Some info about the executive is working on: Benefits and Pension

Benefits

If you are accessing your extended benefits (ie. orthotics, Registered Clinical Psychologist).Please review to ensure that sunlife coverage is correct. All extended benefits are outlined in your collective agreement. There is an issue with member accessing the benefits and being told: "the coverage is not there" "that is not how much you are covered for" or " that there is a daily visit cap" not all benefits have daily visit caps. If it is in your collective agreement then you receive it. If you find you are having a problem contact a steward. 

Pension Plan

Members are inquiring about the OPSEU pension plan. The plan is called TOPPS and the local is working on setting up a meeting. The meeting will be for all Members to attend. It will be an information session that will be presented by OPSEU. You will receive a package that you can take with you and review. Once the presentation is set up it will be posted. Once the presentation is made to the members only then will it be presented the employer.

If you have any questions contact your respective Chief Stewards,
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Let's get Connected

Follow us on twitter at Security_loc278 to stay in touch as we continue to post in an attempt to establish communication with all unionized gaming facilities in Ontario to create a structure of support move forward as an industry instead of individuals. We believe in solidarity and need to lead the way amongst ALL UNIONS. Join the movement.
Thank you
Rob Gale
President local 278
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Just a Quick Update:

Just a quick up date:
Thanks for coming to check out the Security Officer’s page. As was stated earlier the ability has been disabled for the time being, that may change later on.

This page is for the benefit of the Unionized Officers of the Niagara Casinos, it is not a place that will be used to slam the employer or anything like that. It is just intended to pass information and to try and keep the membership informed. The local has undertaken a number of initiatives directed at increasing the level of communication particularly in the realm of social media.

As most of you already know the local has a Blog and a Youtube site, but in addition to this we now also have a twitter account and now a Facebook page and group as well. We hope to use these different tools to keep out members informed. Please feel free to suggest these sites to all your contacts so that all members of our department will have access.

For Those of your friends that are not on Facebook you can direct them to our Blog and Youtube accounts all the same information will be posted there as well.

Blog http://local278.blogspot.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com/security_loc278
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/Local278?feature=mhum

Let's stop the bleeding.

Let's stop the Bleeding

Something that was made very clear at our last round of bargaining was that our local was butting heads with a very big and determined opponent.  Time and time again when items were tabled the employer implied that what our demands were, were not in line with the rest of the Gaming industry.  They stated on many occasions that if the Non-Unionized staff didn't have something then we shouldn't have it either, unless we wanted to "come back into the fold".  We also began to find it difficult to determine what was beneficial and what was not due to the fact that there were so many collective agreements out there to consider.  One collective agreement may have said one thing and another may have said something else.  We noticed that there was too much division between locals and what was being bargained at different sites.

This is where the employer had the advantage.  All casino associates province wide obviously all work for the same industry, and a great majority also work for the same Crown Corporation. The only exceptions to this are the three commercial properties that are run by a third party operator.  However that operator is still under the authority of the Crown Corporation as far as regulation and internal controls. So what we face is one big massive crown corporation that has a united front and has the resources to sustain a long and drawn out fight, against small and fragmented, unionized bargaining units.  

So what do we do? Well we can just throw our hands up and say were screwed, or we can come up with a plan.  One of the biggest things that need to be done is to find out what the main issues are for unionized and Non-Unionized casino associates province wide.  The reason being, we may all have the same work related problems and not even know it. You better believe that the employer knows exactly what those issues are.  

The second thing that may need to be done is to foster continued communication, education and inter local discussions with other units, so that we can begin to develop a better understanding of the industry and where it is going.  We all know that the industry has faced some difficulties over the past couple of years from passport regulations, to the financial crisis that rocked the US. Based on these difficulties the decision makers in the industry will try to find a way to protect the bottom line. It is precisely because of these hardships that communication among Unions and Locals is key, in formulating a common defence strategy to protect the workers that staff the facilities.  

We all know that the face of the gaming industry in the province of Ontario is changing rapidly. Every day we see more and more good jobs going out the door just to be replaced by contract employees.  We are not just numbers; we are all living breathing people that helped make this province Billions and Billions of dollars over the past 15 to 20 years.  So maybe it's time to step it up a notch, and   see what can be done to stem the bleeding of good solid well paid jobs.  

 

 
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Fw: Surveillance Operator Job - KINGSTON - Ontario Lottery and Gaming(OLG) Job Id: 8962319 -WowJobs Canada

Follow the link below, Job opportunity!
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-----Original Message-----
From: local278_mediaspecialist@rogers.blackberry.net
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 14:57:38
To: Facebook update email<bazar126gismo@m.facebook.com>
Reply-To: local278_mediaspecialist@rogers.blackberry.net
Subject: Surveillance Operator Job - KINGSTON - Ontario Lottery and Gaming(OLG) Job Id: 8962319 -WowJobs Canada

http://www.google.com/gwt/x?source=reader&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3DX%26q%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.wowjobs.ca%2Fjob%2FSurveillance%252BOperator-ontario%252Blottery%252Band%252Bgaming%252Bolg-kingston%252Bon-8962319%26ct%3Dga%26cad%3D%3As7%3Af1%3Av0%3Ad2%3Ai1%3Ald%3Ae0%3Ap0%3At1286548848%3A%26cd%3D58hDl6UtzAk%26usg%3DAFQjCNHNakfUXmRE5Xhu4EmxzyGm-mLx0Q
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