Latest news with #BillC-58
Hamilton Spectator
13 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
DHL Express to suspend operations countrywide amid strike, lockout
DHL Express Canada plans to shut down operations across the country this week amid a strike and lockout involving 2,100 truck drivers and other workers, adding to turmoil in the parcel market. With the two sides at an impasse, the company said it will halt thousands of daily deliveries starting Friday — the same day that federal legislation banning replacement workers takes full effect. DHL will stop receiving inbound packages to Canada from abroad on Tuesday at 9 p.m., DHL said in an email. Spokeswoman Pamela Duque Rai pointed to stalled negotiations with Unifor and the legislation known as Bill C-58, 'which prohibits the use of replacement workers during industrial action,' she noted. On June 8, the German-owned carrier said it was rolling out a 'contingency plan' that allowed it to keep serving its more than 50,000 customers, which range from retailer Lululemon to e-commerce giants Shein and Temu. Duque Rai had said in an email at the time that DHL did not expect 'significant disruptions' to its service. Unifor, which represents DHL truck drivers, couriers and warehouse and call centre employees, had warned against any steps to supplant unionized workers with temporary ones, with president Lana Payne saying the move would impose a chill on contract talks. Last Friday, Unifor's bargaining committee said it had met with DHL Express Canada CEO Geoff Walsh, who stressed the possibility of a halt the following week. 'We will not be intimidated by the company's threats to disrupt service or shut down operations,' the committee said in a June 13 bulletin to members. The upcoming pause adds to the labour tumult in the parcel sector, as Canada Post remains at loggerheads with 55,000 workers amid strained negotiations and an overtime ban imposed by the union last month. Canada is not the only country struggling with falling mail volumes — a key factor in the impasse between the two sides — and DHL is among those feeling the pinch. In March it announced plans to cut 8,000 jobs in Germany this year, marking the largest set of layoffs in its home market in decades. Back in Canada, Duque Rai sought to frame the union's proposals as unreasonable. 'While we are committed to fair compensation for our employees, our position is that Unifor's demands — a 22 per cent salary increase for hourly employees, as well as a 42 per cent salary increase for owner-operators — do not reflect the current economic landscape and would jeopardize our operational viability,' she said. Payne said DHL has been seeking concessions since negotiations kicked off nearly a year ago. She highlighted a push by the company to change the pay model for owner-operators — roughly 500 independent contractors drive for DHL and also have union membership — in a way she claimed would reduce their compensation, not boost it. 'What we've seen over many months of bargaining are what I would say is an attempt to divide workers in classifications, pit one group against another, pit one region against another,' Payne said in a phone interview on June 8. A group of employers expressed concerns Tuesday about the effect of legislation passed under the previous Liberal government to ban replacement workers in federally regulated workplaces, pointing to DHL as the latest example of potential disruption. 'Canadians should prepare for more frequent and prolonged work stoppages that can impact supply chains, critical infrastructure and the broader economy,' said Daniel Safayeni, CEO of Federally Regulated Employers – Transportation and Communications, in a statement. The group called for a more 'balanced labour relations framework.' In contrast, labour groups have decried federal intervention in labour disputes over the past year, including strikes by railworkers, B.C. dockworkers and WestJet mechanics. Unifor has said its bargaining priorities with DHL revolve around wages, working conditions and surveillance and automation in the workplace. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2025.
Cision Canada
a day ago
- Cision Canada
New strikebreaker ban would have prevented deaths, carnage at infamous Giant mine
YELLOWKNIFE, NT, June 17, 2025 /CNW/ - The upcoming federal ban on using strikebreakers in labour disputes would have saved lives and untold hardship at the Giant gold mine, had the law been in place when an underground explosion killed nine miners in 1992, say the authors of a new edition of Dying For Gold: The True Story of the Giant Mine Murders. Canada's Parliament unanimously passed the "anti-scab" Bill C-58 in June 2024, despite strenuous objections from national business leaders and major corporations. It comes into effect on June 20, covering about a million workers with 22,350 employers. CN Rail subsidiary Autoport used strikebreakers in 2024 during Parliamentary hearings on the bill. "This has been a long time coming," says journalist Lee Selleck, co-author of Dying For Gold. "It is good to see lessons finally being learned. The lives, the personal costs, the trauma, and countless millions of tax dollars could have been saved." While the mine is closed for a massive environmental cleanup, the tragedy left lasting fractures in Yellowknife's community and beyond. Selleck and Francis Thompson deliver a riveting expose of one of Canada's most infamous industrial disputes and mass murders, events that have reverberated in the courts and media for decades as the victims' families struggled for compensation and justice. This aftermath is skillfully unveiled in the new edition, along with evidence that miner Roger Warren, convicted of the murders, did not actually commit the crime – wrapping up a story that was a National Business Book Award finalist in the original edition. Since then, Dying For Gold inspired CBC's award-winning 2022 podcast, Giant – Murder Underground, in which Selleck took part. He was also an advisor for Giant Mine, the CBC docudrama nominated for three Gemini Awards in 1998.
Business Upturn
a day ago
- Business
- Business Upturn
USW Local 1944 issues strike notice for Rogers technicians in Abbotsford
ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 1944 has issued a 72-hour strike notice at Rogers' operations in Abbotsford, B.C., with 25 technicians set to walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, June 19. The Abbotsford technicians perform the same work as their counterparts in Surrey and Vancouver, who are also members of the USW. However, the Abbotsford workers are currently paid approximately 9% less for doing identical jobs. 'Our members in Abbotsford deserve equal pay for equal work,' said Michael Phillips, President of USW Local 1944. 'It's unacceptable that Rogers continues to undervalue workers in smaller regions when they perform the same duties as their colleagues in larger centres.' The union is also seeking a contract term that would align the Abbotsford bargaining timeline with the rest of the Lower Mainland union groups. Currently, the Abbotsford group bargains separately as the smallest bargaining unit, a dynamic the union says has been exploited by the employer. 'Rogers has used the Abbotsford group's smaller size to isolate and pressure them,' said Jayson Little, USW Staff Representative. 'We're not going to allow our members to be bullied or divided. A synchronized bargaining schedule will strengthen their ability to stand together.' Unless an agreement is reached in the coming days, a strike will begin Thursday morning. The strike will be one of the first tests of the federal government's new anti-scab legislation, Bill C-58, which was passed to strengthen workers' rights in federally regulated industries including telecommunications. The law now prohibits employers from using replacement workers to perform the duties of striking or locked-out employees. 'Thanks to Bill C-58, Rogers won't be able to use scab labour, which will help level the playing field and protect the right of workers to bargain collectively without being undermined,' said Little. USW Local 1944 represents approximately 4,000 telecommunications workers across Canada, including technicians, call centre agents, clerical staff and other critical frontline and support roles that keep our country connected. About the United Steelworkers union The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union's strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions. For more information: Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944 President, [email protected], 604-818-7466 Jayson Little, USW Staff Representative, [email protected], 778-837-3584 Brett Barden, USW Communications, [email protected], 604-445-6956 Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
USW Local 1944 issues strike notice for Rogers technicians in Abbotsford
ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 1944 has issued a 72-hour strike notice at Rogers' operations in Abbotsford, B.C., with 25 technicians set to walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, June 19. The Abbotsford technicians perform the same work as their counterparts in Surrey and Vancouver, who are also members of the USW. However, the Abbotsford workers are currently paid approximately 9% less for doing identical jobs. 'Our members in Abbotsford deserve equal pay for equal work,' said Michael Phillips, President of USW Local 1944. 'It's unacceptable that Rogers continues to undervalue workers in smaller regions when they perform the same duties as their colleagues in larger centres.' The union is also seeking a contract term that would align the Abbotsford bargaining timeline with the rest of the Lower Mainland union groups. Currently, the Abbotsford group bargains separately as the smallest bargaining unit, a dynamic the union says has been exploited by the employer. 'Rogers has used the Abbotsford group's smaller size to isolate and pressure them,' said Jayson Little, USW Staff Representative. 'We're not going to allow our members to be bullied or divided. A synchronized bargaining schedule will strengthen their ability to stand together.' Unless an agreement is reached in the coming days, a strike will begin Thursday morning. The strike will be one of the first tests of the federal government's new anti-scab legislation, Bill C-58, which was passed to strengthen workers' rights in federally regulated industries including telecommunications. The law now prohibits employers from using replacement workers to perform the duties of striking or locked-out employees. 'Thanks to Bill C-58, Rogers won't be able to use scab labour, which will help level the playing field and protect the right of workers to bargain collectively without being undermined,' said Little. USW Local 1944 represents approximately 4,000 telecommunications workers across Canada, including technicians, call centre agents, clerical staff and other critical frontline and support roles that keep our country connected. About the United Steelworkers union The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union's strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions. For more information:Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944 President, 604-818-7466Jayson Little, USW Staff Representative, jlittle@ 778-837-3584Brett Barden, USW Communications, bbarden@ 604-445-6956Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
