Canadian Labour Reporter

2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2019 Public sector deal ratifi ed in St. John's ST. JOHN'S — About 4,500 pub- lic sector workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Em- ployees (CUPE) ratified a contract on Dec. 14 with the Newfoundland and Labrador government, but that doesn't mean they are happy, said the union. After many months of bar- gaining, employees accepted the deal which contains zero wage increases and eliminates sever- ance packages, said CUPE. "Taking severance away from people who are retiring or who have to leave a job for any rea- son is downright shameful," said Dawn Learning, CUPE national representative. "It's hard enough for seniors to get by. Now people leaving the workforce will lose the financial support they used to count on as they transition to life without a paycheque," said Learning. Hardest hit by the action will be new hires, who will not only lose severance but will pay more for group-insurance benefits, said Learning. "We are very disappointed that this government has chosen to balance its books on the backs of workers," said Sherry Hillier, CUPE N.L. president. "Taking $25 million out of the pockets of retirees is not something to crow about," said Hillier The new agreement expires in 2020, said the union. Ontario Bell clerical workers sign contract TORONTO — Economic gains and contracting work into the bar- gaining unit characterize a new agreement ratified by 64 Unifor, Lo- cal 1996-O members working in a Bell clerical unit in Ontario. "Local 1996-O's clerical unit is the nerve centre for many of Bell Technical Solutions' op- erations," said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president. "I'm proud that they were able to achieve a new collective agreement that reverses job erosion." The new four-year agreement includes as much as a two-per- cent wage increase in each year. The agreement creates new full- time work and guarantees hours for part-time workers. Health- premium costs to workers will be reduced under the new con- tract and personal emergency leave will be protected, said the union. "Premier Doug Ford is making work in Ontario less safe and less stable. It was important to our bargaining committee that we do everything we could to protect workers' rights that are eroding elsewhere," said Lee Zommers, Local 1996-O president. B.C. casino workers negotiate deal BURNABY/NEW WESTMIN- STER, B.C. — On Dec. 12, more than 1,200 members of the BC Gov- ernment and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) working at Gate- way's Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby and Starlight Casino in New West- minster, both in B.C., voted to accept new collective agreements putting them among the highest paid casino workers in the province. "These workers stuck togeth- er to set the industry standard," said Paul Finch, union treasurer. The four-year contracts in- clude 15-per-cent increases over the life of the agreement with some of the lowest-paid workers receiving more than 20-per-cent increases, said the union. The contracts also include im- provements to sick leave, a bene- fits plan for part-time employees and a new process to deal with abuse from patrons, according to BCGEU. LABOUR BRIEFS FORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by omson Reuters Canada Ltd. Subscription rate: $599 per year Customer Service Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Email: customersupport.legaltaxcanada@tr.com Website: www.labour-reporter.com Director, Media Solutions, Canada Karen Lorimer Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Todd Humber Editor/Supervisor Sarah Dobson | (416) 649-7896 sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com News Editor John Dujay | (416) 298-5129 john.dujay@thomsonreuters.com Sales Manager Paul Burton | (416) 649-9928 paul.burton@thomsonreuters.com Marketing Co-ordinator Keith Fulford | (416) 649-9585 keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com Labour Reporter Canadian www.labour-reporter.com LABOUR LENS Photo: REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler Workers and Verdi Union members are seen during strike action at an Amazon logistics centre in Werne, Germany, on Dec. 17. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler © 2019 omson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. e publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. e analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either offi cial or unoffi cial policy of any governmental body. ISSN 0045-5113 Publications Registration 2089 Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications. Visit www.hrreporter.com for more information.

• Cover