There’s no sugarcoating the situation facing the small group of trucking companies dedicated to hauling fuel from the Co-op Refinery Complex in Saskatchewan to gas stations and customers in Western Canada.
It’s bad. Really bad.
The 26 companies, with 160 trucks and more than 300 drivers, haven’t been able to service the Regina facility on all but a single day since Jan. 20. The reason: a barricade by the union Unifor, whose members are in a bitter contract dispute with the refinery owner, Federated Co-operatives Limited.
The largest fuel-hauler, C.S. Day Transport, lost more than C$500,000 in revenue in January alone — a staggering sum for a firm with just 23 tractors and 45 drivers.
“We just want to get all the guys back to work,” Heather Day, president of C.S. Day Transport, told FreightWaves.
Day said the company is dipping into its reserves and has put off solar panels to keep its drivers on the payroll — and give them a substantial portion of what they would earn serving the refinery.
“We want to have our skilled group of drivers ready to go as soon as this ends,” Day said.
The blockade, in apparent defiance of a court order to limit truck delays to 10 minutes, escalated an increasingly untenable situation for fuel haulers into a dire one. Unifor members had been delaying trucks since early December after the owner locked them out in response to a strike notice.
Drivers report intimidation, punctured tires
The dedicated carriers are effectively between a rock and a hard place because they can’t service other customers without jeopardizing their business with the refinery.
“They’re caught in the middle of all this,” said Susan Ewart, executive director of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association.
Alongside the delays, multiple trucking companies reported punctured tires and instances of driver intimidation. Recently, a black SUV followed one of Day’s drivers to a gas station.
The heart of the dispute involves pension benefits for refinery workers represented by Unifor. Federated Co-operatives Limited and the union have at least one point of agreement: Fuel-haulers are getting rough.
“It’s a tough situation for the truckers,” acknowledged Kevin Bittman, president of Unifor Local 594.
Bittman denied that his members have sabotaged any trucks or intimidated drivers — but was also unapologetic about Unifor’s hard line on the pension dispute.
Federated Co-operatives blames Unifor for creating the situation in the first place. A spokesperson also acknowledged the impact on its dedicated trucking companies.
“We understand their frustration and thank them for their patience and continued support,” said Federated Co-operatives spokesperson Brad Delorey.
Day, for her part, hopes Federated Co-operatives and Unifor reach an agreement “sooner rather than later” and has been checking in with fuel customers to ensure her drivers can rapidly deploy to serve them when they’re able.
The Regina Police Service considers the blockade illegal but has given no indications they will try to move it by force. In the absence of an agreement, Day wants the police to remove the barricade.
“We’re crossing our fingers and hoping the Regina Police will do the right thing,” Day said.
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Noble1 suggests SMART truck drivers should UNITE & collectively cut out the middlemen from picking truck driver pockets ! IMHO
Therefore while Mr.Scott Banda preaches that other corporations should realize how they could potentially become victims of such organized labour union abuse due to Unifor’s barricades and law breaking tactics , Organized Labour Union’s should also heed what FCL is doing with strikebreakers which undermine the collective bargaining process .
One must be fair on both sides . Mr.Scott Banda should walk his talk and remove all strikebreakers from the Regina Refinery . Unifor should remove all barricades and Union members that are not part of local 549 . What happens in Regina , should remain in Regina . No secondary picketing at any other establishment out of the province or city ! This is an argument with the refinery management , not with their members .
Both parties need to be equally motivated to come to an amicable agreement ! Tensions need to decrease . Both parties need to be on equal footing .
Mr.Scott Banda refers to the Co-Op members stating to negotiate a deal , a deal that is fair to both sides . That “fairness” Mr.Banda begins with an act . ACT fair , remove your strikebreakers . Be the better wiser person . LEAD and be the first one to make an ethical gesture in this situation . Present it as such . I think you’d be surprised at the response that would follow from the other side . They may not agree with you on the pension sticky point , but they’ll “respect” you .
That’s my suggestion .
In my humble opinion …………
Noble1 suggests SMART truck drivers should UNITE & collectively cut out the middlemen from picking truck driver pockets ! IMHO
Good speech by Scott Banda CEO of Federated Co-operatives Limited
It can be seen on their website under the title :
Unifor harming Alta. businesses, communities with blockade
Notice the major difference in class , the behavior , form of expressing oneself etc . That’s the way one should behave . That’s how a “leader” should represent members .
He’s right , it’s unbelievable that in this day and age in 2020 that a Union would behave in a way such as Unifor is behaving . While law enforcement simply tickets and arrests a few rather than arrest all involved and removing those illegal barricades .
For law enforcement to have responded to a politician’s remarks as they did publicly was a huge lack of good judgement . Scott Moe could have certainly chose a better route to address law enforcement as well , however , Scott Moe is right . Law enforcement needs to wake up and do their job . Unifor is breaking laws , period . This is unacceptable and should not be tolerated due to being in a “particular circumstance . That’s the issue Scott Moe is pointing out to law enforcement .
If this were to occur anywhere else in a different circumstance , law enforcement would definitely be applying the law and taking necessary action . If I were to go barricade a bank because I decided they should suffer because they charge interest on fiat currency , what would happen ? I would be arrested on the spot and barricade removed , that’s what would happen . The point is the law should be addressed in all situations that it is broken in the same manner for everyone .
Now back to the FCL CEO Scott Banda .
It would be fair that while asking Unifor to act civilized that FCL acts as an example to follow . Remove the strikebreakers and run the plant with management personnel ONLY while Unifor members are locked out . Neither party should be provoking another . Neither party should be back door dealing . Unifor send back your members that are not part of Local 549 from where they come from .
Then return to the bargaining table in good faith with a mediator .
In my humble opinion ……….
Doc
Unifor negotiated successfully to drive the auto business out of Canada. They made it too expensive for their bosses to continue working here. Then it was “Save us Justin!” and the Liberals threw buckets of money at GM and Ford but they still pulled production out. Thanks Unifor! Now they want to bring their commie sensitivities to the oil and gas industry. F*uck off back to Ontario, ya wankers.
Noble1 suggests SMART truck drivers should UNITE & collectively cut out the middlemen from picking truck driver pockets ! IMHO
CONGRATULATIONS UNIFOR MEMBERS ! FOLLOWING YOUR LEADER’S FOOLISHNESS MADE YA FAMOUS , LOL !
Quote :
Police say four Unifor Local 594 picketers were arrested and charged at Gate 1 shortly before 1 a.m.
“Ryan James David Briggs, 41, of Drinkwater, Sask., James Peter Robert Cheeseman, 30, of Regina, Scott McKinnon, 34, of Southey, Sask., and Steven Angus Vargo, 45, of Regina are all charged with mischief under $5,000 and disobeying a court order.
They appear in court on March 23.”
Noble1 suggests SMART truck drivers should UNITE & collectively cut out the middlemen from picking truck driver pockets ! IMHO
Oh this is just getting better , LOL ! Now the police are lying to the public as well , LOL !
Quote:
“Police said they are independent of elected officials ” ROTFLMAO !
This is too funny . They don’t seem to know who is their bosses BOSS ! LOL !
But it’s ok , as they expressed that BS they started ticketing and arresting , LOL !
Yes indeed ,this planet is an asylum !
On another note : Scott Moe is pro oil and a conservative, which is pro business and anti labour union , LOL !
In my humble opinion ………….
Noble1 suggests SMART truck drivers should UNITE & collectively cut out the middlemen from picking truck driver pockets ! IMHO
OH THE IRONY !!!
Quote :
The leader of the federal New Democratic Party weighed in on the labour dispute in Regina Monday.
Jagmeet Singh visited the picket line at the Co-op Refinery Complex. In a release, the party leader said he was there to stand in support of workers.
“People have the right to work hard and to retire with dignity,” Singh said. ”
OK JAGMEET , let’s see now :
May 15 2019
Quote :
Jagmeet Singh wants to shut down fossil fuel industry in Canada
Jagmeet Singh’s New Democrats have discovered climate change. The party had been reluctant to take too uncompromising a stand on global warming for fear of alienating potential voters. That reluctance has gone.
Now the NDP is calling for an end to the entire fossil-fuel industry in Canada.
“The future of our country cannot involve fracking,” Singh said Monday in Ottawa, referring to a controversial method of drilling for oil and natural gas. “It cannot involve the burning of any fossil fuel.”
He said Canada must adhere to carbon reduction targets that are much stricter than those proposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government if it wants to seriously fight climate change.”
Now Mr.JAGMEET , with all due respect , why do you think the Regina Refinery Co-Op is asking the labourers to contribute to their pension plan ???
Allow me to enlighten you
Quote :
“Why have you chosen this round of negotiations to propose changes to the pension plan?
By making the changes now, we protect high-paying jobs now and well into the future. These changes are about the long-term sustainability of the Refinery. We realize that the low-carbon economy of the future is coming. To survive long-term, we must change our business and significantly invest to guarantee that CRC remains competitive.
Currently, unionized employees pay 0 per cent into their pension. The current pension costs us $50 to $100 million ($72 million in 2019) per year in funding commitments. We know that when we project our financial situation five to 10 years from now, we simply can’t sustain those types of payments in a low-carbon economy.
We must make changes to protect our current and future employees while we can afford to. We are simply asking unionized employees to pay a share of their pension in order to ensure the long-term viability of their future careers.
What is your pension offer?
Currently, we have offered them a choice between staying on their current Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Plan or moving to our Defined Contribution (DC) plan. Both are industry-matching options.
If employees remain in the DB, they will have to contribute to it. Unfortunately, they have been unwilling to negotiate what percentage they will contribute, so the rest of the terms remain as simply a proposal.
If employees move to the DC, they have the option to contribute 0 per cent, and the company will contribute six per cent. If they choose to contribute up to another four per cent, the company will match it for a total company contribution of 10 per cent.
This makes the value of the DC 14 per cent. If they choose this option, they will also receive a Retirement Allowance when they reach their retirement date.
FURTHERMORE !
Quote :
Open letter: Committed to a Fair Deal
November 30, 2019
Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) employees enjoy some of the highest wages and benefits in Western Canada; and we are proud of that fact. We are currently in negotiations with Unifor 594 and want to share the details of our current offer with the public so that everyone understands that we do, in fact, respect our Refinery workers.
Currently, our unionized employees earn, on average, a base wage of $104,000 per year. With overtime, that increases to $123,000. When we factor in a Defined Benefits Pension Plan currently funded entirely by the employer, as well as other benefits, the total average compensation rises to $172,000 per year. In our proposed deal to Unifor, we are offering a wage increase of 11.75% over four years, which adds, on average, more than $12,000 to the employees’ base wage before overtime, pension and benefit considerations. Additionally, we have offered them access to the company’s performance plan that pays management employees an annual incentive bonus based on the Refinery’s performance.
So what have we asked the Union for in this deal? We have asked them to choose between two pension options. The first option asks unionized employees to contribute to their current Defined Benefits (DB) Pension Plan as most employees enrolled in pension plans in Canada already do. The second option is to move to our industry-leading Defined Contribution (DC) Pension Plan. As a company, we have committed to providing a generous package that will ensure that employees in the current DB plan receive what the company has already contributed to their future retirement income. Going forward, we will contribute 6% to their DC plan even if employees choose not to contribute. Employees may choose to contribute 4% to that plan, which the company will match as well, bringing the total contribution to 14%. This is the same DC pension plan we offer our management employees, and at a 10% employer contribution, our DC plan ranks among the very best pension plans in Canada.
We believe that we have offered Unifor 594 a fair deal that ensures our employees continue to be among the best compensated workers in our industry and in Western Canada. Our deal includes large wage increases, a performance bonus plan and industry-leading pension options. We believe this is a good deal and compares well to what others in the market have recently received. We encourage Unifor to come back to the table and talk.’
End quote .
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE Mr.JAGMEET , with all due respect , YOU’RE PARTLY TO BLAME FOR THIS ! Therefore I find it a little peculiar that you would should up at a refinery to stand by the labourers who are breaking the law at a refinery due to being asked to contribute to their pension because the refinery has to cut back on their expenses due to YOUR advocacy : AND I QUOTE :
“Singh has turned against his previous support of LNG, has called for the TransMountain expansion to be cancelled, and even declared that Canada can’t use fossil fuels as an energy source “at all.”
GOOGLE IT :
INSANITY: Jagmeet Singh Says Canada Can’t Use Fossil Fuels “At All” …… Watch the 22 second video
LOL Mr.JAGMEET , and you came all the way to Regina to stand by labourers that labour at a fossil fuel refinery that will become jobless if you were to obtain your fossil fuel ban wish ??? Now that Mr.JAGMEET is hilarious .
In my humble opinion ……….
Noble1 suggests SMART truck drivers should UNITE & collectively cut out the middlemen from picking truck driver pockets ! IMHO
There’s no other way to say this but to say it straight . BOTH ARE HYPOCRITES !
Like attracts like , LOL !
How desperate can one be ??? To go and stand with the biggest union in Canada in an attempt to attract their “votes” while stabbing them in the back , LOL ! PRICELESS !
Ya gotta luv politics ! LOL !
In my humble opinion ……….
Quote
October 2019
Canada’s largest union is continuing to support the NDP heading into the federal election with advertising and door-knocking.
In front of more than 2,200 CUPE members at a national convention in Montreal on Wednesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh asked for members help to spread the word about voting NDP.
“We are going to ensure that workers are the first priority, that their benefits, their wages, their salaries are protected, that their pensions are protected,” Singh told the crowd as they gave him a standing ovation. “Because we stand up for workers. We got you.”
But while the NDP has CUPE’s support, another large union that has helped the NDP in the past is again encouraging its members to vote strategically. Unifor said it is supporting Liberals in some ridings if they have a better shot than the NDP at winning a seat.
Unifor’s national president, Jerry Dias, told CBC News his union is not beholden to any one party and while he’s happy with the direction the NDP’s platform is headed, he has concerns about its opposition to pipelines.
“I think Jagmeet Singh is an incredible leader,” said Dias. “I’ve got a lot of time for the NDP. But I also have concerns. I have members that work in Fort McMurray in the oilsands. I have members that build pipelines. I’m a pipeline guy. So many of my members will disagree with the position the NDP has taken on oil and energy.”
The union’s message, as it was in 2015, is to vote in any party but the Conservatives.
end quote .
ROTFLMAO !
Noble1 suggests SMART truck drivers should UNITE & collectively cut out the middlemen from picking truck driver pockets ! IMHO
Quote:
February 05, 2020
Unifor says four more arrested at Co-op Refinery Tuesday night
The union claims the members taken into custody were doing nothing wrong and had no blockades up.”
LOL ! That’s been their story through the whole ordeal , “they never do anything wrong ” ,but they break the law and cause mischief & LIE ! , LOL !,
Noble1 suggests SMART truck drivers should UNITE & collectively cut out the middlemen from picking truck driver pockets ! IMHO
This is the perfect example of a an organized labour uinion failure due to applying primitive tactics . When your tactics don’t work you don’t resort to mischief , YOU INNOVATE ethically and wisely !
Thank goodness those victimized truckers caught in the middle of this situation have decided to remain civilized because this could potentially quickly turn into a riot . You don’t hold them hostage nor resort to damaging their equipment in an attempt to pressure an employer into submitting to your desires .
I’ve been following this issue closely . It has become unbelievably absurd . Both are to blame , however , the Unifor organized labour union in this particular case are extremely abusive and enacted disgracefully . Their leaders are really out of touch . The Unifor president has been held in contempt of court ,arrested , and fined , and put members in harms way . 13 members were arrested due to blockades aside from the president . The president has a restraining order filed against him where he must remain 500 meters away from the refinery . I understand their arguments . However , this is not the proper behavior to enact in an argument . They need to be much wiser and innovate .
While understanding the Co-Op cannot be held hostage through bullying tactics by labour unions , they should also not have an advantage by being allowed to hire strike breakers(scabs according to union jargon) .
It’s a sticky point . If as in the provinces of Quebec & British Columbia in Canada where the labour law prevents a company from hiring outside help(strikebreakers aka scabs) to run their business aside from management while a labour strike occurs or a lockout , what prevents an organized labour union from exercising an unfair advantage ? If no law prevents such , then what prevents a company from not obtaining an unfair advantage over labourers on strike or locked out ?
That being said , both parties should abide by laws and conduct themselves with dignity . If either party dislikes current laws, they should still abide by them while attempting to have certain laws changed . In this case the Co-Op has the unfair advantage and everything the Unifor organized labour union has attempted has failed aside from being a law breaking nuisance . That being said , all law enforcement officers should ensure that laws are not being broken during this argument .
Law enforcement is suppose to ensure laws are respected and followed . They need to increase their performance on that topic in this particular event . They said if Unifor don’t remove their blockades then law enforcement will . So we shall see . Lately law enforcement have been ticketing vehicles used by Unifor in blockades .
Quote :
“On Monday, Premier Scott Moe offered to appoint a special mediator in the Co-op refinery lockout if Unifor Local 594 pulls down its blockades and “ceases illegal activities immediately.”
“He also warned that he expects police to step in and remove barricades if the union doesn’t take him up on his offer.
“I will appoint a special mediator today if and only if Unifor follows the law,” Moe said at the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention on Monday.
Banda said he is in favour of the appointment of a mediator.
“We’re looking for any solution that will bring the parties back together and get people back to work,” he said Monday.
But Banda was less supportive of binding arbitration, saying he doesn’t think it’s helpful.
“Having something imposed I don’t think is a solution that’s going to last or stand the test of time,” he said.
And the saga continues .
In my humble opinion ……….