From: Subject: Date: To: ILWU Canada communicate@ilwu.ca Day of Mourning April 28, ILWU in Panama-eNews April 10, 2015 at 5:42 PM communicate@ilwu.ca April 10, 2015 Lower Mainland Pensioners' Elections Greetings, Election of Officers for 2015 Please be advised of the results of an election held at the April 2, 2015 meeting of the Vancouver Pensioners Organization: President---Tom Dufresne Vice President-Herb Howe Secretary Treasurer- Barry Campbell Outgoing Pensioner President Mike Marino Past officers, President Mike Marino and Vice President Len Meneghello, did not seek re- election and were thanked for their many years of service to the Pensioners Organization. TO RAISE WAGES IN PANAMA, DOCKERS JOIN A U.S. UNION By David Bacon ILWU Dispatcher PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (4/2/15) -- You see a lot of parked taxis in the parking lot at the Panama Ports terminal here. They're not waiting to give rides to longshoremen. Dockworkers themselves are the drivers. Longshore wages in Panama are so low that after a shift driving a crane, a longshoreman has to put in another shift driving a taxi, just to survive. At Panama Ports, however, this situation has begun to change. A few weeks ago the union signed a new contract with raises totaling more than 27% over the next four years. One factor that made this agreement possible was support from a U.S. union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. That agreement will have a big impact on the lives of longshoremen and their families. In Panama they call longshore pay "hunger wages." Workers' families live below the government's own poverty line, and some families literally go hungry. Click here to read full story at 'The Reality Check' Women on the Waterfront on Joy TV The Women on the Waterfront initiative is being featured on JoyTV's "Fraser Focus." Fraser Focus is a lower mainland local news program that focuses on the day-to-day news that occurs in our communities and is often missed by the mainstream media. This week's show features a number of women from our industry: Judy Radford, Checker Trainer; Jennifer Wilson, Checker and Labourer; and Brittney Hoolsema, a Labourer. All of these women are longshore workers from Local 502. As well, Ellie Marynuik, BCMEA Vice President Human Resources, speaks about efforts to include more women in the waterfront industry. The episode will run four more times, at the following hours: Friday, April 10 at 5:00pm. Saturday, April 11 at 9am. Sunday, April 12 at 4:00am, 6:30am & 11:30pm. Click here for Joy TV Click here to view the Women on the Waterfront video on Youtube. BC Federation of Labour General Mail Public information posted on our website at www.bcfed.ca Grant's Law Sit-in - April 10, 2015 National Day of Mourning - Tuesday, April 28, 2015 Fight for 15 May Day March & Rally - Friday - May 1, 2015 Public information posted on our website at www.bcfed.ca BC FORUM - Advocate Spring Edition 2015 http://www.bcforum.ca/THE%20ADVOCATE/advocatespring2015.html Current Disputes: http://bcfed.ca/disputes News Releases: http://bcfed.ca/news FIGHT FOR $15 Minimum Wage It is time to increase the minimum wage and address income inequality in BC. At $10.25/hr BC's minimum wage is one of the lowest in Canada. As the cost of living continues to go up, workers earning minimum wage cannot make ends meet. BC's minimum wage leaves full-time workers living below the poverty line. The BC Federation of Labour believes that work should lift you out of poverty. It's time for the BC government to increase the minimum wage so that nobody is left behind. Help us fight for $15/hr. It's only fair! May Day March and Rally Friday May 1st Click the image below to visit the Fight For $15 website. CLC joins national beer can boycott against Crown Holdings, Union members urged to buy their beer in bottles, not cans OTTAWA, Canada's central labour body is calling on workers across the country to join a nationwide boycott by buying their beer in bottles, not cans. The move backs a boycott launched by the United Steelworkers in support of 120 workers forced on strike in September 2013 by Crown Holdings, one of the world's largest beer can manufacturers. "We must not let this incredibly profitable multinational company - with a CEO making an average of $13 million a year - show such utter contempt for the very workers who have helped build its success," said CLC president Hassan Yussuff. Crown's Toronto facility has been unionized for over 25 years. Its workers have an average of 20 years of service to the company. Until now, the union and management enjoyed a stable relationship with only one six-week strike in 1995. The plant is one of the company's top producers in North America. In 2012 it received the "Plant of the Year Award" for outstanding "safety, productivity and budget management." Despite that success, Crown provoked a strike in 2013 by demanding that new hires would be paid 42 per cent less for doing the same work as current employees. When existing employees said no, Crown demanded all workers accept an across the board 33-per-cent wage cut. Crown has also vowed to keep replacement workers on the job even if a settlement is reached, meaning more than three quarters of the plant's current workforce would be laid off, making it clear the company is attempting to bust the union. On March 13 Ontario labour minister Kevin Flynn announced that mediator Morton Mitchnick had been appointed to conduct an industrial inquiry into the dispute. While that process unfolds, unions are stepping up pressure on the company to back down. "I salute these workers for refusing to succumb to this corporation's U.S.-style, union-busting agenda," said Yussuff. "We are asking all 54 of our affiliated member unions to ask their members to buy their beer in bottles, not cans." Crown's Toronto facility produces over 5 million beverage and food cans per day for customers such as Molson, Coors, Labatt, Budweiser, Moosehead and Creemore. Not included in this boycott are cans of Sleeman's or aluminum bottles of Coors, which are packaged at another unionized plant. For more information see bottlesnotcans.ca Working With Coal adds more stories Working With Coal adds more stories OUR STORIES British Columbia has been safely mining and transporting coal for more than 100 years. Click on the faces on this page and learn more about the industry from the British Columbians who make up our province's coal sector. More personal stories will continue to be added, featuring others along the supply chain. You may see some of your friends here. Click here to view the Working With Coal web page. Click here to read the Weekly Update from Resource Works Western Transportation Advisory Council WESTAC is a non-profit society of major transportation organizations in Western Canada represented by business, labour, and government decision-makers. The ILWU is a founding member and holds two positions on the Executive Board, one is ILWU Canada President Mark Gordienko and the other through the ILWU Affiliate in Saskatchewan the Grain Services Union General Secretary Hugh Wagner. Click here for the weekly information package we receive from Westac, with links to many interesting articles that relate to transportation. News in Review - April 4 to 10, 2015 *We Traveled Across China and Returned Terrified for the Economy *John Ivison: Supply management must go if Canada is to be a player in massive Trans-Pacific trade deal *A key to healing U.S. economy? Curbing currency manipulation *Southeast Asia should be on our economic radar *Shell-BG takeover will trim gas plans; Experts believe combined company will shelve one of two LNG projects *Piping ever more petroleum; The world will need increasing quantities of Canada's oil and gas National Post *Demand makes Arctic oil inevitable: Exxon; CEO talks about need to drill in north, the risks, and what was learned from Valdez *Toxic fuel spill in English Bay is wake-up call for port, says marine expert *Agriculture powers port expansion; Shipments of canola expected to increase by at least 25 per cent *Canada discontinues railroad penalties; US grain cars caught up *Road map gets it right for trucking; Paving the way: Infrastructure, highway improvements needed to stabilize a key provincial industry Disclaimer: These articles are not necessarily the opinions of either WESTAC or the ILWU. They are a sampling of topical reports on transportation issues only. Waterfront News Reminder The Waterfront News is the newsletter produced by ILWU Canada and mailed to members several times per year. The Dispatcher is the newsletter produced by our International Union and is also mailed to members several times per year. ILWU Canada keeps an address database for both of these, but we only receive addresses from the Locals or the Members directly. Copies of past editions of the Waterfront News are available here: Copies of past editions of the Dispatcher are available here: If you are a Member of the ILWU in Canada, or on the A or B boards in any of the Longshore Locals you are entitled to receive one or both of these. If you are not receiving it now you should contact your Local to make sure they have your current address. You can also send us an e-mail at communicate@ilwu.ca or phone us at 604-254-8141 to update us. 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