bullpine bullpine - Steelworkers Local 1-417

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181 Vernon Ave. Kamloops, BC - 1-800-482-3459 - steelworkers1-417.ca
Fall 2014
Celebrating Labour Day 2014
Origins of Labour Day
Labour Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in Canada since the 1880s.
The origins of Labour Day in Canada can be traced back to December 1872 when a parade was
staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union's strike for a 58-hour work-week. The Toronto Trades Assembly (TTA) called it’s 27 unions to demonstrate in support of the Typographical
Union which had been on strike since March 25. George Brown, Canadian politician and editor of
the Toronto Globe, hit back at his striking employees, pressing police to charge the Typographical
Union with "conspiracy." Although the laws criminalizing union activity were outdated and had
already been abolished in Great Britain, they were still on the books in Canada and police arrested 24 leaders of the Typographical Union. Labour leaders decided to call another similar demonstration on September 3 to protest the arrests. Seven Unions marched in Ottawa, prompting a
promise by Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald to repeal the "barbarous" anti-union
laws. Parliament passed the Trade Union Act on June 14 the following year and soon all unions
were seeking a 54-hour work-week
KDLC Labour Day Picnic
On September 1st, Labour Day, our Local Union participated in The Kamloops and District Labour Council’s Labour Day Picnic at MacDonald Park on the North Shore. We set up a table with
information on the Westray Act and the Stop the Killing campaign as well as information on what
our Union does and who we represent.
The Labour Day Picnic was well attended by the public as well as by other Unions including the
HEU, CUPE, IUOE, Kamloops Thompson Teachers Association, and many more.
We believe the highlight of the day was the Dunk Tank our Local Union rented. For a small donation people had the opportunity to dunk Brothers Marty Gibbons, Shawn Harris, and Jordan
Lawrence.
Brother Shawn Harris gets dunked at the KDLC Labour Day Picnic
National Health and Safety Conference
On October 6th-8th, our Local Union sent delegates to
the Steelworkers National Health and Safety Conference in Toronto. The Conference was attended by well
over 250 delegates from across Canada as well as
guests from Peru and Mexico representing Los Dineros Union.
There were two panel discussions
on day one, the first focused on
the Steelworker Stop the Killing
Enforce the Law campaign. Companies can and should be held
criminally responsible for negligence resulting in injury or death
at the workplace. The second
was a great presentation on
workplace mental health issues.
Day 2 of the conference consisted of multiple workshops, including programs on committee effectiveness, incident investigations, mental health in the
workplace, harassment and a presentation on the
negative effects of behaviour based safety (blame
the worker models). With charismatic facilitators,
these workshops were well received by all members.
dents. The families spoke about the circumstances of
their loved ones passing and how their needless
deaths could have been prevented.
The “Stop the Killing:
Enforce the Law” initiative was the major
theme for the conference, I encourage everyone reading this to
watch the video at
www.stopthekilling.ca
Day 3 also re-introduced the Emergency Response
Team (ERT). The ERT is a specially trained group within
the Steelworkers that supports USW members and
their families in times of need arising from workplace
injuries or major incidents.
The Conference was a valuable experience for all attendees, a chance to network with other Health and
Safety advocates from other places and other industries. One thing was clear; even though we may work in
different fields, the similar issues we all face bind us
together.
Day 3 began with a panel of people from across Cana- Mike Iaccino
da who had family members perish in workplace acci- Safety Chairperson, Canoe Forest Products
Stop the Killing Enforce the Law Panel: Left to Right: Tammy Savinkoff (John Wilsons daughter), John Wilson was
killed at the Craigmont Mine near Merritt, BC on February 28, 2008; Brian Fitzpatrick, his son Sam was killed in
Toba Inlet February 22, 2008; Brianna and Wendy Fram, their brother/son Jordan was killed June 8, 2011 at
the Vale Mine in Sudbury. The panel was chaired by Pat Van Horne.
Local Union Safety Conference
The Local Union Safety Conference was held on September 27th at the Coast Hotel
and Conference Centre in Kamloops BC. As always, the theme of our Conference was
education. We offered two courses, Incident Investigation (facilitated by Brother Marty
Gibbons) and Health and Safety Part 1 (facilitated by Brother Pat McGregor).
Both courses were well attended by Safety Committee Members who were enthusiastic to learn and eager to make their workplaces safer for all workers.
Key Points from the Training
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The employer is required to investigate incidents with the participation of
a Union Committee Member.
The primary reason for conducting incident investigation is to prevent
reoccurrence, not to assign blame.
Any investigation that finds human error as the only root cause
is incomplete.
Four Health and Safety Rights:
 Right to Refuse Unsafe Work
 Right to Know about Hazards at Your Workplace
 Right to Participate in Health and Safety
 Right to be free from Reprisal
Marty Gibbons, President, Steelworkers 1-417
Do you know someone who needs a Union?
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Local 1-417 Stands with Teachers
Kamloops Teachers Protest Rally for BC
Premier with USW Support - By David
Komljenovic, President of Kamloops
Thompson Teachers Association
The Kamloops teachers organized and held
a rally outside of the Coast Kamloops Hotel
on September 17th and were supported by
members of United Steelworkers Local 1417 and other local unions.
Teachers were planning this event to “greet”
BC Premier Christy Clark and cabinet minisSteelworkers barbequing for teachers: From left to right; Local 1-425 President,
ters
who were having a luncheon at this loBrother Paul French; Brother Jordan Lawrence; Brother Warren Oja; from Local
1-423, Sister Katie Crane; Brother Marty Gibbons; Local 1-423 President, cation. The original location for the luncheon
was supposed to be at Thompson Rivers UniBrother Pat McGregor. Photo taken by Brother Shawn Harris
versity but shifted due to groups protesting.
Teachers intended on protesting due to the treatment at the bargaining table with government intent on forcing
teachers to give up our position in court on important improvements for students in public schools only a month
before the BC Court of Appeals would hear the case. On the eve of the event, teachers came to a tentative agreement with government which did not contain concessions that teachers were out on strike to have removed.
However, Kamloops teachers with the support of members from USW Local 1-417 continued to rally to thank
members of other unions and the public for their support throughout the strike.
This was the second to last day of the nearly three month strike by BC teachers and it was heartening to see
members of unions like United Steelworkers out in force to support us. USW Local 1-417 members arranged a
barbecue for our members which
was appreciated.
While the signed collective agreement ended a months long dispute
between teachers and the government, the rally and barbecue will
hopefully be the continuation of
strong relations between unions indicating the need for us to support
each other through our struggles
with governments and employers.
Rallying for the Teachers on the Overlander Bridge: From left to right:
1st Vice President, Shawn Harris; President, Marty Gibbons; Financial Secretary, Jordan
Lawrence