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Dear Purolator Teamster Members,

Many of you are asking when you will receive your retroactive pay increases.

My understanding is that your wage increases and retroactivity will be paid to you during the first 2 weeks of February 2012.

If you are entitled to premium increases, eg UC, this will take a little bit longer as the calculations for retroactivity on these premiums will have to be done manually,

If you have any issues with your retroactivity, please contact your Local Union Representative.

In Solidarity,

Gary Kitchen
Director of the Parcel and package Division of Teamsters Canada

TORONTO, Jan. 3, 2012 /CNW/ – The highest paid 100 CEOs on Canada’s TSX Index had reason to cheer the New Year: By noon January 3, they had already pocketed $44,366 – what it takes the average wage earner an entire year to make.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ (CCPA) annual look at CEO compensation reveals Canada’s Elite 100 CEOs pocketed an average $8.38 million in 2010 – a 27% increase over the average $6.6 million they took in 2009.

In contrast, after taking inflation into account, the average worker’s weekly earnings are lower now than they were during the worst of the 2008-09 recession.

“The average of Canada’s CEO Elite 100 make 189 times more than Canadians earning the average wage,” says the report’s author, Economist Hugh Mackenzie.

“If you think that’s normal, it’s not. In 1998, the highest paid 100 Canadian CEOs earned 105 times more than the average wage, itself likely more than double the figure for a decade earlier.”

Among the report’s findings:

• Canada’s Elite 100 CEOs are among the country’s richest 0.01%, a privileged group of 2,460 tax filers whose minimum income was $1.85 million in 2007. Their incomes soar above the average income of $404,500 (2007) required to enter the richest 1% club.
• The lowest paid of Canada’s CEO Elite 100 pocketed $3.9 million in 2010.
• All but one of Canada’s highest paid 100 CEOs on the TSX Index is male.

“The conclusion from these data is inescapable,” says Mackenzie. “Soaring executive pay plays a significant role in driving the growth in income inequality in Canada.

“The gap between Canada’s CEO Elite 100 and the rest of us is growing at a fast and steady pace, with no signs of letting up.”

Therefore, be aware that Canadian employers have already made your annual salary as of today at noon.

Download Canada’s CEO Elite 100: The 0.01% or punch in the CEO vs. Average Joe time clock at www.policyalternatives.ca.

Source: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Web: http://teamsters.ca/en/news/1707/

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

What an incredible, action-packed year we’ve had!

In terms of union affairs, your business agents were engaged on all fronts in 2011, negotiating several collective agreement renewals, including with CN, Purolator and Molson, to name just a few.

Teamsters was also heavily engaged in the community, working with many different charities to support and ease the suffering of thousands of Canadians everywhere.

Thanks to the dedicated work of our team across Canada, our union was more present and influential in Ottawa than ever before. We lobbied the government on a wide variety of topics such as the health and safety of rail workers and the protection of pension plans. Our common sense approach seemed to strike a chord with federal politicians, who listened closely to what we had to say.

Teamsters Canada also trained hundreds of delegates to help them face increasingly complex labour relations challenges.

Our communications campaigns caught the attention of our members. We launched new Web sites, and our Facebook page drew an unprecedented number of visits and comments.

As a result of the economic uncertainty, hundreds of workers joined our union in 2011. It seems that people feel, more than ever before, that unions are relevant and useful.

Record-breaking profits for banks

We recently learned that banks and banking institutions rake in almost $6 billion in administrative fees every year. These outrageous fees, which helped them earn a whopping $23 billion in profits this year, are increasingly making Canadians feel that this money is being made on their backs. For example, did you know that banks charge you fees if your account balance falls below $1,000 or $2,000?

This year, we also opposed Ottawa’s decision to reduce business taxes from 16.5% to 15% effective January 2012 because this will deprive the federal government of billions of dollars that could be used to create or preserve jobs or be invested in sorely needed infrastructure work.

This hidden subsidy to corporate executive salaries is not only unacceptable, it has a direct impact on your finances. After all, it’s our taxes that pay for bridge and road construction, we’re the ones who’ll feel the pinch of higher property taxes and we’re the ones who will see our buying power shrink. Meanwhile the big corporations taxes are going down!

Citizens are mobilizing

Fed up with banks, citizens rallied together this year to protest that they’ve had enough. The best example is the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has spread to many large cities and is making a lot of noise. And then there is Molly Katchpole. Her Change.org petition helped force the US banking industry into reversing its policy over debit card fees. Even public figures and major financiers have come out in favour of a more equitable distribution of wealth.

The young have been criticized for being apathetic to social issues. Well, they’ve just proven us wrong in a big way. Not only is this new-style social movement taking different forms (Internet and in the streets), it is continuing to spread and will force politicians and industry leaders to reconsider our current social model.

Nothing is possible without you

For all these reasons, 2011 will be a year that will go down in history. People clenched their fists, unions rebuffed right-wing attacks, and we saw that anything is possible if we stand strong.

The Teamsters’ slogan “Unity is our strength” is the driving force behind labour’s involvement and the quest to protect the middle class, but none of this would be possible without all of you, our 125,000 members from coast to coast.

In closing, I wish you, your family and friends a merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year.

Solidarily,

Robert Bouvier
President
Teamsters Canada

Brothers and Sisters,

First and foremost I would like to congratulate you all on your new collective agreement.

Ninety-two percent of those of you that voted agreed with the negotiating committee’s recommendation of acceptance.

While a collective agreement cannot be “all things to all people”, clearly the majority of voters agreed that this was a great deal and supported it.

I would like to thank all of the negotiating committee members for a job well done.

In addition, special thanks need to be given to brother David Froelich and the members of the Electronic Voting Committee. In my opinion, utilizing this technology is the way to go in the future and they did a great job with this new process.

During this set of negotiations, we introduced many changes, from bargaining strategy to the elimination of sub-committees and even the seating arrangements during our discussions at the table. All of these changes had a positive effect on the process and I will continue to look for additional improvements.

Having this dedicated web site to keep you informed was also new. Hopefully, you found it useful and while the information was basic, it kept you up to date with what was happening during your contract negotiations.

The entire team developed and maintained the site and deserves my thanks as well.

With respect to the web site, we would like to know your thoughts on whether we keep it live for the sharing of information, stories involving Purolator Teamster members, and reporting of issues with respect to the Package and Parcel Division.

If you have input please email Stephane Lacroix.

One last thing in closing, a Union derives its’ strength from the members. If you don’t participate, please try.  It is through member support that we achieve greatness together.

I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season.

In Solidarity,
Gary Kitchen
Director, Package and Parcel Division

Canada Council of Teamsters/Purolator National Tentative Agreement or Strike Vote

The ratification vote of the Canada Council of Teamsters/Purolator tentative collective agreement was conducted electronically by Intelivote Systems Inc., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.  Eligible voters were given the opportunity to cast a ballot, in French or English, using either the telephone or the WEB.

Principally, the auditor`s role is to verify that the vote is carried out fairly, accurately and every person entitled to vote has been afforded the opportunity to cast a ballot. The auditor also ensures that the electronic voting system has been operating correctly.

The audit activities in this vote certified that each eligible constituent was assigned a PIN and that access to the electronic voting system was available, 24 hours a day, throughout the election timeline established for the completion of the balloting. The audit activities confirmed that the voting instructions were clear in both languages and that they did not vary at anytime. The audit also established that there was only one vote per eligible voter permitted and counted and that, once a voter’s PIN was validated by the system and his/her ballot cast and recorded, any further efforts to vote by the same that PIN were rejected.

The ratification eVote commenced at 800h, EST, Friday, December 2, 2011 and closed at 2000h, EST, Thursday, December 8, 2011. The electronic polls opened and closed exactly on schedule. During this time the audit activities confirmed that the system operated properly at all times. The audit activities also verified that the Intelivote System was never been breached in any way nor did it fail at any time during the eVote period.

In summary, the audit confirms that the Intelivote System functioned properly throughout the voting period. The results below accurately reflect the wishes of those eligible members who cast ballots.

I vote YES to accept the employer’s offer:

3321

I vote NO to reject the employer’s offer and give mandate to the Canada Council of Teamsters to launch a general and unlimited strike at any time after January 2^nd, 2012:

311

Total Ballots Cast:

3632

Peter Suchanek
Auditor
CCT/Purolator Agreement/Strike Vote
December 12, 2011

Laval, December 8, 2011 – 92 % of the some 8,800 members of the Teamsters Union working for Purolator voted in favour of the tentative agreement reached between the parties on November 11. The tentative agreement had been unanimously recommended by the negotiations committee made up of Union members and Officers from Teamster Local Unions across the country.

Highlights

Workers will see their wages go up 16% over the term of the five-year agreement and their pension plan increase by 22%.

“This contract once again shows that unions are, more than ever, useful and relevant for workers,” explained Teamsters Canada President Robert Bouvier. “The workers are the main reason for Purolator’s success and they deserve everything they’ve gained.”

Other gains

Worker benefits have also been significantly improved and the retirement allowance has been raised by 40%.

“The members have been receptive and supportive throughout this process” added Gary Kitchen, Director of the Teamsters Package and Parcel Division and Chairman of the negotiating committee. “The wage package and pension improvements, as well as all the other gains, were key highlights to this agreement. I also believe that our bargaining strategy played a major role in helping us achieve such a successful and outstanding agreement.”

From the onset, the negotiations committee took the position with the employer that the members deserved to know where they stood with respect to their collective agreement by the beginning of December. Purolator was told clearly that extensions past the expiration date were not going to happen and the Teamsters established the deadline to coincide with the expiration of the contract.

In addition, the bargaining committee was not going to entertain multiple offers that would not meet the memberships’ expectations.

“I believe our membership truly appreciated the fact that we delivered such a good tentative agreement to them early”, concluded Kitchen. “Having job security and stability for the next 5 years enables them to go into the Holiday Season free from the stress of not knowing what the future holds with respect to their employment.”

This contract puts the Teamsters working for Purolator at the top of this industry in Canada.

The Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada in all trades. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.

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Information:
Stéphane Lacroix, Director of Communications, Teamsters Canada
Mobile: 514-609-5101
Office: 450-682-5521 x236
Email: slacroix@teamsters.ca

Attention Teamster members at Purolator. You will have until 8pm Eastern Standard Time to cast your ballot on the tentative agreement.

if you haven’t done so already, please take the time to vote.

David Froelich
Balloting  Committee

TO ALL MEMBERS

A ratification vote will be held shortly to determine whether the membership accepts the tentative collective agreement as negotiated and unanimously recommended by your Teamsters Bargaining Committee.   This ratification vote will be conducted by electronic ballot (eVoting).  You may vote on-line or by phone.

On November 21, 2011, the Canada Council of Teamsters will send a SECRET BALLOT voting package to all Purolator employees covered by the Teamsters National Collective Agreement .  Voting packages will be mailed to your home address with complete instructions for casting your ballot.  Please read the instructions carefully.  If you have not received a voting package by December 5, 2011, please contact the HELPline by dialing 1 877 906 8877, which will be available December 2 through December 8, 2011, between the hours 8:00am and 8:00pm in your local time zone.  A web link to the complete Memorandum of Agreement will be enclosed with the voting package.  If you do not have internet access, please contact your Local Union office for a copy.

The voting will commence Friday, December 2, 2011, at 8:00am and end Thursday, December 8, 2011, at 8pm.

Please do not divulge your PIN to anyone.

Should you lose your PIN or require any voter assistance, please dial 1 877 906-8877 to have your PIN cancelled and have a new one will be issued.

REMEMBER, if you have not received a voting kit by December 5, 2011, contact the HELPline.  If you believe that your address information currently on file needs to be updated, contact your Local Teamsters office immediately.

David Froelich
Balloting  Committee

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

As you already know, the vote on the result of the 2011 bargaining round will be conducted electronically. You will have the possibility to vote over the phone or via the Internet.

In less than 2 weeks, you will be receiving a letter explaining how to vote and containing your personal identification number (PIN). You will need to enter this code to vote on the tentative agreement reached between your union and Purolator.

Please do not divulge your PIN to anyone.

Should you lose your PIN or suspect that someone else has used it without your knowledge, please dial 1 877 906-8877 to have your PIN cancelled and have a new one issued.

If you have lost the letter, you may also contact your local union to receive a new copy of the instructions.

Thank you for your usual cooperation.

In solidarity,

Dave Froelich
Chair of the Electronic vote committee

Brothers and Sisters,

By now you have probably seen or heard that we have reached a tentative agreement for the renewal of your contract. Your current collective agreement expires on December 31st, 2011.

This agreement with your employer was reached late November 11, 2011, while in the 5th day of conciliation with an officer appointed by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

The entire Teamsters bargaining committee unanimously recommends that you accept this tentative agreement.

To my knowledge, this is the first time that we have been able to achieve a 100% unanimous recommendation for acceptance from the entire negotiations committee. In addition, we were able to achieve this prior to the expiration of your current collective agreement, which is what we set out to do.

Clearly, the procedural changes we made as I described in my previous letter to you were most effective in allowing us to achieve this historic settlement on your behalf.

I cannot go into the details of the settlement here other than to say that if it’s accepted by the membership, Purolator Teamsters will become the leaders in this industry across Canada. We made many major gains in all areas of your collective agreement.

Your Local Union will soon be holding information meetings for you to attend and I urge you to do so. Attending these information meetings is the only way to hear “first hand” all the gains and many positives changes that were achieved during this round of bargaining.

The Electronic Voting Committee will be firming up the voting schedule in the near future. This information will be given to you by your Local Union and will also appear on this website.

Once you have reviewed the details of the tentative agreement, I am confident that you will support your negotiation committee’s recommendation and vote in favour of acceptance.

In Solidarity,

Gary Kitchen
Director, Package and Parcel Division

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