Canadian Labour Reporter

MARCH 3, 2014 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 About 8,000 social services staffers ink new deal with B.C. government VANCOUVER — Social services staff in British Columbia can look forward to a wage hike after signing a new con- tract with the government. On Feb. 19, the British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU), alongside the Nation- al Union of Public and General Em- ployees (NUPGE) signed a five-year collective agreement with the province on behalf of about 8,000 social servic- es employees, such as those who work with at-risk youth, vulnerable families and individuals, women, Aboriginals and children. As part of the deal, staff will get an 11.5 per cent wage increase, improve- ments to health benefits (particularly vision care), and increases to mileage and meal allowance reimbursements. The contract also maintains job secu- rity provisions and introduces an eco- nomic stability dividend for four of the five years of the agreement, which may provide further wage improve- ments. "Every day, the caring professionals in community living, family services and the entire community social ser- vices sector support the most vulner- able members of our communities. They deserve recognition and fair wages, but have been falling behind for a decade," said Darryl Walker, president of the BCGEU. "We are put- ting a deliberate end to that." Several other unions also sat at the bargaining table, including the Community Social Services Bargain- ing Association, the Health Sciences Association of British Columbia, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Hospital Employees' Union and six others. Steelworkers applaud boycott of Carnival Cruises TORONTO — Toronto and York Region Labour Council delegates voted unani- mously to boycott Carnival Corpora- tion cruises until the labour dispute at Crown Holdings is resolved. The vote — a response to the nearly six-month long labour dispute between the company and the United Steelwork- ers (USW) — was intended to send a message to Carnival's CEO Arnold Donald, a Crown Holdings director. "We hold him responsible for Crown's union busting," said John Cartwright, president of the labour council. "He can't hide in the board- room anymore — he can and must act to stop Crown's attacks." Ken Neumann, national director of USW, said the union intends to ex- pand the boycott across Canada and the United States. Neumann thanked the labour council — which represents nearly 200,000 union members and their families — for standing up for workers' rights. "We are exposing each member of Crown's board of directors and holding them accountable for the company's shameful position towards our mem- bers," Neumann said. "There are literally tens of thousands of union members and retirees who can afford to take Carnival's cruises be- cause of good union wages and decent retirements, and Donald is slapping all working people in the face… Carnival stands to lose a lot of customers as the boycott expands." The labour dispute at Crown Hold- ings has been in full force since Sept. 6, 2013, when 120 USW members took to the picket line outside the compa- ny's Toronto metal packaging facility to protest a proposed two-tier wage plan. The plan would permanently reduce new and younger workers' wages by up to $9 per hour, the union said. FORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 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If legal or other expert assistanceis required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either official or unofficial 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. canadian labour reporter Labour Briefs A look at labour news from across Canada. For regular news updates, visit Canadian Labour Reporter at www.labour-reporter.com

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