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Leaders from major Alberta unions call for greater transparency for guest worker program

EDMONTON – Lists of employers who have been approved to hire workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) obtained through access to information requests have been a primary source for Canadians and journalists to uncover details about the program. The officials overseeing these requests have recently imposed stringent new guidelines that have led to up to half those lists being redacted.

“We don’t know — and as the government closes ranks around access to information with respect to TFWs, we may never know — how many Canadians are being displaced by the Temporary Foreign Worker program,” AFL president Gil McGowan said.

What:
At their quarterly executive council meeting, the leaders of the Alberta Federation of Labour are calling for a sunshine list to expose abuses of the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

When:
1:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Where:
Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre (11000 Stadium Rd NW, Edmonton)
Multi-purpose Room 5

Who:
The executive council of the Alberta Federation of Labour, which includes leaders from most of Alberta's major unions, including Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), Iron Workers, United Food & Commercial Workers Union Canada (UFCW), United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), and Unifor.

MEDIA CONTACT:

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

Canadians deserve transparency, but Harper Government making it easier to hide TFW abuses

 Edmonton – In the wake of a series of scandals that have seen Canadians losing their jobs to exploited and underpaid workers from overseas — most recently 65 workers at Imperial Oil’s Kearl Lake oilsands site — the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) is calling for a sunshine list to expose abuses of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

“Canadians deserve transparency, especially when there are clear examples of Canadians losing good jobs because of this Program,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “However, even as Canadians have been outraged by the latest example of Canadians losing their jobs because of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the government has made moves to make sure future abuses of the program never come to light.”

Lists of employers who have been approved to hire workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program obtained through access to information requests have been a primary source for Canadians and journalists to uncover details about the Program. The officials overseeing these requests have recently imposed stringent new guidelines that have led to up to half those lists being redacted.

“We don't know — and as the government closes ranks around access to information with respect to TFWs, we may never know — how many Canadians are being displaced by the Temporary Foreign Worker program,” McGowan said.

On Tuesday, Feb. 4, 65 Ironworkers employed by Pacer-Promec Joint Ventures at Imperial Oil’s Kearl Lake oilsands site were told they were no longer employed there. Their jobs were then taken over by Temporary Foreign Workers earning about half what they had been making.

“The Government has now made abuses like the one we saw last week easier to get away with,” McGowan said. “The sixty five Canadian workers who lost their jobs last week are just the tip of the iceberg. And rather than giving Canadians the public inquiry they deserve, the government is putting up roadblocks to make it harder to investigate the program.”

Both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of Employment and Social Development Jason Kenney have made pledges to rein in the abuses of the Temporary Foreign Worker program. In a letter to Minister Kenney, the Alberta Federation of Labour called on the conservative government to commit to three actions that would bring more transparency on the Temporary Foreign Worker program:

1. Make available a full list of all employers holding a work permit for a Temporary Foreign Worker. In technical terms, this means an online searchable database of all active Labour Market Opinions (LMOs), Accelerated Labour Market Opinions (ALMOs), and employers using the Alberta Pilot Project or any Pilot Projects being test-driven in other provinces, along with number of workers, job classifications and base wages.
2. Publish a database of primary worksites where Temporary Foreign Workers are employed.
3. Forge a federal-provincial agreement for on-site inspections of worksites employing TFWs.

“Let’s let the sun shine on this program,” McGowan said. “Many employers who are not abusing the program are put at a disadvantage by the lack of transparency around this program. I would think they would welcome our proposal.”

AFL Backgrounder: Sunshine List for TFW Program

MEDIA CONTACT:

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

2014 Backgrounder: Sunshine List for TFW Program

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]

Employers getting the green light for TFWs even when there are 2.3 unemployed Albertans for every job vacancy

Edmonton - The president of Alberta's largest worker advocacy group released new figures today, showing Alberta's robust labour market is leaving some Albertans out in the cold.

For the first six months of 2013, the Alberta labour market grew by 81,300 jobs. During that same period, 21,412 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) were brought to work in Alberta.

"The economy is growing at a reasonable pace, but there was a temporary foreign worker brought to Alberta for 26% of those jobs," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

At the same time, Statistics Canada reported yesterday there are 2.3 unemployed Albertans for every vacant job.

McGowan says the 2012 figures for Alberta are even more shocking.

The Alberta economy grew by 54,900 new jobs in 2012. However, there were 35,680 temporary foreign workers brought to Alberta that year, meaning there was a temporary foreign worker brought to Alberta for 65% of new jobs in the economy.

McGowan added that the above figures represent only those TFWs who arrived in Alberta in 2012. There were 68,339 total TFWs present in Alberta in 2012, or 124% of new jobs created in the province that year.

The AFL President reiterated his call for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to be scrapped in favour of comprehensive immigration reform that would see foreign workers come to Canada as permanent residents.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, CANSIM Tables 282-0001 and 282-0002. Government of Canada, Citizenship and Immigration, Quarterly Data Release.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780-218-9888 (cell)

New research shows just how bad the fast-track was,
and why it shouldn’t be brought back

EDMONTON – Albertans should be wary of the Harper government’s plan to revive the so-called Accelerated Labour Market Opinion (ALMO) process, a discredited fast-track scheme that made it possible for employers to bring Temporary Foreign Workers into the country with little justification or oversight, says the president of Alberta’s largest labour organization.

“Canadians will remember the ALMO,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “They will remember that it was misused. They will remember why it had to be shut down amid scandal in April and that the government has not conducted the investigation that it promised.”

In April, the Alberta Federation of Labour obtained and released a list of more than 4,800 employers that had accessed the ALMO program, which was supposed to be reserved for high-skilled, high-wage employers. Of these, more than half were low-wage businesses like gas stations, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants.

In a report published today, the Alberta Federation of Labour examines approved applications made by 10 randomly selected employers in Alberta, and one employer in Newfoundland. The application documentation, obtained by the Federation through an Access to Information request, shows the approval process was a joke and suggests that the ALMO was used to displace Canadian workers and drive down wages.

“These applications would be laughable if this program wasn’t such a tragedy for workers,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “We called for a thorough investigation of Harper’s fast-food fast-track. These documents show why he’s been trying to sweep it under the rug. Canadians should be appalled that this discredited program may be re-introduced without any public accounting of what went wrong with it in the first place.”

Researchers found that four of the 11 employers examined were paying below the market rate, and that low-wage, low-skill employers were accessing the fast-track stream for high-skill workers by categorizing them as “managers.”

“One of the employers we looked at – a McDonalds in Edmonton – had been approved to employ 20 ‘food service supervisors’ for one restaurant,” McGowan said. “And yet they wanted to pay these so-called managers $11.75/hour, below the going rate of $13.00. It’s beyond ridicule.”

Other applications included an application for 12 “Crew Trainer” positions at a set of three McDonalds in Newfoundland. The approved wage was $11.20/hour, less than the prevailing regional wage of $11.75. Bennett Restaurant Inc.’s CEO is Cathy Bennett, a provincial Liberal Leadership contender.

“About half of the businesses that accessed this fast-track stream were low-skilled employers,” McGowan said. “If the results of our close examination of these 11 employers are representative of all 2,400 low-skilled ALMO approvals, then we’re talking about more than 1,700 employers granted the right to pay foreign workers less than the regional average wage. This can only be described as a means to drive down wages.”

Although the ALMO program was suspended amid scandal in April, Minister of Employment and Social Development Jason Kenney recently announced that the government was looking to revive the troubled program. In addition, the government has opened up new avenues for employers to circumvent attempts to hire locally before bringing in disenfranchised guest workers.

“When the ALMO stream was suspended in April, the Harper Government had a chance to investigate how it had gone wrong, find out why the wrong employers were accessing it, and to do the right thing by Canadian Workers. They didn’t,” McGowan said.

MEDIA CONTACT:

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

What went wrong with the fast-track stream of the temporary foreign worker program?

A closer look at the Accelerated Labour-Market Opinion (ALMO)

Widely regarded as a failure of policy and of politics, the Harper government's "fast-track" Temporary Foreign Worker Program stream continues to have an impact on Canadian workers.

The fast-track stream, known as the Accelerated Labour-Market Opinion (ALMO) was launched in April 2012. Its original intent was supposedly to help employers hire temporary foreign workers in high-skill occupations, including skilled trades,[1] but the program went off the rails from the get-go.

We're revisiting this failed fast-track stream now because thousands of low-wage employers accessed this TFW stream designed for high-skilled workers. Worse yet, many of these same employers continue to pay these low-wage workers less than average regional wages. This, in our opinion, borders on fraud.

We remain committed to our position that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program be eliminated and for it to be replaced by a responsive and flexible immigration system that meets our labour-market needs.

AFL Release: Oct 25 AFL warns against reviving TFW fast-track