6673 NEWS
OPEN HOUSE
You are all invited to an open house at your union hall. Come join us and have some snacks and beverages for a couple hours and get a chance to meet and socialize with the Regina USW 5890 bargaining committee, Scott Lunny your District 3 Director and of course your own USW 6673 bargaining committee.
When: March 25, 2024, 6:00 pm immediately after the EVRAZ Town Hall Meeting.
Where: UNION HALL Glenmore Commerce Court, #150 4000 Glenmore Court SE (Next Door to the Glenmore Inn) enter through the side door across from the Marklan Bottle Depot.
USW 6673 Local Elections
Those members, who qualify and are in good standing, can run for local union executive positions in local elections. Nominations will be held in March, 2024 and elections in April, 2024. Term is for 3 years.
More information is provided under “2024 Local Elections”
Its Your Canada Pension Plan
Right now, members of the provincial government are supposed to be in their local communities hearing from their constituents.
Let's make sure every provincial representative gets an important message loud and clear - LEAVE OUR PENSIONS ALONE!
On January 28th and 29th, take a post-it-note or a piece of paper (or many!) and green painters’ tape to stick on your local MLA's office window or door telling them to keep their "HANDS OFF OUR CPP!"
Don't forget to post a photo using the hashtag #HandsOffOurCPP
MLAs are on break from the Legislative session until late February. We have plans to hold a rally and present thousands of signed petitions when they're back in Edmonton. However, every MLA needs to hear RIGHT NOW from every corner of our province that this risky pension scheme needs to be abandoned.
More Information
https://afl.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Big-Risks-No-Rewards-pension-report-15NOV23.pdf
Want to Keep your CPP…Sign the Petition
NEW REPORT from AFL on UCP Alberta Pension
November 15 2023
PRESS RELEASE: NEW REPORT CONCLUDES THAT THE SCHEME TO PULL ALBERTA OUT OF CPP IS RADICAL, RECKLESS AND RISKY
Albertans should not be swayed by the government’s deliberate campaign of deception and misinformation, says AFL
EDMONTON – A new report from Alberta’s largest worker advocacy group, the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), says that the Alberta government’s proposal to pull all Alberta workers and retirees out of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is risky, reckless and irresponsible.
The report, prepared by the AFL in cooperation with highly-regarded pension expert Murray Gold, is titled “Big Risks, No Rewards: Debunking the Alberta government’s plan to secede from the Canada Pension Plan.”
The AFL report challenges all the arguments and promises being made by the Alberta government in their multi-million-dollar, taxpayer-funded ad campaign.
For example, the report demonstrates that Albertans are not “over-contributing” to CPP, as the government claims. In fact, all Canadian workers contribute the same amount to CPP and get the same benefits.
The report also demonstrates that there’s no realistic possibility that Alberta would be able to walk away with 53 percent of the CPP fund or that a stand-alone Alberta plan would be able to save Alberta workers and employers $1,425 each every year, as the government claims.
“This is a case of one fantasy number being built on the foundation of another fantasy number,” said AFL president Gil McGowan. “How can we trust a government that knowingly stoops to using this kind of deceptive marketing?”
The report goes on to point out that an Alberta-only plan would be subject to the whims of a single government – as opposed to the CPP, where benefit changes can only be made with the support of two-thirds of the provinces representing two-thirds of the population, which is a higher bar than the amending formula in the Canadian Constitution.
“With an Alberta Pension Plan, there would only be one government – the Alberta government – making all the decisions, with no checks or balances. There would be no 2/3 rule,” says McGowan. “There would be nothing to stop a future Alberta government from making big changes that deviate from CPP’s original design. This is particularly alarming when we have a Premier who has openly mused about increasingly the retirement age to 70 and using the retirement saving of Albertans as a ‘pot of money’ to invest in her pet projects.”
The report also points out that CPP has a world-beating record of high investment returns, compared to the much lower returns earned by AIMCo, the Alberta government-owned investment manager that would likely be tapped to manage investments for an Alberta Pension Plan.
“Questionable numbers, empty promises, higher risk, lower returns, the prospect of political interference in investment decisions – it all adds to a pretty unpalatable package,” says McGowan. “The only thing that would be guaranteed with the Alberta government’s proposal is a higher risk—which is the last thing anyone wants when talking about retirement savings.”
At the news conference to release the report, McGowan concluded by saying that there are three old adages that Albertans should keep front and center in their minds as they collectively consider the radical proposal from the Smith government to secede from the Canada Pension Plan.
“First, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Second, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And, third, you often don’t appreciate how good something is until it’s gone. We think all three adages apply to our current situation,” said McGowan.
“The Alberta government’s promises ARE too good to be true. In fact, it’s clear that we’re being subjected to a deliberate campaign of deception and misinformation. Also, CPP is NOT broken. In fact, it’s one of the strongest, most reliable pension plans in this world. Finally, we won’t realize how good we had it with CPP until it is gone. If we left, we would certainly regret it. And there would be no way back in. It’s a one-way ticket to a very undesirable destination.”
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MEDIA CONTACT:
John Ashton
Director of Communications, AFL
E-mail: jashton@afl.org
Alberta Federation of Labour
#300, 10408 124 Street,
Edmonton, AB T5N 1R5, Canada
United Steelworkers HUMANITY FUND
December 7, 2022
TORONTO – The Steelworkers Humanity Fund is contributing $242,250 to 121 food banks and community organizations across Canada.
Soaring inflation rates have left many struggling to make ends meet. Food banks all over the country are reporting increasingly high numbers of new users. Many of them have no other choice in order to feed themselves and their families.
“The use of food banks in Canada is becoming more and more common, even in this era of record low unemployment rate,” said Marty Warren, President of the Steelworkers Humanity Fund. “This new normal should not be acceptable.”
“The multiple causes behind the spiralling price of daily staples, especially food, can only be tackled with bold action in favour of social justice. This is why our union and our allies will continue to push tirelessly for decent living and working conditions for everyone,” Warren added.
“In the meantime, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund tries to address some of the most pressing needs in communities from coast to coast to coast through its annual donations to food banks and community organizations.”
Founded in 1985, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund is a registered charitable organization that focuses primarily on development projects and emergency aid in developing countries, but also supports Canadian communities. USW members contribute to the fund through clauses negotiated into collective agreements. In some cases employers make matching contributions to the fund.
View the list of food banks receiving contributions in 2022 from the Steelworkers Humanity Fund here
Our Pensions Protected
April 19, 2023
OTTAWA – Workers and retirees are proud and encouraged by the passage of the pension protection bill last night. This victory comes after years of calling on politicians to prioritize pensions when companies go bankrupt or restructure.
“Year after year, we brought to MPs and Senators the heartbreaking stories of workers who had their pensions robbed,” said Marty Warren, United Steelworkers (USW) National Director for Canada. “We demanded that retirees would no longer be left at the back of the line in cases of bankruptcy. Today, we finally won.”
After passing through the House of Commons unanimously, Bill C-228 passed the final vote in the Senate last night. It will ensure pensioners are paid out following a corporate bankruptcy ahead of others, including public institutions such as municipalities and school boards.
“Pensions are deferred wages earned over years of work,” said Warren, “People need to be able to count on their pensions being there for them when they retire.”
The new law picked up momentum when the three opposition parties came together to amend and support a single piece of legislation. It follows in the same vein as over a half dozen private members’ bills presented by a number of New Democrats over the years, including United Steelworkers member and former MP Scott Duvall. In the last Parliament, a similar bill tabled by a Bloc MP passed through committee but was lost when the Liberal government shut down Parliament.
“Steelworkers have been leaders in this fight. Our union thanks the MPs who tabled and advocated for legislation and every worker who shared their story, joined us to lobby parliamentarians, wrote letters or picked up the phone. This victory is shared by a lot of people who have dedicated years to this campaign,” said Warren. “It shouldn’t have taken this long but persistence has paid off.”
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of our strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.
USW 6673 Beneficiary Designate Card
Brother’s and Sisters
If you require to update your USW Beneficiary card, please notify a member of the executive and they will provide you with a new card or drop by the safety Office and one will be provided to you.