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Edmonton – In a press release on Feb. 6, 2014, the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) made a mistake in how it identified the employer that had fired 65 Canadian iron workers at Imperial Oil’s Kearle Lake oil sands project. The correct name of the employer, as listed on the pay stubs of the affected employees, was Pacer-Promec Joint Venture (PPJV). This company is a joint venture between Alberta-based Pacer and a Quebec-based Promec.

The Alberta Federation of Labour apologizes for the confusion, and any harm this might have caused to Alberta-based Pacer Corporation.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell)
or via e-mail [email protected]

TFWs will be moved to another project, but it remains unclear if fired Canadians will get their jobs back

Edmonton – The company involved in a TFW scandal on Imperial Oil's Kearle Lake site has admitted that it fired Canadian iron workers and replaced them with TFWs.

In a statement released to media this afternoon, the company, Pacer-Promec Joint Ventures, said it would move the TFWs to another site and commit to hiring Canadians – but stopped short of saying they would offer the jobs to the Canadians who had been fired in the first place.

"At first blush, this looked like a clear victory for the fired Canadians workers," Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan said. "But Pacer-Promec has not contacted the union or the fired workers with an offer to come back to work. Something still smells pretty fishy here."

On Tuesday, Feb. 4, 65 Canadian workers employed by Pacer-Promec Joint Ventures were given their pink slips, and they were replaced by Temporary Foreign Workers. When the firings came to light, the ensuing public outrage forced the government to announce an investigation. Late Friday afternoon, the company issued a press release that included an apology and a promise to hire Canadians.

"The news statement from the company is certainly a step in a more positive direction, but the story should not end here," McGowan said. "The Canadian workers have still not been offered their jobs back. And, even more importantly, this is not an isolated incident. This is not a case of a rogue employer breaking the rules. The real problem is with the rules themselves. Specifically, a new stream in the TFW program allows employers in Alberta's construction industry to hire TFWs without first looking for Canadians. As long as this new stream remains in place, Canadian tradespeople will continue to face the prospect of being replaced by or passed over for TFWs."

In October, more than 300 workers at Husky Energy's Sunrise Oilsands Project were let go. In some cases, they were forced to train the Temporary Foreign Workers who were replacing them. The Alberta Federation of Labour has been a leader in bringing abuses of this program to light.

"More and more Canadians are going public, and letting the country know the extent to which the Temporary Foreign Worker program is undermining job security, undermining wages, and exploiting disadvantaged workers," McGowan said.

Even with Pacer-Promec's promise to rehire Canadian workers, McGowan says many important questions remain.

"The company says they will move the TFWs to another work site. Will these TFWs fill jobs on that site that would have otherwise been available to Canadians? Will they still be paid half the wage of Canadian workers? Perhaps most importantly, will the companies involved face any consequences? Will they be fined? Will they lose their right to bring TFWs into the country? Canadians deserve answers to these questions?"

The Harper government has made such a mess of the TFW program that experts say a full investigation by an impartial third party is warranted.

"The Harper government created this monster, they can't be trusted to tame it," McGowan said. "Canadians deserve a royal commission on the economic, social and cultural impact of this program. It morally diminishes us as a country to have a program that creates a disenfranchised underclass of non-citizen workers."

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.9888 (cell)

Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell)

or via e-mail [email protected]

Employers are becoming emboldened as Harper Government continues to turn a blind eye to abuse of TFW program

Edmonton – The time has come for Canadian construction workers to express their outrage at the Harper Government’s temporary foreign worker program (TFWP), which is being increasingly used by employers to displace Canadians and replace them with vulnerable and exploitable foreign workers, says Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan.

“The construction industry in Northern Alberta generates some of the best jobs in Canada,” McGowan said. “But increasingly – instead of being filled by Canadians – those jobs are being given to temporary foreign workers earning as little as half the prevailing wage. Stephen Harper says he won’t tolerate abuse of the TFW program but the reality is that employers are simply using the program the way it was designed to be used and that is to undercut Canadians. When it comes to the TFWP, Stephen Harper is the walking, talking definition of hypocrisy.”

McGowan’s comments came in response to news that 65 Canadian ironworkers, working for a Alberta-based company called Pacer Promec Joint Venture on Imperial Oil’s Kearle Lake oil sands project, were laid off on Tuesday, Feb. 4, and replaced by TFWs from Croatia who are being paid only $18 / hour – less than half the prevailing wage earned by Canadians doing the same work.

McGowan will be available for comment in Calgary at 2:15 p.m. at the Air Canada departure level. Reporters interested in talking with the ironworkers who were displaced can contact Ironworkers Local 720 Business Manager Harry Tostowaryk at 780-482-0720.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.9888 (cell)

Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell)
or via e-mail [email protected]

Generosity for an overpaid inner circle while freezing workers' wages

Edmonton – Premier Alison Redford offered a fierce — and disingenuous — defense of high salaries for her inner circle today.

In response to questions about high salaries being paid to her chief of staff and inner circle of advisors, the Premier claimed that compensation of public sector workers in Alberta was high in general.

At the press conference in Okotoks, the premier said: "In all of our labour negotiations we continue to provide increases to public servants." A statement that is blatantly false given that just two months ago, the legislature passed Bill 46, which imposes a wage freeze on tens of thousands of government workers.

"It seems like Alison Redford is always willing to stand up for the wealthy, and is always willing to make claims that she's on the side of working people," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "But the proof is in the pudding — wage freezes, gag orders, and pension cuts are the facts that frontline workers face."

The average government wage may be higher than the average wage for workers – but as Albertans have found out this week, that average is skewed by extremely high pay for people in the premier's inner circle.

"The premier tried to suggest today that the province is paying public sector workers well. But the facts show that outside of her inner circle, that isn't the case," McGowan said.

The latest reliable Census data available — a survey of more than 92,000 public-sector workers — shows that the average government workers' wages are two per cent lower than in the private sector.

Other evidence supports this. Statistics Canada's shows that Alberta's civil servants earn an average $1,283.65 a week in November 2013, down from the previous period. The wages of workers in several other sectors' are higher, such as those in construction and utilities.

"It is important to make sure that we have high quality people who can provide effective support and services to the government of Alberta and the people of Alberta and we're not going to shy away from that," the Premier said.

"Redford says that workers deserve to be compensated, but her words are in conflict with her actions," McGowan said. "Premier Redford has undermined collective bargaining with Bill 46. At the same time, she's given massive and unjustifiable wages and wage increases to her inner-circle of political staff."

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.9888 (cell)

Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]

Online calculator at TruthAboutAlbertaPensions.ca
shows impact of destructive pension proposals

Edmonton – Public-sector workers all over Alberta are learning how much the Redford government's pension proposals could cost them.

In one week since the Alberta Labour Coalition on Pensions launched a web-based pension calculator, 3,375 members of the Local Authorities Pension Plan and the Public Sector Pension Plan have found out how much they stand to lose if early retirement provisions are eliminated and Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) are reduced or suspended as the Redford Government has proposed. The calculator, which was created with the help of actuarial firm Brendan & George, can be found at www.TruthAboutAlbertaPensions.ca

"This pension calculator takes a complicated policy debate and makes the changes tangible and personal to the people who will be affected by the changes," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "These workers have earned their pensions, they've paid for their pensions, and now the government is cutting these pensions with no justification."

As an example, the calculator shows that someone born in 1980 who retires with 30 years of service at the age of 65 with a salary of $65,000 will see her retirement income reduced by as much as $794 per month in inflation-adjusted dollars by the time she's 75. Someone born a decade earlier, in 1970, who retired with only 20 years service with the same salary of $65,000, might see his pension cheques reduced by $364 each month.

"If you know anyone who is retired, and on a fixed income, you know that losing $364 a month would cause problems. Losses of $700, $800 or more each month could be disastrous," McGowan said. "For most Alberta voters, there's a difference between hearing that their pension will fall behind inflation. It's another thing to know that it will mean a specific number of dollars fewer in their pocket every month after their retirement. It's information that they need to know when they follow this debate."

In the fall, the government announced major changes would be made to Alberta's four public-sector pension plans, including the two biggest, the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP) and the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP). Taken together, these proposed changes would slash the value of pensions earned by Alberta public-sector workers by 25 per cent or more on benefits earned after January 1, 2016.

The Pension Calculator was commissioned by a coalition of unions and associations that have members in LAPP and PSPP. The coalition includes: the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), the Alberta Fire Fighters Association (AFFA), the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) and a number of smaller unions.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.9888 (cell)

Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]