For Immediate Release — October 13th, 2019
Staff of Canadian Labour Congress Reject Employer Offer
CLC EMPLOYEES TO STRIKE TUESDAY MORNING
OTTAWA — After nearly two years of ongoing negotiations with their employer following the expiry of their Collective Agreement on June 30th 2017, members of the Canadian Union of Labour Representatives (IAMAW Local Lodge 3111 CULR), which represents the majority of staff at the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) in offices from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador, have overwhelmingly rejected the most recent offer from the employer and will begin strike action at all offices of the Canadian Labour Congress at 12:01am on Tuesday October 15th.
The primary outstanding issues of importance to IAMAW Local Lodge 3111 CULR members are the employer’s desire to unilaterally impose a significant non-monetary concession on language of an Anti-Harassment Policy within the existing Collective Agreement, as well as terms of the employee’s defined benefit pension plan and modest wage improvements to keep pace with inflation.
The employer has tabled language to eradicate a provision within the Anti-Harassment Policy which ensures that a complainant/survivor in a harassment issue has meaningful and effective determination on whether a harassment complaint is referred to an outside third party for investigation.
Staff at the Canadian Labour Congress have suffered since 2011 substantial erosions and reductions in the terms of the pension plan to which both employees and the employer jointly contribute.
“Since 2011, workers at the CLC have suffered significant reductions in the accrual rate of the pension plan, have been forced to contribute nine weeks of deferred salary / severance into the plan since that time, have increased employees payroll contribution rate by nearly 30%, and have a ‘cap’ on their pensionable earnings that falls far below the actual earnings of the majority of the staff”, said IAMAW Special Representative Neil Giroux.
“Every day, the CLC staff work hard towards gaining fairness, respect and dignity for both unionized and non-union workers across Canada”, says IAMAW District 78 Business Representative Jim Snider. “They deserve to be treated with the same level of fairness and respect for which they advocate each day for all workers as part of their jobs. This strike is resolvable, and the members and their Bargaining Committee are asking the employer to come back to the table to settle outstanding issues in good faith.”
