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Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2015
CANADIAN LABOUR REPORTER
news
FUMble oFF the
Football Field
The kickoff of the Canadian foot-
ball season was put in jeopardy in
June after talks between the Ca-
nadian Football League (CFL) and
players' association broke down
just two days before spring training
camps opened. Because the CFL
has bloomed in recent years — with
two new stadiums, a new franchise
in Ottawa and a broadcasting con-
tract with TSN — the union said
players should be getting a chunk of
that revenue. The impasse signals a
shift for professional sports collec-
tive bargaining, according to Layth
Gafoor, managing partner at Lucen-
tem Sports & Entertainment Law in
Toronto. CFL commissioner Mark
Cohon, who will step down in the
spring of 2015, eventually reached a
deal with players just in time for the
season to start.
Photo:
Andy
Clark
(Reuters)
Photo:
Mark
Blinch
(Reuters)
From the experts:
Jerry Dias, who helms Unifor, the biggest private sector union in the country, offers his take on the year's important stories.
striKe at the port oF VanCoUVer
"Truckers at the Port of Vancouver were fed up with an unfair and malfunctioning system that cost
them precious time and money. When they went on strike, threats of back-to-work legislation were
made. But the truckers, represented by Unifor, announced they would defy any such legislation and
demanded that their rights and good-faith negotiations be respected. The truckers' determination
resulted in all of the parties coming to the table and securing a deal, demonstrating the power of
negotiation."
neW leadership at ClC
"The rights and well-being of Canadians is under incredible threat by conservative forces across
the country. As labour activists headed into the Canadian Labour Congress convention earlier
this year, the need for a stronger, more determined, more activist labour movement was obvious.
Delegates across unions voted for a new leadership team that campaigned on a promise to rein-
vigorate and focus our movement on reclaiming our country."
ontario's JUne eleCtion
"Tim Hudak (former leader of the PC party in Ontario) posed a significant threat to Ontario's jobs,
economy and public services. He also threatened to destroy the rights of workers and union mem-
bers. If Hudak and his plans to make Ontario a right-to-work jurisdiction had been victorious, this
would have had an impact across the country. Instead, Conservative forces throughout the coun-
try have seen the determination of the labour movement to protect workers' rights and our com-
munities. "
top 10 artiCles on
laboUr-reporter.CoM
1. aFl audit shows thousands of foreign workers brought in at
minimum wage
2. b.C. teachers, government reach tentative deal
3. toyota employees will vote on joining Unifor
4. Fedex warehouse workers in Canada join union in north
american first
5. teamsters reject latest proposal from richmond ikea
6. n.b. pensioners take province to court
7. labour board rules in favour of richtree restaurant workers
8. ghomeshi has no case against CbC: lawyer
9. bell Media cuts up to 120 employees, blames weak ad sales
10. alberta premier stands behind controversial labour law
This list is comprised of web-only exclusives not available in the print
issue. Our website, www.labour-reporter.com, features daily news
stories from across Canada and around the world.
