PRESIDENT/BUSINESS AGENT            MIKE MAHAR

    For everyone else, equity is the “right thing to do”, so how come Local 583 is being treated like their poor bastard cousin once again?  

      In 2001 and again in 2003, our Local added an additional three months to each of those agreements.  We received an $850.00 signing bonus in 2001 and an additional .25% increase in 2005 respectively for each of those three months.  This has left us six months behind the other Civic Unions whenever we get our main wage increases.

    The 2009-2011 Memorandum of Agreement we have with the City of Calgary, contained a wage reopener for the period, July 4, 2011 to January 1, 2012 to deal with this inequity.  The increase was supposed to be what the other Unions got for 2011 less the .25% we have on the pay grid from 2003.  “It should have been a simple matter to complete within one or two meetings, right?”  Wrong. It wasn’t, and for those that have been wondering where our money is and that’s probably most of us, I provide the following update.

    We had a number of meetings with the City of Calgary over the summer to discuss this wage re-opener.  The language is very specific that it is “for the purpose of negotiating a wage increase for the last six months of the agreement”.

    Surprisingly, the City came with the position that they wanted to negotiate a three-year deal and the wage reopener was intended to capture the wage for the first six months of the deal only.  They quickly saw their position would never gain any momentum and eventually agreed that the intent was to bring us up to par with the other Locals.

    Once that was resolved it should have been easy to calculate the amount it would take to bring us to parity, right?  Wrong again. The City took the position that the $850.00 we received in 2001 as a signing bonus to come back to work after the strike had a real value and that that value  needed to come out of the 2011 increase to achieve real parity.  They informed us they were using an actuary to calculate what the value of the signing bonus was in today’s dollars and would bring a proposal back that would allow them to recover this money.  Hearing this, you might think you’ve probably witnessed the limits of absurdity with the way the City views parity for our Local, right?  Wrong again.

    After several weeks of calculations this is what the City’s Actuary came up with based  on the direction given to him or her by the City’s negotiator.

   They compared the negotiated increases from 2001 through 2011 for the other Civic Unions and us.

• They discover the other Locals also received a signing bonus, of $300.00, reducing their target recovery to  $550.00.  (Note: the other Locals did not extend their agreements to receive this bonus).

• The City took the Consumer Price Index (Calgary) and recalculated the $550.00 bonus to a present day value of  $716.48.

• Then they determined an average wage of our bargaining unit and converted the $716.48 to a percentage of that wage.

• They calculated the value at 1.24% of that wage.

• The Other Locals received 2.5% for 2011 leaving a difference of 2.25%. (This is one point we agree on).

• They subtracted the 1.24% from the 2.25% reducing what should have been a 2.25% increase to 1.01% and stated this is the “Wage increase to ATU required to achieve parity with CUPE”.

Here is the problem with their proposal.

• The signing bonus was never on the pay grid and there is no reasonable explanation for them to want to recover it.

• Approximately 2,000 employees received this money in 2001.  $550 x 2,000 = $1.1 million dollars.

• This was a one time expense and not part of  payroll.

• We currently have 2,876 members at the City.  They want to collect $716.48 from each one of those employees.

• $716.48 x 2,876 = 2.06 million.  A net profit for the City of $960,000 in the last year of our current agreement.
  

• Converting this money to a percentage and reducing the wage increase on the grid will result in this money being recovered and re-recovered every year in perpetuity.

• If we accept the City’s proposal it will cost the average employee $7,164.80 over the next ten years based on today’s dollars.  If you adjust it for the CPI as the City did and that CPI mirrored the last ten years, that number becomes $9,333.50.

• Approximately 2/3rd of all current employees were not on the job in 2001 and did not receive the signing bonus.

    The City sat across from the table and said they believed this proposal was reasonable and fair.  Even if it were, and it’s not, they did not calculate the fact that by removing the bonus they would also have to implement our increase three months earlier to compensate for the three month extension to our 2001 Collective Agreement.  They would also have to calculate the value of the increases that all the other Locals receive six months earlier than we do every year and they did not.  No, this was intended to be punitive and vindictive.  No reasonable person could believe it was viewed as fair and in good faith.

    Even if it were fair to recover a ten year old signing bonus, no reasonable person could believe the Citys’ numbers are fair or even relevant.  There were simple ways of recovering their money and we made them aware of it.

    They could have proposed that they recover the $716.48 from those employees that received it in 2001 and then just implement the raise at the beginning of the year for all our members like they did for the other approximately 10,000 employees.  The affected employees would have received the raise in July, just like we had proposed.  The others would have received it last January.  Or, if they really needed their pound of flesh, they could have calculated our 2.25% increase to take effect at the time they recovered the 1.1 million from our total payroll.  It would have been simple, they wouldn’t have taken a penny more than they put into it, and they wouldn’t have had to use an actuary to try and extract millions and millions of dollars from us over the life of our careers.

    I’ve been around for a long time now and I knew from their opening statements that they were going to try and screw us, I was so sure that with the Executive Board and Membership support, we were pre approved to hire our own actuary if the City tried to run a smoke and mirror game with their numbers.  Even so, our entire negotiations committee was shocked to see how blatantly deceptive their position is.

    Although you don’t need to be an expert to refute the Citys’ numbers, we will be providing an Actuarial Report to support our position when we meet again with the City.
        

 
EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT/ OPERATIONS               DOUG JOHANNES

    I feel Management in the Operations area have changed their approach on the way that employees are being treated.  It appears that we are not just a number any longer but moving toward being a valued employee. One such example is,  over the past number of years we have been forced to go to arbitration a number of times pursuant to Operator’s driving without a valid Provincial Operator’s license.  The Arbitrator’s have made rulings and we have to abide by those rulings.  One aspect of not having a license is not renewing it in a timely fashion.  Rule 110 of the Operator’s Rule Book states that the Operator is responsible to renew their Provincial Operator’s license prior to the expiry date.  A couple of Operator’s had not renewed prior to expiry but had renewed prior to coming to work on the next scheduled shift and were disciplined for such.  We filed grievances on their behalf and took the matter to Management.  We met with Mr. Ryan, Manager of Operations and Mr. Geals, Coordinator of Victoria Park garage.  We explained that we felt the rule was unreasonable and that an employee should only be responsible to renew their license prior to the next scheduled shift.  Management agreed with us and have made the change in the rule book.  So now, if an employee is on vacation during their birthday, or simply chose to wait until it is necessary, they don’t have to worry about the renewal process until afterwards.  It is amazing how much can be accomplished when we have  the ability to sit down with Management and actually have them listen to our concerns and positions.  It is something that simply did not happen with the previous Manager.

    I know everyone has heard about the Distracted Driver Law in Calgary.  This is by far the most aggressive legislation in Canada.  You need to know that the police are watching everyone closely and have handed out a number of tickets so far.  This law affords the police officer complete discretion as to whether he/she feels that the operator of the vehicle was paying attention to the road.  The distraction is anything that the Officer feels causes the operator to not pay attention.  It could be cell phone use, eating while driving or apparently adjusting the radio or changing channels.  The law gives certain exemptions.  One such exemption is:  Transit vehicles using the radio that is installed on the bus.  I know that the radio is difficult to use.  It is designed to be used in the right hand, however, it is installed on the left side of the vehicle (a matter we have brought to the attention of Management many times).  My suggestion to you, is to not use the radio while driving.  I would recommend that you pull the bus over to the side of the road prior to picking up the hand set.  This would be to insure Safety First, so please be careful, take your time and pay close attention to the road.

    Remember, be kind to your fellow employees and always renew your license prior to your next shift.
     

 FINANCIAL SECRETARY-TREASURER             RICK RATCLIFF

    The Local held its annual family picnic on July 24th.  It was a beautiful, sunny day and we had a larger turnout than normal. The usual festivities ensued and the participants conveyed their message of enjoyment.  New to the picnic this year was an airbrush artist.  He sprayed on temporary tattoos and judging by the lineup, he was well received.  Many thanks to the Social Committee members and their guests for their hard work in  making the event the success it was.

    Speaking of committees that serve us well, the Sign-Up Committee does a great job for us as well. During the Sign On process your committee checks the work to make sure it’s “legal”.  “Legal” meaning the work conforms to the standards laid out by the contract and past practice.  Operator’s then start picking their work.  If an Operator fails to show up at their assigned time the Sign Up Committee will investigate why.  The Chair of the Committee checks with dispatch to see if the Operator was relieved. If said Operator was not relieved the Sign Up is held until the Operator can make a selection.  If the Operator can’t be found, the Chair runs through a number of lists including spare sheets, the sick list, vacation list and leave of absence information.  A call is then made to the Operator’s home.  If the Operator can’t be reached for a selection the Chair will make a selection for the Operator based on a number of criteria.  These criteria  include (in descending order):  the SAME days off, the SAME garage, a start and finish within one hour of the previously chosen work and similar relief points.  If the exact same work is available it is the obvious first choice.  At the other end of the scale, if no available work meets the criteria the Operator is placed on the spare board.

    An Operator who doesn’t show up and has a run which can be matched will NOT be placed on spare board.  The Local believes this process protects the seniority of the Operator’s and endorses this procedure.  If you cannot attend the sign on at your assigned time, please make an effort to call the Sign Up room (main two numbers – 403-537-7935, 403-537-7786) or submit an authorization form.  The Sign Up Committee is there working for you, so feel free to ask their advice.  Remember, if you receive their call it is to protect your seniority.

    One more note on Sign Up, due to C-Train line repairs, there has been a number of Operator run changes.  The Local has met with Management on the issue and they are trying match relief points, starts and finishes.  The line repairs will be going on into the distant future so keep this in mind if you chose to commit to the C-Train. For those already “committed”, the Local will continue to work with Management to address Operator concerns.

    Please remember you have 24 hours to fill out an incident/accident report.  It may be good to jot down notes while the incident/accident is fresh but it is even better to put all your thoughts on paper after you have recovered from the situation.  When time has been taken to write a good report the results are usually favourable.

    Don’t forget about the 100th Anniversary Logo Contest.  Submission deadline is September 30, 2011.  Check the Union bulletin board in your work area for details.

    
RECORDING SECRETARY MAINT./OFFICE REPRESENTATIVE               BILL JOHNSON

    Hello, I hope all of you had a happy, healthy and safe summer.  School is now back, so please be safe and adhere to the school zone speed limits.

    The Calgary and District Labour Council held the 3rd annual Labour Day BBQ on September 5, 2011 and once again it was a success.  Everyone was treated to hamburgers, hotdogs and ice cream as well as great entertainment for three hours.

    Business has stayed pretty steady in this office throughout the summer months.  There are a few issues that I would like to address. As stated in Doug’s article, in the Operations area they are working with the Union and I wish I could say the same about Maintenance. The communication or lack thereof is less than ideal at the present time.  As an example, when September 1st rolled around, it was almost like an idiot switch was turned on.  Within a few days, Local 583 filed several grievances and at this point I don’t see things slowing down anytime soon.  I would like to get to the heart of the matter; I have heard too many times from Management and Human Resources that their intent is to correct behavior.  I wish someone could tell me why they have to correct behavior through discipline.  I believe to err is human and if you have great communication between two parties, then you can resolve issues before it gets to discipline.  Don’t get me wrong, there certainly are some Manager’s that are willing to work with us and I assure you that we will be working toward getting them all working with us. Proceeding with grievances usually encompasses a lot of resources, time and money.  That could all be avoided with OPEN COMMUNICATION.

    It has come to my attention that the Spring Gardens Service Lane will be making some minor changes in the stacking procedure.  I have been assured that there will be no lengthy line ups while this happens and the Foreman will be keeping an eye on it.  Operational needs dictate the change so I am hopeful that it will not cause any problems.

    Local 583, Local 37 and Local 709 were invited to a meeting at Fleet Services concerning a shift re-alignment at all of the sites.  It appears that they have to change the way they do business and as always it has to come at the expense of some of our members.  Fleet Services Management is telling us that they need to change to accommodate the needs of their customers.  If they don’t do this, they say the business units that they service will get their work done at outside vendors.  Local 583 has met with the other Locals since that meeting and we are investigating the least intrusive way of proceeding with this venture.  I understand that Management is now meeting with all the staff at Fleet Services to present the working model.  Local 583 will continue to monitor this situation and keep you posted as much as we can.

    As I mentioned in previous newsletters, there are still several members being called in and NOT taking a Union Rep.  with them.  If you are being called in, chances are, it’s not to talk about the weather.  Please call the office so we can arrange for Union representation for you.

    Local 583 deals with a number of calls pertaining to “member to member” conflicts and I would like to remind all of our members that if you have a problem with someone that you can’t resolve yourself, please call our office and we can assist you.  Going to Management to resolve the issue only results in paperwork being done and usually both members suffer as a result. Local 583 has a Conflict Resolution Committee in place to help deal with the issues.

    In closing I would like to say, as we head into negotiations, your Negotiating Committee will require strength and unity amongst our membership to get the best deal.  With the economic times that we are faced with I can’t stress enough how we all need to stick together.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION…..

A.T.U. Local 583
64th Annual Fall Banquet
In Honour Of Our Retirees

When:  October 15, 2011
Where: Glenmore Inn – 2720 Glenmore Trail SE
Time:   Cocktails – 5:30 p.m.
           Dinner -    6:30 p.m.
           Dance -    9:00 p.m.

Price:  Members - $35.00 per couple
           Non Members - $75.00 per couple

Tickets available from the Union Office @ 403-258-1258


Congratulations to Nino and Gail Pedrini for celebrating 45 years of marriage on October 15, 2011.


THANK YOU CARDS RECEIVED

Radi Alkadri                 Sheryl Schultz
John Berry                   Arnie Scott
Gunter Bruckner           Bernard Sloan
Jim Cooper                   Robert Spence
Bud Jullyan                  Gerry Stone
Dennis Nate                 Geraldine Strickler
Bede Poon                   Rick Wilson
Suzanne Quinn                

CONGRATULATIONS  On Their Retirement – 2011

Dorothy Jones – Office – July – 31 years

Ron Conner – HandiBus – July – 17 years

Kenneth Loschuk – Operator – August – 10½ years

Robert Aune – Cash Processor – September – 31¾ years

Mei-Ping Chik – Cafeteria – September – 25¾ years

Gordon Smith – Operator – September – 16 years

Anna Yung – Cafeteria – September – 5 years

Archie Myers – Operator – September – 9¾ years

Lorne Olisoff – Fleet Services – September – 31½ years

Brenda Ireland – Community Shuttle – October – 9½ years

David Langford – Operator – October – 34¾ years

Douglas Anscombe – Operator – October – 37 years

Randy Collette – Operator – October – 35¾ years

Judi Grainger – Operator – October – 9¾ years

       Family Picnic Held July 24/11

Our annual picnic was a success, the happy winners of the bike scramble and all other prizes are listed below.

Infant - Under One –  Arjen DeKuyper
Girl – Under Three – Connie Kaschel
Boy – Under Three – Cory Dittman
Girl – 4 – 6 –  Tony Prashad
Boy – 4 – 6 –  Nayzghi Araya
Girl – 7 – 10  –  Dave Collins
Boy – 7 – 10 –  Ernie Watts
Girl – 11 – 14 – Mauro D’Orazio
Boy – 11 – 14  - Gonzalo Marin

        A silver baby cup was awarded to the member with the youngest baby in attendance, the winner was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arjen DeKuyper at two months old. The winner of the cake for the most senior retiree in attendance was Bill Ward at the ripe age of 91.  

Congratulations to all of our winners!

Thank you cards were received from two young ladies that won bikes/helmets at the Family Picnic, Jillian and Edana.


RETIREES CORNER:
Just a Reminder: The next meeting will be October 3, 2011 @ 7:00 p.m. at Spring Gardens Garage, +15 (3rd Floor). The next luncheon will be October 18, 2011 @ 1:00 p.m. at Swiss Chalet South, 8900 Macleod Tr. SE. The following luncheon will be November 15, 2011 at Nicks Steakhouse.


/sw   COPE #397