OFF THE LINE Photo Contest - Unifor Local 88
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OFF THE LINE
December 2018 - Volume 29 - Issue 6
Photo Contest
Submit photos to lindajjsmith@sympatico.ca
to be used as the cover
for each of 6 issues of
“Off the Line” Newsletter 2019.
Deadline is Jan 25.
$50 prizes for each issue plus
$100 and 1 Unifor Clothing item for grand prize!
Page 1 December, 2018
Submitted by: Keith Ackworth
The euphoric and excited atmosphere on the weekend at everyone in
the annual Bid for Kids event was not only from the yummy attendance was
cupcakes up for auction.With a goal of $40,000 in mind blown away when
for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Ingersoll/Tillsonburg, Unifor
Local 88 was
involved in a
bidding war. They
bid $25,000 on a dozen of the sweet treats during a charity
auction. “It was quite a spectacle,” says Steve Pye, Local
88 Community representative. With a shocked crowd, the
bidding just kept on climbing. The cupcakes were a big hit
and baked locally by Unifor 88 Member, Denise Vyse, who
said she “was honoured” that her treats were used for the
surprise donation. “It was a huge-hearted statement made
on behalf of our membership with a heart second to none,”
Story Continued on Page 13
In this Issue Executive Board Meetings
President’s Report: Pg. 4 Your Local Union Executive Board meets on the Tuesday prior to the last
Plant Chair Report: Pg. 6 Sunday of each month to acknowledge thank you letters from the past month,
Retirees Report Pg. 9 to report on activities from the past months, and to review requests and make
recommendations to the membership at our next General Membership Meeting.
Skilled Trades Pg. 9 If you have a request that you wish your Executive Board to deal with, please
OCOT Pg. 11 submit it by the Friday prior to the Executive Board Meeting.
Apprenticeship Report Pg. 14
United Way Pg. 19 General Membership Meetings
Benefits Banter: Pg. 20
Our Local Union General Membership Meetings are on the last Sunday of each
Ergonomics Report Pg. 23 month at 10:30 am. This is your opportunity to participate in the decisions of
Rec Report Pg. 23 your local union. The membership is the highest authority in our local union. You
Environment Committee Pg. 26 are invited to the next General Membership Meeting: January 27, 2018.
Skilled Trades Council Pg. 27
Letters to the Editor: Pg. 28
Contacts Pg. 30
Toy Drive Donation Prize Winners
1) Melissa Vanstone $50 gift cert
2) Jamie Wright $50 gift cert
Teddy Bear Christmas 3) Ron Zavitz popcorn maker
Page 2 December, 2018
Merry Christmas is a sentiment you will hear a lot during the next few weeks
leading up to the holidays. Merry Christmas is said in many languages like Joyeus
Noel, Feliz Navidad, Gozhqq Keshmish and SO many more. Check out the many
ways other nationalities say Merry Christmas.
Here are some of the other celebrations that are celebrated in December:
•Saint Nicholas Day (Christian)
•Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexican)
•St. Lucia Day (Swedish)
•Hanukkah (Jewish)
•Christmas Day (Christian)
•Three Kings Day/Epiphany (Christian)
•Boxing Day (Australian, Canadian, English, Irish)
•Kwanzaa (African American)
•Omisoka (Japanese)
•Yule (Pagan)
•Saturnalia (Pagan)
Whatever religion, belief or nationality you may be, enjoy your much deserved,
union negotiated time off, from December 22 to January 2, 2019.
References
https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/languages.shtml
http://www.holidayscalendar.com/months/december/
In Solidarity,
Doris Weir,
Co-Editor
Page 3 December, 2018
bankruptcy, but they are reaping all of the benefits.
GM does very well for itself in Canada. Not only
do workers in the GM plants in Oshawa, Ingersoll
By: Joe Graves and St. Catherines produce top quality vehicles,
engines and transmissions, but the company sells
a lot of vehicles in Canada, more than 300,000 last
year.
Ontario Regional Council Toronto
Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2018 GM regularly talks about building where you sell. Canada
is on pace to build nearly one GM vehicle for every one sold
ORC is held yearly in Toronto to go over the business of here. In Mexico, that ratio is already completely lopsided,
Unifor and discuss resolutions that have been submitted by and it’s getting worse this year. Mexico is set to build nearly
various locals. Delegates are elected from the workplaces four GM vehicles for every one sold in that country. The
across Ontario. Local 88 had 12 delegates attend the 2018 Canadian workforce delivers top quality and productivity;
Council. we deserve a fair share.
Local 88 and Local 2163 submitted a joint resolution on
ensuring that the Roxie Baker Childcare Centre at the Unifor WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario will be open
Join with Unifor in the days and weeks ahead to fight
and staffed for children during all courses and conferences
for justice for GM Oshawa workers and all auto workers
that are offered by Unifor. This was discussed at Council and
in Canada. Tell GM that we will not accept how Canadian
was ruled as non-concurrence for the reason it has to be dealt
workers are being treated and insist that the company meet
with at Canadian Council, which is not for two more years.
their collective agreement obligations. Tell your MPs and
It is unfortunate that the availability of childcare could not
MPPs that we expect all levels of government to stand up for
be addressed at Council but Local 88 & 2163 will raise the
good jobs and to fight for a fair share of jobs for Canada.
issue again at Canadian Council.
CLOSING GM OSHAWA PLANT? NO WAY! RETIREES’ Monthly Meeting November 14, 2018
Our last retiree meeting was well attended with over 65
members. Brian Ginty, the Retiree Chairperson, presented
over 23 watches at the meeting. In attendance were many
of the “30 and out” retirees that just retired and the average
age of our group has been significantly lowered. With the
increase of retirees in the New Year, we will be presenting
many more watches and seeing many more new faces. A
delicious turkey lunch was served for everyone in attendance
and it was great to see the numbers now attending.
December 1st Retirees:
John Worrall GM Unit
Greg Heather GM Unit
James Elliott GM Unit
Joseph A. Dudzisz GM Unit
John Berzins GM Unit
Mark Taylor GM Unit
On November 26, 2018 General Motors announced it Herbert Ryder GM Unit
will be shuttering five plants in North America, including Total = 7
the Oshawa assembly plant. 2,200 Unifor members work
at the Oshawa assembly plant and will be affected by the GM Unit 511
announcement of no product allocation beyond December AWC Unit 7
2019.
DCT Units 2
Good jobs in the auto sector are very important and the
National 2
spin-off effects of the industry through the purchase of auto
parts, the use of raw materials, and the effects of workers’ Total retired workers to date-522
spending mean that every job in auto assembly creates seven Congratulations to all of the members of Unifor Local 88
other jobs across the economy. that have retired since the last issue of the newsletter. On
The restructuring plans did not affect Mexico in any way. behalf of Local 88’s Executive, Inplant and Membership, we
GM is not planning to sell significantly fewer vehicles in wish you and your family the best in your retirement years
North America over the coming years. Production forecasts and thank you.
show that the company intends to build even more vehicles
in the years ahead in Mexico, and fewer in Canada and the
United States. The Mexico Government did not contribute
any money to the saving of General Motors 2008-2009
Page 4 December, 2018
Your Future/Pre-Retirement one day Mike VanBoekel and I attended the Skilled Trades Council
Educational Course in Peterborough on November 9-11, 2018. This was my
first Trades Council and I found the discussions to be very
Saturday February 2, 2018 informative. We heard from many delegates from across
the country and their Trades’ issues are quite similar to
The Preparing for Retirement course will take place on ours. Reports were given from most locals and resolutions
February 2, 2018, at Four Points Sheraton in London. Posters for the upcoming Trades Collective Bargaining & New
have been posted in plant and on the Local 88’s website. The Technology Conference on February 26-28, 2019 were
Agenda has been set and topics that will be covered are: distributed and discussed. One issue that was discussed at
1. Retirement, Things to Consider length was Bill 47 and the Ontario Government’s plan to
2. Legal Presentation from a Unifor Legal Services wind down the Ontario College of Trades. There was a total
representative lack of consultation with Labour on the proposed changes
3. Financial Presentation by a First Ontario Credit Union that will undermine standards that safeguard the public and
representative workers’ interests. I have written Premier Ford and local
4. Lunch & Learn presentation from Unifor 88 Retiree MPP Ernie Hardeman objecting to the wind down and lack
Chairperson of consultation.
5. CPP/OAS presentation from a representative of Service
Canada EI/CPP COMMITTEE
6. Defined Benefit presentation from Local 88 Benefits The Local 88 Executive and Membership approved the
Reps. request from Stephan Cronin, Benefits Representative,
7. Wrap up to be placed onto the Ontario Regional Council EI/CPP
Committee. I’m proud to say Stephan Cronin was accepted
The schedule for the day is 8:00am to 4:30 pm with a to be on the Committee and he attended his first meeting on
lunch that will be provided. Spouses and partners are invited November 29, 2018 in Toronto. This is the same committee
and encouraged to attend. that Dan Borthwick was on for years and having someone on
To sign up contact: Unifor Local Benefits Representative this committee benefited the members of Local 88 over the
Office at: years. Congratulations, Stephan.
519-425-3134 ext. 3342, 3345 or 3353
AWC YARD/OFFICE
Building Corporation Updates On November 21, 2018, I attended a meeting with
On November 22, 2018, Linda Leyten and I met with AWC chairperson Mel Bolsterli and committeeperson
representatives of Magil Construction to discuss the addition Paul Branton with AWC management from Oshawa and
to our Union hall. Several issues were raised and discussed. Ingersoll to resolve some outstanding issues in the yard and
The timing of the new hall is as follows: Steve Arbour, housekeeping issues with the new collective agreement.
project manager, believes they will be able to get all of the Overall, most of the issues were resolved to our satisfaction
administrative issues dealt with over the winter months, but a couple of issues are still being discussed and will be
allowing them to break ground in early April 2019 with a looked after in the next month.
completion date near the end of August 2019. This schedule
would allow us to have a grand opening of our new addition General Membership Meetings
during our Labour Day picnic. Two issues still being looked Our Local Union General Membership meetings are on
at are, making two rooms available for Local 2163 and the last Sunday of each month at 10:30 am. This is the time
placing solar panels on the new addition. and place for you to participate in the decisions of your local
At Ontario Regional Council, Linda and I met with Bob union. The membership is the highest authority in our local
Orr, Unifor’s Secretary-Treasurer and Richard Vann to union. I invite you to attend our next general membership
discuss finances for the new addition. The meeting went well meeting on January 25th, 2019. There will be no meeting in
and they said they will take our request to their executive for December 2018.
approval and would get back to us once that has been done.
In Solidarity,
USMCA Meeting Joe Graves,
On November 5th, the Master Bargaining Committee 519-425-0952 x101,
attended a meeting on the United States-Mexico-Canada Cell- 226-448-2789,
Agreement that was presented by the Unifor Research joegraves@unifor88.ca
Department. They detailed the issues of attaining the
agreement and explained some of the positive changes of the
USMCA, in particular, the exemption on auto tariffs.
Skilled Trades Council - Peterborough
Page 5 December, 2018
By: Mike Van Boekel In my annual Christmas report, I’d like to review the past new product for our plant and a new paint shop to go with it. year and some of the highlights. Also, let’s gaze into the Maybe it will be 2019, maybe not until 2020, but I have no crystal ball and see what 2019 may bring. doubt a new product is coming. After eight years of non-stop Saturdays, we are now back As I write this today, the announcement of multiple to working the more traditional 40-hour weeks in production. plant closings has been announced, including no future 40-hour weeks are great for our bodies and our minds, but product for Oshawa. The news is shocking and again, with the Saturdays sure helped the pocket book. The Equinox no government action, another auto plant will be put on continues to sell very well, which has kept us on three shifts life support. CAMI remains the last Big 3 plant built in for the entire year. Canada and with the current landscape, it will be tough to It took a long time but we finally had our first group of 25 see any new automakers beginning to set up shop here, not recalled back to CAMI with a second group of 25 starting with Mexico paying $3 an hour. Hundreds of thousands of December 3. We remain with over 300 members laid off, well-paying jobs have left the country and the government but judging by our retiree numbers I would think close to continues to turn a blind eye while corporations continue to everyone will be recalled by Christmas 2019. exploit cheap labour. In late spring, our first member hit the magical “30 & out” A federal election will take place in the fall and it will be plateau!!! Retirees have continued to grow and 2018 saw a interesting to see if the country’s love affair with Trudeau total of 87 members retire. It is a very happy occasion but and the Liberals will remain, or will the PC’s slip in with a also a bit sad to see someone that you spent so much time minority government? with leaving for the last time. It is wonderful that we have I hope 2019 brings us strong sales, and hopefully a stork cell phones so we can still call them at 6am to remind them carrying us a new product to develop and grow. But most to sleep in because they don’t have to work. important of all, I hope 2019 brings you and your family 2018 also saw us say our final goodbyes to five active peace and health. members: Al Goor, Kevin Bradburn, Walter Balasiuk, Kim Merry Christmas to all, VanDaele and Ben Walker. Every time someone leaves us and to all a Good Tight!!! too early, a hole is left on the team and in the shop. We share many memories and at times it seems that we see them In Solidarity, more than our own families. The toughest part of becoming teammates and friends is having to say goodbye. Mike Van Boekel This past round of bargaining saw us negotiate 25 new apprentices over the life of the contract. In December 2018 seven new apprentices will be starting. Congrats to them and hopefully we can get the next group started in the first half of 2019. 2019 will, no doubt, bring many challenges. The current pension policy grievance will be in front of an arbitrator at some point. You work 30 years and instead of a handshake, the heads of GM Canada figure out one more way to take money away from us. I have a tough time believing anyone affected by this will ever buy another GM vehicle, but hey, let’s save a nickel now so we lose thousands in sales later. 2019 will see a wave of retirees leave the plant as the “30 and out” option becomes a reality for many. With the potential for 200 to 300 people retiring, we could exhaust our recall list by December next year. That would be welcome news for everyone. The Equinox sales continue to be strong but new model releases by some of our competitors will keep pressure on GM to advertise and keep our trucks in the public eye. 2019 will no doubt start off with our plant being awarded BIQ 4 status. This was the last remaining matrix that we were not on top of GM’s list. We will now be BIQ 4, the leanest plant. Our quality scores are among the highest, if not the best in GM. At some point, GM will have to award a Page 6 December, 2018
By: Kim DeGraaf
Just in time for the winter weather, we have long sleeve committee, specifically, Mike Murphy, thought this would be
shirts in black or red available from the inplant office. These a great idea to give back as a big thank you for community
shirts come in men’s or women’s cuts. We also have more support. It would have been easier to just write out a cheque
¼ zip orange, high visibility sweatshirts, and toques. Short to Big Brothers Big Sisters, but this was WAY COOL!!! The
sleeve red Unifor t-shirts are also available if you’re looking best part was no one in the room knew what was happening
for those. We will be looking into hoodies in the next couple during the bidding. The looks on people’s faces was
of weeks as well. You can see all the clothing available for priceless! If you get a chance, check out the video from Big
sale in the cabinet outside the union inplant office. Brothers Big Sisters of Ingersoll, Tillsonburg and Area!!!
On November 23rd, I had the opportunity to attend the I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the
Big Brothers Big Sisters Bid for Kids’ Sake in Tillsonburg. members who purchased toys and gifts for the Teddy Bear
The event was well attended. There were about a dozen Christmas. It was great to see all the toys brought in for the
Local 88 members there with their spouses including Mike Christmas Hampers. These toys will be going to those who
VanBoekel, Joe Graves and Mike Murphy. There was a silent may not have had a gift at all without your help. I would also
and live auction. like to thank the leadership of Local 88 who stepped up and
Local 88’s own Denise Vyse donated a dozen cupcakes that donated so many toys to help out this great cause! Many of
she had baked for the event, since Denise is a Big Sister. our reps have helped deliver the hampers over the years and
When the cupcakes were being auctioned off, the bidding they see how real the need is. So, a big Thank You to all!!
started at $100 and kept going up! It was incredible to watch I would also like to wish the entire membership a Merry
as the bidding was going up into the thousands of dollars!!! Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy the holiday and
A bidding war was on! As I looked around the room, I could stay safe.
see Joe Graves and Mike Murphy bidding against Mike
VanBoekel from across the room! The cupcakes went for In Solidarity,
$25,000!!! It was just amazing to watch!!! The $25,000 Kim DeGraaf,
went to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ingersoll, Recording Secretary
Tillsonburg and Area, with the money coming from the
Social Justice Fund. This fund was bargained during the last
round of negotiations for the sole purpose of giving back to
the communities for all the strike support. Our bargaining
I’d like to wish everyone a happy
holiday season and wish you all the best
in the New Year
In Solidarity,
Dan Borthwick,
L: 519-893-4873 Ext. 2236,
Toll free/sans frais: 1-800-265-2884 Ext. 2236,
E: dan.borthwick@unifor.org
Page 7 December, 2018
By: Allan Fisher
Our union has all of these positions but what are they for, An interesting tidbit - Any member of Local 88 can make
exactly? a motion at a GMM. The procedure is as follows: a motion is
Some of them are pretty easy to figure out like President, made near the end of the meeting and then it is debated and
Vice President, and Financial Secretary, but what are some voted upon at the following meeting.
of these others for? Don’t know how to make a motion?
Trustee? Guide? Co-ordinator? What’s the difference Don’t know when it’s time to make the motion in the
between the President and Plant Chair? meeting?
What’s an amalgamated Local? (Which Local 88 is) Come see me. I can help with that.
Before I got active in our local union, I couldn’t have (2) Ensure all present at meetings are entitled to be there.
answered any of these questions but over the last six years This one is pretty self-explanatory but unless you are a
I’ve learned a lot and I’d like to pass it along. The more Unifor Local 88 member, you aren’t allowed to attend
educated we are as a local, the stronger we will be. membership meetings UNLESS the members in attendance
Over the next several issues, I’m going to try to explain, in say it’s ok by a majority vote.
every day terms, what these elected positions are for. Given That’s the majority of the position. I’ve also been trained
continued interest, we can dive into standing committees and to fill in as Recording Secretary and as Financial Secretary in
what they are for as well. their absence.
I’ll start with the one that I know the most about…Guide. I’m also Co-Chair of the Local 88 Communications
I was elected to the position of Guide in the last triennial Committee but that’s a story for another article.
election. Thank you!
In our Duties of Officers document, a Guide’s duties are Until next time,
listed as: In Solidarity,
- Maintains order at meetings (??? - see (1) below) Allan Fisher,
Executive Board - Guide,
- Inspect membership receipts (self-explanatory) Communications Committee Co-Chair,
- Ensure all present at meetings are entitled to be there (??? Unifor Local 88,
- see (2) below) 519-788-0645,
allanfisher@unifor88.ca
- Fill in for the Recording Secretary in his/her absence
(self-explanatory)
In simple terms, a Guide is exactly that…a guide for
our Executive Board and to GeneralMembership Meetings
(GMM).
For the Executive Board, the Guide makes sure that we are Tricky- Answer on Pg. 11
following our own bylaws and constitution. The Guide also
has voice and vote, which means just that. At the Executive
board meetings this position has the ability to debate issues
and has a vote upon these items/issues.
These voted-on items are then brought to the GMM to
be voted upon by our members. The Executive gives their
recommendations but the membership has the final say in our
local.
(1) Maintains order at meetings - For our GMM we follow
Bourinot’s Rules of Order which are defined as “procedures
by which meetings can be conducted in an orderly fashion,
issues debated and motions passed according to the majority
but with due regard to the rights of the minority. For the
most part, rules of order are based on common sense and the
need to move through an agenda expeditiously.” Basically,
it’s a set of rules to keep meetings on track so items can
be debated and voted upon and to prevent meetings from
dissolving into chaos.
Page 8 December, 2018jobs. We are more than capable, as a group, to complete the
task of installing new equipment, modifying equipment and
maintaining equipment in our plant. Recently, a group of
By: Alex Balicki Tradespeople asked me to arrange a meeting with Mr. Duff
to help clarify our position to him. Gary did commit to me
that he would look at the possibility of us doing more in the
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly plant; specifically, the Palin system installation in the paint
shop. I hope the biggest point we made to Mr. Duff was the
Let’s start with a little bit of good news. By the time this passion that we all share for our Trade.
article is in print, we should have started the seven new
apprenticeships: two Stationary Engineer Apprenticeships The “Ugly” was the recent announcement that General
for the Powerhouse and five Millwright Apprenticeships. The Motors was going to close down the Oshawa assembly plant.
process took much longer than our Apprentice Rep. Chris As I am writing this article, I am in Toronto for Auto Council
Ciolfi and I thought would be necessary to complete. There just as the news has been released. Although CAMI is not
were many strong candidates to consider, so congratulations directly involved in this announcement, we need to involve
to the successful new apprentices. ourselves in the fight that Local 222 has taken up to save
their jobs. General Motors seems to be exiting Canada one
To the applicants that were not successful this time, please plant at a time. If they are successful, Local 88 will be the
don’t give up. The selection process was very difficult last assembly plant for General Motors in Canada. And as
considering the amount of quality applications that we we all know, we are not the only builders of the Equinox.
received. We have many tradespersons that served their This workforce has made GM a great deal of money over
apprenticeship at CAMI that were not successful in their the years, through our hard work and dedication. During the
first or second attempt to become an apprentice. So please, last financial crisis that GM put themselves in, the Canadian
contact Chris and ask him where he believes you may need Government helped bail out the company from bankruptcy
to upgrade to be successful in a future intake. by giving them billions of dollars!!!
The “Bad” takes me to our plant. The company failed Our hard work and tax dollars were not given for General
to succeed in obtaining certain concessions or language Motors to invest in Mexico. But that seems to be exactly
during our last negotiations. They have come where our money has gone.
to me on numerous occasions trying to have
me surrender what they did not achieve last One final question for Mary Barra: what
year in bargaining. The biggest and most financial contribution did the country of
important issue to me is our Full Utilization Mexico give to General Motors when you were
language. I will repeat myself again. I believe on the verge of bankruptcy?
it is the most vital appendix that we as Skilled
Trades people have in the contract. I will not
In Solidarity,
surrender nor weaken that language! It is not
Alex Balicki
about overtime; it is about job ownership, and
I will not give up our jobs to try and keep our
Retired Workers Our meetings for 2019 are:
January 9, February 13, March 13, April 10, May 8,
Report By: Brian Ginty and June 12, which will also be our Summer BBQ, and
continuing with meetings on September 11 and
October 9. Then comes the November 13 meeting, which
We held our final meeting of the year on November 14. is our Christmas meeting and lunch.
This is also when we have our annual Christmas lunch. Along with Doug Howey, I attended the Health Care
There were 62 retirees and spouses in attendance, along Rally in Toronto at the beginning of the month, and then
with Joe Graves and Mike VanBoekel, who both brought we went to the Political Action Meeting held at Unifor
us all up to date on what is happening both in the plant Local 27, in London. The meeting was well attended with
and with our benefits. over 80 activists there. There were speakers covering
23 retirement watches were handed out to new retirees. Worker’s Rights, Pharamacare, and the Ford Fight Back
campaigns. Naureen Rizvi, Ontario Regional Director,
The meeting wrapped up with a lovely Christmas lunch
was the main speaker.
put on by The Olde Bakery in Ingersoll.
The next retirees watch presentation will not happen
until the second meeting of 2019, February 13, 2019. Nollaig shona dhuit!
(Merry Christmas),
2019 could see as many as 400 people take the
In Solidarity
retirement, which would increase our membership to
close to 1,000, if they were all to come out.
Page 9 December, 2018Page 10 December, 2018
By: Ray Hamel Ford and the Conservatives have announced a “wind The proposed wind down of the College was announced down” of OCOT. This legislation is part of Bill 47 which with no consultation from any trade boards. The trade is being rammed through with all the other anti-worker boards were told that they would not be meeting. Both legislation that the Conservatives are putting forth to help announcements were very disappointing. I believe anyone their business partners and cronies, all the while telling involved would be asking questions like: who will make us that it’s better for workers! The major problem with recommendations on apprenticeship, or curriculum, and any this “wind down” is that the current government has not other trade related issues? proposed any alternatives to a governing body for trades. Yes, OCOT was not perfect, but to just end it with no As a part of this, the bill will also permit apprenticeship system in place is not a reasonable approach. The idea of ratios of one to one. Currently 80% of the trades that a governing body, which was first put forth by Armstrong, make up the College do not have any requirement for a similar to the College of Nurses and 30 other professional ratio, meaning that they can have as many as they want; career choices, was a sound one. however, these trades do not even come close to a one- I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brother to-one ratio. In compulsory trades, where trade boards Carlos Zuzarte for putting his name forward to the Industrial have for years discussed and debated the apprenticeship Electrician Trade Board. He was appointed only a short time ratios with safety and training as the key factors, the before the announcement to “wind down” the College. I industry has come up with what they feel are ratios that are would also like to thank the leadership of Local 88 and the acceptable for the apprentices to properly and safely learn members for the support I have received in my time as a their respective trade. OCOT took this one step further by Trade Board member both prior to the College and during having a ratio review process which included consultation. the College’s short time. In the “wind down” and ratio change announcement from the Conservatives, MPP Fullerton, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities was quoted as saying, “As far In Solidarity, as we’re concerned, if you are prepared to do the work Ray Hamel, then you deserve a shot at the job.” The Trade Boards have Stamping spent many years in the past considering what is best for an apprentice and the trade. A one-to-one ratio will lead to apprentices receiving less on-the-job training with a qualified mentor and could lead to apprentices working alone and/or with other apprentices, instead of with a qualified journeyperson. This can cause an overabundance of untrained or poorly trained, semi-skilled workers, leading to obvious safety issues for the workers and the public, as well as a lack of desire to fulfill these jobs in the future as they Tricky Answer from Pg. 8 will likely be low paying. One of the principals of the College was to raise the level of professionalism within trades. The idea was to elevate the status of trades, so that these would be sought after career choices and not a second option. This would provide safe and well-paying career choices for apprentices. Many professional career choices do have a governing body like the College. These colleges have been shaped over the years by the interests of the members and the public with little or no interference from government bodies. Since its inception, OCOT has been plagued with many governmental influences. A key and welcomed component of the College was the enforcement aspect, to help protect the public and the trades. For many years, there was very little or no enforcement of compulsory trades and a number of workers who were illegally performing the work of compulsory trades were opposed to OCOT. Page 11 December, 2018
Page 12 December, 2018
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Feb. 23, 2019
Registration at 11:00am -
Starts Noon
IIIIIIIIII
IIIIIII
IIIIIIII III
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Cost
$40
3 Games,
Shoes,
Chair-Contact Lunch included
Julie Fenn Cash Bar
First 8 teams of 5 players
jeweleryjulie@hotmail.com
519-933-7756 Teams of less than 5 can play.
Will be paired up with similar locals
Open to Unifor Members and Spouses
Registration Deadline Feb. 16/19
Local union or certified cheques payable to:
UNIFOR POEM COUNCIL
C/O Unifor Local 88
Payment 364 Victoria Street Payment
Ingersoll, Ontario
Or e-transfer to Julie @
jeweleryjulie@hotmail.com
Confirmation of entry upon receipt of payment
Unifor P.O.E.M. Council Regional Event
hosted by Unifor Local 88 Recreation Committee Visit www.unifor88.ca/bowling for more infoUnifor 88 shares continued from Page 13
said Steve Pye. With a big turnout from Local 88 members, The town decided at a Town Council meeting to buy a
including Plant Coordinator Mike Murphy, Plant Chair Mike digital display board and install it at the main intersection
Van Boekel and President Joe Graves, the place was packed of downtown Ingersoll. Any charity group can post their
and the energy palpable. “We wanted to create a shock upcoming events, blood donor clinics, town events, Boy
value,” said Mike Van Boekel. Joe Graves said, “It was Scouts etc. Local 88 surprised the meeting’s attendees with
actually pretty cool! We wanted to enlighten people about an offer of full payment of the sign.
Local 88. The whole room erupted. People were shaking our The impact of such a donation is big, at a time when
hands. It was exciting, very exciting!” funding is needed most. “This gift of $25,000 from Unifor
Unifor Local 88 is the leading sponsor of Big Brothers Big Local 88 makes a huge impact on our organization. These
Sisters in the area. funds allow us to continue offering our mentoring programs
Unifor Local 88 was able to donate the money thanks to to this community. This includes recruitment of volunteers,
a collectively bargained fund with GM Canada of $100,000 child safety program training for our members, creating
for community outreach. “Our idea and the plan going and maintaining high quality mentoring program standards,
forward is to shock,” said Mike Van Boekel, “No one was in ongoing supervision and relationship support by our trained
on it. We were hoping for a “Wow” factor. We wanted more professionals and providing social activities to enrich
exposure for Local 88. This lets people know that we’re opportunities for children in our community. In the end, it
important in the community.” is all about the kids,” says Nicole Killaire, Development
The $100,000 is based annually, so it will be $400,000 Coordinator.
in total for the period of the contract. It is a way to raise Big Sisters Big Brothers is a youth mentoring organization
awareness of the union’s work in the communities around that offers unique mentoring programs to children and youth
CAMI. $50,000 of the amount goes to month-to-month in their local communities, completely free to families. “We
donations that Local 88 supports through their executive believe that every child who needs a mentor deserves to
meetings and membership meetings. The remaining $50,000 have a mentor,” says Nicole. Big Brothers Big Sisters offer
is split into two $25,000 donations per year. How the 12 unique mentoring programs and serve approximately 250
donations get distributed is up to the union. children and youth each year. They are always looking for
The first donation was made in October to the town of volunteers. If you wish to help, or are looking for more info.
Ingersoll. The town has lost their weekly paper and have no Please contact (519) 485-1801 or visit the web site at
great way to spread any news of upcoming events. www.sharethefun.org.
In Solidarity,
Keith Ackworth
Local 88 Recreation Committee football bus trip to Lions
and Rams game Dec. 2
Page 13 December, 2018By: Chris Ciolfi
At the writing of this report, I will have been the For all the applicants at this intake that have submitted
Local 88 Apprentice Rep. for just over five months. I would original documents, please let me know if you would like
like to thank the skilled trades members that made their them back by getting in touch with me, so that we can set
way to the hall on Sunday, June 24th to cast their votes, up a time and place. Anybody that was unsuccessful in the
when they could have been enjoying the one day a week process at this intake can also reach out to me so we can
that they are not forced into the plant. As far as the position possibly come up with a plan to increase your chances with
of Apprentice Rep. goes, I can tell you that there is a lot future opportunities. I would love to say that I run office
more work than I thought there would be. The Assembly hours, but unfortunately I share duty with the shop floor
Maintenance Department has been more than fair in getting and apprentice stuff on an “as needed” basis. In closing, our
me the time off the shop floor to get the job done. six electrical apprentices moved to their new shops after
Let me start with the steps involved in the apprentice Labour Day and should be quite at home now. They are
application process. Completed applications are submitted also receiving their school letters for the final and advanced
to Employee Relations and then forwarded to me. I am portion of the program.
then given the opportunity to validate and make changes
(if necessary) to your points on the application form. As a
committee we discuss who, based on the points, will move
on to the aptitude test. We encountered a delay with the Chris Ciolfi,
implementation of a new aptitude test, which the selected Local 88 Apprentice Rep.,
candidates wrote on October 30th and November 1st. The Assembly Maintenance,
tests were marked and the Committee again discusses the chris.ciolfi@gm.com,
candidates moving on to the interview stage, which at the 519-425-3134 x3318,
time of writing this report, was underway. I can tell you that Personal cell – text only 519-421-6101
after marking and reviewing the applications, there are many
highly skilled individuals seeking an apprenticeship.
A definite highlight has been getting to meet a lot of the
applicants from the shop floor. I would like to extend the
invitation to as many people as possible to apply for the
upcoming opportunities when they become available. The
company has committed to hiring UP TO 25 apprentices over
the life of the contract. As far as which trades they will be, I
cannot answer that at the present time. I also expect there to
be a continuous flow of retirements from the present skilled
trades workforce here at CAMI and this presents the need for
apprentices.
When these future opportunities present themselves,
I highly recommend attending the information sessions, Easy - Answer on Page 26
as a lot of the questions that were brought to me after the
fact were answered at the sessions. Some of the key points
are to have all original transcripts from any educational
institution that you have attended, provide a resume with
all of your contact information and go over Appendix B of
the Collective Agreement pertaining to apprentices. I would
like to add that for some of the longer-term employees
considering an apprenticeship, be aware that your rate of pay
will change. It is spelled out in the Collective Agreement
as a percentage based on rate of pay for our tradespeople at
CAMI, which at other facilities is the standard. The other
key point is that your pension will be at the skilled trades
rate when all is said and done. If at any time you need
information regarding apprenticeship, feel free to reach out
and contact me. I usually respond in a timely fashion. All my
contact information will be at the end of this report.
Page 14 December, 2018Unifor 88:
Come From Away
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Lunch
included!
Includes:
• Ticket to show
• Lunch
• Luxury motor coach
transportation
• HST
$220 Per Person
Cash or cheque to
“Unifor Local 88”
or etransfer julie at
jeweleryjulie@hotmail.com
Hot House Restaurant: Enjoy lunch at the Hot House Restaurant, offering
great food and service in a comfortable atmosphere.
Come From Away: Next we visit the Elgin Theatre in Toronto for a perfor-
mance of Come From Away. After a sold-out, standing-room only Toronto
engagement before heading to Broadway, Come From Away returns due to
overwhelming demand! It’s been called the “edge of the world.” The weather
is wild, but the locals never lack for warmth. And it’s here, in Newfoundland,
where a remote town became the epicenter of a remarkable true story filled
with unusual characters, unexpected camaraderie and uncommon generos- For more info or to
ity. Come From Away is the breathtaking new musical that Toronto embraced book, please contact:
with open arms and had audiences leaving the theatre night after night claim-
ing they were “proud to be Canadian!” Julie Fenn
519 933 7756
Departs: Ingersoll, GM Cami Assembly, 300 Ingersoll St. S. (North Lot) at juliefenn70@gmail.com
9:15am
Travel Worry-Free!
Travel Arrangements Made by: Great Canadian Holidays, 353 Manitou Drive, Kitchener,
ON, N2C 1L5 1 800 461 8687 TICO#2280154 SC1833/PN5549
Page 15 December, 2018Christmas Parade Page 16 December, 2018
Person’s Day Gala Page 17 December, 2018
FRIDAY $20 PER TICKET
FEBRUARY 15th FOR TICKETS, VISIT:
https://groupmatics.events/event/Uniforlocal88
DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS TO:
JULIEFENN70@GMAIL.COM
7:30PM
BUDWEISER GARDENS
ORDERS DUE BY DECEMBER 28th
Page 18 December, 2018By: Denise Vyse and Sue McCallum
The 2018 GM Canada CAMI Assembly UNIFOR John Howard Society, and the Canadian Mental Health
Local 88 United Way Campaign Committee would like to Association are promoting healing, resiliency and recovery
thank each and every one of the membership that donated for people living with mental illness. Indwell Harvey
to this year’s United Way Campaign! At the time of writing Woods Lofts, Oxford County Community Health Centre,
this article, canvassing is completed and we are in the midst Meals on Wheels and the South London Neighbourhood
of selling the 2018 Lottery Draw tickets. Your donation is Resource Centre are helping meet basic needs and strengthen
going to make such an impact on our communities! United employment readiness so people in our communities can
Way Elgin Middlesex supports over 80 programs and transition from a life of poverty to a life of possibility. This
services and United Way Oxford supports 18 programs and year’s national United Way theme is “Local Love” and here
services across Oxford County. Needless to say, thousands at CAMI, Local 88 is definitely showing the love of their
of peoples’ lives are changing because of your generosity! communities. Stay tuned for the grand total of giving from
Programs such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Navy our generous membership!
Cadets, Farmtown Canada and Talbot Teen Centre are In Solidarity,
working hard to help our kids be all they can be. Denise Vyse & Sue McCallum
Community Living London, Daya Counselling Service,
Lottery Draw Winners
And the Winners are:
5. 1 Day Off with Pay - GM Shawn Gatschene 1491
1. LOVE TO TRAVEL Shawn Ropp 5689 Regular Draw - Blue Tickets
2. LOVE GMC Catharine Kenny 6277 6. 1 Reserved Parking Spot - GM Ryan Roberts 4685
3. LOVE YOUR CAR Scott Fisher 4176 Regular Draw - Blue Tickets
4. LOVE YOUR CAR 2 Luke McIntosh 36670 7. $500 Cash Prize - UNIFOR John Maynard 7003
5. LOVE YOUR HOME Dan Shaddick 1824 Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
6. LOVE WINTER Mike Eden 7222 8. $500 Cash Prize - UNIFOR Mike Hekking 2351
7. LOVE ADVENTURE Angela Lednicky 6088 Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
8. LOVE SPORTS Aaron Nechelput 5780 9. $250 Cash Prize - UNIFOR Sarah Kelly 38568
9. LOCAL LOVE ELGIN Greg Smulders 38929 Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
10. LOCAL LOVE MIDDLESEX Roberta Krajewski
7055 10. $250 Cash Prize - UNIFOR Stan Devries 1725
Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
11. LOCAL LOVE OXFORD Brad Payne 4747
12. LOVE GOLF Kim DeGraaf 2543 11. $250 Cash Prize - UNIFOR Ales Wittick 38905
13. LOVE GOLF 2 Melissa Albert 5890 Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
14. LOVE GOLF 3 Dan LeFrank 1271 12. $100 Cash Prize - UNIFOR Ruth Eves 37002
15. LOVE DATE NIGHT Trevor Prince 7323 Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
16. LOVE DATE NIGHT 2 Richard Antosko 5020 13. $100 Cash Prize - UNIFOR Laura Lively 4444
17. LOVE FAMILY Brad Morgan 1430 Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
18. LOVE FAMILY 2 Sharon Pellow 38770 14. $100 Cash Prize - UNIFOR Michelle Mallard 5677
19. LOVE YOUR PARTNER Joe Freitas 4753 Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
15. 1 Day Off with Pay - GM Johnny Nyssen 2760
Campaign Prize Winners Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
1. $3000 First Grand Prize - GM Diane Jamieson 2149 16. 1 Reserved Parking Spot - GM John Maynard
Regular Draw - Blue Tickets 7003 Bonus Draw - Red Tickets
2. $2000 Second Grand Prize - GM Tracy McGaw 4463 17. $750 Via Rail Pass - Via Rail John Vickery
Regular Draw - Blue Tickets 38638 Leadership Draw - Black Tickets
3. $500 Third Prize - UNIFOR Josh Cini 6915 18. 2 Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets - Searles Tom Gray
Regular Draw - Blue Tickets 2182 Everyday Hero - Green Tickets
4. $250 Fourth Prize - UNIFOR Chris McFadden 6488 19. 4 London Lightning Tickets - Pro Electric Emma
Regular Draw - Blue Tickets Wassing 7632 One Time Donor Draw - Yellow Tickets
Page 19 December, 2018By: Jeff Bankes,
Stephan Cronin & Rob Gallace
Planning for Your Future/Pre-Retirement We have gone through Step 3 of the grievance procedure
We have a one day course coming up on Saturday, Feb on this issue. We will be moving on to the next step in
2nd, 2019 from 8:00am to 4:30pm at the Four Points the middle of December and hope to have a final answer
Sheriton in London. The information covered will be: sometime early in the new year.
• Are You Mentally Ready to Retire? New Parental Benefits as of March 17, 2019
• Financial Planning
• Legal Planning A new parental leave benefit of up to five additional weeks
• Government Pensions of time off from work will be available to eligible parents as
• CAMI Pension Plan of March 2019, three months earlier than initially planned.
This measure, first announced in the last federal budget, will
provide an additional five weeks of Employment Insurance
We will have several presenters from each field talk about (EI) parental benefits when parents — including adoptive
important issues to think about to prepare yourself for the and same-sex parents — agree to share some of the benefits.
next phase of your life.
Parents with children born or placed for adoption on
We encourage people to bring their spouses or partners or after March 17, 2019 will be eligible for the benefit.
along to this informational course. This is a full day course Initially, the benefit was to take effect in June. The Liberal
and lunch will be provided. To sign up, please contact our government has touted the benefit as a way to encourage
office. The cut off date to sign up will be January 11, 2019. male partners to take some of the allotted leave to more
equally share the responsibilities of raising children, as
Steps to Retirement males presently make up 8% of total Parental Benefits paid
We have a lot of members who are approaching their early out.
retirement eligibility. There have been lots of questions Currently, parents can share 35 weeks of paid leave —
being asked about the steps to retirement. Here are some of with division of that time determined by the couple. The new
the steps to take as you approach retirement. rules would enable families to now take up to 40 weeks of
You can come up to our office at any point and we can do leave from work as long as the second parent claims at least
a monthly pension estimate for you based on your retirement five weeks of that time. Extended benefits will increase to 69
requests. We can also help you figure out your pension time weeks if the second parent claims at least eight weeks of that
and earliest date to retire. time. Thus, the additional five or eight weeks are a “use it
or lose it” benefit which is only available when both parents
• Six months before you reach your retirement eligibility agree to share the parental leave.
you can request a Commuted Value (CV) Estimate.
It will include the monthly pension amount on the
estimate you get back. The first one is free and is from Orthotics
Mercer, the company looking after our pensions. They We’d like to remind everyone that if you are looking to
include a second one in your actual retirement package purchase orthotics it is a covered benefit under Green Shield.
after you retire. If you need any more past those, they However, you need a prescription from a doctor and you
will cost you $300 each. need to use a provider on the approved list. We can print
• To actually retire: There is a form to fill out to initiate the list off for you, or let you know if the provider you are
your retirement. This form is to be filled out by you and looking to use is on the list. You can also access the list on
signed by your supervisor. Once that is done, you would Green Shield online or on the Green Shield app.
submit it to ER. The company wants this form 60 days
before your retirement date and you must retire on the Retirees Chapter
1st day of the month.
• Picking your retirement payment option: This doesn’t Brian Ginty has been chairperson for our Local 88 Retirees
take place until you actually leave the plant. About three Chapter for quite some time now and has been a great asset
weeks after you have actually retired, you will receive a to keeping this chapter going. With the upcoming increase in
package in the mail, outlining your retirement options. number of retirees, Brian has asked if we could mention in
This is where you will make the decision whether you the newsletter that Local 88 retirees have a monthly meeting
will take the monthly or the commuted value. If you take at the Local hall. These meetings are great to just socialize
the commuted value, you will want to take part of your with friends and coworkers of the past and get up to date on
package to a money manager to help set up funds. You can current events in the Union or play a game or two of euchre.
bring the package back into our office and we will ensure The more members we get attending and paying dues of
everything is filled out correctly. We can also send your $2.00, the stronger the voice of Local 88 Retirees Chapter
package back to Mercer for you from our office. will have in their Union.
30 and out Prior to Age 55 Sickness and Accident 20 day Rule
Page 20 December, 2018There have been several claims this year that have been Accumulated Expenditures for Income Security
denied by Sun Life because they are not submitted within 20 Funds (SUB, SWW, IMP, VTEP, PRIMP, ROA)
days from the date of the injury or illness. Half of the Sun
Life appeals we just had were due to the 20 day rule. This is This fund has a Total Income Security Fund Maximum
a hard deadline for the paperwork and our attempts to rectify Liability of $290,000,000.00 during the period from
the denial through the appeal process are tough because it September 17, 2017 to September 21, 2021. A total of $0.00
is a policy issue. If you are experiencing difficulty or think has been used from this fund as of August 1, 2018 with the
you won’t be able to get them in on time, please contact our following breakdown.
office. Maximum Liability $290,000,000.00
Green Shield “On the Go” Phone Application and Expenditure
Website Services SUB $0.00
You can download the Green Shield application by going SWW $0.00
to either the AppStore on Apple or Play Store on Android. IMP $0.00
Green Shield also continues to provide their services to plan VTEP $0.00
members on their website. The service provides you instant PRIMP $0.00
access to your claims history and helps to answer those TOTAL $0.00
important questions. Once registered, you will have online
Remaining Liability $290,000,000.00
access to:
• Direct Deposit of claims payment to personal bank WSIB Appeals and Resolutions
account;
• Explanation of Benefits information; Rob Gallace and Stephan Cronin would like to thank
• Personal claims information; the membership for allowing us to attend the ODRT’s
• Claims payment history; WSIB Appeals and Disputes Resolutions course. This was
• View eligibility for dental recalls, orthotics, and a week- long course designed to teach the whole WSIB
glasses/contact lenses; appeals process. We were set up with 20 other people from
• Print a copy of your statement for Co-ordination of across Canada and across workplace sectors to handle mock
Benefits or tax purposes; cases. Using legislation and WSIAT (Workplace Safety and
• Print or view a copy of your Green Shield Card; Insurance Appeals Tribunal), we went through each case
• And much more. that was assigned to us. They brought in outside instructors
to make rulings on how we did and to provide feedback. We
All you have to do is register online using your unique both found this course extremely interesting and beneficial.
Green Shield Canada ID number and provide your e-mail
address. You will be mailed a password from Green Shield. Union Benefits Office Hours
Once you receive your password, your account will need
to be activated and you will be automatically required to The Union Benefits Office is open from 6:00am to 4:00pm
change your password before accessing any of the services. daily from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays if mandatory
Green Shield web address is www.greenshield.ca. Green overtime is scheduled. We are located south of the assembly
Shield has said they will do random audits and it is very stairs where the bank machine is located. We are the second
important to keep all receipts for at least 13 months. These set of doors on your right.
receipts would need to be provided to Green Shield if The benefits books are in and we would like to thank the
you are requested to do so. From all feedback to date, this zone reps for taking time to deliver them to the members.
process has been very well received by our members. If anyone has been missed please call our office and we will
get you one.
Out of Province Coverage
If you experience a medical emergency while traveling, In Solidarity, In Solidarity, In Solidarity,
call Green Shield Travel Assistance. Quote your GREEN Jeff Bankes Stephan Cronin Rob Gallace
SHIELD group number and patient number, found on your (519) 425-3134 x3345 519) 425-3134 x3353 (519) 425-3134 x3342
Green Shield Identification Card, and explain your medical
emergency. You must always be able to provide your Green
Shield patient number and your Provincial Health Insurance
Plan number. The following are the phone numbers you are
required to call.
For 24-hour emergency medical assistance while traveling,
call:
• 1-800-936-6226 toll-free in Canada & U.S.A.
• 0-519-742-3556 collect in other countries
Green Shield Canada Travel Assistance Group # 9623
For major health expenses, hospitals and physicians may
bill Green Shield directly.
Page 21 December, 2018By: Phil Vandermolen
who also have sex with
men, from donating.
These policies are
based on stigma, not
science, and their
continued existence
represents a broken
promise from Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau pledged to end
the ban during the 2015
federal election.
The current policy
ignores:
- Scientific innovation
in HIV and Hepatitis C
testing since the 1980s.
- That anyone can
engage in high-risk
sexual behaviours.
- That people exposed
through heterosexual
sex are most likely to
be unaware of their HIV
December 1st marks the 30th World AIDS Day and this infection.
year’s theme is “Know Your Status”. Research has made
some great strides forward, however, there is still no cure - The prevalence of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a
available. Last year 940,000 people died of AIDS and pharmaceutical drug that reduces risk of contracting HIV, in
an estimated 36.9 million people were living with HIV Canada.
(UNAIDS data 2018). What used to be a death sentence Changing the screening questions to be behaviour based
is now a manageable disease. In 1996, researchers found could actually strengthen the screening process, as all donors
that a mix of three different medications (HAART) was would be asked the same questions about specific high-
very effective at reducing the virus in a person’s blood. It risk sexual behaviours, instead of CBS and Héma-Quebec
is estimated that the introduction of HAART saw an 80% assuming how they are having sex based on a potential
drop in AIDS deaths and emergency room visits almost donor’s sexual and gender identity.
immediately. This treatment method is still used today,
CBS and the government both agree. In a June 2016 media
but the dosages are not as toxic and many regimens can be
statement the agency already said that it is, “exploring the
combined into one pill a day. Persons who do not have HIV
possibility of moving toward behaviour based screening.”
but who are at substantial risk of getting it now have PrEP to
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ran on a platform that
prevent HIV infection.
included a promise to end discrimination in blood donation.
The key is to know your status. Knowing your status not
The move from a lifetime ban to a 5-year deferral period
only allows you to start medication right away, giving you
did not cause any change in the safety of the blood or an
the potential to live a full healthy life, but it can help stop
increase in donating blood testing positive for bloodborne
spreading the virus. Today’s health leaders now acknowledge
infections such as Hepatitis C or HIV/AIDS.
that people living with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy
and have been undetectable for at least six months cannot Despite all of this, there is no end in sight to the blood ban.
infect others through sexual transmission.
Did you know that Canada’s blood donation policies still In Solidarity,
discriminate? Philip Vandermolen,
Human Rights Committee
Canada’s health care system faces a chronic shortage of
donated blood and blood products. But despite this shortage,
Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Quebec still discriminate
against men who have sex with men. A new policy also bans
Trans women who have not had gender-affirming surgery,
Page 22 December, 2018You can also read
