Ratification Votes Set, Agreement on Terms of Bad Faith Complaint

Contacts:
Wayne Fraser, USW District 6 Director, 416-577-4045;
John Fera, USW Local 6500 President, 705-561-3093;
Wayne Rae, USW Local 6200 President, 905-941-6200

Toronto, 4 July, 2010 – The USW is pleased to announce that it has come to an agreement with Vale on the terms of a bad faith bargaining complaint that will be heard by the OLRB. This removes the remaining obstacle in the long struggle with Vale and enables the Union to conduct membership meetings along with ratification votes now scheduled for July 7 and 8, 2010 in Sudbury and July 8, 2010 in Port Colborne.

By the Letter of Agreement signed today and to be approved by the Vice Chair of OLRB panel hearing this matter, the issue of the procedure for the reinstatement to employment of the nine discharged striking employees will be heard by the OLRB commencing on July 9, 2010.

The Union is confident that the OLRB will agree that leaving the issue of the possible reinstatement of employees discharged during the strike at an impasse and refusing to agree to arbitrate that issue amounts to a violation of the duty to bargain under the Labour Relations Act and is not lawful. The Union says that any other result fundamentally undermines freedom of association and the right to strike and destabilizes the sensitive balance required to make labour relations and collective bargaining effective in Ontario.

The USW wishes to express it appreciation to The Honourable Minister of Labour Peter Fonseca, Deputy Minister of Labour Cynthia Morton, Ministry of Labour Conciliation and Mediation Director Reg Pearson. The USW also wishes to thank Mediator Kevin Burkett, for his tireless efforts over the last several months that have made it possible for the tentative settlements to be considered by the USW memberships.

The Union would like to inform its membership of the following arrangements for the tentative agreement meetings and votes:

All meetings and voting will take place at the Walden Arena in Lively, Ontario;

On Wednesday, July 7, there is an activists-only meeting at 11 a.m.;

On Wednesday, July 7, the first membership meeting will start at 3 p.m. and the voting polls will be open immediately after the meeting, from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.;

The second membership meeting will start at 7 p.m. and the voting polls will be open from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m.;

On Thursday, July 8, the third membership meeting will start at 11 a.m. and the voting polls will be open from noon until 6 p.m.

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