Current Month's News

Headlines of the current month's news items are listed immediately below. Click on the headline of your choice to see the entire text of the article. Last month's news can be viewed HERE.

News articles are then saved by year and month under 'Archived News', which can be found HERE.

You can also make use of our 'Site Search' search engine, located at the top of the blue column to the left, to assist in finding information.

Meet our most recent 'Rand Contest' winner...

Union-Management Consultation under way on plans for CFIA Food Microbiology Laboratories seven-day work week

AAFC EG Review –

Employer mail-out of Grievance Committee letters delayed until July 23

Latest news on AAFC EG Review –

Grievance Committee letters to be mailed to grievors on July 16

Make use of summer months to sign up more Rands

Meet our most recent 'Rand Contest' winner...

(Posted July 28, 2010)

We’re pleased to announce our latest monthly winner of the Agriculture Union’s ‘Great 2010 Rand Sign-Up Contest'.

Ravinder Goyal is now a signed-up member of Local 48, which represents our members in Lethbridge, Alberta..

Ravinder receives an Agriculture Union T-shirt and a warm welcome to our union!

Union-Management Consultation under way on plans for CFIA Food Microbiology Laboratories seven-day work week

(Posted July 22, 2010)

Union-Management Consultation on the issue of the seven-day work week currently being proposed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for seven of its Food Microbiology Laboratories has taken place at the national level.

CFIA is under pressure from several sources to increase the efficiency of their labs by accepting samples five days per week (Monday to Friday) and analyzing these samples seven days a week thereby shortening the time it takes to get results.

To respond to these pressures, the employer is proposing to move to a seven-day work schedule in seven of its labs across the country. Currently, this would only apply to the Food Microbiology Laboratories in the following locations:

          • St. John’s;
          • Dartmouth;
          • St. Hyacinthe;
          • Toronto;
          • Ottawa;
          • Calgary; and
          • Burnaby.

Union-Management Consultation must also take place at the local level. Discussions should be taking place at local UMC’s at each of the above locations. One of the principles to consider during local consultation is that the employer must show that the move to a seven-day work week is a true necessity, and not just a convenience.

Where such a case has been made, CFIA has agreed to the following process: first ask for volunteers at these sites who would be willing to work weekends, either on a continuous basis or on a rotation. If there are no volunteers, or not enough volunteers, the guiding principles of fairness and equitable distribution would be used. Each laboratory would be making its own schedules according to need, in consultation with the Locals responsible for each site.

As per the Canada Labour Code, Section 135, Sub-Section 7(i), Health and Safety Committees at each of these sites should have been involved before implementation of the new seven-day work week. The NOSH Committee was consulted at the national level.

AAFC EG Review – Employer mail-out of Grievance Committee letters delayed until July 23

(Posted July 20, 2010)

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s mail-out of grievance response letters regarding Statement of Duties and Acting Pay grievances filed by our EG members has been delayed a week.

The letters will now be sent on July 23, rather than on July 16 as noted in our recent Web site advisory.

The Agriculture Union National Office was only advised by the employer of this change on July 19. The delay has been caused by a required revision of the question-and-answer document that accompanies each grievance response letter.

Assuming no additional delays, AAFC will still meet its commitment to mail individual letters indicating the decision of the EG Grievance Committee by the end of July.

Latest news on AAFC EG Review – Grievance Committee letters to be mailed to grievors on July 16

(Posted July 14, 2010)

Last month, we reported that the fate of some 200 Statement of Duties and Acting Pay grievances filed by our members at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada was now in the hands of the employer. A commitment had been made by AAFC to mail individual letters indicating the decision of the EG Grievance Committee by the end of July.

We have now been notified by the employer that the grievance response letters are scheduled to be mailed out to our members on Friday, July 16th.

The Agriculture Union National Office will be provided with a copy of the letter received by individual grievors. We will then evaluate the grievances and will contact the grievors once the evaluation is completed.

For more information, please contact your Local President or your Regional Vice-President.

Make use of summer months to sign up more Rands

(Posted July 1, 2010)

Now that the year is half over, it’s time for all our Locals to take stock of their success to date in signing up Rands – co-workers who for one reason or another have yet to sign a union card.

You may think that the summer months are a useless time to sign up these new members. Actually, it can be very productive. In many workplaces, there is a bit of a lull, allowing Local executive members more time to approach Rands. And, as well, conversations about vacation plans are a great time to have a card signed.

Remember – signing up Rands is good for all concerned.