Labour briefs

Majority of Ontario teachers still without contracts

TORONTO — Paul Elliott, rookie presi- dent of the Ontario teachers’ union, has accused a majority of school boards of not honouring the contract signed with the education ministry earlier this spring.

During his inaugural address at the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) leadership confer- ence on Aug. 15, Elliott said less than 10 of more than 40 school boards have recognized the memorandum of under- standing between the union and the provincial government.

And with the school year fast ap- proaching, many teachers remain with- out a contract.

That memorandum of understanding (MOU) struck down the conditions set out in Bill 115 — which prohibited the teachers’ right to strike and almost halved their number of sick days. Bill 115 was later repealed by then-education minister Laurel Broten, and the MOUS was meant to serve as an olive branch between the two parties.

But in his address, Elliott called on the ministry to intervene and ensure contracts are signed before the deadline on Aug. 29.

“Our members have been left with unsettled contracts, no security and nothing but questions. That is unac- ceptable,” Elliott said, adding that, “If legislation is introduced that reduces our right to collective bargaining, our right to exercise action at any level, and does not enshrine meaningful local bar- gaining, it will be opposed.”

The province’s school boards were not involved in the negotiations pro- cess, which was left to the union and the provincial government.

OSSTF members will meet at the beginning of September to discuss the possibility of a protest against the school boards.

Sask. firefighters extinguish arbitration, ink deal with city

REGINA — Firefighters in Regina are celebrating after signing a $4 million deal with the city.

The collective agreement for about 285 members of the International As- sociation of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 181 was approved by city councillors on Aug. 14. The bargaining unit includes mostly firefighters, as well as civilian employees working in dispatch, train- ing, public education and inspections.

As part of the deal, firefighters will receive a total wage increase of 9.2 per cent over the course of the agreement, which runs from 2013 to 2015, includ- ing retroactive pay. Combined with im- provements to benefits, the agreement will set the City of Regina back $4 mil- lion, according to a statement from the city manager’s office.

Glen Davies, city manager, said the two parties were able to settle the agreement without arbitration, some- thing the city has not needed since 2000. But because the city has out- standing contracts to settle with all five of its civic bargaining units (all of which expired on Dec. 31, 2012), the negotiations are not over.

“The city values its employees and is committed to working collaboratively to reach fair agreements. Our firefight- ers receive a competitive compensation package. We will continue to build on the positive and productive tone estab- lished during negotiations with all of our bargaining units,” Davies said.

Strike looms at Vancouver airport

VANCOUVER — A Labour Day strike hangs in the air at the Vancouver air- port after its workers voted in favour of job action.

About 300 key service staff at the Vancouver Airport Authority — who work in emergency response, interna- tional arrivals customer care, runway maintenance, airfield and approach lighting, passenger loading operations, maintenance and administrative services — could walk off the job as early as the end of August.

Fearing their jobs could be contractedout to a new breed of seasonal workers, the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE) — a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) — said on Aug. 12 that job pro- tection and work flexibility need to be on the bargaining table.

“We felt we had no choice but to take a strike vote,” said Dave Clark, UCTE’s regional vice-president. “YVR says they’re one of British Columbia’s top employers, but are refusing to dis- cuss our demands around work-life balance and job security. They also want to weaken the apprenticeship provisions in our collective agreement and create a two-tier wage system by creating a new class of ‘seasonal’ workers. We’re prepared to strike if our key issues aren’t dealt with. The next move is up to the employer.”

Earlier this month, about 70 workers who fuel jet aircraft at the YVR airport ratified a new collective agreement with their employer, Globe Ground Fuel Services. The fuelers’ three-year contract includes wage and shift premium increases as well as improvements to the language surround- ing hours of work, overtime, seniority and staffing.

First collective agreement signed by Clean Harbors staff

WOOD BUFFALO, Alta. — After allegations of bullying and harassment, workers at an Albertan hazardous waste management company have ratified their first collective agreement.

On Aug. 5, 600 workers at Clean Harbors in Wood Buffalo, Alta., finalized the deal through their union, Teamsters Canada Local 362. Though the details have yet to be released, employees voted 81 per cent in favour of the latest offer.

“Although the employer tried all conceivable methods of eluding a collective agreement, Teamsters Local 362 saw though their game plan and instituted their own plan which pressured Clean Harbors to properly negotiate a fair contract for 362’s members,” the lo- cal chapter noted in a statement. “This will be a new beginning in a work place that has long been one of harassment, bullying and disrespect. Teamsters demand fairness in the work place and this what has been negotiated.”

Bargaining began back in the fall of 2011, with employees and the employer narrowly avoiding a strike. Teamsters Canada has since apologized to Clean Harbors for the statement is- sued on the latest collective agreement, saying they did not intend to imply Clean Harbors is the sort of company that would tolerate misconduct.

Pearson airport workers ratify new collective agreement

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Pearson International Airport workers have inked a new three-year collective agreement with the airport authority.

About 800 staff of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA), represented by the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union, ratified the new deal on Aug. 16. Highlights of the agreement include wage increases of 2.75 per cent per year over the next three years, increased stand-by and shift premiums, consolidated group insurance and pension plans, improved dental and long-term disability benefits, and paid bereave- ment days. Airport staff will also have improved job security when it comes to contracting out, and improved protection for employees facing discipline.

The collective agreement will be effective until July 31, 2016.

Employers scaling back salary increases for 2014: Survey

TORONTO — Salary increases for 2014 are expected to be lower than 2013, ac- cording to a national survey of public and private sector employers.

The survey of more than 500 organizations by Hay Group pegged the average increase across Canada at 2.6 per cent for 2014, lower than the 2013 projection of 2.9 per cent. These num- bers are very similar to what is expected south of the border, where an average of 2.8 per cent is predicted for American employees — which is also lower than one year ago.

The numbers are a far cry from raises Canadians were used to seeing before the 2008-09 economic downturn, said

Hay Group, when increases in the 3.7 per cent range were the norm.

The highest increases for 2014 will be in the oil and gas sector. Firms are planning raises of four per cent, “despite the strategic issues in the industry that have caused some moderation in long-term investment,” Hay Group said.

Other sectors with above average in- creases include:

• services (3.3 per cent)
• credit unions (3.2 per cent)
• chemicals (3.1 per cent)
• utilities (3.0 per cent).
These high forecasts are a continued

reflection of the demand for key skills and experience in those industries, Hay Group said.

The sectors with the lowest projections for 2013 are leisure/hospitality (2.0 per cent), retail, consumer durables and forestry and paper (all 2.1 per cent).

Overall, the public sector is forecast- ing noticeably lower salary increases (2.3 per cent) than the private sector (industrial and financial at 2.7 per cent).

Provinces with strong resource industries will see higher wage increases than the national average as well. Newfoundland and Labrador (4.0 per cent), Saskatchewan (3.4 per cent) and Alberta (3.2 per cent) are expected to lead the country, according to the survey.

That’s in stark contrast to the rest of the nation, where salary increases will come in at 2.1 per cent to 2.6 per cent.

Canadians fare better than some, but are well behind other major economies, the survey found.

Canadian projections rank about average against some industrialized nations, such as:

• France (2.5 per cent)
• Italy (2.2 per cent)
• Japan (2.0 per cent).
But Canada trails behind other countries, including:
• United States (2.8 per cent)
• United Kingdom (2.9 per cent)
• India (10.8 per cent)
• China (9.0 per cent)
•Russia (8.0 per cent)
The actual base salary changes real-

ized in 2013 were exactly as forecasted for the industrial (2.9 per cent) and public sectors (2.5 per cent) but lower in the financial sector (2.6 per cent re- alized against 2.9 per cent forecasted), according to Hay Group.