Dan D. Seguin photo CWA Canada Staff Rep David
Wilson, far right, has been helping the bargaining
committee in North Bay.
23 April 2007
North Bay negotiators might turn
to
conciliator for help
North Bay Newspaper Guild |
CWA
Canada Local 30241
Dan D. Seguin
Bargaining at the North
Bay Nugget might have
to continue with the help of a
conciliator after the employer
failed to address important issues
during three days of talks last
week.
Dan D. Seguin, president of the Local,
in a note to the membership, says the bargaining committee
was "very disappointed with the fact the employer
refused to deal with some of your key demands."
Although progress was made on some scheduling
concerns, job security and monetary proposals remain outstanding.
The 83 members of the Local work
in all departments of the Osprey Media-owned daily
newspaper. Their collective agreement expired on Dec.
31.
The employer, says Seguin, "refuses to address
our sick-leave concerns (unfairly penalizes really
sick employees), but rather proposes to further eviscerate
the standing formula from the current 100 per cent
for the first eight weeks to 90 per cent for the first
eight weeks or five sick days at 100 per cent with
the remaining 25 weeks at 80 per cent. The Local
has proposed the formula return to its original form
of 100 per cent for the entire short-term disability."
Management also refuses to address key issues such
as sick leave for part-time workers and language to
prohibit contracting out of jobs and work.
The company is offering general wage increases over
three years of 1.75, 1.5 and 1.5 per cent, whereas
the union is seeking 3.0, 2.75 and 2.5 per cent.
Vehicle allowance proposals would see the employer
paying 35 cents/kilometre in the first year, 36 and
38 in the second and third years. The Local is asking
for 43 cents a kilometre with a formula for fuel price
fluctations.
Seguin says other key proposals
seek to raise the classification rates for inserters
and mailers, the classified supervisor, and the inserter
operator supervisor. He
notes that some progress has been achieved with the
two supervisor classifications, but the employer’s
offer of 25 cents/hour in 2009 for the inserters and
mailers falls short of the Local’s proposal of
$3/hour. "This amount was unanimously supported
in their bargaining surveys. Representatives of
the Local’s bargaining committee will in the
immediate future meet with the mailers and inserters
for discussions."
Seguin says that, following the disappointing outcome
of negotiations from April 16 to 18, "the bargaining
committee will regroup, it will meet with the inserters
and mailers and others who are directly involved with
table issues, and at that time we will instruct our
chief negotiator to contact his counterpart for either
additional bilateral discussions or to proceed with
the involvement of a Ministry of Labour conciliator."
