On December 27/06 CAW Local 199 along with CAW Locals 676, 523 and 275 will host our annual community dinner. For further details please contact Mark Roy at 905-682-2611 or Roy York at 905-641-6559.
As this will be our last publication before the New Year, on behalf of my family and me, we extend to all of you the spirit of the season and the hopes for a prosperous New Year. Solidarity Forever.
CAW Local 199 = Community Commitment
OCTOBER 2006 ISSUE
Seems hard to believe that the summer of 2006 has come and gone. I hope you all had a safe, fun filled vacation period visiting with friends and family.
From August 15-18 I had the privelege of attending the CAW 8th Constitutional Convention in Vancouver as a delegate on your behalf. As is the practice of constitutional conventions they are theme oriented. This years theme was “Making a Difference.” The theme reflects on our unions commitment to social unionism. We were all reminded of the CAW’s ongoing pursuit of creating healthy, vibrant communities as well as our determination to maintain and build better workplaces.
During Brother Hargrove’s opening address, he spoke on a broad range of issues facing working people from foreign crisis’ in the Middle East and Europe to domestic challenges in all sectors of our Company. Hargrove took direct shot at Stephen Harper for snubbing the HIV/AIDS conference in Toronto and then lambasted his government’s attempts to bring in a Canada/Korea Free Trade Agreement. Our President challenged our Politicians at all levels. To stand up for Canadian Sovereignty. He then cited a number of corporate iniatives such as Inco’s repeated attempts to sell-off to foreign interests and our Nation’s Capital for ignoring bombardier of Thunder Bay in favor of a Chinese Corporation to build new subway cars for the City of Ottawa. The true purpose of the constitutional convention is the election of our National President and Financial Secretary Treasurer and CAW TCA Quebec Director. To no ones surprise Buzz Hargrove, Jim O’Neil and Luc Desnoyers were all acclaimed to new 3-year term as the top elected positions within our Union.
I along with most of our delegates look forward to working with the established leadership. We also are looking around the top Leadership as to who will take over at the next Cnstitutional Convention. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. With the vast number of issues and concerns facing our Union moving forward, choosing our next top leaders will be highly contentious and, I for one look forward to the challenge. Stay tuned this will be very interesting to watch.
Staying on the social unionism aspect here locally, CAW Local 199 remains at the forefront of building a strong community presence. I urge you all to take a look at what’s happening at 151 King St. St. Catharines. Your Local Union in concert with Bethlehem projects is in the midst of constructing a 40 unit affordable housing project.. To date CAW Local volunteers have donated their time to help offset costs and give back to our Community in a way that money cannot do. We urge all our members to participate in this venture. I can tell you from experience how fulfilling it is to become part of this project. For further info on the Bethlehem Project please contact the Community Services Committee or myself.
See you next time. Solidarity Forever.
JUNE 2006 ISSUE
I will begin this month’s column by discussing our union’s campaign opposing the proposed Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement. You would think our federal government would be a little gun shy when it comes to NAFTA type trade agreements, but NO! In fact our government is aiming to reach a comprehensive free trade agreement with Korea based on the NAFTA model before the end of 2006.
We at Local 199 must resist this agreement in the strongest possible terms. The sense of urgency on this issue cannot be downplayed. Plain and simple a Canada-Korea free trade agreement is clearly not in our best interests. For example Canadian bilateral trade deficit with Korea has averaged $3 billion I recent years resulting in the loss of 15,000 jobs. Or to put it another way, in 2005 Canada imported 130,000 vehicles from Korea yet we sold only 400 to Korea.
With a free trade agreement this will only get worse and will not only threaten the auto sector but ultimately create havoc in mainstay Canadian industries like steel and ship building.
Our campaign is well under way we are circulating a petition to be presented on June 29/06 in Ottawa. Our Local Union is committed to meet with the 5 area MPs to lobby for their support. We have targeted 25 local businesses to send letters to their MPs supporting the CAW in canceling the Free Trade Talks with Korea. As well we will meet with city councils and regional council seeking their endorsement of our campaign. We can all do our part in the campaign by signing and circulating the petitions provided and returning them ASAP to myself. Further we can all write letters to the editor of our local and national newspaper. I can provide all the necessary material to accomplish these tasks. We urge all our members to not ignore this campaign. Our jobs and communities depend on your participation.
As we move into the summer vacation period I wish you all happy healthy holidays.
Solidarity Forever.
APRIL 2006 ISSUE
Many of you will recall that for the past several years, our local union and Bethlehem Projects have been working together in an effort to create more affordable housing here in St. Catharines.
After countless meetings, hurdles, and hoops we appear to be on track to build a 40 unit complex at 151 James St. As it stands now contractors are to begin construction by April of this year. Our commitment to the project will be to provide some of the labour required for such things as dry walling, painting, hanging doors, etc. It is our hope to perform these tasks in the early part of 2006.
All of the work we will be required to do will be done strictly on a volunteer basis in much the same manner as how “Habitat for Humanity” operates.
So between now and the fall we are asking all of our members to consider volunteering service of their time to this most worthy project.
We know from past experience how generous our membership can be when called upon to make financial contributions when disasters strike or in trying to assist those less fortunate than ourselves. In this case we thought we would try something different. Often as in the case of natural disasters after the spotlight has shifted to some other catastrophe we tend to forget about our contribution and move on.
It is our hope that by our hands-on approach with the Bethlehem Project we will build a permanent reminder to ourselves and the broader community what kind of membership we have here at Local 199. Join our vision, lets show St. Catharines that the CAW is truly committed to our community. For any inquiries about the project please contact myself or Malcolm Allen.
SOLIDARITY FOREVER!
FEBRUARY 2006 ISSUE
On December 27, 2005, our Local Union in concert with CAW Local’s 676, 275 and 523 hosted our 7th annual community dinner. Judging from the response from our guests, I would have to say that this years’ addition was an unqualified success. By our count, over 600 folks partook in the holiday festivities. An undertaking of a project of this size does not just happen, an awful lot of planning and preparation must occur before hand in order to pull this kind of event off. It is this kind of commitment from all our volunteers that I am most grateful for.
Roy York and myself thank all of you who helped us again this year. Special mention goes to our hall manager Linda Johnston, cook Ben Mandley and of course Percy. The local union executive board for their continued support for this event, Local 676 organizer Hugh McDonald and the executive board’s from the other 3 local unions.
St. Catharines & Niagara Falls Transit for once again providing transportation to and from our guests, Mark Osborne and Marty Allen for putting together an ad hoc jam session which provided the musical interlude and Doris Maxwell and the rest of the community services committee. You all did an outstanding job. We hope to see you all next year.
As we move into 2006, I join with my family in wishing all our members a healthy and prosperous new year.
Solidarity forever.
OCTOBER 2005 ISSUE
Does anyone remember a summer like we just experienced? The weather could not have been better. I hope you all enjoyed those hot and humid days, as I have a feeling we’re going to pay for it in the months ahead.
During the past several months I have had the privilege of representing you at the CLC Convention in Montreal this past June and again at the CAW 20th Anniversary celebrations and bargaining convention in Toronto in early July.
The CLC convention’s theme this year was “Unions make a difference in peoples lives.” For the most part the leadership instilled upon the delegates the need for the labour movement in Canada to reflect on the past and build for the future. Unions are not a thing of the past quite the contrary. As governments and corporations restructure, globalize and down load. Working people are forced to endure lower wages, part time employment, less benefits and a revolving door of uncertainty.
Unions and Labour Councils need to focus on this reality in order to ensure the survival of our movement. Our task as leadership is to reach out to the disadvantaged, the under-employed, the elderly and most importantly the young, or those just entering the workforce.
What the labour movement is doing with Wal Mart is an example of what the union needs to be doing as we move forward. At the CAW bargaining convention we celebrated 20 years since the birth of our union. During Brother Hargrove’s opening remarks, he asked all delegates who were not members of UAW prior to 1985 to stand up. It was remarkable to see over two-thirds of the 1500 delegates stand up. Our union has almost tripled in size since our founding 20 years ago, that is an amazing achievement given the way capital and the neo-liberal agenda have been attacking workers and workers rights for the past 20 years.
While other unions fade, our union continues to grow and prosper. Which is a tribute to our leaders but more importantly it is a testament of our members. Without the resolve of our members there would be no gains and no future.
As we move into bargaining with the big 3 in September our union will face some very challenging issues to be sure. However with our bargaining teams in place and the resources of our national union along with determination of our membership we will reach an agreement with GM that will serve us all well.
Solidarity Forever.
APRIL 2004 ISSUE
March 26, 2004 the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice will ask fellow Ontarians to join with them for a province wide lobby day.
One only has to pick up a newspaper to realize that the newly elected liberals are backing away from most of their pre-election promises. Why?
Dalton McGinty’s are quick to point the finger at 8 years of Tory rule and how they have been left with a $5.6 billion deficit. This argument when looked at closely does not hold up. While the liberals were in opposition, they clearly understood that years of tax cuts had put the provinces’ finances in peril. On many occasions they were quite vocal on this both in the “House” and in the press. When the Tories released their “Magna Budget”, the McGinty Liberals joined many experts in condemning it and knew it was flawed and based on bad accounting. In short, they knew there was a financial crisis looming. The $5.6 billion deficit was no surprise.
In the October election, Ontarians voted for change and handed the Liberals a majority government. They campaigned for a strong health care system, reasonable class sizes, safe water, accessible post secondary education, affordable housing and a social assistance system that ensures no one has to choose between the rent or eating. Instead of complaining about a deficit they knew about, they should be figuring ways to increase government revenues. After years of slash and cut policies that by and large benefited the rich, the time has come to demand the changes Ontarians voted for in October.
We need to lobby MPPs of all stripes for the government to raise taxes to the levels they were prior to the Tory tax cuts. In 2002-03 alone, the government lost $11.9 billion in revenue. Corporate taxes could be increased to 2000 levels. Businesses in Ontario benefit hugely from our health care system. Why not increase the employee health tax?
Despite the rhetoric, there are options available at present they choose to ignore. Without revenue increases, we will face longer waits for MRI’s, more crowded classrooms and of course, more of us on the streets with no place to call home.
Join with the OCSJ and send your MPP a little send emails letter to the editor. We need to tell them we expect the government to find ways of increasing public services, not the opposite. Don’t let the Liberals short change us.
Solidarity forever.
FEBRUARY 2004 ISSUE
Happy New Year Brothers and Sisters. I hope that you all enjoyed the holiday season and may we all have a healthy & prosperous 2004.
On December 27th, your local union as well as CAW Locals 676, 523 and 275 hosted our 5th Annual Community Dinner. For the second year in a row, we served well over 600 guests. The next time you hear a politician talk about the 1,000’s of jobs his or her government have created, ask them where. Further, what jobs they have created. Are of the “McJob” variety as witnessed by the vast majority of those who partook of our hospitality on the 27th. As I spoke with some of our guests, I was somewhat surprised to find that many of them were working 2 and 3 jobs at minimum wage. Although for those of us who are fortunate enough to have well paying jobs, a growing number of the citizens are forced to take any job at all regardless of what it pays. It’s imperative that our elected leaders take this issue on. Honest hard working people are barely surviving and CEO’s make ridiculously high salaries, grind every nickel out of their firms then walk away with absurd buyout packages. Something has to give and when it does, those rich bastards will wish they had been a bit more generous to those who actually worked to create the wealth in the first place. Anyway, back to dinner. I want to thank all those who gave of their time for the day. I thank the many suppliers who donated goods and services. I thank the band who entertained us for the day. I thank the Executive Board who have allowed us to organize this event year after year. And a special thank you to our hall manager, Linda Johnston and our cook, Ben Mandley for without them, our community dinner would never have taken place.
And to you Les Bartley, stay positive & get well soon.
Solidarity forever.
DECEMBER 2003 ISSUE
JUNE 2003 ISSUE
You may recall that several months ago, I mentioned that Local 199 partnered with several local agencies in an effort to provide affordable housing to those in need around the St. Catharines area.
To date, we continue to explore the possibilities. The first two sites that we have targeted unfortunately did not work out. The first site, which had the most potential (Stokes Seeds on James St.) became unavailable as it was sold to developers. The second building we had targeted was deemed unacceptable when an engineer and architect had a look at the inside of the facility. The structural repairs and renovations would have made the costs prohibitive for our purpose.
Although we are disappointed in the fact these sites did not work out. We are continuing the search for a suitable piece of property.
From the burocratic side of this project we seem to be doing very well. Bethlehem House has agreed to provide the managerial staff to run the facility which is a very big plus for us.
Various government agencies have stepped up to the plate to provide funding including the federal government. In fact, discussions of this project has reached the ears of Claudette Bradshaw who is the federal Minister of Labour and the chair of Federal Action Plan on Homelessness. On July 10th, the Minister has requested a meeting with our committee because of its unique approach to the issue. Nowhere else in Canada has a coalition of this sort been attempted. As we move forward with this initiative, we will continue to keep you abreast of the situation. When the time comes to put this project in motion your input will be invaluable. We are going to require volunteers of all kinds from pipe fitters to drywallers. We have the opportunity through our collective efforts to show St. Catharines and the rest of the country that the CAW Local 199 membership is truly committed to building a vibrant productive community. Stay tuned for further details as they become available.
As we move into the vacation period, I hope you all have a great summer with family and friends. Just remember, “be careful out there”. See you in September.
Solidarity forever.
APRIL 2003 ISSUE
Walking together with people to make our community a better place to live and prosper. It’s a proud tradition of Local 199. Throughout our history, 199 has participated in a number of community projects. Through our financial support, we have helped to fund such projects as: the construction of Brock University Medical Building, FAC facility, etc. Our money has been directed to help purchase medical equipment like CAT scans and MRI’s. Our direct contributions to organizations like Community Care and the United Way are the highlights of their respective fundraising drives.
The membership of Local 199 has never been shy with the coin as long as it was for a good cause. We should be proud of this and continue to practice indefinitely.
CAW, Local199 now has the opportunity to contribute to our community in a far more significant manner.
If all goes well in the next several weeks, Local 199 will partner with the City of St. Catharines, Human Resources Development Corporation, Opportunities Niagara, Niagara Homelessness committee and others to renovate/remodel a suitable property(s) in St. Catharines which would help to address the chronic housing problems for those in poverty and the working poor.
We propose that Caw, Local 199 provide the labour and services in kind for the project. CAW, Local 199 would have no financial liability, however, we would be full partner pertaining to the project. Further, Local 199 would maintain an active role in the partnership by means of seats on the governance board.
The partners also agree to the CAW philosophical position that this initiative would not be a profit driven enterprise. The facility would operate on a co-op type business model. With an organization perhaps Bethlehem House overseeing the day-to-day operations.
There are currently two (2) building here in St. Catharines that we have targeted as ideal for our purposes.
It is now time to put up or shut up. This project does not fly without each and everyone of us from Local 199.
Before we commit to such an exciting project, we will need to be certain we can commit to provide the labour.
Currently, we are looking at Habitat for Humanity type scenario to form our labour pool but we’re open to ideas. In the next few weeks meetings will be held with all of our Standing Committees and of course, our very talented Retirees Chapter and rank and file.
Before we embark on this adventure, we will need to make absolutely sure the necessary labour pool exists.
I encourage you all to think about this proposal. There will be a tremendous amount of work involved with this should we proceed. However, the benefits such a facility would bring to our community would be enormous. Working people working together to build a community where we can all grow and prosper.
Watch the bulletin boards for future updates. At present, please direct all your questions and comments to myself and Roy York from the Community Services Committee.
Solidarity forever.
DECEMBER 2006 ISSUE 
