Fight or Flight: Memo suggests Union's Boarding at Gate 1518
A memo from UFCW 1518 president and CEO, Brooke Sundin, to all members employed by Overwaitea/Save-On, effectively explains that the 250 workers at the warehouse are on their last legs. After lengthy hearings before the B.C. Labour Board, the union doesn't seem to hold out much hope for a turn around.
Although the memo asks for retail member support it does little in the way of providing answers as to how and points out, the way the Company has treated the warehouse workers, retail may be next.
The workers have been leafletting the retail outlets on their free time asking for public support to pressure the Company to reconsider it's business plan. According to the memo the 250 workers at Lomans/OFG warehouse in Langley B.C. aren't any closer to making the company change it's plan to close the warehouse.
In spite of their efforts to convince Overwaitea to leave the warehouse open and continue to supply your store, they have been unable to do so.
The Overwaitea warehouse is rated as one of the most efficient in North America; many of the members have over twenty years service with the Company; they have demonstrated their loyalty to Overwaitea time and again. The only reason Overwaitea is closing the warehouse is because the Company can put more profit in its pockets at the expense of the employees.
These members have now come to the end of the road. The only action left open to them is to hit Overwaitea/Save-on where it will have the biggest impact upon the Company. (emphasis added)
The members at the warehouse deserve your support They have been fighting for months now to save their jobs and Overwaitea/Save-On management has ignored them. They have done everything to minimize the impact of their action on the stores; now they have no choice. Overwaitea/Save-On has forced them to take this action to save their jobs. They deserve your support!
Overwaitea's efforts to throw our fellow members at the warehouse out of work are an indication of the Company's attitude towards its workforce generally. Members in the retail sector should understand that despite their claims, Overwaitea will not hesitate to treat you and your co-workers in a similar fashion.
Hopefully, we will be able to save the jobs of 250 members at the warehouse, but it is going to be a very difficult fight. We must remember that their fight is our fight.
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In spite of their efforts to convince Overwaitea to leave the warehouse open and continue to supply your store, they have been unable to do so.
"Their" efforts, exactly!
WTF is the UFCW doing to convince OFG to leave the warehouse open?
Ummmm... nothing maybe? 
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Hopefully, we will be able to save the jobs of 250 members at the warehouse, but it is going to be a very difficult fight. We must remember that their fight is our fight.
::sigh::
Hasn't the fight consisted of Loman workers fighting the UFCW for help?
What a crock of member funded SHIT!
Brooke should do the world a favour and resign. He's proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he's completely useless and lacks any of the testicular fortitude required to hold such a position.
My dead cat could put up a better fight... and he's been "fixed".
No worries, we havent hit the end of the road. We're just picking up speed. We will be at the White Rock Store,16th Ave and 152nd St. from 11:00 Am till 5:00 PM. all week.
We are looking for support, we'd like to see you there.
Anybody who shows.....we appreciate it.
The desperate onez!
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The only reason Overwaitea is closing the warehouse is because the Company can put more profit in its pockets at the expense of the employees.
What about all of us who support the workers who cannot physically be there? Can anyone post the phone numbers or e-mail addresses for the management of Overwaitea/Save-On? We could bombard them with mail and or phone calls showing international support of the warehouse workers! At least it is another option or tool, if you will!
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If you have a suggestion or concern about our service, call us at 1-800-242-9229
says the plastic grocery bag.
And there's Save-On- Foods
overwaitea foods
comment forms
contact info from The Jim Pattison Group website and an email address for HQ admin@jp-group.com
How about contacting some of the labour umbrella orgs like the CLC and the BC Federation asking for their support. Here's an opportunity for them so show that they can do more than go to conventions.
The July 15th,2002 memo says the Ofg/Loman workers deserve the retail members support.
Mr. Sundin, I sent you a letter on June 01st asking for your direction regarding the warehouse workers. I believe they needed the retail members support then, (a full 1 1/2 mos ago) as much as they need it now.
Why have you waited until now, "the end of the road", as you put it, to merely state the obvious?
Why have you done nothing?
Why have the retail workers been kept in the dark regarding their union brothers?
Why have you not shown leadership and exercised the thousands' fold retail solidarity in support of the 250 long time members who are fighting for their jobs?
Mr. Sundin, why have you waited until it's too late to do too little?
ed: Almost forgot. Mr. Sundin why did you not respond to my request?
Latest on Lomans: When the going gets tough...
Their battle is with their employer, Loman Distribution, which will be laying off all 250 of them in September and a company that their union claims is also their employer, Overwaitea Food Group, but they seem to be spending a lot of time doing battle with their union. Workers at Lomans warehouse in Langley BC are determined to stand up to their employer(s) but some of their ideas are a bit too hot for their union representatives to handle.
Last week we told you about different views about the content of a leaflet the workers are using in their awareness-raising campaign in front of OFG's retail stores. Now, some workers are calling for a stepped up campaign with a possible info-presence at OFG's offices or even the home of OFG's CEO, Jimmy Pattison. Their union, UFCW Local 1518, seems to be cringing at the thought.
MFD has learned that workers have been told by their reps that they will likely be sued for sharing their views with the public in such a direct and public manner. At a recent union meeting, a copy of the the landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision UFCW Local 1518 v. K-Mart Canada Ltd. was circulated but with a significant portion of one of its paragraphs missing. This decision struck down provincial statutes that restricted consumer leafleting The deleted paragraph 73 states the following:
73. The suggestion that today's consumers will be intimidated by the mere sight of a few individuals distributing leaflets at the entrance to a shopping mall is not convincing. The image of an oversensitive consumer cannot be the standard by which to assess the constitutionality of the activity. Bastarache J. provides a good analogy with regard to Canadian voters. In Thomson Newspapers, at paras. 101 and 128, he wrote:
Canadian voters must be presumed to have a certain degree of maturity and intelligence. . . . I cannot accept, without gravely insulting the Canadian voter, that there is any likelihood that an individual would be so enthralled by a particular poll result as to allow his or her electoral judgment to be ruled by it.
. . . in my view, the government cannot take the most uninformed and naïve voter as the standard by which constitutionality is assessed.
The importance of freedom of expression during labour disputes cannot be overemphasized. Accurate information which is presented in what is generally accepted to be a lawful manner will provide valuable information to members of the public and is thus worthy of constitutional protection. Leafleting is of fundamental importance for workers and has a very real social value. It is apparent that the legislative restriction is overbroad, and cannot be justified under s. 1 of the Charter.
We'll keep you informed on where these workers' efforts take them.
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At a recent union meeting, a copy of the the landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision UFCW Local 1518 v. K-Mart Canada Ltd. was circulated but with a significant portion of one of its paragraphs missing.
Heh?
Come again?
1518 deliberately removed that paragraph?
Can 1518's position on this issue be any more obvious than this?
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Can 1518's position on this issue be any more obvious than this?
I thought the "end of the road" summed it up pretty well too.
The July 15th memo was the mixed message of mixed messages.
Check it out:
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...These members have come to the end of the road
... The members of the warehouse deserve your support
... Hopefully we will be able to save their jobs
... These members have come to the end of the road
... We must remember that their fight is our fight.
And if that doesn't clear it up, it's 8 days later and there has been no communication to the retail members. Go figure. 2+2=ufcw
The information that has been kept from us tells us much more than what has been offered. Unfortunately we only get it once it has entered the legal arena. The information that was missing regarding the MOU "I" came from the actual ruling itself. The information that was missing from the K-Mart decision comes from the original document, not the handout at the meeting. The degree of knowledge that the union had about was has been going on comes from the submission to the LRB regarding the no evidence motion being heard this week. But the union does want you to know that you may be found personally liable for damages if you refuse to work overtime. No mention of brooke's letter by Ivan nor have I seen a copy at the workplace.
Information is power and UFCW muffins want to keep that power for their own use. Does it get more obvious than this?
IMHO, the UFCW could be a model for "the spineless organization". They are brave enough to sue their members, they are brave enough to bargain away their members' power, they are brave enough to partner up with biz-guys, but when it comes to actions that will piss off the corporate boys....oh noooooo, we just couldn't, really. "They might sue us and that's toooo scary. It's OK when we do it to you, but hey."
LL - have you and your brothers considered enlisting support from other unions and from local activist organizations? I know that in Ontario, the CAW has a flying picket squad that comes out to lend support to workers who are communicating with the public by picketing. There may be something similar out your way. May be worth calling around and finding out. The IWW may be worth contacting as well. Just some thoughts.
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They are brave enough to sue their members, they are brave enough to bargain away their members' power, they are brave enough to partner up with biz-guys, but when it comes to actions that will piss off the corporate boys....oh noooooo, we just couldn't, really.
Hah!
Good point!
Spineless is the perfect word. We are very interested in "flying picket squads" and I think I know of one already. More would be better.
No evidence hearing concludes today and we will win this one I'm sure. The LRB won't make this an obvious mockery until the Common Employer arguement is heard.
The legal submissions make it quite clear that the principals of Loman were well aware of the scam to help JP lose this union and this workforce. Such as this quote from a 1997 letter to Brent Louth from Buddy Smith: " For reasons outlined in the reviews, there is significant likelihood, that as a result of the termination of the service agreement at the end of June, 2001, OFG will find itself getting the union back. At that time OFG will have made an investment of 8 and 3/4 years. For an investment of another year and a quarter, it is very likely that our customer can change service provider without attracting any labour relations consequences."
The K-Mart decision that the union handed out was also missing most of the leaflet used in that fight as well as all the information re sections 64, 65, and 67 of the code found on pages 7 & 8 of the original. They also included a nice cover page that was not part of the original with UFCW splattered all over it.
Damn it. Whats with that UFCW? Don't they want to win this fight?
I just don't understand it.
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Whats with that UFCW? Don't they want to win this fight?
Anyone know how many jobs the new OFG warehouse will provide?
Is it anymore obvious what I mean by "smoke and mirrors"?
I've always felt you learn more about a person or group from what they don't say, than from what actually comes out of their mouth. You want to understand the UFCW's intentions think about the omission of paragraph 73. What does that say about where their loyalty lies. [no pun intended] Perhaps it was an oversight? a legitimate mistake?
I was suspended for 3 days because I refused to provide a statement I believed Save-on was going to use to build a case against me for termination. Jim Mischook told me I had to provide the employer with the statement because "this is still a master slave relationship". Brain Nasu worked out a deal with the company labour relations officer without my concent that reduced my suspension to a warning if, and only if I complied and provide the statement. Because the union has the legal authority to do such a thing the arbitrator ruled in my arb. that I was compelled to comply, I hadn't and thus the 3 day stood.
Now what I found out later is an IGA employee won an arbitration on the grounds that providing a statement to the employer was not required if there was a reasonable assumption that such a statement would or could be used to help the employer build a case against you later on. Brain Nasu worked at IGA, an employer with 5 small union stores in the Lowermainland and everyone seems to know everyone else. Jim Mischook won the case for the UFCW yet neither he or Brain ever mentioned this to me, they only stated I had to accept the employers demands. This turned out to play a big part in the grounds for my eventual termination and as such was a very critical "omission" on the part of the UFCW.
Omissions....I could go on and on and on and on when we're talking about the UFCW and this begs the question....What does it say about the UFCW and it's true intentions as a trade union when these "omissions" accidental or otherwise continue to appear and reappear on a consistant basis? 
What part of stop the rhetoric and double speak don't they understand?
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There has been a callous disregard shown by the company towards Local 1518 members employed at the warehouse for some time now, and Loman management recently told warehouse members that their holiday pay would be pro-rated in accordance with the termination notices, despite earlier stating they would not try to take such action. The union has filed a grievance over this issue.
The leafleting campaign is undoubtedly going to have an effect on the number of people shopping at those stores. The result will be a reduction in customers and the possibility of a reduction of hours for the store.
The members at the Overwaitea/Loman warehouse deserve the support of all members of the union, especially retail members employed at Save-On/Overwaitea. They have been fighting for months now to preserve their jobs, and Overwaitea/Save-On Foods management has ignored them. Our warehouse members deserve the support of all other members, even those who may be adversely affected by the leafleting campaign.
Remember, their fight is our fight. What the company is attempting to do to Local 1518 warehouse members it will at some point try and do to its retail employees
Enough already! Get up out of the comfy office chairs, out of the air conditioned offices and get some way_overpaid_fat_asses out helping these guys save their job.
What the hell you doing Brooke? It's not the end of the road, it's the end of the B.S. (you decide if the pun is intended)
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I was suspended for 3 days because I refused to provide a statement I believed Save-on was going to use to build a case against me for termination. Jim Mischook told me I had to provide the employer with the statement because "this is still a master slave relationship".
Oh I think Brooke and the boys are doing their best to keep the "master-slave" relationship (which Scott mentions in his post) alive and well. Interesting that we have been discussing just that in this thread about modern slavery.
This is why the biz unionists don't like to bug the management guys too much. They are the master after all.
