Peter Moore's Blog (6)

When Toronto postal worker and CUPW member William MacNeill found he was not on the list of members eligible to be elected to the 2011 union convention, he complained to his local president. Apparently, he hadn't attended an obligatory meeting and that made him ineligible.

The president told him to bring it up at the next local meeting. But MacNeill didn't do that or raise it any other meeting.

Instead, he filed a…

The private security guards at the Immigration Prevention Centre unionized with the United Steelworkers on April 17, 2012. The Centre, run by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in Laval, Quebec, uses security guards from the Garda Security Group. The Centre holds people before they are deported from Canada.

The certification order, released by the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), gives the Steelworkers the right to represent all Garda Security guards working…

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) fended off a complaint by 76 of its members over losses they suffered as a result of a tentative agreement with Air Canada.

The tentative agreement itself was roundly rejected by union members shortly after. The workers' previous contract expired on March 31, 2011.

The workers who laid the complaint against the union include aircraft maintenance, baggage and cargo handlers, airplane…

In April 2012, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered a certification vote at the Vaughan, Ontario branch of the international transportation company, Vitran Express Canada.

Teamsters Local 938 had asked the board to reinstate a fired worker involved in the organizing campaign. Vitran responded by saying she was on probation and was fired for "performance issues." The Teamsters asked the board to certify the union by order, rather than by representation vote,…

On April 4, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board recognized the United Steelworkers as the union for security staff at a number of regional Quebec airports.

The employer, Securitas Transport Aviation Security Limited, did not object to the certification application. On August 8, 2011, Securitas won a five-year, $487.7 million contract on…

Workers should beware verbal agreements with bosses. The Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) refused to hear a health & safety complaint, reported the April 2012 Highlights bulletin. The reason given was that there had been a verbal settlement agreement and the employee's lawyer had cancelled the hearing. When the employee reviewed the written draft agreement, he disagreed with some of the terms and decided to get a new lawyer and schedule a new hearing. The Board ruled that the part…