Better Beef

Effective January 1, 2006, the following monetary improvements will occur as a result of your collective agreement:

• Across-the-board wage increases of 25 cents per hour.

• Company contributions to the workers’ pension plan increase to $23 per week.

Holiday Inn Select Windsor

Effective January 2006 (unless otherwise noted), the following improvements occur as a result of your collective agreement:

• Wages increase across-the-board on December 1, 2006, by 3 per cent for all classifications.
• Full-time workers receive $250 per year, up from $200, toward their RRSP.

Pharma Plus

Effective January 5, 2006, the following monetary improvements will occur as a result of your collective agreement:

• Wages increase by between 27 and 30 cents per hour.

• Company contributions to the dental plan increase by 1 cent per hour.
  
  
• Company contributions to the pension plan increase by 10 cents per hour.

Members shave their heads to raise money for Leukemia research

Article posted on: January 23, 2006
View photos from the event.

Back on November 18, 2005, Locals 175 & 633 members who work at A&P in the Windsor area, pariticpated in a head-shaving event raising $15,600 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).

Local 175 Vice-President Mark Prail, with assistance from many of his co-workers, organized the event. Bryan Bedard, who lost his three-year-old daughter Katie to Leukemia, thanks the event's participants and urged everyone to register as a bone marrow donor.

Below is a letter from Bryan Bedard (excerpts from this letter have been reprinted in the February 2006 issue of Checkout - to be mailed out soon):

Our sweet little girl, Katie, earned her angel wings this summer after battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) for 18 months. She was only three years old. Katie's life may have been spared had we been able to get her a bone marrow transplant. Sadly, we were not able to find a suitable bone marrow donor for her and she eventually ran out of time.

Katie was a very special person. She had beautiful brown eyes and a sweet little voice. She was a true 'girl' and loved all things coloured pink. She was extremely intelligent as evident by the broad vocabulary as well as her ability to load up and play games on the computer all by herself. She was also a very sensitive and caring person. My wife Joanne and I used to marvel at how she would react when our tears would start flowing after some bad news about her health. She would climb into our arms and say "Don't be sad. It's okay," then proceed to sing a song to console us.

Prior to being diagnosed with cancer, Katie absolutely loved attending ABC Daycare in Windsor where we live. She would come home every day excited to show us the beautiful crafts she had made and to tell us about all the fun games she had played. One day, when we picked her up at daycare, the teachers told us that she hadn't been herself that day and didn't seem to feel very well. That night, as we put her pajamas on before bed, we noticed that her face looked strange. The left side of her face had dropped, almost as if she had a stroke.

Concerned, we took her to the emergency room. The doctors felt it was just Bell's Palsy, paralysis of one side of the face. They told us not to be concerned but they wanted to keep her overnight to keep an eye on her. In the morning, the doctor came in to tell us that there was concern with the results of her blood test. The next four words he spoke caused our world to come crashing down. "It looks like Leukemia." She was immediately admitted to the Children's Hospital in London.

After 10 months of chemotherapy, Katie finished treatment having achieved remission. We prayed the cancer would stay away for good. Unfortunately, just a couple of months later the cancer came back with a vengeance and she had to resume treatment. The doctors told us that her only hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant.

A computer search was made of the world bone marrow registries to try and find someone with the same human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type as Katie. You would not imagine the horror we felt when the doctor told us that the search had been completed but that there were no matches found. It was devastating to know that she would not be able to get the life saving treatment she needed because the right person just wasn't in the registry of bone marrow donors.

The months that followed went by very quickly. We did everything we could to spread the word and get people to join the bone marrow registry. They continued to search for a donor but eventually it was too late.

Since Katie's passing, we have spent much time reflecting on what happened to her. We don't want this to happen to another family. We have started a charitable organization called the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association, the purpose of which is to promote the bone marrow registry and to bring attention to the pressing need for bone marrow donors.

There are only about 10 million people currently registered to donate bone marrow. Although this sounds like a lot, with a world population in the billions, there needs to be many more people on the list. It seems that in general, there is a lack of awareness and a lack of education about bone marrow donation. We hope to change this through a variety of initiatives such as public speaking, presentations to the students, advertising on TV & radio, etc.

Joining the registry is easy. In Canada, the bone marrow registry is administered by Canadian Blood Services. All they need is a blood test to add you to the computer database. If you are ever called to donate, you will find that donating marrow is really a simple procedure too. There are no lasting effects from donating marrow as it completely replenishes itself.

Considering you would be saving someone's life - it really is a small sacrifice.

To join the registry, contact Canadian Blood Services at 1-888-2-DONATE or visit www.bloodservices.ca.

For more information on donating bone marrow, visit our Web site at www.givemarrow.net.

Bryan Bedard - Windsor, Ontario

The Union will assist Ball Packaging workers

Article posted on: January 17, 2006

Whitby, Ont. – Approximately one third of the workforce are scheduled to be laid off from Ball Packaging due to a reduction in sales. The company has said that 24 workers will be laid off at the end of February and another 15 about mid March. They are members of Local 175 of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union.

“This is a difficult time for our members at Ball Packaging,” said Local 175 President, Wayne Hanley. “That is why we’re committed to doing whatever we can to ease their transition to what we hope will be a better life.” Union representatives are working with provincial and federal government officials to create an adjustment committee to assist all affected workers. As in past layoffs affecting Local 175 members, the Union will provide computer classes, CPR – First Aid, and high school credit programs to members.

Luc Lacelle, Local 175 Central East Regional Director, said “the union will do everything possible to assist and support the members at this crucial time." Lacelle and Union Rep Anthony DiMaio will meet with the company on January 24 to negotiate the layoff program and will subsequently meet with the workers to discuss questions and concerns about their futures.

UFCW Local 175 will ensure that an adjustment program to assist laid-off workers to explore their options, including finding new jobs, will be in place.

Workers at Ball Packaging produce cans for food and beverage products.

Worker wins back pay in alcohol-related grievance

Article posted on: January 12, 2006

A worker at a meat-processing plant was required to meet with his Production Team Manager and union steward after a fellow employee commented that the grievor smelled of alcohol. The grievor who confessed to drinking the night before was sent home, without pay, for the balance of his shift.

The manager admitted the grievor was sent home because she could not determine whether he was fit to go to the production line to continue his work as a bone cutter. The arbitrator ruled that the worker must be compensated for the loss of pay because consideration was not given to the quality of his work, which had been performed at a faster-than usual pace over the first two hours of his shift. Additionally, the arbitrator noted that the company decision was based only on a “hearsay report” without any attempt to question the original informant or seek verification from anyone else. As well, the arbitrator said the alcohol odour could have emanated from the steward or be attributable to the grievor’s aftershave.