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March 17, 2015 - No. 4

Workers Fight for Dignity in Retirement

Defend the Pensions We Have;
Fight for Pensions For All!



Workers Fight for Dignity in Retirement
Defend the Pensions We Have; Fight for Pensions For All!

Broad Wrecking of the Federal Public Service
Workers' Greatest Source of Dissatisfaction Is Cuts to Public Service  - Interview, Marco Angeli, National Executive Vice-President, Canada Employment and Immigration Union
Treatment Authorization for Veterans Contracted-Out to Private Insurance Company - Interview, Carl Gannon, National President, Union of Veterans Affairs Employees



Workers Fight for Dignity in Retirement

Defend the Pensions We Have;
Fight for Pensions For All!

To retire in dignity is a right of all people. The ruling capitalist elite deprive the working class of this right and the working class movement is fighting back. The fight to retire in dignity includes organized struggles at the workplace to defend the pensions workers have and a general fight for pensions for all.

Labrador Municipal Workers

Municipal workers in the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador organized in CUPE Local 2019 were locked out by the town officials on January 13. The Town was demanding an end to the defined benefit pension plan for all new hires.

Workers fought the demand for a two-tiered pension plan, with the support of the community, and settled on February 16.

A CUPE press release says: "After being locked out for four weeks and two days, 43 members of CUPE Local 2019 have protected their Defined Benefit pension plan, won a fair wage increase and a signing bonus. CUPE National Representative Ed White says, 'From the outset, we knew there was a pension solution that did not include moving to a divisive, two-tiered plan and I am very pleased to say we were able to achieve that. With these negotiated changes, this pension plan is sustainable well into the future.'" According to a local media report, the agreement keeps the defined benefit plan for all current employees and new hires and all current employees' pension contributions will go up from six per cent of earnings to 7.65 per cent.

Quebec Municipal Workers


Municipal workers in Montreal demonstrate against Bill 3, June 17, 2014.

Thousands of organized municipal workers across Quebec under the banner of the Union Coalition for Free Bargaining are waging a determined struggle against the Quebec Liberal government and its unilateral regressive pension changes. The coalition represents 70,000 workers from eight unions. The Liberal government passed anti-worker Bill 3 on December 14, 2014, attacking free collective bargaining for the pensions of municipal workers. Under the hated agenda of anti-social austerity, the Liberal government Bill 3 lowers the present and future standard of living of all organized municipal employees throughout Quebec. The bill attacks free collective bargaining for municipal workers, overrides existing contracts, and forces a retrogressive restructuring of some 216 different defined benefit pension plans in 1,100 municipalities across Quebec. Municipal workers are determined to resist this attack on their right to dignity and security in retirement. They say the attack on their rights shows the necessity for a new pro-social direction for the economy and that the present Liberal government is unfit to rule.

(For further discussion on Bill 3 and Quebec municipal workers' resistance see Workers' Forum September 8, 2014.)

Transit Workers in Saskatoon

Three hundred and thirty bus drivers, mechanics, cleaners and support workers organized within the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 615 are waging a protracted battle with the city officials in Saskatoon to defend their defined benefit pension and for wages and working conditions agreeable to themselves.

The ruling capitalist elite in Saskatoon locked out transit workers last September to force retrogressive changes to the pension plan and impose wages unacceptable to the workers. Members of ATU Local 615 resisted and the city capitalist elite were forced to lift the lockout a month later under pressure from people and businesses that depend on transit and the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board. During the lockout, the city elite unilaterally changed the pension agreement. Transit workers refuse to accept the changes, which are illegal when done unilaterally during a strike or lockout.

"[Saskatchewan labour relations legislation] says that an employer is prohibited from making any changes to terms and conditions of employment during a lockout," said ATU lawyer Gary Bainbridge. "If the legislation prohibits you from making a change, the natural remedy would be you reverse the change."

ATU Local 615 is also demanding compensation for its members suffered from losses during the lockout. In October, the Labour Relations Board ruled that the lockout was illegal, and ordered the city to pay workers for missed wages. The city elite refuse to abide by the law to pay the workers or annul the retrogressive pension changes. Saskatoon transit workers continue their struggle for a new contract and say they are determined to defend their pension and achieve wages acceptable to themselves.

Bombardier Workers in Thunder Bay


Action in Toronto by Bombardier workers, August 12, 2014 during their strike to defend pensions

Nine hundred members of Unifor Local 1075 in Thunder Bay went on strike on July 14, 2014 to defend their pension against an attack by Bombardier. The struggle lasted eight weeks until the Bombardier owners of social wealth decided to stay the attack on the workers' pension plan.

"This has been a difficult summer for these workers, but they can return to work knowing that they have stood up for future generations," Unifor National President Jerry Dias said at the conclusion of the strike on September 12.

The new collective agreement maintains the defined benefit pension plan for all current and future members. "Strong communities are based on good jobs. The Bombardier workers in Thunder Bay understood that," Dias said.

Unifor Local 1075 President Dominic Pasqualino said the three-year deal was only made possible thanks to the determination of the members. "The company came to the bargaining table with a long list of concessions that would hit the next generation of workers very hard," Pasqualino said. "This strike was about the future of Thunder Bay, and standing up for good jobs in our community."

Unifor said Bombardier had demanded that the defined benefit pension plan be denied to new hires and that retiree benefits be denied to anyone hired after December 31, 2010. That cut would hit almost 500 workers at the plant. Both demands were defeated. Bombardier workers build subway cars and streetcars for the Toronto Transit Commission, as well as cars for the GO Train commuter train service.

Workers Fight for Pensions for All

Canadian workers across the country are waging a struggle for retirement security for all at living standards they attained during their lifetime while working. Workers sell their capacity to work to owners of social wealth and state institutions during their working years; in return, they expect to receive a Canadian standard of living in sickness, injury and health from birth to passing away. That is the only acceptable arrangement under the capitalist system and governments are duty bound to guarantee retirement in dignity for all workers; otherwise, governments are not fit to rule.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is mobilizing workers to fight for dignity in retirement for all workers. Details on this campaign can be found here. The CLC along with their affiliate unions are calling for a major expansion of public retirement security using the current Canada Pension Plan as the vehicle. They want a doubling of benefits as a first step in defending the right of all workers to dignity in retirement. The CLC notes the consistent opposition to strengthening the CPP from the Harper Conservatives and calls on workers to defeat Harper in 2015.

The working class is determined to defend the pensions it has and fight for pensions for all. The aim is a Canadian standard of living for all workers in sickness, injury and health from birth to passing away. The working class produces all the value in the socialized economy and has the right to a Canadian standard of living under all circumstances from birth to passing away.

A Canadian Standard of Living for All Workers in Sickness,
Injury and Health from Birth to Passing Away!
Dignity in Retirement for All Workers, No Ifs, Ands or Buts!
Any Government that Cannot Guarantee Retirement Security for All Workers Is Not Fit to Rule!
Defeat Harper in 2015!

(Sources: TML, Chantier Politique, CUPE, ATU, Unifor, CLC)

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Broad Wrecking of the Federal Public Service

Workers' Greatest Source of Dissatisfaction Is
Cuts to Public Service


Public service workers demonstrate outside the Prime Minister's Office in Ottawa,
February 19, 2015, demanding an end to cuts to services and to attacks on their rights.

Workers'Forum: Your union did a survey recently amongst your Quebec members on their concerns in the face of the wrecking of the federal public service by the Harper government. Can you tell us more about it?

Marco Angeli: That was a homemade internal survey of about 100 members who are working at different locations of Service Canada in Quebec. We wanted to get a feel for the general atmosphere at work, the main factors of dissatisfaction with their jobs or the employer and the main concerns that they want us to address.

The most important source of dissatisfaction is the cuts to the public service and the impact that it has on the citizens who need the services and the public sector workers who provide them. In 2011, we had 21,000 members in CEIU. As we speak now, we are down to 17,000 people, that is 4,000 less. Despite the discourse that we hear from the government officials that the cuts have no impact on the services delivered to the population, this is completely false. There is an impact, it is a major one.

We had people who had sound knowledge of the law, of the programs and what they can do, and of the answers to the questions that citizens are asking when they need those services.

We no longer can do that because management is imposing quotas on our agents, that they need to serve a certain number of persons whatever the difficulty of the questions or the specific or individual situations of the citizens asking for the services. It could be retirees with no skills or knowledge of the Internet and of the programs, or foreign workers who have no real knowledge of the legislation and programs, of the extent of what they are entitled to and how to deal with the delivery of services. Our agents have to go by the numbers because they are monitored by the number of clients they serve and by the time they spend with each individual client. Even if agents are really knowledgeable about the programs, they cannot answer the questions from citizens because they have to transfer the calls -- they have to refer the client to the online services, or for more specific questions they have to transfer to an agent, what we call an agent two. This means that the citizen actually will be waiting online -- an additional delay before they receive answers -- or they have to call back. The cuts are affecting all the employees not only the front-line agents. It is also affecting the agent twos who are dealing with more complex issues over the phone with citizens.

WF: What is the impact of these measures in the Employment Insurance Program?

MA: We have members in three different departments; the Immigration and Refugee Board, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Service Canada  is a branch of ESDC and the Employment Insurance program is administered by Service Canada.


Public sector workers protest in Gatineau, February 19, 2015

Our members who have been there a long time, even before Service Canada was set up, were specialized in the program, they had the training that they needed and the time to answer the questions and give full service to the citizens. They can no longer do that. We have Service Canada counters in small communities, [...] it is more and more difficult to give that service. By the time people are able to get to the counter, or to talk to someone and even worse when they are transferred, all the delays that they face before their case is dealt with, it is just awful. We are not even talking about the backlog. The regular time limit to have an EI claim processed is 28 days. We have a backlog of between 250,000 to 300,000 files older than 28 days. That backlog came back to the government, it had to react to it last December with the announcement that 400 people would be brought in to diminish the backlog. The thing is that those 400 employees are not new employees. They are casual employees who were working in other branches. Not only do we have fewer members working in the department, but their workload is greater and on top of that they have to train the temporary staff coming to help. The delays are getting even bigger.

This is the government's strategy. It gives the information to look good to the population, that they care for the citizens. The fact is that it is covering up. It does not consider the people -- they treat people like numbers. Meanwhile, the EI program has become so complicated, the delays are so long, that people are discouraged from applying for benefits.

The way this government looks at the economy, social programs are not its priority. This government's priority is to work for the large companies and the wealthy. The people that it is working for are not the people in need of assistance from society and its social programs. If the government could, it would cut all those programs.

WF: What would you like to say in conclusion?

MA: We are asking management to change their policy and stop utilizing casual employees, to make them term or even permanent employees and to stop these cuts.

Also, this is an election year so think about the cuts that have been made. Think also about new retirees because they are going to be in the same situation. If you think that you are ok because you are retiring and there is no problem to get Old Age Security, new retirees are going to go through the same kind of problems eventually. That is the trend. The same is true for our veterans. Think about how to make your vote count, make sure that we change this government that is absolutely not working for the population.


Public sector workers outside PMO's office, February 19, 2015. Continuing actions are planned
for the
19th of each month.

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Treatment Authorization for Veterans Contracted-Out to Private Insurance Company


Demonstration by veterans, June 4, 2014, against their treatment by the Harper government.

Workers'Forum: On February 11, the federal government announced that it was contracting-out treatment authorization for sick and elderly veterans to Medavie Blue Cross. What is entailed in that change?

Carl Gannon: We are talking about service-related medical treatments. The services include psychological services, massage therapy, physiotherapy, dental work -- a whole broad range. This includes whatever type of medical services that the doctor says that the veterans require, and then the department has an obligation, if it is a service-related issue, to fulfill that service. All the decisions were made in house by a public servant. We had a Treatment Authorization Centre and that is exactly what their job was. Their job was to literally take these complex claims as they come in, to compare those to the Veterans Affairs regulations and policies and what the legislation says, and approve or deny those claims. These are complex cases because sometimes somebody can have three to four different service-related conditions and they all somewhat overlap each other. They do not necessarily fit inside a tidy box.

Now when it comes to approving or denying the treatment benefits claim these decisions are no longer going to be made by a public servant. It is going to be handled 100 per cent by a private insurance company, a for-profit insurance company.

The way that the system has always worked, our members at Veterans Affairs would often have to communicate directly with the doctor. Sometimes it took a little bit of time, a few days to connect back and forth with the doctors, and with the different specialists to get all the required documentation or justification to approve things. If we did not have all the required documentation, we would go back to get it. But the private company will not do this, they will just deny the claim. We are going to have more and more veterans that start relying and depending less and less on Veterans Affairs when they are in their time of need. The reality is that when we and our country were in a time of need the veterans were there for us, so we have to ensure that we maintain that level of service.

WF: Who made that decision to contract-out the services?

CG: This is a 100 per cent political decision. This is the government's decision. There is not really much that the brass within the department could do about it. This is something that came from the highest levels.

What you are going to hear is that the union is only looking after the union. In this particular situation, our members are totally fine. They are all going to be transferred to different jobs, different areas where they are going to be required because we need more staff all around. They will all have jobs. The problem right now is that veterans are going to have to deal with a private insurance company as opposed to dealing with a caring and compassionate public servant. For us, it is not a union thing. Yes, we are a union, but we also consider ourselves a stakeholder in Veterans Affairs and as concerned citizens. We care about our clientele and this is going to hurt our clientele, our veterans. It is an injustice and we have to stand up to injustice whether it is an injustice that is happening with one of our members or it is something that is happening to the veterans.

We are public servants. We are not there to make money. We are not there to approve or deny claims, we are there to help veterans. That whole line of thinking has basically changed. It is an extreme disservice to our country and to our veterans.

For the government, it looks great, it looks like it is cutting those greedy public servants that it is always talking about. But what it hides is the fact that it is paying a private company to do less for the veterans. For the veterans it is all about the appearance, it is all about the shell game that unfortunately this government has decided to play. It is a sad day when politics overrules the treatment and services to our veterans.

WF: What are your demands in the face of this situation?

CG: There are a few things that we want to see happen. We obviously want to see all of these Treatment Authorization Centres reopened and restaffed with public servants. We want to see the nine offices that closed across the country reopened. We also want to see a moratorium on the cuts at Veterans Affairs. We want this studied by an independent party.

It is an uphill battle but all we can do is continue to fight for what we feel is right.

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