CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

WORKERS BLOCKADE VALE INCO SITES IN SUDBURY:

Last Wednesday striking workers of United Steel Workers Local 6500 temporally blockaded several corporate sites of Vale Inco across the Sudbury region. The strike has now entered its 7th month, and with company efforts to resume production with scab labour it is becoming more apparent to the workers involved that they will have to use more imaginative and militant tactics to force Vale back to serious bargaining. The occupation was only temporary, but it is a sign of what the workers can do if they put their mind to it. Keep up to date on this strike by visiting the strike support site Fair Deal Now. Here's the story of what happened from the Sudbury Star.

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Steelworkers set up blockades at Vale Inco plants this morning:
Posted By Carol Mulligan/The Sudbury Star

Hundreds of striking Steelworkers blocked access to Vale Inco facilities early Wednesday, venting frustration with everything from the hiring of replacement workers to the cancellation of a bad-faith bargaining hearing into a complaint filed against the company.

About 100 members of USW Local 6500 were on the picket line forming a human barrier to prevent staff, management and hired contractors from entering the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex about 4:30 a.m.

Similar blockades were conducted simultaneously at Coleman Mine, Clarabelle Mill, North Mine and other Vale Inco operations in the city.

Strikers at the smelter complex fought brisk winds and a wind-chill factor of
-24 C. to redirect contractors and other vehicles, many of them containing workers from other trade unions, away from the complex.

Occupants of the vehicles were told they were "scabs" and that they should go home and spend time with their families and stop doing the jobs of the Steelworkers because it is prolonging the strike, now reaching its seventh month.

About 3,000 production and maintenance workers with Local 6500 in Sudbury and 130 with Port Colborne's Local 6200 went on strike July 13 over pensions, nickel bonuses and seniority transfer rights.

Tensions have been escalating on picket lines in the community as the strike nears the seven-month mark Saturday.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:
VALE INCO STRIKE APPROACHES 6 MONTHS:

The strike of the United Steel Workers Against Vale Inco in Ontario and Newfoundland is now approaching six months duration. As such it seems set to become a record breaker in terms of duration. Molly has blogged many times abour this strike. The following items both come Molly's way via the strike support site Fair Deal Now. The first is originally from the Sudbury Star.
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Unhappy anniversary: Vale Inco strike approaches six-months:
Posted By CAROL MULLIGAN
For 30 years, the 8 1/2-month strike by United Steelworkers Local 6500 against Inco was the yardstick by which all labour disputes at the nickel company were measured.




The only strike that even came close to that historic 261-day battle lasted 121 days in 1969.




There was a 91-day strike in 1958, but it can't be included in USW record books because workers then were members of Local 598 of the Mine, Mine and Smelter Workers Union. They wouldn't become Steelworkers until three or four
years later after the fabled Mine Mill raid.




In 2003, USW Local 6500, led by president John Fera, took to picket lines for 89 days in the third longest strike in the union's history.




As the strike by 3,000 USW Local 6500 members in Sudbury and 130 in Port Colborne's Local 6200 nears the six-month mark Jan. 13, observers and insiders fear a new record for longest strike will probably be set.




It is not a milestone that either Steelworkers or the new owner of the company, Vale Inco Ltd., will take pride in achieving, but it seems virtually inevitable given each side's position in the labour dispute.




"It almost seems like each party doesn't understand what the other guy is saying," said Fera, who remains president of the local after winning by seven votes earlier this year over challenger Patrick Veinot.




"It's a different language," charged Fera. "I don't think this company, this Brazilian company, understands negotiations."




The union is asking Vale Inco to put aside "pre-conditions" that were on the table in three months of bargaining and start from scratch to negotiate a new deal.




Vale Inco spokesman Steve Ball says that is not about to happen.




"They (USW) want to go back to the table as if the first three months of negotiations (never happened) ... they want to dismiss all of that and say, 'Let's start again from scratch.' "




The biggest hurdle is the union's refusal to accept the company's "proposal" to replace a defined benefit pension plan with a defined contribution model. To make that pill easier to swallow, the company is proposing existing employees continue under the guaranteed, define benefit plan and only new hires be enrolled in the new plan.




"In the rest of the province, USW members are accepting DC plans," said Ball in an interview with The Star. "It seems to be one a month right now. It only seems to be in Sudbury where it's a non-starter. And that is a big barrier, regardless of what the Steelworkers are saying.




"They are not willing to go back to the table while the DC plan is still there, and the DC plan is going to be there."




(Despite repeated requests by The Star to interview Vale Inco president and chief executive officer Tito Martins or Ontario operations manager John Pollesel, only Ball was authorized by the company to speak on its behalf.)




The new pension is just one of the proposals the company calls "changes" and the union calls "concessions" that have them stuck at an impasse.




Unlike other strikes in the company's history, no bargaining has been conducted since Steelworkers walked off the job July 13 at 12:01 a.m.




Unlike other strikes as well, Vale Inco has restarted some operations -- notably Garson Ramp, Coleman Mine in Levack and the Clarabelle Smelter. It is also gearing up to run the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex.




In its final offer, the company also proposed changes to a nickel bonus that paid off handsomely for workers in three of the last 10 years when nickel was at record prices. It also wants to increase the time during which Steelworkers can transfer from one job site to another.
If Ball says the word "change" once in a 90-minute interview, he says it a dozen times.




It is a word that causes Fera to raise his voice during an interview at his office at the temporary Steelworkers' Hall on Pine Street.




"People can accept change," said Fera, growing angry. "Unions can accept change. But why the hell would you lay down and accept negative change? If change is not good for you, why would you say, 'bring it on.' "




Fera gets angry with people who say defined contribution pension plans are "the way of the world ... well, that's the way of the world. Is it good? Is it better than defined benefit? Do you think I should accept that?




"They say, 'Yeah, you should because that's the way of the world.' That's bullshit," said Fera.



"That's a lot of bullshit.




"If we had accepted those arguments 50 or 60 years ago, where would we be now?"




But Ball said Vale Inco it is not interested in the past, saying it is a different world today.




"Let's face it. We've seen the kind of changes in the world that none of us have ever seen," said Ball. "Almost overnight there have been changes."




In boom times, when nickel prices were high, "it's really been about, 'produce as much as you can.' "




The world has changed dramatically, "not that our team and company don't acknowledge the role of the USW in the past" and the "tremendous gains" they have made in safety and in the quality of life of its workers.




"We really appreciate that. I've seen a lot of that myself ... that's fully acknowledged."




The fundamental difference now is "our business needs to shift gears. The model of operation in the past cannot be the model of operation in the future. Things are extremely different in terms of where we forecast nickel to be going forward."




When Companhia Vale do Rio Doce purchased Inco three years ago, the nickel forecast was "very, very promising," said Ball, drawing an upward 90- degree angle with his hand.




"Now it's like this," he said, gesturing a flat line. There's a "huge discrepancy" between where the nickel price is today and where CVRD thought it would be now.




And despite not producing for more than six months, "our strike here has had almost no effect on the supply of nickel in the world market ... it's grow," which reflects "how things have changed," he said.




There is still about 130,000 tons of nickel stockpiled on the London Metals Exchange, "equivalent to what we produce in Sudbury in a year."




Fera admits the time was not ideal for a strike, but said the union had no choice.




USW insists Vale Inco earned $4 billion in the 2 1/2 years after it purchased Inco and is using the worldwide recession to justify seeking concessions from workers.




"If we lost stuff in this contract, do you think we would have gained it back in 2012?" Fera asked.




After more than 30 years, Fera is nearing the end of the career he started at the Coniston smelter as a skimmer, moving on to become an electrician.




"This is a fight about our young people," said the third-generation Inco employee.




He and his generation won't leave behind a defined contribution pension, the loss of seniority transfer rights and issues relating to contracting out as a legacy for the next generation of miners.




"Where do you go from here?" asked Fera. "Our alternatives are few, but you can't pick your times (to strike)."




Fera charged that, from the beginning of bargaining with Vale Inco's negotiating team, there was no give and take.




The company virtually said, "Here's our offer ... don't change a word of it because that's our offer. 'You accept it 100 per cent or there's no deal.' That's not negotiations."




Ball insisted progress was made on some issues.




"Several subcommittees worked on elements of the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) that were agreed to. In that period, there were a significant number of changes that occurred."




The outstanding ones -- the "flashpoints" -- are ones "that didn't change or maybe didn't change to the satisfaction of the Steelworkers."




Fera said his bargaining committee tried to address the "timing" issue by offering to renew the old contract exactly for three years or even a year.




Looking back, he is convinced "we were dealing with a committee that did not want to get a contract."




After the negotiating period was extended, first for five days, and then for five weeks, and it was becoming apparent contract talks were not going anywhere, Vale Inco posted its offer to Steelworkers on its website.




"What an insult that was," said Fera. "That kind of gave us an indication of what kind of company they were."




USW has repeatedly expressed its displeasure that Toronto labour lawyer Harvey Beresford is leading negotiations on the company side. Beresford has sat on Inco's bargaining committee for 30 years, but the team was always led by an Inco decision-maker.




USW international president Leo Gerard is bullish on the subject.




In 40 years, he has never negotiated with a company that "didn't have somebody at the table who was able to make a decision," said Gerard in a telephone interview from USW headquarters in Pittsburgh.




A former Inco worker and USW staff representative in Canada, Gerard remains a member of USW Local 6500 in his hometown Sudbury to this day.




He echoed Fera's observation that "we can never talk to the decision-maker. We only talk to the hired mouthpiece."




Ball pointed out Beresford has been an Inco negotiator for decades and that Vale Inco's current bargaining committee is comprised of people known to the union.




But Fera and Gerard charged Vale SA president and chief executive officer Roger Agnelli is making the real decisions at the company's Brazil headquarters.




Several strikers' actions and campaigns have been targeted at Agnelli in the last six months.
It is beyond frustrating, said Fera, to "talk to public relations people reading a script."




Vale kingpins such as Agnelli did not understand the resolve of his union "because Vale does not negotiate in their workplaces around the world as we do here. I don't think they understood how big a deal negotiations is and how big a deal a strike is because that's the only recourse we have."




Gerard spent time in Sudbury over the Christmas season and met many strikers while he was here.




"They're angry, but they're very determined," he said.




Vale Inco's refusal to return to the bargaining table is infuriating members.




"It is clear when the union, at every level from the international president to the members of the bargaining committee, say we're prepared to negotiate with no pre-conditions, and the company keeps behaving in the way it has in provoking dissension and in trying to intimidate individuals, acting like they were trained in a military dictatorship, it says a lot," said Gerard.




He, Fera and other union officials are angry about Vale Inco's lawsuit against individual strikers, the first time that type of legal action has been taken in an Inco strike.




"Imagine a company like Vale suing a picketer personally," said Fera. "Not only have they taken his wages away, now they're personally suing him for his home and everything. That is disgusting."




Ball acknowledged the "vast majority of strikers" are law-abiding. "The people that have had lawsuits filed against them are people who have demonstrated the kind of behaviour that is breaking the law."




Police have been called to picket lines on occasion. If officers have laid any criminal charges against strikers, police have not made them public.




Vale Inco is saying "it's not OK for people to do what they're doing," said Ball. "The courts will decide."




Six months into what is likely to become the longest strike in Inco's history, it may be pointless to predict what the atmosphere may be like when the labour dispute is eventually settled and Steelworkers return to work.




Fera was on the picket line in that fabled 1978-79 strike. It turned him into a union activist, he says.




"Most of us who became activists did so after that strike because we lost a lot of respect for Inco."




Fera recalled getting a call from his boss about his return to work and telling him he needed two weeks' holidays.




"He said, 'You've been on holidays for 8 1/2 months.' I said, 'No, I've been on strike. Now I need two weeks' holidays.'




"He said, 'I don't understand you guys.' And I said, 'That's right. No, you don't, and you probably never will.' "




Ball admitted there will be a social cost to the strike, however long it lasts.




"As time goes on, maybe the social cost is going to be greater in terms of repairing relationships."




For now, Ball continues talking the company line about its settlement proposal to Steelworkers. "We see it as fair, and what's needed for today and tomorrow's world."




Fera admits his union hasn't changed its position since contract talks began April 7.




"No, we couldn't. We offered to negotiate and they said, 'No, here's the offer.' That's why I don't think they understand negotiations here."
cmulligan@thesudburystar.com

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RALLY TOMORROW

The following notice from the United Steel Workers is abour a solidarity rally due to be held tomorrow in Sudbury.

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Rally to Show Union Standing Strong After Six Months
The United Steelworkers Local 6500, representing workers at Vale Inco who have been on strike since July 13, will be holding a Standing Strong at Six Months rally on Jan. 13.




The march begins at 9 a.m. at the new United Steelworkers hall at 66 Brady St., followed by a hot meal after the rally.




The rally will also include a balloon release, with each balloon “representing 4 million dollars in Vale profits that have left the community,” stated a release from the union.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

CHRISTMAS ON THE PICKET LINE IN SUDBURY:

While most of us are still enjoying our Christmas holidays the workers on strike against Vale Inco in Ontario and Newfoundland are still on the picket line in the bitter cold. Here's a story about 'Christmas On The Picket Line' from the Sudbury Star. To keep up to date with the latest news from the strike don't forget to visit the strike support site Fair Deal Now.

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Christmas on the picket line:
Posted By RACHEL PUNCH

THE SUDBURY STAR
As most Sudburians were waking up Christmas morning to spend the day with friends and family, there wasn't much cause for celebration on the Vale Inco picket line.

Christmas music played over a radio in the background as Yvon Laforest, Gord Bazinet and Jeff Whissell gathered around a fire on the picket line at the Copper Cliff smelter.

The members of Local 6500 volunteered to take a six-hour Christmas shift, starting at about 6:45 am.

"We left the people with younger kids at home so they could spend some time with their kids," said Laforest, who has worked for Vale Inco for four and a half years.

More than 3,000 of Vale Inco's production and maintenance workers have been on strike since July 13 and there appears to be no end in sight.

The union and the company have not gone back to the table since the strike began.

The major issues are concessions the company wants on pensions and a nickel bonus.

"It should have been settled a long time ago. That's what I think," said Laforest, who works in the divisional shop.

Aside from being away from family for six hours on Christmas day, the father of five said his Christmas would be all right.

"A lot of people are more unfortunate than me," he said.

Whissell, who has worked for Inco for nine years, said what he hates most about the strike is the fear of the unknown.

"You don't know what you are going to do," he said.

Whissell, who works in the acid plant, doesn't know if he should go back to school or leave the city he was born and raised in to find work elsewhere.

"I don't know what to do," he said.

The strike is not a positive experience, he said.

"I can't speak for everyone, but I'm assuming everybody is frustrated, some fearful. I'm sure some have lost quite a bit already," Whissell said.

Support from the community as well as the government would help, he said.

"Everybody stands to gain if we can get back to work," he said.

"I don't know what our government is doing" selling off our natural resources, Whissell added.

"I'd like to know what the game plan is in clear English."

CANADIAN LABOUR:

STEELWORKERS TAKE IT TO THE BIG APPLE:
In their quest for international support for their strike against an international corporation-Vale Inco- the United Steelworkers have expanded their solidarity efforts across the world. Germany, Brazil, Sweden, Australia, New Caledonia, you name it. Here, from the Sudbury Star, is the story of one of their recent efforts in New York City where they threw a little kink into what would have been a major PR coup on the part of Vale. The following item came to Molly's attention via the strike support site Fair Deal Now. Read on.
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Steelworkers take New York by storm:
VALE INCO STRIKE: Strikers take fight to Wall Street
Posted By CAROL MULLIGAN, THE SUDBURY STAR
Two dozen striking Steelworkers got their message out loud and clear to the financial community and others in the Big Apple on Wednesday.





Fourteen members of Sudbury's United Steelworkers Local 6500 and 10 from Local 6200 in Port Colborne made a 48-hour return road trip to New York City to spread the word about their labour dispute with Vale Inco Ltd.





Wednesday was to be Vale Day on the New York Stock Exchange and Vale officials were to ring the bell at the opening of trading. The event was cancelled due to scheduling conflict, said a Vale spokeswoman in Brazil.





But Steelworker Joe Guido and his travelling colleagues think it was the threat of them embarrassing the mining company at the NYSE that forced the postponement.





A machinist at Vale Inco's divisional shops, Guido organized the trip for members of USW's Political and Allies Committee. The Canadian strikers rallied on the steps of the Federal Building, paraded with banners along Broadway and "rode" the symbolic bull outside the stock exchange.





"We brought our message to Wall Street and it was loud and clear," said Guido on Thursday. "It was a good day."





Steelworkers were joined by American USW members, as well as members of the United Federation of Teachers. The latter union served lunch to the Canadians.





They also joined the rally, which by law required a permit for strikers to use a bullhorn. Police officers armed with automatic rifles were vigilant and have been present since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.





One officer told the delegation, "you make all the noise you want," said Guido.





The visitors presented another officer with the Steelworkers' tiny shovel pin, which is worn handle down during a labour dispute.





"The officer said he couldn't wear it on his uniform, but he would keep it," said Guido.





Strikers used bullhorns to ask where Vale president and chief executive officer Roger Agnelli was.





"What is he hiding from?" they asked, said Guido.





Passers-by, many clearly investors by the look of their "thousand-dollar suits," said Guido, accepted leaflets the delegation distributed. Some promised to research Steelworkers' claims Vale is seeking "significant cutbacks" that led to the strike.





"I never had a negative comment," said Guido, who also arranged a trip to Queen's Park where striking Steelworkers supported the Ontario New Democrats' call for legislation prohibiting the hiring of replacement workers during labour disputes.





But the private member's bill co-sponsored by Welland MPP Peter Kormos and Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas did not pass second reading. Before the vote, Steelworkers were ejected from the visitors' gallery for cheering and jeering while MPPs spoke to the bill.





Guido said he and his union brothers spoke with people in New York City, including Canadian tourists who wondered what a delegation from their country was doing on Wall Street.





"A high number were appalled when we told them what Vale is doing," said Guido.





USW insists Vale Inco was seeking concessions with a settlement offer calling for a defined contribution pension to replace the defined benefit one, reductions in the nickel bonus and limits on transfers among workplaces.





Vale Inco officials call the proposals "changes" and insist they are necessary to keep the business competitive in all business cycles.





Sudbury strikers left the city Tuesday at 5:30 a. m. and returned 48 hours later. Guido said he slept for a couple of hours before attending a Thursday morning USW Local 6500 membership meeting where he gave an update on the NYSE trip.





"I told them it wasn't a walk in the park," said Guido. "They were impressed."





The New York rally was staged as similar events were held in Sudbury, Toronto and Brazil, where Vale is headquartered.





When asked to comment on the Toronto demonstration, Vale Inco spokesman Steve Ball said Steelworkers were doing "what they feel is right to help their cause.





"We consider this is really another distraction and, unfortunately, the Steelworkers seem to be more committed to these kinds of events than they are to meaningful negotiations," said Ball.
"It would be nice if some of that time and effort was directed toward getting a deal done, and that can only be achieved when they commit to sitting down with us and dealing seriously with the issues that need to be discussed at the bargaining table."
cmulligan@thesudburystar.com

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

MORE ON MOORE-ON A SUDBURY SATURDAY NIGHT:

Molly knows this is a little late, as the event of the United Steelworkers solidarity rally is now ongoing. I beg the time zone difference and other extenuating circumstances (don't ask). In any case the guys and girls of the USW who are on strike against Vale Inco will have an extra treat this Sudbury Saturday Night as American film maker Michael Moore has agreed to have the third preliminary screening of his new movie 'Capitalism:A Love Story' at the solidarity rally today. The film will be released in theatres sometime in October. The more I hear about this Moore character the better I like him, even if he always looks like he got off a 36 hour ride on The Dog. In ny case here's the story from the Sudbury Star.

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Moore's film gets rare Sudbury screening:
Posted By STAR STAFF
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore won't be here for today's solidarity rally for United Steelworkers, but he is sending a copy of his latest film as a gesture of support.

Moore has taken an interest in the Steelworkers' strike against Vale Inco and is permitting a screening of his film that will be released in theatres later this year.

Capitalism: A Love Storywill be screened privately for strikers and visiting dignitaries ("dignitaries" ???-Molly )today at 5 p. m. at Silver City.

"We are proud and thankful to Michael Moore for providing such meaningful support for our members here in Sudbury," said Leo Gerard, international president of United Steelworkers.

"Throughout his career, Michael has consistently called for social justice and fair treatment for working people."

The Sudbury screening will be only the third time the film has been shown. At its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, Moore walked the red carpet with four striking miners and the national director of United Steelworkers.

Moore told reporters Sudbury's battle epitomizes the community values and need for justice his films convey. The second screening of the film was Monday in support of Steelworkers at the AFL-CIO convention.

John Fera, president of USW Local 6500, said this promises to be a great weekend in Sudbury. The film will be shown hours after an international solidarity rally at 11 a. m. at Sudbury Community Arena. Labour leaders and members from several countries will attend.

"We have our wonderful Sudbury community coming out to a rally to show us support. We have international leaders coming to show us that communities around the world support Sudbury. And, now we see that famous people who care about justice will lend their support," said Fera.
CUPE LENDS SUPPORT
The Canadian Union of Public Employees has thrown its support behind striking Vale Inco workers in Sudbury, Port Colbourne and Voisey's Bay, Nl.

In addition to its moral support, the union is also donating $10,000 to the United Steelworkers' strike fund and encouraging CUPE locals to provide financial and/or picket line support.

CUPE will also join the United Steelworkers in lobbying all levels of government to introduce anti-scab legislation.

"Vale Inco is attempting to weaken striking workers' morale," CUPE national president Paul Moist said in a release. "But by using scab labour, they are only heightening and prolonging tensions, and poisoning relations with Vale Inco workers for years to come. This is incredibly damaging for the Sudbury community."

"As employers continue to use the recession as an excuse to demand concessions from workers, CUPE stands in solidarity with the workers at Vale Inco who are fighting to protect their hard-won benefits," said Moist.

Vale Inco has said it intends to resume partial production at its Sudbury operations, and plans to use non-union staff and union members not on strike to do most of the work.

The resolution comes as more than 3,300 Steelworkers enter their third month on strike. Vale Inco, which is now 100% owned by Brazilian interests, is attempting "to gut workers' collective agreements by demanding they accept inferior pension plans and seniority agreements," CUPE said in its release.
editorial@ thesudburystar.com

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In addition to the Michael Moore film there will be/is a lot more going on at the Sudbury rally, as the following from the United Steelworkers site says. One can only hope that the travel expenses were paid for by the unions in solidarity with the USW and not by the strike fund. One union which is absent from the 'star line-up' is the Union des Syndicates des Travailleurs Kanak et Exploitées in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. Said union, which is in sympathy with the anarcho-syndicalism of the French CNT (the CNT-Vignoles,) represents some of the workers at Vale Inco operations in New Caledonia. The USTKE has more than its own share of troubles ie government repression, as a visitor to their site can verify, but they are surely watching the strike in Sudbury with sympathy. Or at least I can judge that because people from that island have visted Molly's Blog on this subject. There is little doubt that these people have little extra money to send representatives on plane trips to the wilds of Northern Ontario, but that doesn't mean that they aren't watching and hoping for a victory for the Sudbury strikers. Here's the story from the USW.

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Ten International Guests from Around the World to Highlight Saturday’s Steelworkers Rally in Sudbury:
RELEASE, 17 Sept 2009 – In the largest gathering of international labour leaders northern Ontario has ever seen, International guests representing over 168 millions of workers from countries around the world will join the citizens of Sudbury in a rally of support for Vale Inco strikers and their families this Saturday.

The local labour battle with Vale Inco has captured the attention of workers and communities around the world. “There are many communities in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia that are watching the Vale Inco strike very closely,” said Ken Neumann, National Director of United Steelworkers. “They know this is a battle over what massively profitable multinationals can get away with in the communities where they extract resources.”

“For two months, our members have appreciated the overwhelming support shown by the citizens of Sudbury. Now, we realize there is also significant international support for our issue,” said John Fera, President of USW Local 6500.

“Saturday’s rally promises to be an historic event that demonstrates that our strikers and their families have strong support within the Sudbury community and from workers in communities in many parts of the world,” said Wayne Fraser, USW District Director for Ontario and Atlantic Canada.
WHAT
International and Community Rally in Support of Sudbury’s Strikers
WHO
Labour Leaders from Around the World, and Sudbury Community
WHEN
Saturday, Sept 19th, 11:00 am
WHERE
Sudbury Arena (240 Elgin St)
Guests at Sudbury’s Sept 19th rally include:
**Sharon Burrow, President ITUC (largest trade union confederation in the world) and ACTU (Australia largest trade union council) (Australia)
**Manfred Warda, General Secretary of ICEM (Int’l federation (incl mining) of over 500 unions) (Germany)
**Jyki Raina, General Secretary of IMF (Int’l federation of over 200 unions of metalworkers) (Geneva, Switzerland)
**Ken Georgetti, President of Canadian Labour Congress (Canada)
Artur Henrique da Silva Santos, President of CUT (Largest trade union in Brazil) (Brazil)
**Edwardo Pinto, President STEFEM (Brazilian railway workers) and member of Vale Board of Directors (Brazil) ( uhhh. does one spell the new South American leftism as "corporatism" ?-Molly )
**Paul Talbot, Assistant General Secretary, Unite (Britain’s largest labour union w/ over 2million members) (UK)
**Jorge Campos, International Affairs Secretary for Vale Union Network (network of workers internationally that work for Vale), and General Secretary, Sindimina (Brazilian mineworkers) (Brazil)
**John Sweeney, Recent President of AFL-CIO (Largest trade union federation in America) (USA) ( Any relation to the Sweeney, or dare I ask ?- Molly )
**Napoleon Gomez Urutia, General Secretary, National Union of Mineworkers (Mexico)
These guests are in addition to United Steelworker leaders:
**Leo Gerard, International President of United Steelworkers
**Ken Neumann, National Director of the United Steelworkers
**Wayne Fraser, USW District Director for Ont. and Atlantic Canada
**John Fera, President of USW Local 6500 (Sudbury)

Contacts:

John Fera, President of USW Local 6500, 705-675-228 1x238 /

Wayne Fraser, USW District Director, 416-577-4045 /

Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966 / 416-434-2221 /

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Well, at least somebody is donating into the strike fund and not drawing travel expenses. CUPE has come out in full support of the strikers, as mentioned above. Here is their statement. This strike is very much a test case. Lose it and international corporations will walk all over ordinary Canadians for years to come.

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CUPE backs Vale Inco workers:
In a resolution passed this week, CUPE pledges its financial and moral support to the United Steelworkers locals on strike at Vale Inco. Workers are on strike in Sudbury and Port Colbourne, Ontario, and in Voisey’s Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The resolution comes as thousands of workers enter their third month on strike. Vale Inco, which is now 100 per cent owned by Brazilian interests, is attempting to gut workers’ collective agreements by demanding they accept inferior pension plans and seniority agreements.

Instead of returning to the bargaining table, Vale Inco is resuming production during the labour dispute by using inexperienced, non-union staff and scab labour.

“Vale Inco is attempting to weaken striking workers’ morale” said CUPE National President Paul Moist. “But by using scab labour, they are only heightening and prolonging tensions, and poisoning relations with Vale Inco workers for years to come. This is incredibly damaging for the Sudbury community”.

“As employers continue to use the recession as an excuse to demand concessions from workers, CUPE stands in solidarity with the workers at Vale Inco who are fighting to protect their hard-won benefits,” said Moist.

CUPE will donate $10,000.00 to the United Steelworkers’ strike fund, and encourage CUPE locals to provide financial and/or picket line support. CUPE will also join the United Steelworkers in lobbying all levels of government to introduce anti-scab legislation.

“We would also like to see the federal government put some conditions on foreign ownership,” said Moist. “The majority ownership of Canadian resource-based businesses should remain in the hands of Canadians.” (I don't know if that will improve things much-Molly )

For more information, contact:
CUPE media relations - 613-818-0067
Resolution of CUPE’s National Executive Board – Vale Inco

CUPE NATIONAL WILL:

Provide financial and moral support to United Steelworkers locals on strike at Vale Inco in Sudbury and Port Colbourne, Ontario and Voisey’s Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, that includes:

• A financial contribution in the amount of $10,000.00 to the United Steelworkers’ strike fund

• Encouraging CUPE locals to provide financial and/or picket line support.

• Lobbying all governments to introduce anti-scab legislation.

• Writing to the Prime Minister of Canada requesting that the Federal government change the conditions put on the purchase of Canadian resource-based businesses so that the majority ownership of such businesses remains in the hands of Canadians.

• Writing a joint letter with the CUPE Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador Divisions to the Premiers of Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador requesting that their governments take the steps necessary to ensure that scab workers are not used during this labour dispute, and to request that their respective health and safety branches increase inspections and surveillance, and step up enforcement efforts during this labour dispute.

BECAUSE:

• Vale Inco is now 100% owned by Brazilian interests.

* Vale Inco is attempting to gut the collective agreement by requesting that:

1. New employees be subject to a defined contribution pension plan rather than the current defined benefit pension plan; and

2. An increased trigger point for the “nickel bonus” which was negotiated at the insistence of the company many years ago when the company was suffering through a downturn in the economy; and

3. Company-wide seniority be changed to plant or business unit seniority only.

• Vale Inco is resuming production during this labour dispute intending to use inexperienced, non-union staff and scab labour.

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Good luck to all the boys and girls down Sudbury way this Sudbury Saturday Night. Just to close off here's the lyrics to Sudbury Saturday Night from another of my heroes, Stompin' Tom Conners. I imagine there'll be a lot of singing of this tune tonight. You can, by the way view a video of Stompin' Tom doing this signature song HERE.

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The girls are out to Bingo and the boys are gettin' stinko,
And we think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night.
The glasses they will tinkle when our eyes begin to twinkle,
And we'll think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night.

***
With Irish Jim O'Connel there and Scotty Jack MacDonald,
There's honky Fredrick Hurchell gettin' tight, but that's alright,
There's happy German Fritzy there with Frenchy getting tipsy,
And even Joe the Gypsy knows it's Saturday tonight.

***
Now when Mary Ann and Mabel come to join us at the table,
And tell us how the Bingo went tonight, we'll look a fright.
But if they won the money, we'll be lappin' up the honey, boys,
'Cause everything is funny, for it's Saturday tonight

***
The girls are out to Bingo and the boys are gettin' stinko,
And we think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night.
The glasses they will tinkle when our eyes begin to twinkle,
And we'll think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night.

***
We'll drink the loot we borrowed and recuperate tomorrow,
'Cause everything is wonderful tonight, we had a good fight,
We ate the Dilly Pickle and we forgot about the Nickel,
And everybody's tickled, for it's Saturday tonight

***
The songs that we'll be singing, they might be wrong but they'll be ringing,
When the lights of town are shining bright, and we're all tight,
We'll get to work on Monday, but tomorrow's only Sunday,
And we're out to have a fun day for it's Saturday tonight. Yeah

***
The girls are out to Bingo and the boys are gettin' stinko,
And we think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night.
The glasses they will tinkle when our eyes begin to twinkle,
And we'll think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night.

***
We'll think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night.

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Too bad I never got this off last night, so I might as well add a few reports abour how the rally went. Here's one from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

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Labour stands together in Sudbury:
Nearly 3,000 supporters from across the international labour community gathered in Sudbury Saturday to pledge their ongoing support to Vale Inco Strikers.

Vale Inco, which is 100% owned by Brazilian interests, is attempting to gut workers’ collective agreements by demanding they accept inferior pension plans and seniority agreements. Thousands of United Steelworkers members have been on strike since mid-July in Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ontario, and in Voisey’s Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We are out in force today to show support for the Steelworkers: CUPE is here, the community is here, people from all over the world are here,” said Wyman MacKinnon, CUPE Regional Vice-President for Northern Ontario.

Among the international guests were representatives from international federations such as ITUC, ICEM, IMF, and leaders of the AFL-CIO from the United States, Unite from the UK, CUT and Sindimina from Brazil, and the National Union of Mine workers from Mexico. Together, they represent over 168 million workers from around the world.

Federal NDP leader Jack Layton, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, CLC President Ken Georgetti and CUPE National Paul Moist were also on hand to extend their support. (See Paul Moist extend CUPE's support to the striking workers.)

The rally came on the heels of a resolution of support from the CUPE National Executive board promising a $10,000 contribution to the United Steelworkers’ strike fund, encouraging CUPE locals to provide support, and pledging to lobby all governments to introduce anti-scab legislation.

“Vale Inco has taken over 4 billion dollars out of Canada in profit in the last three years, and yet it is looking for multiple concessions. We will support the Steelworkers and the Sudbury community until they get the fair agreement they deserve,” said Paul Moist.

“Vale Inco is massively profitable, currently has huge cash assets, and increased its executive compensation by 121% in the last two years,” added John Fera, President of USW Local 6500.

Later on Saturday, Academy Award winning filmmaker Michael Moore also demonstrated his support for the strikers and the community by holding a special Sudbury screening of his new film, “Capitalism: A Love Story”, to be released in theatres in October.

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Here's another report from the pages of Northern Life. Seems that at least part of the rally turned out to be a love-in for the moustache that walks ie Jack Layton, but a lot of other things were happening.

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Vale 'picked the wrong town' to fight with: Layton:
By: Heidi Ulrichsen - Sudbury Northern Life

Federal NDP leader Jack Layton had some encouraging words for several thousand people attending a Sept. 19 rally at the Sudbury Community Arena in support of striking Steelworkers Local 6500 members.

About 3,100 members of Local 6500 have been on strike since July 13. Steelworkers members are also on strike against Vale Inco in Port Colborne, Ont. and Voisey's Bay, Nfld.

Vale Inco “picked the wrong town” if it thought that it could “take away what working people have built over generations in this country and this town,” he said.

“You're going to win this battle, my friends,” Layton said. He assured the crowd that the NDP would fight for the strikers, and would “make sure there are federal anti-scab laws.”

Besides Layton, those who spoke at the event included provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath, Mayor John Rodriguez, international United Steelworkers president Leo Gerard and unionists from across Canada and around the world.

About half of the arena was filled during the rally. Among those in attendance were many families with small children. The participants stood up and cheered often during the event, waving union flags.

Several times throughout the event, union leaders asked the crowd if they were “ready to fight,” and they answered “Yes!” Retired union members led the crowd in singing songs such as “Solidarity Forever.”

One of the foreign union leaders attending the event, Artu Henrique da Silva Santos of CUT (Central Unica dos Trabalhadores) Brazil, told the crowd that Brazilian workers would mobilize to ensure that “strike breaking” workers from their country would not be sent to Sudbury.

He said Brazilian Vale Inco workers face much the same battles in trying to get a contract as those in Sudbury.

Gerard said the strike “is a fight like you've never had before.” It will determine “what kind of future we'll have, and what kind of future our kids and grandkids will have.”

In the old days, people used to complain that the profits from the mines went to Toronto or Ottawa, said Gerard. Now the profits go “to bankers in Japan,” he said.

He said that Vale Inco workers in Brazil “get treated like junk...They have a right to fire them at will,” he said.

Gerard said that “this fight isn't just about members of Local 6500,” it's about the entire Sudbury community.

Who attended?

-Jack Layton, federal NDP leader

-Andrea Horwath, Ontario NDP leader

-John Rodriguez, Sudbury mayor

-Glenn Thibeault, Sudbury MP

-Claude Gravelle, Nickel Belt MP

-France Gelinas, Nickel Belt MPP

-Sharan Burrow, president of the International Trade Union Confederation and the Australian Council of Trade Unions

-Manfred Warra, general secretary of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions

-Jyrki Raina, general secretary of the International Metalworkers' Federation

-Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress

-John Sweeney, past-president of the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations

-Artur Henrique da Silva Santos, president of CUT (Central Unica dos Trabalhadores) Brazil

-Eduardo Pinto, president of STEFEM, the union of railroad workers in four states in Brazil

-Paul Talbot, assistant general secretary, Unite the Union

-Jorge Campos, general secretary of SINDIMINA, a union of mine workers in Brazil

-Napoleon Gomez Urutia, general secretary, National Union of Mineworkers

-Leo Gerard, international president, United Steelworkers

-Ken Neumann, national director, United Steelworkers

-Wayne Fraser, United Steelworkers district director for Ontario and Atlantic Canada

-John Fera, president of United Steelworkers Local 6500

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Finally, things haven't been quiet out on the picket lines in the last few days either. Here from the Sudbury Star (courtesy of the strike support blog Fair Deal Now ) is what happened on Friday as Vale Inco tried to move materials as part of their planned restart of production using scab labour.

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Picketers blocking transports:
Posted By LARA BRADLEY, THE SUDBURY STAR
Four trucks carrying ore and their drivers sat idle outside Vale Inco's Clarabelle Mill on Friday, as strikers stepped up picket line activity for a second straight day.

The trucks, belonging to the Day Group and, according to strikers, carrying ore from the company's Frood-Stobie mine, were stopped Thursday afternoon. They will not be allowed to cross the line, picketers with Local 6500 of the United Steelworkers said.

"As much as we can, we're going to stop them from moving the ore," said Bob Hickey, a union member for 12 years. "Something has to give. They're not talking, they don't want to talk. This stalemate is driving the guys crazy."

At the entrance to the Clarabelle Mine Road, a group of Steelworkers waved a massive Canadian flag to the constant honking of motorists passing by on the highway.

"(Moving ore) is against the injunction," said Pat Veinot, a former vice-president of Steelworkers Local 6500, who was visiting the line.

"When we read the injunction, it speaks to care and maintenance, but this has to do with production -- moving ore -- it's something that never has happened in the history of Inco in Sudbury."

Adding fuel to the fire, Veinot said, the union found out that the company used a train to bring ore to the Clarabelle Mill Friday from Frood-Stobie.

"And we know this is against the injunction," he said.

Asked if the union had any plans to picket the train track, Veinot said:

"I would imagine if they're going to move a train, then, yeah, we're going to stop them. Peacefully. "

It can be done without violence, he added.

"We spoke to the police officers ... They've said they're pleased with our conduct here," Veinot said. "You don't have to burn down building and you don't have to roll cars. You just have to stop them."

Company spokesperson Steve Ball, in an e-mail to The Sudbury Star, denied the company was using the railroad to ship ore across the picket line.

"No ore is being moved by rail at this time," he wrote.

However, several picketers said they saw the train go through onto the property.

The company said it is continuing to monitor the situation at Frood-Stobie and Clarabelle Mill. It considers the halted trucks as "disrespecting the terms of the injunction protocol," Ball said.

"As these actions continue to affect our right to protect our business, we will be reviewing future options, which may include legal options, that are available to us to prevent these blockades from occurring," Ball p>The union, however, insisted ore is being moved. "We counted 48 cars," said John Landry, a union member. "I think this is a diversion so that the trains can go through."

Guards patrolled the perimetre outside the trucks. One driver, who would only give his first name Brian, said they can't leave their cabs for fear of union members. He said picketers have called him a scab using a megaphone.

"They've threatened to pull me out of the truck and kick the sh-t out of me," he said. "I was born here. I have as much right haul this ore ... I don't know how long I will be here."

Today, a rally at the Sudbury Community Arena will start at 11 a. m. in support of the Steelworkers. Michael Moore has also sent his film,Capitalism: A Love Story to Sudbury so that strikers and visiting dignitaries can enjoy a private screening at 5 p. m. at Silver City.

"He knew a lot about our issue," said Veinot about meeting Moore and accompanying him along with other Steelworkers to the screening of his new documentary at the Toronto Film Festival last weekend.

The Sudbury screening will be only the third time the film has been shown.

"We are proud and thankful to Michael Moore for providing such meaningful support for our members here in Sudbury," said Leo Gerard, international president of United Steelworkers, in a release. "Throughout his career, Michael has consistently called for social justice and fair treatment for working people."

John Fera, president of USW Local 6500, said this promises to be a great weekend for the union in Sudbury.

"We have our wonderful Sudbury community coming out to a rally to show us support. We have international leaders coming to show us that communities around the world support Sudbury. And, now we see that famous people who care about justice will lend their support," said Fera.

More than 3,000 members of Steelworkers Local 6500 have been on strike since July 13, after they rejected a Vale Inco contract offer that included demands for historic concessions from the unionized workers.

The ore shipments from Frood-Stobie to the Clarabelle Mill are part of Vale Inco's plan to resume partial production at some Sudbury operations.

The company said it is delivering ore to the mill so it can be used for testing and training purposes for staff and other employees working during the strike. Vale Inco also has said it intends to produce ore at its Garson Ramp and its Coleman Mine in Levack, with that ore to be processed at Clarabelle Mill.

Following last week's incident at the Frood-Stobie picket line, the Day Group issued a news release insisting it was not taking sides in the labour dispute. The company said it was simply fulfilling the obligations of a contract with Vale Inco, which include hauling ore for the mining company.

"Day Construction is not supplying any personnel or taking any work from any unionized Vale worker," the Day Group's news release stated.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

SOLIDARITY RALLY IN SUDBURY:

The following article from the Sudbury Star came to Molly's attention via the strike support site Fair Deal Now for members of the United Steel Workers who have been on strike against Vale Inco for some time now. There is a solidarity rally planned in Sudbury for the 19th of September.

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Steelworkers plan globally, think locally for rally:

Posted By CAROL MULLIGAN, THE SUDBURY STAR
United Steelworkers is looking to pack Sudbury Community Arena to the rafters Sept. 19 with an international labour rally to bolster the fight of three of its locals in Ontario against Vale Inco Ltd. and Vale Inco in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Striking members of USW Local 6500 in Sudbury, Local 6200 in Port Colborne and Local 9508 in Voisey's Bay, NL, will be joined by union colleagues from Vale Inco's Thompson, Man., operations -- as well as workers from around the world.

The theme of the rally will be Building Solidarity, said USW staff representative Myles Sullivan.

The movement to build worldwide unity against the Brazilian-headquartered Vale SA, parent company of Vale Inco, began in Brazil and is becoming international, said Sullivan, who travelled to the South American country to talk about his union's battle with the giant miner.

The second largest mining company in the world is making profits "on the backs of workers" by "oppressing" them, said Sullivan, and USW is determined to spread that message far and wide.

Several local, national and international trade unionists will speak at the 11 a. m. rally, which union and non-union members alike are invited to attend.

USW Locals 6500 and 6200 went on strike against Vale Inco on July 13, and Voisey's Bay Steelworkers walked off the job Aug. 1.

United Steelworkers has been stressing the labour disputes are not just the business of the union, but of the communities in which they work.

Anyone who doubts the impact Steelworkers and their employers have on communities need look no further than the recent boom in housing prices in Sudbury two years ago, fuelled by record high prices for nickel.

Local 6500 is also the largest single supporter of United Way in Sudbury. "If that's not helping the community, what is?" asked Sullivan.

Mining jobs create thousands of spinoff positions in the community as well.

CANADIAN LABOUR/CANADIAN POLITICS:

A CONTRAST IN SUDBURY:

As the strike of the United Steelworkers against the Vale Inco Company continues on, with no foreseeable conclusions, the politicos are moving in to cash in on the events. Here's a story from the Sudbury Star (via the strike support site Fair Deal Now) about the recent visit of 'The Ig' to Sudbury and how strikers and their supporters are treating his kind words with caution. The contrast couldn't be starker, the Liberals with their $550 a plate dinner and the strike support dinner at $5.50. Now if Ignatieff had been willing to put up even a small amount of his take to strike support his assertions of sympathy might have been a bit more believable.

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A tale of duelling dinners:
Posted By Denis St. Pierre/The Sudbury Star

As he contemplated the onset of his eighth week on the picket line, Vale Inco striker Ron Savage said it was troubling to behold hundreds of city residents spending $550 on a political fundraiser.

"It's hard to watch," said Savage, one of nearly 100 demonstrators who gathered Monday evening outside the Caruso Club, site of the $550- per-plate dinner featuring federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and his national caucus of MPs and senators.

"It's hard to watch that kind of money going through the door to support a party that doesn't guarantee anything will happen to stop what is going on right now," Savage said, referring to the strike at Vale Inco and the hundreds of other job losses in Sudbury in recent months.

Savage's spirits were buoyed somewhat following Monday's demonstration, as he and about 150 others enjoyed a $5.50 spaghetti dinner at the Navy League Hall. The low-cost meal was organized by local labour groups and their supporters as a deliberately stark contrast to the Liberal fundraiser.

"This is the blue-collar dinner and that's the white-collar dinner at the Caruso Club," Savage said.

"It shows that in tough times people can still pull together and do what has to be done to make sure we pull through, as opposed to putting all this money into a party that we're not sure will be supporting us in the long run."

Earlier in the day, Ignatieff and other Liberal officials met for more than an hour with leaders of the United Steelworkers, which represents the more than 3,000 workers on strike at Vale Inco.

Savage said he is skeptical of the Liberals' supportive words for the strikers, noting a federal election this fall is a distinct possibility.

"Election talk is election talk," he said. "It's like what our company did to us before they put us on the street. You can talk a lot of talk, but it's the actions that matter."

Other strikers were more hopeful that a Liberal government would be more supportive and helpful than the existing Conservative minority government. (Hope springs eternal I guess-Molly )

As a result of Monday's meeting between Ignatieff and Steelworkers' officials, "I think the Liberals are very well-informed of what's going on here and I believe they're supportive of our cause," said striker Joe Guido, a machinist at Vale Inco.

At the same time, Guido added, "I think this meal, at $5.50, sends a message to them that there are struggling families in the Sudbury area and we just hope that they recognize the difficulties that we're all going through."

Monday's meeting with Ignatieff was "positive," said John Fera, president of United Steelworkers Local 6500.

"He heard us and he understood what's going on in the community and he understood about culture changes and he understood our concerns with the Canada Investment Review Act," Fera said during the spaghetti dinner.

Ignatieff said Monday the public should be privy to the details of an agreement reached between Vale and the federal government when the Brazilian company bought Inco Ltd. in 2006.

The Conservative government has maintained it cannot legally make the agreement public, while the Steelworkers and other critics question whether the government has allowed Vale to break commitments made in the deal.

Ignatieff "understood the points we were trying to make, such as the problems with not being able to see what's in that document," Fera said.

However, the Liberal leader did not categorically assure the Steelworkers that a Liberal government would make the agreement public or take action against Vale if the company broke any of its commitments, he added.

"He said he would certainly consider working with the NDP and the Bloc (Quebecois) to make that happen. He also wanted some time to look into the legalities and the details around such an agreement."

Fera said a minority government, led either by the NDP or Liberals, would offer the best odds for making such agreements public.

"I don't know that (the Liberals) would do it on their own if they had a majority government. But I would hope that if it's a minority government that they would do it, in a co-operative effort with the other parties." (Maybe, maybe, maybe-Molly )

Monday's demonstration outside the Liberal fundraiser was relatively calm, with Steelworkers handing out union pamphlets to dinner-goers but not attempting to hold up traffic.

"I think the people who paid $550 for that dinner aren't our guys(I can imagine-Molly ), but people are free to do whatever they want and to support whoever they want and I respect that," Fera said. "It's their decision." (It would be interesting to see the guest list-Molly )

Sudbury NDP MP Glenn Thibeault criticized the Liberal dinner's cost as unseemly during a period of widespread economic trouble in the city.

"When you come in and try to take a quarter-million dollars out of our community to put it into an election war chest, when our community is reeling, we need to do something about that," Thibeault said.

"It's fine to fundraise. But you've got to look at your audience and look at what you're doing and understand the community that you're in."

Thibeault also chided that Ignatieff appeared to suddenly discover Sudbury's plight.

"We've been talking about Vale Inco, we've been talking about Xstrata in the House of Commons for six months, minimum," he said. "We've been talking about job losses for 10 months. So, when you come into Sudbury and finally realize this community is reeling, I guess that's a good thing, because they didn't know where we were for decades. But now, when we speak up in the House, maybe they'll start to understand that Northern Ontario made a change for good reasons."

It was not clear if any local politicians attended the Liberal fundraiser, but the cut-rate union dinner drew the support of city councillor Claude Berthiaume.

The nature of the Vale Inco dispute, namely the demand for major concessions, compels him to openly support the strikers, said Berthiaume, a longtime labour activist.

"When you attack pensions, when you attack the nickel bonus -- and the company is still making money -- I have a hard time understanding that," he said.

"So, I support the men and women there. I support the men and women who work in this community."

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

VALE INCO DECISION NOT SURPRISING:
Vale Inco seems to be charging ahead with its seat-of-the-pants training scheme in hopes of restarting at least some production at their Ontario mines and smelters. To say the least this is a chancy ploy. There are indeed ex-workers amongst the non-union personnel who were involved in production for a varying number of years. Consider this for a moment. Too few years ie if you were an Einstein of ass-kissing, and you are still green. Too many means you were promoted so long ago that you can remember mining techniques from the neolithic but nothing very recent. Let alone the fact that those with any direct experience of production will be expected to train managerial neophytes chop-chop. In others words a situation of large moving machinery and potentially dangerous materials that no sensible person would care to be around.




Here from the pages of the Sudbury Star is the most recent union response to this reckless idea. The following came to Molly's attention, as usual, from the strike support site Fair Deal Now.
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Union angry, but not surprised, by Vale Inco's decision to resume some production:
Posted By Carol Mulligan/The Sudbury Star
United Steelworkers Local 6500 president John Fera says he was disappointed and angry - but not surprised - about Vale Inco Ltd.'s announcement it intends to resume partial operations at its striking Sudbury plants.





Vale Inco's John Pollesel, president of production services and support for Canada/UK Operations and general manager of Ontario operations, sent an e-mail to employees Tuesday telling them of the company's decision.





"Training of selected employees is beginning this week to facilitate the process and help us to continue supplying customers, generating cash flow and providing meaningful employment for staff," he said.





Fera said it was "putting it mildly" to say he was disappointed in the Brazilian-owned subsidiary of Vale SA and its chief executive officer, Roger Agnelli.





What really angers him is the effort the company is apparently putting into getting some plants running again instead of trying to get back to the bargaining table with striking production and maintenance workers.





The union and the mining company bargained for more than three months to try to reach a collective agreement, but Vale Inco's settlement offer was rejected by 85 per cent of the Steelworkers who voted on it.





Fera said he found out about Vale Inco's intent to resume work at some plants when he met Tuesday morning with Pollesel about the strike protocol that had been hammered out between USW and the company in court.





Vale Inco spokesman Steve Ball said the decision was made based on what is best for the company and to ensure there is work for 1,200 management, staff and members of USW Local 2020 during the labour dispute.





The plan is to resume some scale of operation at Coleman and Garson mines, and crush ore from them at Clarabelle Mill.





Copper and precious metals will be extracted and concentrated from the ore and then sold, said Ball. The nickel will not be processed.





There are no plans at this point to operate the Copper Cliff smelter, he said.





Fera said Vale Inco's plan to restart operations on a limited scale has him questioning the position that has been its mantra for several months - that the company must remain "cash-positive in all business cycles."





The union leader said this move makes him question that logic.





Fera challenges how it is "cash-positive" to produce copper that is selling for about $2.70 a pound when nickel is selling for $9.





Ball wouldn't reveal any figures, but he said precious metals sell for considerably more than copper. The goal is to have some revenue coming in, at least enough to keep the people in the plants employed.





Vale is also looking at bringing in a small number of other workers to run operations, said Ball.





Nickel Belt and Sudbury Nickel Belt MPs Claude Gravelle and Glenn Thibeault were quick to condemn Vale Inco for its decision.





They warn about the dangers of running potentially environmentally dangerous plants with inexperienced workers.





"This does nothing to help resolve the current dispute," said Thibeault in a written statement.
"This is a total slap in the face to the Steelworkers union and it's hard-working members."





Thibeault and Gravelle are again calling on the Harper Conservatives to release details of the agreement Vale signed with Investment Canada after acquiring Inco close to three years ago.
Gravelle said he is also concerned for the health and safety of non-unionized staff personnel, who will be tackling new jobs with minimal training.





"This is a big mistake by Vale," said Gravelle. "I worked at Inco for 34 years and I can tell you that a few days of training for replacement workers is not enough to keep people safe underground."
cmulligan@thesudburystar.com
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MOLLY NOTE:
One of the more interesting points raised by the above article is that Vale Inco and the Canadian government have basically made a secret agreement governing the takeover of Inco. Perish forbid that our dear beloved comrade leader Sneaky Stevie Harper could ever be accused of being secretive or hiding anything from either Parliament or the Canadian public. We, of course, would never believe such a thing of our Dear Leader, the heir of the Great Leader 'Brian Il Sung'. Deception is as far away from their benevolent and glorious concern for the welfare of the people as the edge of the universe is from Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. Or do I miss something here ? Could it be that such a agreement should be in public view so the public can see exactly what has been promised ? Is it possible that an audit of at least the members of the present Cabinet to see if they have any investment connections to Vale Inco or any of its subsidiaries is in order ? It seems to this little cat that the Canadian public has a right to know about potential conflicts of interest and that secret agreements are not the way that government business should be done.