Leamington Post

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Leamington Post • Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Shops seek protection from ‘dirty’ union tactics Don Robinet QMI Agency An organization that represents open shop contractors is critical of what it says are provincial policies that are unfairly shutting them out of work. Representatives from Merit Ontario visited Chatham as part of a provincial tour to drum up support among nonunionized contractors. While representatives acknowledge the right of workers to form and join unions, they say provincial rules and union tactics are creating an uneven playing field for non-union employers. Tristan Emmanuel, sales manager of Merit Ontario, says part of the problem is that unions representing trades can be certified through a card-based system, rather than having a secret workplace vote as in other types of employment. The card-based system is easily open to abuse and manipulation, says Emmanuel. He says there have been cases where unions have represented cards as raffle tickets for workers for a chance to win tools. “They thought it was a raffle ticket, but it was union card,� says Emmanuel. “Card-based certification is a significant threat to your bottom line,� he said to a gathering of open shop employers. “There’s not much you can do under the current legislation.� He adds: “The law isn’t interpreted to benefit you in any way.�

Emmanuel says a small company could easily face expenses of between $50,000 and $100,000 to challenge a union application for certification. He says he prefers the secret vote system used in most workplaces where union drives occur. Votes are held on a designated day with plenty of advanced notice to give all the workers a chance to have their say. “They (workers) can still join a union, but it gives them a chance to check out the facts for a life-altering change.� He said Merit Ontario was created to lobby on behalf on independent nonunionized employers, a group he feels has been left out of government discussions. “We in the open shop movement haven’t been politically engaged,� says Emmanuel. “We do not have a unified voice. The province pays attention to unions. We need to form our own union.� Emmanuel says open shop contractors represent 70% of the construction industry and says, “We need fair representation in the laws that are being passed.� He is also critical of the provincial government for establishing the Ontario College of Trades, which was created in 2009. The college is a self-regulated body for skilled trades. The college is a “bureaucratic nightmare� that will require workers to acquire a ‘ticket’ for every type of work they do - from carpentry, to painting and papering, to drywall and electrical work, Emmanuel says.

“Workers will need a variety of different licenses and more inspectors will be needed,� says Emmanuel. “You can envision a situation where a guy will need five different licenses.� Emmanuel says the college was created in response to unskilled, selfemployed workers who are trying to pass themselves off as skilled. Still, the college is hurting legitimate contractors, he says. “Set aside at least $5,000 annually for licensing fees.� Robert McAllister, a Merit Ontario board member, says trades workers sign union cards without knowing what they’re doing. He says organizers sometimes tell the workers they’re only signing a card to apply for work in a different location when they get laid off from their current job. He adds the cards are sometimes signed in a social setting, such as while having drinks after work and may have a blank date so that it can be filled out later to the union’s benefit. “ E m p l oy e e s n e e d t o u n d e rstand they’re signing a card for their employer,� says McAllister. He says the card-based system requires 55% of employee support to certify a union, but the union can file on a day when only a few of a company’s employees are on the job, meaning it’s possible to certify a union with a minority of employees signing cards. He adds companies have two business days to challenge a certification of their workplace, or, by default, the union is recognized by the Ontario Labour Board.

Ryan Griffioen, Ontario representative for the Chatham-based Christian Labour Association of Canada, says he’s aware of some “dirty tactics� used by some unions, but says the CLAC is not one of them. “There are examples of many dirty tricks,� says Griffioen, including getting workers drunk in order to sign a card, or the “divide and conquer method� to separate workers into small groups to pressure those who are resistant to signing. He also says workers sometimes sign a union card not realizing they’re joining a union. “People don’t always read what’s in front of them,� says Griffioen. He says the raffle trick is one that’s sometimes used, where a worker signs a union card to get into a draw to win a toolbox or other items. He also says that under a card-based system, it’s possible for a company to become unionized when just a small fraction of employees sign a union card. It all depends how many workers who have signed a union card are working on the date of application. As an example, Griffioen says a company with 50 employees might have only five of those employees working on a Sunday to get a job done. If three of those five have signed a union card, the union can be certified, even if the other 47 workers haven’t signed a card. Griffioen didn’t identify any unions that use those tactics, but says the CLAC has no part of them.

The CLAC represents about 47,000 workers, some of whom work in construction. “We operate under a different philosophy,� says Griffioen. “We don’t want people who don’t want us to represent them.� Karl Lovett, membership development marketing representative for Local 773 of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, says some unions may engage in unscrupulous tactics, but not the IBEW, which represents 380 workers in Chatham-Kent, Windsor and Essex County. “We’re pretty strict about what we do,� says Lovett, who adds there’s no point in trying to trick a worker into joining a union he doesn’t want to join. “Everything is legitimate,� says Lovett. “If he doesn’t want to be there, why have him?� Lovett says union organizing meetings are often recorded to protect them against allegations they are using unfair tactics. He says sometimes workers are intimidated by employers and say they didn’t know what they were doing when they signed a union card, even though they were. He also says there have been cases where workers have recorded their bosses telling them the shop will close or that they will be fired if they join the union, which is illegal under labour laws. Lovett says the worker is pressured into saying, “It thought I was signing something else.�

Digital access to neurosurgeons around the clock, says Hoy Leamington Post MPP Pat Hoy says trauma patients across Ontario now have access to a neurosurgeon 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the latest launch of E-health Remote Consultation System. “This process previously operated on a patchwork system of phone callsmeaning patients often needed to be transferred to be seen in person for a consultation,� said Hoy. “Our program now significantly reduces the need for patients to travel within and out-ofprovince, or out-of-country for treatment. Since January 2009, 1,558 patient transfers have been avoided, saving more than $50 million.� The Emergency Neuro Image Transfer System (ENITS) is a centralized

Letter to the editor Veterans, Legion waiting for legislation The government of the day, through the Minister of Veterans Affairs, has made several announcements and promises on Bill C-55 (New Veterans Charter), which has received first reading in the House of Commons but has not progressed to the committee level. Similar announcements and promises have been made on Bill480 by the minister of finance (Removal of GST from poppies and wreath purchases) for which no legislation has yet been tabled. As your readers know, the tabling and passage of these bills with Royal Assent will not be possible should the government decide to call an election. The Royal Canadian Legion has written to both ministers on the matters of legislative procedure and has received assurances these matters are being looked into. These bills, however, may die on the order paper if an election is called and leave Canada’s disabled veterans, their families and The Royal Canadian Legion without the legislation they all need. The Royal Canadian Legion writes this letter because we care. Patricia Varga Dominion President The Royal Canadian Legion

e-Health online consultation system that makes remote neuro-consultations easier, faster and more accurate. Hospitals across the province send head scan images to ENITS where they can be accessed and reviewed by neurosurgeons anytime, anywhere. Seventy neurosurgeons at 13 neurosurgical centres provide online consultations to acute care centres through this system. As part of the Open Ontario plan, the government is committed to finding savings that can be used toward the health care on which Ontario families rely and providing more access to these services, while improving quality and accountability for patients. “This is a significant milestone for improving patient care in Ontario through

eHealth. It means that people right across the province will benefit from neurological specialists regardless of geography. It also means that unnecessary transfers will be avoided, sparing families needless travel, expense and worry,� said Health Minister Deb Matthews. “ENITS provides the critical infrastructure physicians require to eliminate unnecessary transfers by connecting them to specialized neurosurgeons across the province in real time. This is a perfect example of how collaboration within the health care system is changing the way patients receive care,� said Greg A. Reed,_President and CEO of eHealth Ontario. “Hospitals will now be able to offer patients specialized consultations with on-call neurosurgeons across the

Writing competition set for children QMI Agency The Writers’ Union of Canada has launched its 15th annual Writing for Children Competition, which invites writers to submit a piece for children up to 1,500 words in the English language that has not previously been published in any format. A $1,500 prize will be awarded to an unpublished Canadian writer, and the entries of the winner and finalists will be submitted to three publishers of children’s books for c o n s i d e rat i o n . T h e d e a d l i n e f o r

entries is April 24, 2011. Writing for children runs the gamut from picture books to young adult stories, with topics as varied as is found in any other genre. “The most enduring writing for children treats them seriously and never talks down to or underestimates the young reader,� said Kelly Duffin, the Union’s executive director. The w inner w ill be announced i n Ju l y 2 0 1 1 . Fo r c o m p l e t e r u l e s and regulations, go to http://www. writersunion.ca/cn_writeforchildren.asp.

province to determine whether or not patient transfer is required. The consultation process can be life-saving for head injured patients requiring urgent neurosurgical attention, and can facilitate the speed with which they are transferred to a specialized neurosurgical center,â€? said Dr. James Rutka, Neurosurgeon, The Hospital for Sick Children. ¡The average cost of each out-ofcountr y neurosurger y transfer is between $75,000 and $100,000. ¡The province is reducing the amount of paper and office equipment it uses, which is expected to save $15.6 million over the next two years. ¡Better use of technology and stricter

travel rules helped reduce government expenses by $30 million last year, and is expected to save an additional $10 million this year. ¡The province recently announced the merger of two agencies-Infrastructure Ontario and Ontario Realty Corporation-which will save Ontarians about $5 million annually. ¡Since January 2009 2,404 head trauma neurosurgical cases have been referred to ENITS. ¡eHealth Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care combined have provided $2.3 million to support the development and adoption of ENITS.

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