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Unifor pushes pattern bargaining for auto parts
New task force looks to standardize wages, benefits
By SaBrina nanji
Unifor is driving a new tactic at the bar-
gaining table in the auto parts sector.
Though pattern bargaining has been ap-
plied successfully during negotiations at
the Big Three (Ford, General Motors and
Chrysler) in the past, it has never been ap-
plied as successfully or to the same magni-
tude in the auto parts sector.
This time around, Unifor has enlisted
its auto parts sector director Fergo Berto
to helm a task force to look at pattern bar-
gaining across the auto parts industry. Such
a model would include standardizing pro-
visions pertaining to wages, employment
conditions, recall rights, wage progression
schedules and the like.
"What we're trying to do is get some con-
sistency within one employer," Berto said.
"Over the last 10 years — because it was
such a negative atmosphere — there were so
many closures, people were doing whatever
January 19, 2015
B.C.'s Southern Railway
locks out 134 employees
Union raises safety concerns
as managers take over trains
during labour
dispute
ARBitRAtion
AwARdS
see Collective agreements > pg. 3
Canada Post employee fired for theft pg. 8
University of Victoria pg. 3 Auto-Motion Shade pg. 3 Alberta Gaming
and Liquor pg. 4 B.C. Public School Employers' Association pg. 4
Town Council of Baie Verte pg. 4 Victoria Town Council pg. 5 Saint
John Construction Association pg. 5 Reimer Express Lines pg. 6
ontario Power Generation
phases out safety gear too quickly
When Ontario Power Genera-
tion phased out its safety gear, it
did so wrongly for one group of
workers, but not for another, an
arbitrator has ruled.
Before the electrical company
entered into collective bargain-
ing with the Canadian Union
of Public Employees (CUPE),
it decided in 2012 to scrap the
long standing practice of provid-
ing undergarments to certain
employees, citing technological
improvements that rendered the
garments obsolete.
CUPE disagreed and filed
two grievances challenging the
ColleCtive
AgReementS
ColleCtive
Agreements
ArbitrAtion
AwArds
Photo:
Peter
Jones
(Reuters)
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see Arbitration > pg. 8
pg. 2
see employers > pg. 7
In the past, Unifor has applied pattern bargaining at the Big Three automakers. Now, a task
force has been established to see if that mechanism can be applied to the auto parts sector.
HOUSING
inuvik housing Authority
inuvik, n.W.T.
(45 inside and outside workers) and the Union of Northern Workers,
affiliated with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
renewal agreement: Effective
Oct. 1, 2014, to Sept. 30, 2018.
Signed on Oct. 10, 2014.
Wage adjustments:
Effective Oct. 1, 2015: 3.3%
Paid holidays: 12 days, plus
one half-day to attend Land
Claim Day celebrations for