Chiropractic Coverage

Just to inform all of you that the union and Dr. Cordasco from Cordasco Chiropractic and Massage in Niagara Falls have come to an arrangement regarding Chiropractic services. Dr Cordasco has agreed to charge only 25.00 per visit for Chiropractic services. This charge reflects the per visit cap stated in our Collective Agreement. This offer is only open to Unionized associates and their families. In order to take advantage of this offer you need to bring your swipe badge with you as proof of employment.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day

I am going to stray a little off topic with this post, but it is something that is near and dear to my heart, and maybe to some of you as well. Remembrance Day is upon is again and once again we will all think about the sacrifices that Canadians have made in the defence of this great Nation of ours. I thought this would be a great time, for those that want to, to voice what makes this day important to them.

For me, this day is important for a couple of reasons, the first being my own family history. My family has served in armed forces around the world for more than 100 years. I come from a very long line of fighting men and women. In my family there were Dutch Royal Marines, Tank drivers, Airborne Troopers, Medics and Combat Engineers. They have served in every conflict in the last century from the Dutch East Indies as colonial troops to the 101st Airborne in Iraq. They fought in some of the toughest fights that anyone could ever be in, from the fall of Saigon in Vietnam, to fighting in the jungles of Borneo as the Armies of Imperial Japan Invaded. In 1962 they were at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin as the world held its breath, as it sat at the brink of World War Three. My family has defended the rule of law and democracy with the belief that fear and oppression have no place in the hearts of free men. They would rather lift a weapon and die than live under the blackened boot of oppression and hatred.

The second reason that this day is important to me is that I was born in a country that felt the sting of cruelty levelled at them by the Nazi regime. I grew up hearing the story of how it was Canadian soldiers that saved the country of my birth. I marvelled at the respect my parents showed Canadian Vets. I saw these men as heroes and gods; I wanted to be one of these men one day. These soldiers showed kindness and compassion when dealing with the people of Holland, but an unrelenting ferocity when dealing with the enemy.

So for me Remembrance Day is the day that I think about a dept that is owed by me to the men and women that came from across the ocean. It is about tradition and honour, loyalty and respect. They sacrificed so that my family might live and carry on and in so doing the memory of those that died will live on in me and those that come after. A soldier only wants two things should he fall in battle, and those things are for his actions not to be a waste, and to be remembered in death. They protected me with their life, so now; I will protect them in their death

Something needs to be clarified here...

There appears to be some discontent and misconception on how the arbitrators ruling was arrived at. There are some allegations that there was some sort of trade off made by the Union and the Employer. There is no evidence to support those allegations, and allegations without evidence of their validity serve no purpose other than to cause mistrust and anger.
When issues are taken to the Labour Board they are being taken to a Provincial Court. When at the Labour board the issues are heard and decided on based on testimony and evidence presented by both parties involved. The court is bound by specific rules as is the judge or arbitrator that sits at the hearing. The arbitrator must base his judgment on the evidence provided and must follow rules of conduct because if he doesn't he will have to face what is called a Judicial Review, which brings into question every action the board of arbitration takes.
When a ruling is made it is almost never what we want it to be. I have been a member of Teamsters, CAW, and OPSEU and I have never seen an arbitration go exactly as anticipated.
If the union wanted a trade off, they could have done it when these grievances were initially filed and then again when bargaining our last agreement.
The employers intent was to force us to pay back the 9 month over payment, and based on the physical number printed in the collective agreement the arbitrator ruled that they had made an error in what they paid us, leading to what was ruled as an over payment. The arbitrator also ruled that based on that same number we were not entitled to have the extra nickel added to our hourly wage. They Employer also filed a counter grievance to claw back the over payment, but was forced to withdraw it based on the physical dollar amount printed in the collective agreement. So as I said previously the company has to absorb the loss of the 9 month over payment. It is not perfect win, but it is still a success. The Union went ahead with the support of many people from all shifts, I personally spoke to at least 30 people, and there was not a single one that did not want this to go forward on principle alone. Not one officer I spoke to really cared about the money, it was the principle of the matter that drove their resolve.