, she was givenmedical attention and the resi-dent was escorted to anotherfacility. Many union stewardsin nursing homes haveexpressed their appreciationthat Local 175 has establisheda new protocol that guaranteesa safer workplace, not only forresidents and the employer,but for employees themselves.

Where employers and govern-ments have often failed to pro-tect nursing home employees,Local 175 members at Steff-Kim Lodge have used collec-tive bargaining to achieve realand effective health and safetymeasures.

Members at Steff-Kim Lodge WinFreedom from Violence and Abuse

Editor’s Note:Since the Steff-Kim settlement,two more Local 175 units haveadded No Abuse clauses to theircollective agreements. Pleasesee Negotiations Update.

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Strength and Unity at Simcoe Good Humor

Local 175 members at theGood Humor/Breyer’s icecream plant in Simcoe recent-ly elected a new slate of stew-ards. The elections were verydemocratic, with a high level ofmembership participation.The new stewards bringrenewed energy and strengthto our Union’s presence in thisimportant food processingplant.

Unilever is the parent compa-ny of Good Humor/Breyer’sand is a multi-national compa-ny based out of the UnitedStates. The plant in Simcoeproduces Good Humor andBreyer’s ice cream for all ofCanada. When Unileverbought the plant from Beatricein 1995, the workforce inSimcoe was approximately 80people. After the purchase,Unilever began closing its icecream operations in other

parts of Canada and expandedthe Simcoe plant to become itssole ice cream producer in thecountry. The expansion hasbeen rapid and today there aremore than 425 members work-ing at the plant.

The new stewards come froma broad range of candidates.According to John Fuller,Executive Assistant to thePresident of Locals 175 & 633,the elections saw “everybodyelecting everybody,” with themembership feeling very satis-fied that the new group ofstewards will effectively repre-sent their interests in the work-place and at the bargainingtable. It was especially goodto see a high number ofwomen running in the election.

Congratulations to our newstewards at Simcoe GoodHumor! They are as follows:

Wayne Jennings, Tim Dedrick,Judy McKenzie, PaulSheppard, Jim Penfold, GlennBroughton, Stephanie Scottand Howard DeMerchant.Jennings was acclaimed asChief Steward and the otherseven stewards are all brandnew.

On Monday, March 19th 2001,the stewards joined Fuller andUnion Rep Larry Bain for anintensive education session.Bain trained the stewards ingrievance resolution and arbi-tration, collective bargainingand membership servicing.The training session was time-ly since members at SimcoeGood Humor will soon benegotiating a new collectiveagreement. The Union knowsthat summer is a busy seasonfor the ice cream plant and istherefore pushing the employ-

cont’’d nnext ppgg..

(l-r) Glenn Broughton, Judy McKenzie, Wayne Jennings and Jim Penfold in Stewards Educational last month

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er to start negotiating thismonth.

Since the plant has expandedso quickly over the past fewyears, the current collectiveagreement has become diffi-cult to interpret. Employeesare often asked to do jobs thatdon’t match their qualificationsor seniority. The companyadmits that while they wereexpanding, employee con-cerns were ignored. But todaythe company has come toagree with Local 175 thatlabour relations must be a pri-ority.

Due to this new relationshipbetween the Union and thecompany, Bain and Fullerassert that members will belooking for strong leadershipfrom the new stewards. In anera of free trade and corporateprofits which often exceed thewealth of a small country, weneed a strong and unifiedmembership to deal with amulti-national company likeGood Humor. Steward TimDedrick explains that theemployer is not that bad inrelations with members, butthe problem is that supervisorshave very little power whilehuman resources has toomuch. As a result, supervisors

sometimes take grievancestoo personally and becomeabusive towards members. Inthe stewards training on March19th, Dedrick learned that onepossibility for the Union to dealwith such abuse is to argue“mis-use of managementrights.”

Chief Steward WayneJennings agrees that we needto unify the membership sothat no employee feels intimi-dated. Referring to the com-pany, Jennings explained howwe need to “throw intimidationback on the other side.” Themembers need strong stew-ards to support them in theworkplace. And the Union isvery confident that the newstewards will be very effectivein achieving this aim.

The Union held the recentstewards election to injectrenewed energy and vigor intothe membership and makethem feel empowered in theirworkplace. According toFuller, the Union wants astrong and healthy company inGood Humor so that we cankeep our current jobs and cre-ate more in the near future.

In the stewards educational,Bain explained how stewards

are the Union in the work-place. Stewards and supervi-sors must be on an equal foot-ing. The steward’s responsi-bility is to be fair to all mem-bers of the Union and to listencarefully to members’ con-cerns and ensure their utmostprivacy. Members must knowthat making deals with asupervisor will not get themanywhere. That’s why ourstewards are there in the work-place - to listen to membersand take action on their behalf.

The election and training of thenew stewards at Good Humoris just one more way our Unionis working hard to strengthenand empower our memberseverywhere. As union mem-bers head to Quebec City thismonth to protest against theexpansion of free trade andcorporate power, Local 175 isworking on the ground toensure our members have astrong and unified voice whendealing with multi-nationalcompanies like Good Humor.As the membership in Simcoeenters into negotiations withGood Humor this spring, theUnion is confident that our newstewards will make all ourmembers proud!

(l-r)StephanieScott, TimDedrick and HowardDeMerchantin StewardsEducationalat the LittleRiver Inn inSimcoe lastmonth

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NNeggotiationsUPPDDAATE

Local 175 members in thehousekeeping unit ofComfort Inn in Bellevillerecently ratified a new collec-tive agreement with wageincreases, lump sum pay-ments and a shorter workweek.

Highlights of the contractinclude a wage increase ofup to $1.05 per hour in thefirst year, 20¢ per hour in thesecond year and an addition-al 20¢ in the third year.Members will also receive upto $832 in lump sum pay-ments over the life of theagreement. Hours of workhave been shortened from10 hours per day to 8 hours.The agreement improvesvacations and increases theemployer's contribution tothe UFCW 175 EducationFund.

Negotiating for the membersin the housekeeping unitwere Lola Kessler andLaverne Spencer andUnion Reps Marilyn Langand Ian P. Miller.

Members in the front deskunit of Comfort Inn inBelleville also ratified a newcollective agreement withimproved vacations, uniformallowances and better workscheduling.

The contract includes a newvacation entitlement of six

To the Members of Local 175:

The year 2000 was a mem-orable one for threeemployees at A&P Store#124 in Tillsonburg.

Walter Boughner after 41years with A&P, a Unionsteward for a great manyyears and our Santa,retired in April 2000.Wishing you all the best,Walt!

Pam Smith from the delialso retired in October2000, with 10 years of serv-ice with A&P. All the best,Pam!

And Donna Codling retiredin December, after being acashier with A&P for 15years. All the best, Donna!

Thank You,Sharon MooreCashier, A&P Store #124,Tillsonburg cont’d. nnext ppg.

THANK YOUFrom UFCW Locals 175 & 633

Members Employed atBluewater Food Market!

The members of UFCW Locals175 and 633 employed at Blue-water Food Market would like tothank everyone for their generos-ity and support while we were onstrike in December and January.

To each and every person whohonked a horn when passing ourpicket lines, who walked with usin solidarity, who provided us withcoffee, doughnuts, soup andpizza, we are extremely grateful.Special thanks to Dave Maw, theCorunna Fire Department, Vice-President of the Sarnia LabourCouncil Keith McMillan, NationalRepresentative CEP Glen Son-ier, CEP Local 848, CUPE Local598 and Jane Hulme of OSSTF.

The members started to return towork on February 9th 2001 andlook forward to once again serv-ing all their customers, friends,brothers and sisters at BluewaterFo-od Market. Once again, thankyou to the community and to ev-eryone who supported us in anyway, from a wave, to a coffee, toa donation, during our labour dis-pute.Sarnia Observer, March 1, 2001

weeks at 12% after 20 yearsof service. The employer'scontribution to the UFCW175 Education Fund hasincreased, as well as thePension Plan. The agree-ment also includes an exten-sive uniform allowance anda signing bonus for allemployees.

Negotiating the agreementfor the members in the frontdesk unit were Irene Nickleand Union Rep Ian P. Miller.

At the end of last month,members working at PrinceFoods in Cornwall ratifiedtheir first collective agree-ment with significant payincreases, benefits andstrong contract language.

The majority of members willreceive an annual wageincrease of 50¢ per hourunder the new contract.Shift premiums will rangefrom 20¢ per hour to $1.00.The employer will contribute50% of the cost of benefitsfor members and a dentalplan will start in 2004. Thereis also an additional statuto-ry holiday and a signingbonus of up to $200.

Negotiating the agreementfor members at PrinceFoods were Dave Rupert,Sherri McNulty, Union RepReg Baughan and EasternRegion Director Dan Lacr-oix.

Negotiations ccontd...

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Members Share ArbitrationAward for OvertimeThree members of Local 175will share almost $5,000 incompensation after an arbitra-tor ruled that Quality MeatPackers Ltd in Toronto violatedthe collective agreement bydenying the members of over-time work.

The ruling sent a strong signalto the employer that overtimeis an essential part of the col-lective agreement and that itmust be assigned on the basisof seniority and job classifica-tion. An additional settlementregarding jobs not being post-ed resulted in more than$2,000 compensation forLocal 175 members.

All three employees are driv-ers at Quality Meat Packersand have a history of workingovertime on a daily basis. In1999 and 2000 however, thecompany started telling theworkers to stop taking over-time. Little explanation wasgiven except that the employerwanted to reduce overtime fordrivers.

For two periods lastingbetween 5 and 7 weeks, themembers were denied allovertime work. But the over-time didn't simply disappear - itwas being done by otheremployees such as scaleoperators, butchers and evenforemen.

Clearly, the overtime wasbeing carried out by workerswho did not regularly perform

the work, some of whom wereeven outside the bargainingunit. Furthermore, the driverswere being asked to performovertime tasks during regularhours. The union argued thatthe collective agreement wasbeing violated since overtimewas being assigned toemployees who did not regu-larly perform the work.

The collective agreementspecifically states that "over-time shall be distributed asequally as possible amongthose employees normallyperforming the work, in accor-dance with current practice."Rather than abiding by "cur-rent practice," the companywas assigning overtime on a"rotating basis" to workersfrom a variety of job classifica-tions. The arbitrator agreedwith the union and thereforeruled in favor of the threemembers.

Quality Meats actuallyacknowledged that they hadviolated the collective agree-ment. But they refused toresolve the grievances. If theunion didn't take the griev-ances to arbitration, the com-pany probably would havecontinued to violate the con-tract.

Local 175 is always ready andable to enforce their collectiveagreements and that's whatmakes our union strong andresponsive to its members.

cont’d. nnext ppg.

Members at Mobile ClimateControl in Toronto recentlyratified their second collec-tive agreement with wageincreases, stronger unionsecurity and significant lan-guage improvements.

Highlights of the contractinclude a wage increase of40¢ per hour in each of thefirst two years of the agree-ment, 45¢ in the third yearand 50¢ in the final year. Inview of recent changes tothe Ontario Labour Rela-tions Act which place newtime restrictions on filing forarbitration, the agreementprovides for fair and accessi-ble grievance resolution tobetter serve members andthe Union. Improvementshave also been made to paidvacations, uniform allowa-nces and break periods.

Negotiating the contract forthe members at MobileClimate Control were UtuoBoateng, AntonioNicoletti, Claude Robitailleand Union Rep MikeBrennan.

Members at HavelockI.G.A. in Havelock recentlyratified a new collectiveagreement with wageincreases and improve-ments to pensions and vaca-tions.

The contract includes a 55¢per hour wage increase overthree years and more paid

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Negotiations ccont’d...

cont’d. nnext ppg.

Members of Local 175 knowthat the grievance procedureworks best when a complaintis resolved before going toarbitration. Last month, theCoca-Cola Bottling Companyagreed to pay more than$4,000 owed to a member inHamilton for pension entitle-ments. The settlement wasreached by the Union the daybefore the issue was due to goto arbitration.

Coca-Cola had previouslyagreed to pay the member forearly retirement through theCanadian Commercial Work-ers Industrial Pension Plan(CCWIPP). However, whenthe time came for the compa-ny to pay up - they refused.So the Union put the heat onCoca-Cola by pursuing theissue to arbitration. AsCentral-West Regional Direc-tor Harry Sutton explains, theUnion needed to show thecompany they were seriousabout fighting for what ourmembers demand anddeserve.

On the eve of the scheduledarbitration hearing, Coca-Colanotified the Union that theywere ready to settle all mattersregarding the grievance. Inaddition to the monetary set-tlement, the company agreedto meet with the Union toensure that all employer con-tributions to the CCWIPP arepaid in full. For memberscompleting the probationaryperiod, Coca-Cola agreed topay CCWIPP contributionsretroactively for all hoursworked since the first day ofprobation. As a result, all mat-ters were settled and thegrievance did not need to goto arbitration.

Your Union is always readyand able to fight for your rightsin the workplace. The solidcommitment of Local 175 topursue arbitration for unre-solved grievances means thatemployers are often pushed tosettle before arbitration. YourUnion will always find thequickest and most effectiveway to ensure your rights inthe workplace.

Local 175 settles grievancewith Coca-Cola on the eve ofarbitration

Locals 175 and 633Using Our

Strengths to BuildYour Future

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sick days. The pension willincrease by 10¢ to a total of45¢ per hour. The agree-ment improves shift premi-ums and uniformallowances. Union securityand seniority clauses havealso been strengthened.

Negotiating for the membersat Havelock I.G.A. wereMichelle A. Ellis, SharonHaines, Ellen-May Kellyand Union Rep Ian P. Miller.

Local 175 members atFriendly Manor NursingHome in Deseronto recent-ly ratified a new collectiveagreement with wageincreases, better benefitsand improved contract lan-guage. A significant improv-ement in the agreement is anew ‘No Violence or AbusePolicy' for employees. Seepage 4 for details.

The agreement includes awage increase of 25¢ perhour in the first year, 30¢ inthe second, 33¢ in the thirdand 37¢ in the final year.Pension and dental benefitswill also increase every year.The No Violence or AbusePolicy protects membersfrom aggressive residents,with a Joint OccupationalHealth and Safety Comm-ittee and employer responsi-bility for damaged clothing oreyeglasses.

Negotiating the contract formembers at the nursing

Negotiations ccontd...

cont’d. nnext ppg.

Members at PearsonBudget win Strike after only 5 Days!As reported in the February edition of News and Views, Local175 members at Budget Car Rentals at Pearson InternationalAirport settled their strike after only 5 days. Their new collectiveagreement includes an across the board wage increase, betterbenefits, more vacation time and a provision to stop manage-ment from performing bargaining unit work. Below are somepictures of our dedicated brothers and sisters at Budget, whoheld a solid picket line both inside and outside of the airport.

Above: Lisa Gunness and Pinki Sidh picketing the ticket boothBelow: Gulad Abdishid, Mohamed Abdullahi and ReinzieBaboolal hold the line at the outdoor parking lot

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home were MichelleFerguson, CatherinePrevost and Union Rep IanP. Miller.

Members at AnametCanada in Lakeport ratifieda new collective agreementlast month with wageincreases, improved lan-guage and better benefits.

Highlights of the contractinclude a pay increase of37¢ per hour in the first year,38¢ in the second year and40¢ in the third year.Employer contributions tothe Dental Plan will alsoincrease every year by 4¢ anhour. The optical plan hasincreased to $140 from $100and the employer will nowreimburse the cost of doc-tor’s notes. Break times andpaid holidays have alsobeen improved.

Negotiating the agreementfor members at AnametCanada were Ron Carter,John Sabins and UnionRep Ray Bromley.

A new three-year agreementwas recently ratified bymembers at Briton HouseRetirement Centre inToronto. Highlights includeacross the board wageincreases, improved lan-guage and stronger benefits.

The collective agreementincludes an 8% increase in

Negotiations ccont’d...

cont’d. nnext ppg.

In January this year, theEastern Region of Local 175decided to keep a runningcount of the dollar value ofgrievances that had a finan-cial settlement when resolved.As of March 21st, the totalwas already more than$72,000!

The grievances included pay-ments to members for sales-persons doing bargaining unitwork, denial of overtime,improper rates of pay and

unjust suspensions. TheUnion won these monetarysettlements from employerssuch as Weston Bakery, A&P,Minute Maid, Superfresh,Weetabix, Loblaws, Loeb,Zellers, Coca-Cola, Steff-KimLodges and Cancoil. In onesettlement alone, a memberwas awarded $41,000.

Just one more way ourUnion works hard to protectyour rights in the work-place!

$72,000 in Settlements for EasternRegion this year...So Far!

There have been some recent changes to benefits and servic-

es for members of UFCW Locals 175 and 633. They are as fol-

lows:

*there is no longer a discount service with PRIMUS

Canada.

*there is no longer a theme park discount at Disney,

Anheuser Busch, Universal Studios or Six Flags

amusement parks.

*the phone number for Labour Travel has changed to:

1-888-403-7696.

*a reminder that the Crisis Hotline available through the

Training & Education Centre is a referral service only.

The phone number remains the same: 1-800-728-8902.

All other benefits and services remain the same.

Benefits Update

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hourly wages over the life ofthe contract. Paid sick dayshave been improved and theemployer’s contribution tothe pension plan willincrease to 35¢ per hour thisyear and 40¢ next year.

Negotiating for members atthe retirement home wereChristine Pascal, ValSpencer, Phyllis Whyte,Maria Desumala, EulaliaFerrer and Union Rep DanSerbin.

Local 175 members atCrown Ridge Place inTrenton ratified a new col-lective agreement at the endof last month with significantimprovements in wages,benefits and language. Themembers at Crown Ridgeare also the third unit of ourLocal Union to adopt a ‘NoViolence or Abuse Policy’ intheir workplace.

Improvements include anacross the board wageincrease of 2.4% in eachyear of the three-year con-tract. Employer contribu-tions to the Pension andDental Plans have alsoincreased.

Negotiating the agreementfor the members were LoriBedford, Bonnie O’Brien,Silvia Leckey and UnionRep Ian P. Miller.

Negotiations ccont’d...

The Canadian Labour Congress and Unions across the countryare educating Canadians about the FTAA meeting in QuebecCity from April 20th to 22nd. The meeting will see the leadersof 34 countries of the Americas converge on Quebec City,including newly elected US president George W. Bush. ManyUFCW Canada members will be joining thousands of people topeacefully protest the extremely undemocratic nature of theFTAA meeting. Here are some potential impacts of the FTAA:

What can we expect from this FTAA?

*Substantial increase in the profits of big businesses*Privatization of public services*Decrease in the quality of social programs and public services*Attacks on our social programs and services*Marginalization and environmental deterioration*Loss of sovereignty of federal and provincial governments*Increase in poverty and inequality, especially among women

Impact on workers:

*Erosion of workers’ rights*Weakening of labour legislation*Loss of well-paid and unionized jobs*Growth of export processing zones and sweatshops employingmostly women*Increase in stress related to working conditions*Concession demands by employers coupled with threats of company closure

What do we want:

*Respect for core labour rights*Fair sharing of the wealth*Social justice*Fair trade

For more information contact:Canadian Labour Congress, 2841 Riverside Drive, OttawaTelephone: (613) 526-7415 E-mail: quebec2001@clc-ctc.ca

From the CLC publication: Second People’s Summit of the Americas

Quebec City April 2001

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Stewards SeminarApproximately 265 stewardsattended the 2001 CentralEast, Central West and SouthCentral Stewards Seminarheld in Toronto on February3rd and 4th. All the stewardswho participated in theSeminar learned how to effec-tively serve our members fromthe shop floor to the bargainingtable. With eight differentcourses to choose from, theSeminar was a huge success.

Seminar courses ranged fromStewards Levels 1 and 2 toHealth & Safety, Negotiations

and Communications. It wasgreat to see everyone learningfrom one another. While expe-rienced stewards updated theircomputer skills, many newstewards learned the funda-mentals of grievance resolu-tion and collective bargaining.

Participants also discussedstrategies for standing up forour members in a provincewhere the government is con-tinuously attacking workersand their families. All of thestewards in attendanceworked hard to strengthen the

union's proud tradition of soli-darity and education.

The Stewards Seminardemonstrated how importantunion democracy and mem-bership servicing are to Locals175 and 633. Our Union isrenowned in Canada for pro-viding year-round training andeducation for our stewards andmembers.

Featured on these pages arepictures of some of the stew-ards and trainers who partici-pated in the Seminar.

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In our Union, members helpeach other even when they'venever met. On the first morn-ing of the Stewards Seminar,Local 206 Steward Tina Brittenraised an urgent concern inCliff Kostyniuk's Level 1course. Britten told the classabout a member who neededsurgery but was unable to payfor the costly medical bills.The member suffered facialscarring from an abusive rela-tionship. As a front-line serv-ice employee, the member

often felt stigmatized becauseof the scars. So the memberwas scheduled to have facialsurgery the following week butcouldn't afford the $650 bill.

The class decided to ask allstewards at the seminar todonate whatever they could tohelp out the member. Atlunchtime, Union Rep SharonGall asked everyone to digdeep for this very worthycause. A hat was passedaround and in less than 20

minutes, enough money wasraised to cover the costs of themember's surgery. The stew-ards' generosity was uncondi-tional - it didn't matter that themember remained anony-mous.

This just goes to show that ourUnion reaches out to our broth-ers and sisters everywhere. Ifthe cost of living becomes toooverwhelming for a member,our Union is there to do every-thing it can to support them.

Stewards dig deep to help out member

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Youth NewsBy Matthew Davenport

Get your picture in CheckOut Magazine! Simply have a photograph taken of yourself working and writeto us explaining how the union benefits your job.

The UFCW Locals 175 & 633 Youth Committee is creating a massive contact list in order to help inform ouryoung members of their rights in the workplace, to create awareness on current issues, and to keep mem-bers up to date on Youth Committee events. If you would like to be a part of the Youth Committee but don’thave the time, get on the list! You will receive regular input and be able to communicate as a part of thecommittee with members from all over Ontario.

E-MAIL (preferable): youth@ufcw175.com

WRITE TO: UFCW Locals 175 & 633 Youth Committee, Training and Education Centre, 700-1450Meyerside Dr, Mississauga, ON, L5T 2N5

YOUTH INFORMATION KITSThe Youth Committee has created Youth Information Kits. Write to us and we’ll send you one!

“The Union helps fightfor better wages andworking conditions forme.”Chris Kenny (18)

“Unions provide jobsecurity.”Cory James (15)

Members of UFCWLocal 175

“The Union makessure I don’t get firedwithout just cause.”

Ben Johnson (19)

“The Union gives me avoice in the work-

place.”Sarah Davis (15)

Ultra Food and DrugMart, Store #055

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Longtime Union Activist DonatesHistorical Publications to Local 175

Edna Toth has been a dedi-cated union member, jour-nalist and political activistmost of her life. During the1960s, she was a memberof the United Packinghouse,Food and Allied Workers(UPWA) while she workedfor the Toronto Telegramnewspaper. Many of theworkplaces that were histor-ically represented by theUPWA, such as meat pack-ers and food processors,are today part of Local 175.So it was a delight whenToth called the Union thismonth to donate her formerunion’s publications datingback almost 40 years.

Toth wanted to make surethis important part ofCanadian labour history

was not forgotten. Thestruggles to organize foodand retail workers duringthe 1950s and 1960s goesto the very root of UFCWCanada.

Toth worked at the TorontoTelegram from 1960 to 1964and edited The Can-adianPackinghouse Worker forthe UPWA in 1963. KerryGibbons, a co-worker andunion member, assistedToth as editing consultant.The two women put togeth-er a new edition of the mag-azine every month, on a vol-untary basis for the union -on top of working full time atthe Telegram! As Tothrecalls, they were “young,wild and irresponsible” inthe early 1960s and were

excited to lend their voice tothe emerging labour andsocial movements of theday. At the time, Toth alsobecame very active cam-paigning for successful NDPcandidates in the Toronto-Beaches riding. And sheremains a dedicated NDPmember to this day.

Toth remembers how chal-lenging it was to organizefood and commercial work-ers during the 1960s.Employers often fired work-ers for labour activism andunion members found itvery difficult to enforce col-lective agreements. Suchhurdles eventually led toToth’s own termination fromher job at the Telegram. In1964, the Typographical

Edna Toth di-splays someof the unionm a g a z i n e sshe edited in1963 when shewas a mem-ber of theUnited Pack-inghouse, Fo-od and AlliedWorkers, a un-ion at the rootof Local 175’shistory

Historical top-ics in the 1963“Canadian Pa-ckinghouseWorker” inclu-de the introd-uction of me-dicare in Sas-katchewan,health and sa-fety for butch-ers and pack-inghouse me-mbers of par-liament

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union at the newspaperwent on strike. Toth’s col-lective agreement with theUPWA stated that memberswould not be punished bythe employer for refusing tocross the picket line. Beinga strong trade unionist, Tothrefused to go to work andactively helped the typo-graphical workers on thepicket line. But in thosedays the employer could actabove the law and Toth wasfired for striking in solidaritywith the other union.

From Toronto Toth went outwest where she worked forthe Vancouver Times.When the newspaperclosed soon after, sheenrolled in political scienceat Simon Fraser University.

She met her husband whilestudying and the two movedback to Ontario after gradu-ation. Together they editeda soccer newspaper andhad four children.

Toth worked as a publicistfor the Mississauga LibrarySystem for many yearsbefore retiring. She waselected Chief Steward ofCUPE Local 1989 duringthis time and was a presi-dent and founding memberof the Peel District Councilof the union. Toth proudlyremembers how she organ-ized more than 150 part-timers in her unit, much tothe anger of management!

Today Toth is enrolled in theWomen and Gender pro-

gram at the Erindale cam-pus of the University ofToronto. She continues tobe active with the labourmovement and NDP aswell.

Members of Local 175 canfind great inspiration andpride in Edna Toth. Thesize and strength of yourUnion today has dependedon dedicated labour acti-vists like Toth. Local 175expresses our deep appre-ciation to Sister Toth for herinvaluable contribution toour history and wishes herthe best of luck in all herfuture endeavors. The pic-tures on this page are fromsome of the issues Tothdonated to Local 175.

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Ask A Working Woman SurveyWorking women are encouraged to participate in the annual AFL-CIO

Ask A Working Woman survey

If you would like your voice heard in the North American labour movement, call the Union office to get the two-page survey mailed to you.

1-800-565-8329

As an International Union, the UFCW is a member of both the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and theAmerican Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)

Change of Address?Don’t leave it up to your employer...advise us of your address changeIf you are moving or planning to move, please fill out the from below and mail it to us at UFCW Locals 175and 633, 2200 Argentia Road, Mississauga, ON L5N 2K7. Or call us at 1-800-565-8329.

Name........................................................................... Store Number............................New Address..............................................................

...............................................................

..............................................................Phone.........................................................................E-mail.........................................................................

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Jim Andress

SecretaryTreasurer’s

MessageOur Union has a strong reputa-tion for servicing our members,their families and the commu-nity. As the largest local unionin Canada, Local 175 workshard every day to secure therights and respect our mem-bers deserve in the workplaceand beyond. Your Officers,Staff and Union Reps are therefor you whenever you needsupport, representation andmost importantly, action.

Now you might ask - If myUnion does so many greatthings, how come we’re not inthe news as much as theCAW? What it comes down tois a question of priorities. YourLocal Union invests all of itsresources, energy andfinances into servicing you, themember, and your community.We bargain hard to get thevery best collective agree-ments for our members. Westrive to resolve grievances onthe shopfloor, yet we arealways ready to go to arbitra-tion and fight until our mem-bers see justice done. Wesecure some of the best bene-

fits in Canada for our mem-bers. We offer extensive train-ing in computer skills, negotia-tions, public speaking andpolitical advocacy. We are thesingle largest contributor to theLeukemia Research Fund ofCanada. And Local 175 is oneof the most democratic unionsin the country.

On the other hand, we hear alot of statements from the CAWleadership but don’t see muchsubstance for their members.How often are their Reps onthe shopfloor? How quicklydoes their union respond togrievances and how hard dothey fight for their members?How accessible are CAW lead-ers to their membership?These are important questionsthat union members bothinside and outside the CAWare asking today.

In many ways, your Union isthe quiet giant of workers’rights. Local 175 fights tire-lessly for the dignity, respectand compensation you andyour family deserves. But we

don’t boast about it and wedon’t make promises we can’tkeep. We only get involved inpublic issues and communityinterests where we know wehave the resources and expert-ise to make a difference. Andwe reach out to all workers out-side of our Union as well, tobuild bonds of solidarity and toget non-union workplacesorganized.

We believe the members knowbest and that they shouldalways feel empowered to par-ticipate in their Union. Oursolid collective agreements,high level of job security andlong tradition of membershipservicing speak for them-selves. We don’t need to relyon the media to communicatethat to our members. Ratherthan interfering in the businessof other unions, Local 175 iscommitted to doing the best jobpossible for our memberstoday and welcoming newmembers to our strong Unionin the years to come.

MASTHEAD

UFCW LEUKEMIADISK GOLF

May 6th, 2001, Centennial Park, EtobicokeRegistration: 9:00-9:30am Instructions: 9:30-10:00am

Dan Smith - Canadian Grand Master ChampionLaura Smith - Womens World Champion

Both present for Instructions

What a Bargain! $10 Each or $25 Per Family

Please Pre-Register - Phone Jackie at the Union Office1-800-565-8329 or 1-905-821-8329

Free BBQ!

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMMILY!

All Proceeds go to Leukemia Research

Return postage will be paid by:United Food and Commercial WorkersLocals 175 and 6332200 Argentia Road,Mississauga, Ontario L5N 2K7

Address Correction Service Required