seven-o-seven seven-o-seven REPORTER - CAW Local 707

Isn’t There Any Shame?
Recording Secretary’s
Report
By dave Millar
Is there any shame? Our government has let the people who
built this country down yet again. Recently, at a rally in East
Oakville, retired and active members alike from our local
joined with hundreds of CAW activists from southern Ontario
gathered on Winston Park Drive in Oakville to demonstrate
at the ThyssenKrupp facility there. ThyssenKrupp is
a company that had more than $65 billion in sales last year.
Yes, that’s billion and more than $14 billion in profit! Yet
the laws in Canada do nothing to protect the workers in this
country.
I feel a sense of shame knowing that our country does
nothing to protect workers’ rights. Our government lets
down the retired CAW workers from the former BUDD
Automotive Plant in Kitchener when they allow a company
like ThyssenKrupp to claim bankruptcy for a specific plant
like the BUDD Plant it had purchased a few years ago only
to shut it down and put its workforce out in the street – the
same workers who worked for parts plant
that contributed to building parts for Ford,
Chrysler and GM at different times.
We are all expected to live up to our
end when we sign collective agreements.
Why are companies given a different set of
rules? We bargain for pensions as a wage in
lieu. Companies have an obligation to pay
their workforce what they bargain for. Pensions
are not something that the companies
give to its members due to their generosity.
Pensions are bargained! Shame on major
corporations for filing for bankruptcy when they know
damn well that the last ones receiving any monies during
the bankruptcy proceedings are the workers and even worse
is the fact that our government does nothing to protect the
workers that put billions of dollars into the pockets of the
corporations.
My government should protect the rights of the people of
the country. Too often we hear stories of how the government
fought to bring jobs to an area by making a city, region,
province, country an attractive place to put its money. Well
by making rules that make it easy to bring a company to
an area, it also has to make it easy to have that same company
close and move away. For example: If company, XYZ
was to bring a plant to Hamilton, Ontario and it also had
a plant in Anaheim, California and had circumstances that
made it difficult to keep two plants open, then the company
would have an easier time closing shop in Hamilton because
it could claim bankruptcy to its Canadian sector and walk
away from all the jobs, pensions, benefits because our government
made it easy for it to do so.
All too often we only worry about ourselves. We take too
much for granted. It is about time some of us got off the
Page 6 – July – September 2011
My government
should protect
the rights
of the people
of the country.
couch and got out and supported
our fellow brothers and sisters
from all unions. This pension
fight is for real. Personally this
summer alone, I have been on
far too many picket lines, rallies,
meetings regarding workers who are losing wages, benefits
and having their pensions attacked. Our members need to
start to pay attention and go and support those that need our
help.
ThyssenKrupp, Air Canada, U.S. Steel, Canada Post,
Bombardier and countless others across the province and
across Canada have treated their workforce horribly this past
year if not longer. The Steelworkers in Hamilton have been
out now for more than 10 months – shame on U.S. Steel!
Air Canada put CAW workers in a strike position this
summer. Fortunately for the workers an agreement was
reached before the government stepped in
and via legislation, ordered them back to
work – shame on the federal government!
CUPW workers were on rotating strikes
yet continued to work until the bosses at
Canada Post locked the unionized workers
out – shame on Canada Post and shame
again on our federal government for legislating
them back to work with a worse deal
than what had been offered by Canada
Post. It is not responsible governing that is
taking place. It is a dictatorship! Remember
it is not the Government of Canada anymore. It is Stephen
Harper’s government. arrogance! It is sickening!
Let’s start sticking together brothers and sisters. Unions
are needed now more than ever before. Someone has to
stand up and fight for what is right. Without unions, we are
destined for a $14/hour job and the division between the rich
and poor will continue to grow.
Are you aware that in 1980 it was reported that CEOs
made 42 times as much money as the workers did? In 1990,
they made 85 times as much and in 2000, they made 531
times as much money? Let’s keep in mind the facts that have
been presented to us about how much of the cost of building
a vehicle in a CAW plant is. The salary and benefits of
autoworkers in this country are approximately seven per
cent of the cost. Where does the other 93 per cent come from
and why don’t the media focus on that huge amount rather
than the pittance that we require as severance for making the
companies rich?
In Solidarity,
dave Millar
recordingsecretary@local707caw.ca