Canadian Labour Reporter

7 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 CANADIAN LABOUR REPORTER to have different pension plans for different people," Pasqualino said. "They have offered no monetary improvements for the current plan we have. Generally speaking, every col- lective agreement we've had had modest im- provements or bumps, depending on how the times were. They decided there was going to be no increase at all." But the pension change is simply the com- pany adopting austerity measures to keep its head above water, said Marc Desforges, a spokesperson from Bombardier's transporta- tion faction. "Not one of the employees at the Thun- der Bay plant on strike right now are having something taken away from their pension plan," Desforges said, adding that the new- hire policy is a compromise necessary to keep the company afloat. "Tell me how many com- panies are funding 100 per cent of a pension plan — not only 100 per cent, but a defined benefit plan. And you know that's a trend, that they don't exist anymore. We're not taking that away from them. But on the other hand, it's true that we cannot continue like this." High-profile contracts, such as the new Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) street- cars that are slated to roll out on Aug. 31, has put pressure on both sides to come to a con- sensus. The concern for Pasqualino is that the glo- balization of the transportation manufactur- ing world has led to a loss of guaranteed bar- gaining unit work — a provision he said the union is fighting for, but which the company refused. Take the new TTC streetcars, for in- stance, parts of which Pasqualino said are be- ing manufactured in Mexico and China. "It's taxpayer dollars that are building these cars, and we're not here to keep Mexico or China going — we're here to keep Canada go- ing, Canadians going," Pasqualino added. As for reaching an agreement — don't hold your breath. "My gut feeling is that this is going to go on for a really long time, and I'm afraid of that. The consequences of that are enormous," Pasqualino said. "We have a lot of talented people in the plant, and I think that if this strike drags on — they have families to feed — they're going to head out West. The skills we have, as a whole, are very much in demand in the Western provinces." Further complicating the matter is that Bombardier took Unifor to court on July 23. The company filed an injunction and both parties will have to suss out what constitutes appropriate picketing. According to management, the 400-some- odd workers who are not on strike and are go- ing to work every day, crossing the picket line in the process, are being heckled by those Uni- for members on strike. "We want to make sure our employees that are entitled to go to work, to get to work, in such a fashion that they don't feel insecure," Desforges explained. The battle is won — what now? A strike can be a sensitive subject for both management and a union, to say the least. When negotiations go sour, Gary Furlong, a Toronto-based mediator at Agree Dispute Resolution, said both the union and company must keep relations civil both during and after a strike to keep employee morale up. "Crossing a picket line can be very emo- tional, it can be very disrespectful. Manage- ment staff are often carrying baggage, just like the workers are," Furlong said. "So it's critical that management has got a clear plan for a return from strike — to re-engage the work- force, to welcome them back, to not spend time talking about the strike, to focus on workers. Good companies and good unions jointly work on that as well." For Pasqualino, respect is a major factor propelling the Bombardier strike. A chang- ing dynamic between the union and company has bred a culture of miscommunication and bitter relations, no doubt contributing to the high tension levels at the Thunder Bay plant. "In the last two years, we've had more ar- bitrations than we've ever had before. The union has outright won, or certainly got gains. We had over 130 grievances in the last year — and they were 95 per cent successful in solv- ing those to the union's favour," Pasqualino explained. Therefore, it is important to think long- term relationships during such tumultuous times, Furlong added. "The biggest problem with strikes and lock- outs is that it very quickly turns into who's go- ing to win, and that, by definition, is a win-lose game," he said. "In long-term relationships, just like marriages, in union-management relationships, you can't have a winner and a loser — it's not sustainable." Desforges added that all of the contracts will be fulfilled as promised — namely, that the TTC streetcars will roll out at the end of August as planned — but did not comment on the particulars of getting the work done. news Photo: Mike Cassese (Reuters) High-profile contracts, such as Bombardier's obligation to roll out the Toronto Transit Commission's new streetcars by summer's end, has put mounting pressure on both sides to come to a consensus. Management alleges heckling on picket line, files injunction < from pg. 1

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