02) CITIZENS IN GUELPH FIGHT THE AUSTERITY AGENDA
PV Guelph Bureau
On August 6th, a group of concerned citizens in Guelph, under the banner of SOS‑Save Our Services, organized a public forum about the importance of defending the quality of our social services. People's Voice co‑sponsored this event, along with representatives of two unions defending the bus drivers and the postal workers of the city of Guelph: the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1189, and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Local 546.
Cutbacks hit small cities, rural areas
In the current context of the drive to the right and the loss of jobs and public services, small cities and rural areas are suffering the most. Cutbacks in Crown corporations, like Canada Post at the federal level, have severely impacted the quality of service. But cutbacks don't come alone. In 2012 the government locked out Canada Post workers, demanding concessions such as two‑tier wages, benefit cuts, and increasing the years of work needed to achieve full pensions.
Shelley Sillers, President of CUPW Local 546, was interviewed by People's Voice, before the SOS‑Save Our Services event in Guelph. Sillers noted her union "is active in many areas, in addition to the door‑to‑door delivery campaign". She confirmed that "working conditions have hardened, in the last years", and at the same time, Canadians have seen a deterioration of the mailing system, by removing daily delivery, establishment of community mailboxes and the sharp increase in postage prices on March 31st.
Regarding the community mailboxes, Sillers pointed that "it is just a matter of time before the end of door‑to‑door service reaches Guelph, as community mailboxes already exist in Acton, Milton and Georgetown".
In response to Canada Post's declarations of poverty, Sillers explained that "it is not true that Canada Post lost money in 2012, and over the years they have been making money, they have been even renewing the machinery for mail sorting. Canada Post does not need to run profits, there is no need to turn millions of dollars over to the government every year. Taxpayers do not pay for Canada Post. As a public service and Crown company it just needs to serve the citizens".
Sillers was accompanied by Elaine McMurray, a retired postal worker, and current President of the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada, who stated that Canada Post is undermining the employee pension plan, just as the government is doing with the Canada Pension Plan.
"By raising the (retirement) age and not increasing the amount, they've left many seniors in precarious financial situations. Never mind Freedom 55," McMurray said. "Good luck retiring at 65. You may have to work longer than that."
Leon Bouvier, a regional officer with CUPW, pointed to the extreme difficulties, such as covering 100 km to pick up mail, that people in Northern Ontario will face with full implementation of the community mailboxes. He noted that Canada Post is the first postal company in the world doing this. In addition, he said that the government's agenda is privatization, breaking unions, and hiring temporary contract workers who don't receive benefits or pensions.
Furthermore, postal workers display a great deal of social responsibility, and they know the importance of their services for the most vulnerable.
"In Guelph, we have a good number of elderly and disabled people that will have problems after discontinuation of the door‑to‑door service", Sillers said. "Postal workers feel proud of what they do, and would like to see the continuation of the service."
Transit workers secure new contract
In Guelph, local City Councillors and the Mayor, after some initial negotiations, imposed a lockout and demanded bus drivers accept concessions. Once more, the lockout was the tool used by City Council to hamper negotiations with the ATU Local 1189. Speaking at the SOS meeting, ATU President Andrew Cleary declared that "bus drivers had often been denied the most basic human rights, such as the lack of accessible washrooms, public phones, and a lunch room at the (new) Guelph Central Station".
In addition, schedules are tight, and drivers have a very limited timeframe to meet them. "Today's attack on labour is about making concessions, not about gains," Cleary said. "For us it's not about money but human dignity".
Cleary noted the importance of this service to Guelph's citizens, who had been left high and dry by Council's decision and its lack of social responsibility. Again, vulnerable people received the hardest blow. The elderly and people who relied on public transportation had to seek alternatives, often at much greater cost. Taxis were much busier during the two‑week long lock‑out, and the streets had a much denser traffic than usual.
Before finally securing an acceptable contract, ATU 1189 workers twice voted to reject the City's concessions offers, and by big margins. In the words of Cleary to the Guelph Tribune, bus drivers "had been (through) a difficult process, but ended up in a better place". He said the language in the agreement was crucial, and that "we're on good footing with the city and we can repair this relationship. All parties committed to moving forward".
The reaction of Mayor Karen Farbridge in the Guelph Tribune seemed to hide the impacts created by her council's decisions: "while we expect to restore transit service in our community by Friday (Aug. 8th), this isn't a celebration. Guelph's transit riders and, in particular, the working poor have endured a tremendous hardship throughout this disruption. Tomorrow, the hard work continues as we work to repair the relationship between city administration and our transit employees".
The Mayor had tried to blame transit workers for the lockout, and whip up anti‑union sentiment. It had some of the same characteristics as the strikes and lockouts in Windsor and Toronto, where the employers tried to create a big public crisis rather than bargain. The fact that October 27 is election day in Ontario cities, no doubt added gasoline to the fire lit by the city and fanned by Mayor Farbridge.
It is important, however, to stress the high degree of responsibility displayed by Guelph bus drivers, amidst the pressures from the employer. The ATU 1189 President declared that "We ratified for the citizens of Guelph", after 80% of members accepted the third tentative agreement.
Cleary explained some details of the new contract to the Guelph Tribune. This includes wage increases up to 6.8% over four years, passing from the current $26.49/hr to $28.85/hr in June 30, 2017. Long‑term disability payments were reduced from 75% to 70% of salary, effective on January 1, 2015. A cap on blanked lieu time was set at 50 hours per calendar year, for all employees. Dental and health benefits were maintained. The grievance resolution process was enhanced, and a letter of understanding will be also made regarding working conditions.
SOS‑Save Our Services to fight job cuts and privatization
A significant outcome of the struggle against attacks on the working class and their social services, such as those brought by Canada Post workers and Guelph bus drivers, has been the response of more and more Canadians. In Guelph, SOS‑Save our Services organisers carried out intense days of face‑to‑face conversations with people to increase awareness, and to help empower the citizenry. This led to the formation of a new collective group aiming to defend our most basic social services. If this kind of example spreads, the tasks set forward by CUPW, ATU and other unions across Canada could be amplified through the unity of citizens in an important network of social organizations.
(The above article is from the September 1-15, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)