North Bay, ON – Fresh from a lengthy tour of the Maritimes, IAM Canadian GVP Stan Pickthall came back to Ontario for site visits at three IAM workplaces in the Gateway City of North Bay.

Almost every member of IAM Local Lodge 2412 got to meet and talk with Pickthall. “We did a day tour of Seymour Windows and talked with everyone on the day shift,” explained IAM Grand Lodge Representative Ralph Martin.

The site visits to the other IAM workplaces required 24 hour attention because of multiple shifts.

Atlas Copco, a manufacturer of air and gas compressors, diamond bits and drill rods used in the mining industry has two shifts, one day and one evening which required two visits so Pickthall could meet and talk to everyone. “The goal of these visits is to shake hands, meet our members and discuss their concerns,” said Pickthall. “It also gives me an opportunity to see for myself what a wide variety of products our members make.”

Boart Longyear is also involved in mining and exploration, manufacturing multiple lines of drilling equipment for core drilling surface coring, rotary drilling, directional drilling, sonic drilling and water supply drilling. “We visited with members on all three shifts,” said Martin. “We met with members over coffee at 1 in the morning and I think I surprised a few people on the overnight shift,” said Pickthall. “I might just be the last person they would expect to see at that hour of the morning but I wanted to impress upon them that they matter to their union.”

The tour also visited Fabrene Inc, which manufactures wide width coated and uncoated polyolefin products, such as housewraps, pool liners, interim landfill caps, lumber wraps, geo membranes and industrial packaging. “As you drive throughout Canada you see more and more of those membrane shelter covers for car ports, barn roofs and temporary garages and they’re manufactured by our members here in North Bay,” said Pickthall.

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Portraits of workers in the factory. Shallow DOF. Developed from RAW; retouched with special care and attention; Small amount of grain added for best final impression.16 bit Adobe RGB color profile.

October 7, 2017 will mark the 10th anniversary of the World Day for Decent Work, a day when unions around the world unite in action for decent work.
What is “decent work”?

Access for all workers to quality jobs, dignity, equality, and safe working conditions.
Putting workers at the centre of development and giving them a voice in what they do.
This year’s global focus is on struggles to win living minimum wages and a pay raise for all workers.

The Canadian Labour Congress has outlined steps Canada needs to take in a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau, outlining several steps the federal government can take to ensure better access to decent work at home and abroad.

“We need federal leadership on decent work, not just so that we improve work for Canadians, but so we can set an example for other countries too,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff.

What our federal government can do

Ensure the creation of high-quality jobs needed by millions of unemployed, underemployed, and precariously-employed workers in Canada.
Promote and uphold collective bargaining rights at home and abroad.

Restore the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, indexing it to wage growth, and bring back full employment as a primary policy target.

Create public employment programs for regions and populations with high unemployment or a high concentration of low-wage workers. That should include job creation programs for youth, Indigenous and Northern communities, newcomers to

Canada, Alberta and the Atlantic provinces;

Commit to long-term funding for high-quality, public, universal, affordable child care;
Adopt strong, proactive pay equity legislation incorporating the recommendations of the 2004 Pay Equity Task Force;

Use all available tools to eliminate discrimination in hiring, promotion, and pay, including strengthening the Employment Equity Act and the Federal Contractors Program;
Introduce paid sick leave and paid leave for victims of domestic violence for workers in the federal jurisdiction, and encourage provinces and territories to follow suit;

End the systematic violation of migrant workers’ rights by abolishing tied work permits and implementing a proactive compliance assessment and enforcement regime;
Promote fairness by tightening regulations on hours of work and scheduling;

Increase staffing, training and resources for federal employment standards and health and safety inspectors; and

Improve the Wage Earner Protection Program to better protect wages when employers go bankrupt or simply disappear.

Canada’s unions are also asking the federal government to promote decent work in global supply chains and the extractive sectors by:

Appointing a human rights ombudsperson to investigate how Canadian companies’ foreign operations impact human rights;

Introducing national due diligence legislation with a monitoring mechanism and an enforcement procedure for large companies.

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The Machinists Union of Manitoba celebrated this year’s Labour Day with the annual march, organized by the Winnipeg Labour Council and Manitoba Federation of Labour. After a loud and spirited march from Memorial Park to Central Park, union volunteers provided free hot dogs to community members at our Labour Day BBQ.

Winnipeg’s Labour Movement displayed strength in numbers at Winnipeg Labour Council’s annual May Day march this afternoon. Families, union members and rights activists marched in solidarity from City Hall to Market Square with a united message:

Protect the Natural and Human Environments!

Be sure to check out the May Works Program for the full month’s events!

IAM representatives will be meeting with Federal Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Minister Maryann Mihychuk on April 18 to discuss workers’ rights and benefits.

Local reps will be visiting the minister’s constituency office in Winnipeg.

For more information, or to join, contact Glenn Tomchak at (204) 979-1665 or Tony Didoshak (204) 771-9989.