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Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018
Legal Aid CEO
threatens
CUPE member
with lawsuit
SASKATOON — A member
of the Canadian Union of Pub-
lic Employees (CUPE), Local
1949 has been threatened with
a lawsuit in retaliation for efforts
to represent six members who
were laid off when Legal Aid Sas-
katchewan privatized the major-
ity of duty counsel work in the
Saskatoon office this summer,
said the union.
In a letter provided by CEO
Craig Goebel's legal counsel,
CUPE member Val Harvey was
threatened with a defamation
lawsuit, according to CUPE.
"Instead of trying to rebuild
trust with our members and ad-
dressing the lengthier remand
rates that have resulted from
his privatization scheme, Goe-
bel is attempting to muzzle our
members," said Wanda Tow-
stego, CUPE, Local 1949 presi-
dent. "The result of these threats
may have a chilling effect on our
membership who may hesitate
to exercise their rights as a union
member for fear of retaliation"
CUPE, Local 1949 — the
union that represents all non-
management staff at Legal Aid
— recently conducted a mem-
bership-wide vote of non-confi-
dence against Goebel. The result
was 95 per cent of members vot-
ing against the actions of Goebel
and in favour of the non-confi-
dence motion, said the union.
Massine's
workers in
Ottawa ratify
new contract
OTTAWA — More than 190
retail grocery employees at Mas-
sine's Your Independent Grocer
(YIG) in Ottawa secured a new
collective agreement on Sept. 18.
In this set of negotiations,
YIG workers' concerns included
dealing with minimum wage
and the existing wage grid. The
negotiating committee achieved
a new wage grid for part-time
employees that ensures rates al-
ways stay ahead of the minimum
wage, according to the United
Food and Commercial Workers
Canada union (UFCW).
The part-time end rate will
improve by $0.60 per hour as
of ratification. The rate will in-
crease by another $0.20 per
hour over the remainder of the
contract even if minimum wage
goes up. Part-time staff also re-
ceive a lump-sum payment of
$250 following ratification, said
the union.
Full-time employees receive
wage increases totalling $1 per
hour over the term of the con-
tract, with a $500 lump sum in
year two. In addition, full-time
staff also receive a $500 lump
sum following ratification, said
UFCW.
The employer agreed to guar-
antee the existing full-time jobs
for the duration of the agree-
ment as well, said the union.
Workers at
Prouse Motors
sign new deal
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. —
Members of the International
Association of Machinists and
Aerospace Workers (IAM), Lo-
cal 2332 ratified a new collec-
tive agreement on Sept. 18 with
Prouse Motors in Sault Ste. Ma-
rie, Ont.
The four-year agreement pro-
vides wage increases of one per
cent in the first year and 2.5 per
cent in years two, three and four
respectively. The agreement also
provides a $1,000 signing bonus
for journeymen and $500 for all
others, said IAM.
Other agreement highlights
include a pension contribution
increase from the current 11 per
cent to 13 per cent over the life
of the agreement, said the union.
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