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What kind of union
are the Teamsters? Who do they represent - the owners or the workers?
- Teamsters went to management without approval or consent
of the workers to work out a collective agreement.
- The Teamsters' agreement does not even bring messengers
the minimum employment standards that virtually all other workers have such
as vacation pay.
- If a messenger works 40 hours per week (but most work more)
and the average income will now be about $312 then they make about $7.80/hr
- gross. Deduct the $8/week for the Teamsters, deduct bike maintenance, deduct
pager and radio costs and average courier is making much less than the Quebec
minimum wage of $7.45/hr.
Does that sound like the kind of contract negotiated by a union on behalf
of workers interests - less than minimum wage and no vacation?
In comparison CUPW just spent the last few years fighting (and winning) a
court case to gain couriers in Saskatchewan payment for statutory holidays
and vacation.
Bosses took us for a ride
Want to unionize - "Phony deals" reached without consent
Montreal Gazette, August 28, 2004
By Kazi Stastna
A mere six months after they began organizing some of the city's bicycle
couriers are card-carrying union members. Unfortunately, it's of a union
they never asked to be part of.
About 50 of the city's bicycle couriers gathered at Phillips Square yesterday
afternoon to protest against collective bargaining agreements negotiated
by the Teamsters Union Local 931 in their name but without their input.
The couriers accuse the Teamsters of undercutting their efforts to get accredited
with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers by entering into negotiations with
the very courier companies for which the CUPW had requested affiliation in
March.
Companies that feared the CUPW bid would be successful pre-emptively approached
the Teamsters, which in Quebec represent 3,500 mostly motorized couriers
at Purolator, UPS and other companies, to get a contract in their favour,
said Andre Frappier, CUPW director for Montreal.
Under Canada's Labour Code, employers in industries under federal jurisdiction
can voluntarily recognize a union and draw up a collective agreement without
prior approval by workers.
"The employers prefer to have a phony contract with the Teamsters than to
hold real negotiations with the postal workers," Frappier said.
At least three companies have signed such agreements, which were presented
as fait accompli to couriers and voted upon. One of these was Courrier 2000,
where couriers approved the contract.
"It's a little company. I guess nobody wanted to make trouble with the boss,"
Benoit Tremblay said at the rally. The 32 year-old bike courier avoided the
meeting but had no choice when it came to signing a membership card if he
wanted to keep his job.
The agreement will do little to improve his working conditions, he said.
Vacation and sick days will still be unpaid; bike maintenance remains at
his own expense. He will get three per-cent raise on every commission, for
an extra $12 a week on his average earnings of $300. But with $8 a week in
union dues, that's not much of a profit, he said.
Tremblay and other couriers say they have a better chance of getting some
of the things they've been fighting for, such as a minimum daily rate, with
CUPW.
The Teamsters union denies wrongdoing. "Local 931 made the request, submitted
the collective agreement to a vote - even though it's not legally required
to - and the CUPW was offended by that. We can't help that," Teamsters-Quebec
president Rejean Roy.
The two unions will meet with the Quebec Labour Federation on Tuesday.
See April 2004 articles for more on Montreal labour issues:
Respect would be among
new benefits - Montreal Gazette, April 03, 2004
Bike couriers want a better ride
- Montreal Gazette, April 3, 2004
Bike couriers want to unionize
- Montreal Gazette, April 02, 2004
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