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Page 22
LABOUR
Ready to mediate Ikea strike
What to do with strike breakers? Philip Raphael
Staff Reporter praphael@richmond-news.com
Both sides in the long-running labour dispute involving the Richmond Ikea store are hoping mediator Vince Ready can work his magic to end the 16-month impasse. Ready was brought on board this week after the union representing the 300 or so members of Teamsters Local 213 made the suggestion to the employer, said Ikea spokeswoman Madeleine Lowenborg-Frick. “Ikea proposed Vince Ready mediation on Friday (Sept. 19) to support the bargaining process. The union has agreed,” said Lowenborg-Frick in an email, adding
talks were scheduled for Sept. 23 and 24. “The union suggested Vince Ready and we agreed.” Ready oversaw talks between the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association and B.C. Teachers’ Federation which concluded with an agreement last week that had teachers and students back in classes beginning this
week. Public schools had been behind picket lines since the second week of June. One of the main issues outstanding in the dispute involving Ikea, which began in mid May 2013, is the future of 35 workers who crossed their own union’s picket lines.
Teamsters expelled those workers from the union for their actions and requested they be re-assigned to another store, or assume management positions. Ikea stated last week the Labour Relations Board found the union’s request to remove the employees would have been against the Canada Labour Code. A second LRB ruling denied Ikea’s appeal to overturn its earlier judgement the company had bargained directly with employees who returned to work by offering different conditions during the strike than what had been offered to the union during bargaining. According to Ikea, the conditions included weekend overtime and $2.50 an hour premiums for some employees. Union representative Anita Dawson said at the time Ikea is not allowed to continue to pay the enhanced wages and the union will be pursuing damages. For the employer’s part, Lowenborg-Frick said Ikea was solely looking to compensate its employees for the added work they are doing during the strike.
Teachers back, but relations frayed Graeme Wood
Staff Reporter gwood@richmond-news.com
Students were fully back in school Tuesday morning following a three-week teachers’ strike and government lockout. But can things ever go back to the way they were for teachers? Never have relations between the school district and teachers been so low, according to Al Klassen, referring to his dozen years as Richmond Teachers’ Association president. While negotiations
were happening provincially, how the labour dispute played out at the local caused additional stress. “Relations are strained,” said Klassen, who declined to elaborate. One possible source of contention could be the fact that district administrators carried out activities for over 700 international students during the labour dispute, including using a private school as a base for its summer program. Furthermore, despite an 86 per cent vote in favour of the six-year deal, Klassen said many teachers felt compelled to agree to
the terms simply because they wanted to get back to work and/or could not afford to continue the strike. “It’s not going along well with a number of teachers, but they’re in a position, they want and need to go back to work. All those things are playing around in their minds,” said Klassen. He said “the official RTA stance is, it’s a deal. …It’s a deal, not a great deal.” Klassen is concerned many of the same problems may rear their ugly heads in four and a half years time.
General Currie Elementary’s Grade 6/7 teacher M.J. Medenwaldt gives her students some assignments Tuesday morning. Photo by Graeme Wood/ Richmond News
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