Untitled Document

GENERAL TEAMSTERS, LOCAL UNION NO. 362
affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

As we are all aware, the global economy is in great distress, while it may have taken longer to feel the impact in Alberta, it has now affected the province drastically through the first five months of 2009. Without regulations, it seems that greed became the primary objective for some corporations, this combined with rampant banking mistakes and the drive for the highest returns for the shareholders pushed the world economy into a tailspin. It is difficult to comprehend as to how the government was oblivious to this problem. The past practice in America of allowing the markets to take care of themselves caused the system to implode, resulting in the deepest worldwide recession that has been seen in decades. We heard it said 9 months ago that when America gets a cold the rest of the world will get pneumonia. What a true statement that turned out to be. Thankfully, Canadian banks have much stricter regulations and therefore, while we definitely see and feel the effects of this recession, experts anticipate that Alberta should not suffer the same devastating effects we have seen in other provinces, and states in the U.S.

There are some positive signs of improvement, job losses are slowing and the stock markets and oil prices are rebounding to some extent. Many of the incentive projects being implemented by the Federal and Provincial Governments are construction related and should help return confidence once thousands of people are employed again and start spending money, stimulating the overall economy.

As we have been saying, if you are going to be anywhere, its good to be in Alberta as we have the best chance for recovery than anywhere else in the world. We feel Alberta will lead the way in economic recovery and once again become the province to aspire to.

Unfortunately the last few months have not been easy as most of our employers have been in our office requesting concessions of some sort. Most are mid-term in their Collective Agreements. Some are given the respect they deserve and others are not. Needless to say those affected in a manner that can’t wait will be notified. Many of the companies we deal with are national and internationally located, so although in Alberta the company may have prospered, it may have not performed well overall. Then you have what you see in the media day after day, some, just appear to be jumping on the band wagon. Other companies will go through the normal bargaining processes as always. It is interesting that not all industries are struggling, but we are working and looking forward to better times soon.

- Lafarge, Edmonton - Mediation dates have been scheduled
- Town of Millet - Memorandum of Agreement; rejected by Council
- B.F.I. - looking for wage freeze, in Mediation, 2 days scheduled
- Byers - proposals have been taken (meeting with Shop Stewards scheduled to discuss Health and Welfare)
- C.F.L. - proposals have been taken (Shop Steward's meeting set for July 19th, Calgary - to discuss Pension and Health and Welfare)
- 12 Men of Xmas - movie of the week, have signed agreement
- Olivers Arrow - shooting for three (3) weeks in December at Fortress Mountain
- Salvation Army - taking proposals week of June 29th
- Consolidated Fastfrate, Edmonton - taking proposals, waiting on court decision for Federal or Provincial certification
- Diversified Transportation, Fort McMurray - have scheduled meeting to take proposals this July 2nd; waiting for written proposals from Members
- Allied Systems - rejected a rollback 100% on the Prairies
- Fort McKay Trucking - agreed to extend contract for one year
- GARDA Fort McMurray - in conciliation; have new offer to vote
- GARDA Grande Prairie - have started negotiations
- BURNCO Calgary - meetings set for June 29th
- BURNCO Calgary Shop Employees - negotiations have started
- Jacobs, Clerical Staff - still in negotiations
- Spectrum Supply Chain - Alberta - Members voting on Memorandum of Agreement July 2nd
- TNT Logistix (CEVA) - in negotiations
- Intelcom Courier - in negotiations

It is well known the Teamsters are currently organizing a large drive with school bus drivers throughout Alberta and North America. We are currently working on First Student in the Calgary area as well as other parts of the province and are happy to report that both Grande Prairie and Peace River have voted to become Teamsters. Momentum is growing with the Teamsters in Edmonton organizing a large group of First Student employees.

In the US, the Teamsters have organized over 10,000 First Student workers and are closing in on 10,000 more Members already this year. This has been a huge push by the IBT in the last year for a large number of people working in the transportation industry that desperately need representation. After all they are hauling a very important commodity and have never been given the respect they deserve. To get more information regarding this group check out First Student Bus Drivers.

Fedex is another huge non-Union Company the Teamsters are working hard to organize and a lot of work has already gone into preparations for the pursuit of making Fedex a Union company. A recent legislative decision should make organizing this Company much easier in the future. Prior to this decision Fedex would have to have been organized as one unit in the entire US, which would have been almost impossible. This new legislative decision will give the Teamsters the right to organize in specific Locals or cities, making it possible to gain the momentum needed to eventually organize the entire Company. The Teamsters would like to thank the Obama Government in the U.S. for amending the regulations that only Fedex and the Railway had to abide by. Also, there have been a lot of cuts to the employees of Fedex recently. This new law is expected to pass in the Senate this Fall.

This and other organizing drives are so important for all those Teamsters working in related businesses to stay competitive and keep earning good wages and benefits.

Our organizers are also working on garbage truck drivers, the non-Union concrete suppliers, many freight companies, and are looking for leads all the time.

IF YOU OR ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY OR AQUAINTANCES NEED UNION REPRESENTATION, OR HAVE ANY INFORMATION OR CONTACTS AT THE ABOVE COMPANIES PLEASE CONTACT OUR ORGANIZING DEPARTMENT.

REMEMBER THE MORE COMPANIES THAT ARE UNIONIZED THE BETTER THE CONTRACTS WE CAN ACHIEVE FOR ALL. THIS IS ALL OUR RESPONSIBILITY.

A Level 2 Shop Steward Seminar was held in Edmonton on June 6 & 7. The course was beneficial to all who attended. To access more information regarding shop stewards and a Shop Steward's Manual please check out Shop Stewards.

In March your representatives attended Small Package Division meetings pertaining to UPS and Purolater. These are national meetings where many topics are discussed by both the employer and the Union's reps from across the country. UPS and Purolater reported they are in good shape but have had to make adjustments to ensure their positive future. Some of these adjustments included adding proper staffing so that the need for overtime was limited and watching costs where necessary. Unfortunately, due to the ability of adding staff, the bonus system for UPS employees was terminated.

At these same meetings our freight industry was discussed at great length and the management of Yellow Roadway Corporation gave a presentation on the state of the Company.

In Canada, Yellow Roadway Corporation is known as Reimer and although the Company has prospered here, the parent Company has encountered major financial issues. Most of Local 362's freight companies will be in negotiations by the end of the year.

The Armored Car Division was also discussed and while there were issues with crew requirements in some areas of the country which the Local's are working on, these companies appear to be fairing well and do not have the financial concerns that some of our other industries are facing.

In May some of the Locals Delegates attended the Unity Conference in Las Vegas. This conference is a fundraiser for the IBT Scholarship Fund and General President Hoffa arranges numerous educational and strategy meetings, with some very impressive speakers. The Joint Council meeting was well attended by the majority of Joint Council Presidents. The major topics were First Student and Fedex and it was reported that the Joint Councils were doing everything they could to facilitate organizing these companies. 43,000 new members joined the Teamsters in 2008 through the organizing efforts.

In the open meetings the list of speakers was lengthy. The theme once again was First Student and Fedex. Many rank and file employees of these companies commented on their personal sacrifice in trying to organize for the greater good of all.

There was also much discussion with numerous speakers regarding the EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT (EFCA). This is new legislation which the Obama administration is trying to implement into law. Basically it is similar to Canada’s Federal legislation whereby if a Union signs up 50% plus 1, the Union obtains certification to represent the employees of that Company. The current law in the U.S. is like the law in Alberta where even if the Union signs up 100% of the employees, there is still another vote several weeks later and the employer has this time to intimidate their employees to vote against joining the Union. The difference in the success of these different types of organizing applications is vast . The Teamsters are doing everything they can to help the Obama administration get this new act passed. If this act is passed, it will make a huge difference in the ability of all Unions to organize and hopefully bring back an increase in Union density in the US and Canada.

The Teamsters are still fighting the battle of Mexican trucks having the right to haul goods in the United States and progress is being made regarding this issue but it was recently reported that Mexico is filing a lawsuit to fight the restriction. As you all know, if this is allowed it will only weaken the freight industry in both the US and Canada, as well as make our roads unsafe for the general public.

Some of the political guest speakers who covered a wide variety of issues were Vice President Joe Biden (who spoke by video); Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis; Maxine Waters, Democratic Member of the House of Representatives from California, and Attorney General of New York Andrew Cuomo . All were appalled at the financial crisis created by the lack of proper regulations and the greed of some companies. They discussed supporting the EFCA, and the improper classification of employees where they call an employee a business so they can avoid paying the payroll types of taxes. Also discussed was the need for better basic health care, the U.S. stimulus package and the hope that it will put 4,000,000 people back to work and create new green jobs that will remain American.

Brothers Porter and Eichel attended the National Movie Division meetings hosted by Movie Division Director Leo Reed from Local 399 California. The meeting was well attended and the main topic was moving toward a National U.S. contract for our members that work in this industry. Maintaining area standards has been a long running issue and the National contract would aid in benefiting members as well as stopping production companies from playing one against the other. History shows that when the economy is slow the movie business does well. Brother Porter gave a report on the current negotiations in B.C. with the Council of Film Unions that he participated in as well as upcoming productions in B.C. and Alberta. Our American counterparts are fighting hard to keep as many productions as possible in the U.S. and have been very successful in their quest. We always reinforce that when a production does ‘run away’ at least if it is filmed in B.C. or Alberta it is done with Teamster Members. Unfortunately the other Provinces have not been able to assert our traditional jurisdiction in this fast paced, and mega dollar industry. Our thanks again to Leo Reed, his Officers and Staff for their assistance over the years.

Local 362 along with all but 2 locals of the Building Trades of Alberta (BTA) deferred a wage increase this spring. The deferral came down to taking half of the May 1/09 increase and moving it to be reinstated Nov. 1/09.This was not an easy decision and many discussions between the owners and BTA Unions took place. As you may or may not be aware one of our labour competitors, CLAC, forgoed their entire 6.5 percent increase with no date of return. The BTA Union's objective was to make some friends in the owner community for upcoming work. While discussions ensued several projects either canceled or be delayed. Although we did not receive firm commitments for upcoming work we still believe the right decision was made. Local 362’s goal was to have everyone on the same page and working towards the same standard. The worse thing that could happen is the Unions giving different concessions which would have made the future difficult for all to recover. The Plumbers, Boilermakers, Electricians and Carpenter Unions worked extensively with the owners and employer associations and reported back to the rest of the trades on a regular basis which formulated this initiative. We thank those members that came to the information meetings and everyone for their understanding and support.

The Local is working on programs that will help give Unions a positive image in the oil and construction industry. The Rapid Site Access Program is one such program that Local 362 is currently involved with. This is a VOULUNTARY program where if a member volunteers they can pre-register and when they take a dispatch will not have to undergo a pre-employ test. The member will be put on a random test program while working. The benefit of this is that the random test is not a urine test which only indicates if a substance has been in your system for up to 30 days but an oral swab test that shows if a person has used a banned substance in the last 12 to 20 hours. This is the closest we have come to an impairment type of test as opposed to lifestyle or recreational use. There will be qualified speakers at the next Edmonton General Meeting on Tuesday, September 8th at 10:00am and 7:00pm, and at the September Construction Dispatch Rules meeting to discuss the program and tests.

The Local has also formed a small committee to draft a Code of Conduct. There have been numerous requests and much discussion from members in the past year regarding such a code. We have a general outline of items for this code but we would like to hear your comments, please do not hesitate to contact your Business Agent or Officer of the Local. We will be working on this over the summer and hope to bring a document to present to the membership at the September Construction Dispatch Rules meeting.

We have recently commenced jurisdictional discussions with the IBEW with the hope of coming to a mutual agreement. Interesting enough at our first meeting both Unions had the same complaints from their members, both Unions are now putting in order all of the jurisdictional authorities to be debated in the next set of meetings. The process and outcome of these discussions will be reported at meetings and on our web updates.

At the May Building Trades of Alberta (BTA) Executive Board meeting both Brian Mason, Leader of the Alberta New Democrats and David Swann Leader of Alberta Liberals spoke on issues that pertained to working Albertans. The export of bitumen being the timely issue, both spoke on how the Conservative Government may not be living up to the model Premier Stelmach used in the last election campaign. The Premier stated that shipping bitumen to America would be like stripping the top soil off the farm and not being able to grow a crop after. We know that some bitumen has been promised to go south as refineries are under construction in the Illinois area, but a bigger concern is, where it will end. Something many Albertans may not be aware of is, according to the Free Trade Act, once an amount is committed for shipment we cannot stop and put it back in our economy. This is very serious as many Alberta jobs will be lost in the construction, maintenance and production of these facilities. These are jobs that pay well in addition to having benefits and to lose them may hinder our economic recovery. The Teamsters with the BTA will be lobbying the Government extensively on this issue.

The other issue both gentlemen spoke passionately about was the troubling state and dismantling of the health care system in Alberta. David Swann is also a Doctor and sees first hand how changes to the system do not seem to be working. This dismantling is going on in a slow and deliberate manner. Both men feel that when the Conservatives were trying to make changes a few years ago, they weren’t successful as they held round table meetings with Albertans and were told not to make changes or alter our type of system. They learned a lesson, don’t talk about it just do it. This is a concern to all.

Training - For the second year our Local participated with the Operating Engineers and the Labourers in a Pipeline Training School out in Thorhild. Our training focused on the introduction to lowboy and the loading and unloading of equipment and stringing. Some of the courses held this year include: Log Book. Load Securement, Dangerous Goods, Rough Terrain Forklift, Toolhound and Warehouse Testing.

The Movie Division at Teamsters Local 362 is having a slow start to 2009 compared to past years. At present, the only production which is shooting is “Heartland”. “Heartland” is an episodic production which is filming on behalf of Seven24Films and the CBC. This production currently employs as many as 23 Teamster Members and will continue filming until mid December 2009.

The Local has two projects in pre-production which are slated to be filmed in the Calgary area, the first is “12 Men of Chistmas” from Fox/Lifetime, this would be a 20 day production starting in late June. The second is a low budget feature for Gynormus Pictures, this project is scheduled to shoot for 28 days and wrap on July 28, 2009.

In addition to these productions, there are numerous projects in various stages of scouting across Alberta. However, the increasing strength of the Canadian Dollar will definitely have an impact on whether these projects will ultimately be filmed in Alberta or even anywhere in Canada.

The Alberta Motion Picture Unions, through our association AAMPTU has met with the Honorable Lindsay Blackett, Minister of Culture and Community Spirit regarding the state of the movie industry. One of the items discussed was the possibility of a tax credit, which would enable the industry to compete on a level playing field with other jurisdictions. Most Canadian Provinces and forty-two US States offer these types of incentives. Alberta has a Production Grant system, which provides significant incentives to lower budget productions, but does not enable us to compete on productions above approximately $16,000,000.00. These larger budget productions employ a substantial number of crew which in turn builds the infrastructure which is crucial for the lower budget Canadian indigenous productions.

We would like to thank Al Porter and the Local Union’s Movie Committee which consists of the following members:

Ed Washington	Max Radford	Tim Blair	Tyler Miller
Alfie Creighton	Rae Slater	Bruce McGregor	Vance Wagner
Dwight Beard	Cody Klepper	Jim Barbaro	Lori Lynn Miller
Randy Zacaruk	Tom Baird	Pavel Lidmila	Dave Vernerey

Their assistance, guidance and wisdom and the contribution of their time is invaluable to the Local.

2009 Retirees: Russ Oylynk (Pipeline 40 years), Stan Pszyk (Construction 34 years) - Retirees

2009 Truck Events: Pipeline Training School, Teamster's Golf Tournament, HSBC Marathon, Bieseker Sport Days, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, AMTA Truck Rodeo, Loops for Troops and Brianne's School Run. For more information regarding the truck and upcoming events check our Events.