Greetings Members: March 4, 2003
Today our committee met with the company at the Ambassador Hotel to exchange proposals.
Included in this email is our proposals our committee submitted to the company.
The 51/2 page document was followd up with a larger document of the old language as it currently
is in the agreement with our proposals below to follow for negotiations.
The company proposals will be released soon but are very similar and in some cases identical
clauses to the 1998 company proposals.
A couple of the major areas are as follows:
The companies 12 page document had major proposals around students allowing them to have a
new status in the workplace outside most provisions of the agreement, and not employed for
vacation relief anymore but rather a lower waged employee for five and a half months a year.
The implications of the proposed company language is being studied by our committee
however it appears the students who would not be subject to a large parts of our agreement.
That could reflect on our application of the agreement towards our members. In effect it appears that
a temporary workforce would be employed that could work anywhere in any job
(possibly ahead of our members) with most benefits of the agreement not applicable to them.
This language is similar to 1998 with Temporary employees substituted by Student employees.
Shift schedules again are on the company agenda with the continuous shift schedules gone,
allowing ANY schedule with no notice period to move to a new schedule chosen by the company.
This proposal is identical to the 1998 proposal.
(NOTE under their proposals the CASH schedule would be removed from the agreement.)
Steelworkers Local 343 Proposals - 2003
4.05 Letters of
Discipline
Include notice to the union of all members disciplined by the company
for any
reason including warning letters under section
8.
5.02(e); 5.07; 5.08; 8.05 Recall
Language
Remove to 20-year seniority requirement to make all recall 36
months.
5.04 (b) (1) Supplementary Unemployment
Benefits
Amend SUB payment to
$100. for 6 weeks and $50. for 20
weeks.
5.08
(a) Leave of Absence
Union notified by letter of all leaves requested and all
approved.
5.08(c) ;8.05 Leave of Absence
Remove the requirement for 5 years of
seniority.
5.08
(d) Leave of Absence
Remove the requirement of different
classifications.
Add union executive, union educational, and union
committee meetings.
5.08 (H)
(1)
Add language on Pregnancy Leave
(2)
Add language on Adoption Leave
(3)
Add language on Parental Leave (Pregnancy and
adoption)
(4)
Add language on Parental Leave
7.05
(a) and (b) Vacation Entitlement
Change 10 years to 7 years
Change
20 years to 15 years
Amend 7.03 and 7.07 to
reflect the above changes.
7.05 (a) and (b)
Vacation Entitlement
Add one (1) week
vacation after 30 years of service.
Amend 7.03 and 7.07 to
reflect the above changes.
7.05 (a) and (b) Additional Vacation
Entitlement
Remove the age requirement.
7.10
Paid Holiday Allowance
Employee option to bank of paid holiday allowance to be reinstated.
7.10Paid
Holiday Allowance
Paid Holiday Allowance to match shift normally worked up to 12
hours.
10.01 (b) Continuous Shift Operations
Premium
Change to: a premium of 5%
of top labour grade per hour.
10.03 (d) Permanent Promotions,
Demotions and Transfers
Change "within five (5)
years of normal retirement” to " within three (3) years of early retirement
(early retirement is the accumulation of 85 points/100% pension or any lower
combination the Alcan Pension Plan may provide)
Such determinations and
discussions shall include participation by the union president or unit
chairperson and shall not be unreasonably denied.
11.01 Shift Premiums
Shift premiums to 3% of highest labour
grade.
12.01
Overtime General
The Company shall provide to the Local Union President a weekly summary in writing of all overtime worked including the names of the employees who worked, and the overtime assigned.
The company and the union agree that any overtime
shall be either worked at the appropriate rates or banked and taken as time off
in lieu as per the provisions of the employment standards
act.
12.02(c)
Overtime Rates
Double time shall be paid for all hours paid or
worked as a result of EDO’s.
Change the language in the EDO Letter of Agreement to
conform to this change
12.03 (b) Shift Change Minimum Time
Off
Change to (24) twenty-four hour period to forty-eight
(48).
12.09 Meal
Allowance
Meal allowance to $ 8.00
in first year and increase by one dollar (1) in each subsequent year of the
agreement.
14.05 (a)
Payment of Union Representatives
Change payment at current salary to appropriate
rates.
Remove “during their working hours” all union related meetings with
the company
shall be deemed working hours.
14.05 (b) Union Education Leave
Change to 15 to 25 days per year.
The union wishes to notify the company that we will be relying on the
definition of working day to be the working day of the effected employee.
15.02 (a)
Arbitration
Add language for a single
arbitrator.
16.01 (A) Employers
Responsibilities
16.01(A) The Health and
Safety Committee
Additional language on
committee meetings
16.01 (A) Recommendation
of the Joint Health and Safety Committee.
16.01 (A)
Workers Health & Safety Centre
and Occupational Health Clinic For Ontario Workers
Union has 2 clauses with use of and training by these organizations
16.01(B) Powers of a Certified
Representative
Union has 5 clauses on
certified representative
Union has 3 additional
clauses on workplace inspection
16.01 (C) Workers
Outside The Sight Or Sound Of Others
Addition to this clause
Union has 3 clauses to add
to the current clause
Change to the clause on the
H&S act
16.01(F) Technical
Advisors
Union has 8 clauses on
advisors and information release
.
Union has 2 clauses on
hazardous substances
Union has 2 clauses on
ventilation
Union has 1 clause on the
Day of Mourning
Section
16 Joint Workplace Return to Work Program
Add language to provide for a joint return to work committee and program.
17.01 Extended Health Care Plans
Any additional user fees associated with privately provided medical
procedures following written referral from a physician, including but not
limited to MRI’s, Ct scans, and new experimental procedures to detect or treat
health issues.
An additional $1000. per year per person to be credited to any plan
to cover additional costs limited
by a plan or services not covered by a plan.
Remove the exclusion of experimental drugs in the drug
schedule.
Other Health Services: (page 4 & 5 of benefit
booklet)
v In home service maximum from $15,000. TO $30,000.
v Trusses, crutches, braces and orthotics from 24 months to 12
months.
v Hearing aids/repairs maximum from $400. to
$600.
v Orthopaedic shoe allowance from $400. to
$600.
Other Eligible Expenses: (Page 6 of benefit
booklet)
v Maximum total eligible expenses per person from $250.
to $1000.
v Maximum total eligible expenses per family from $500. to
$2000.
Out Of Province Coverage: (Page 6 of benefit
booklet)
v Maximum payable from $500.000 to $
1,000,000.
Uninsured OHIP Services:
Any insured services de-listed by OHIP shall be covered by the
extended medical plan. including,
but not limited to, removal of warts and skin tags, other surgical procedures,
including suture removal, and uninsured reports and forms and excuse slips. Any
future OHIP de-listed services to be added to plan.
Remove age sixty (60) early retirement requirement
for the extended health benefits. Coverage of medical benefits for those
retiring shall be extended to all current
USWA retirees effective May 18, 2003. Vision care extended to retiring
employees.
Vision care benefit to be increased to $ 300 per
option.
Members and dependents shall be eligible to claim from two of the
following vision care options in a claim period:
v Prescription eyeglasses
v Contact Lenses
v Prescription sunglasses
Dental plan to be extended to
employees on disability benefit and those electing
to take retirement.
Add to
dental coverage 100% of all costs
of Orthodontic dental care; Periodontal and other diseases of the gums and
tissues of the mouth; Endontic treatment, including root canal
therapy
Ontario Dental Association (ODA) rate paid at
previous year rate.
The
company agrees to re-print the employees information handbook in a union shop
within 90 days of ratification of the agreement with updated information.
18.05 Humanity
Fund.
Add language for voluntary
1 cent from members and matched by company.
18.06 Steelworkers Organization Of Active
Retirees Chapter 16.
Add language for voluntary 1 cent from
members and matched by company.
The company to make a
yearly contribution of $2000.00 to SOAR
19.01 Length Of Agreement
Amend date to 17th day of May
2005.
A substantial across the board wage increase in wages for all members.
Appendix III - Add
Workers’ Compensation
Union has 5 new clauses on WSIB to be
added
APPENDIX III - Salary Program
Extend the medical leave by doubling the maximum times for short term
leave:
Change dates to reflect
current agreement negotiated of two years.
Remove the requirement of a
trigger to allow cola payments.
Change the cap to (50)
fifty cents per year.
Overtime shall be posted in an assessable
location
The company agrees to be diligent
assigning overtime by the agreed rules
Posting and weekly notification of in-kind remedy OT awarded
Other
Benefits
The Company shall pay all costs
incurred by the Union in negotiations.
The company shall print the
collective agreement in a unionized shop.
The company shall provide a
benefit officer at the plant or at an office in the community to facilitate
retirees benefit issues.
The company agrees provide
personal retirement planning information sessions for employees considering
retirement. The company and the union shall meet within 30 days of ratification
of this agreement to select a third party to provide such counselling to
prospective retirees. The company shall pay all costs and provide sufficient
time off work for this counselling.
LETTERS OF AGREEMENT
Additional language added to
the letter
Temporary Assignment Outside
The Bargaining Unit
Change the responsibility,
limited to final discipline, to any discipline including interim
discipline.
Remove the exclusion of the
application of clause 5.02(c).
Letter to add in plan
deductions and yearly in plant meetings
The company to send the union
committee to attend the APP annual meeting.
Company to facilitate a meeting
with the Alcan Pension and Life
Insurance Plan.
Reinstatement of Benefits For Re-hired
Employees(New)
Re-instate the vacation and salary program benefits re-hired
employees.
Re-instatement of vacation and salary program benefits shall be for
any entitlement to employees effective May 1, 2003.
THE UNION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO AMEND, DELETE,
ADD TO, OR ALTER, ANY, OR ALL, OF ITS PROPOSALS