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Ian Stewart photos
Art Lacroix, left, president
of the Schneider Office Employees' Association, and Doug
Butler,
a representative of the Canadian Auto Workers Local 1451,
wave their thanks
Friday to drivers honking support for picketers.
The CAW has offered to have members
join in any future picketing
planned by the SOEA.
15 March 2005
Company rejects bad-faith bargaining charges
Management still refuses to negotiate;
alters sick pay rules
Schneider
Officer Employees' Association | TNG
Canada Local 30009
Schneider Foods has proclaimed itself innocent
of all bad-faith bargaining charges levied against the company
by TNG Canada/CWA, but continues to refuse to negotiate with
its office staff.
At a meeting Monday at the Ontario Labour Relations Board,
the company would not immediately respond to an offer by
the Schneider Office Employees' Association to extend the
collective agreement by one year to Oct. 31, 2005.
Art Lacroix, president of the SOEA, says
the OLRB hearing officer advised the Schneider team to respond
to the contract extension offer and work out details prior
to the next meeting at the OLRB, scheduled for April 4.
The officer also identified the main concerns outlined in
the formal complaint, including:
- lack of information provided
to support bargaining;
- interference, including one-on-one
meetings with members, to break union solidarity;
- violation of statutory freeze
on benefit plan changes; and
- refusal to negotiate pay,
pension and benefits.
Meanwhile, SOEA members continue
a work-to-rule campaign started March 7 when both sides
moved into an "open" strike/lockout
position. The 170 members of the SOEA perform information
systems, information technology, administrative, finance
and clerical jobs at head office in Kitchener, Ont.
Despite a statutory freeze on changes to benefit plans,
Schneider Foods has begun to chip away at SOEA members' sick
leave. The company has introduced a third party to manage
health claims. Employees will now have their sick pay cut
off automatically after two weeks; pay is restored only upon
approval of a claim.
Lacroix says the OLRB officer suggested that the freeze
would prevent any further changes to benefits, but it was
unclear whether the company would be forced to abandon the
new rules regarding sick pay.
TNG Canada has launched an advocacy campaign
designed to pressure Schneider Foods and parent company Maple
Leaf to get back to the bargaining table. Guild members and
other Canadians who become members of the enM@SSE Action
Centre can send letters to the CEOs of Schneider Foods and
parent company Maple Leaf, urging them to be fair to their
workers in Kitchener.
Canadians can also call the Schneider Foods
Customer Service Centre toll-free at 1-800-567-1890 to voice
an opinion.
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