USW Rejects Endorsement of Former Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau for OECD Role Late on Friday, October 30, the Canadian Labour Congress, without consulting any union affiliate, announced a joint endorsement with the business lobby group, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of former Finance Minister Bill Morneau for the role of Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This was a shocking action by the CLC, which is responsible to...

A Message from the President-Al Bieksa   As you know, the B.C. provincial election takes place on October 24. It is no secret that our union has endorsed the BC NDP because they understand that building a strong and prosperous economy starts with investing in working people, improving and expanding services such as child care and healthcare, and making life more affordable for families such as yours and mine. Today, however, I wanted to reach out to you personally not only in...

The BC NDP has called an election which will take place October 24 th , 2020. We have an opportunity to re-elect a government that understands firsthand, the challenges faced by working people in BC. The most important thing we can do, is ensure we get out and vote. Together, we have the power to elect the BC NDP, the party that appreciates our hard work, our industries, and our collective desire for a better society.   The United Steelworkers, and this local in particular, has...

Lisa Beare was elected as the MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows in May 2017. She is the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Lisa had an eventful debut into provincial politics, with an appointment to John Horgan’s cabinet mere months into her first term as MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows.   Her position as Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture was a bit of a surprise, considering she made a name for herself as an advocate for education and child care.   Beare came...

Bob D'Eith was elected as the MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission in 2017. He serves as Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. For twenty-five years, as an entertainment lawyer, author and music consultant, Bob has helped Canadian musicians achieve their dreams. For over a decade as Executive Director of Music BC, he was a fierce advocate for the music industry and co-creator of the award-winning artist development program "The PEAK Performance Project". Bob served...

Megan Dykeman is a Langley farmer, a small business owner and current Chair of the Langley Board of Education, serving her 3rd term as a Trustee. Megan is proud to have the endorsement of the New Westminster & District Labour Council and has had their support in her previous three campaigns as well. Megan was born and raised in Ontario and moved to BC when she was 18. Determined to start her own farm, she worked as a bartender to save money for her business. After three...

PPWC Raids USW Members at Bouygues-GTAP in Surrey SURREY, B.C., 02 October 2020 – Yesterday, the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 2009 received noticed that the Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC) have applied to the Labour Board to raid nearly 70 USW members at Bouygues Building Canada–Green Timbers Accommodation Partners (GTAP) in Surrey. “It is extremely distressing that PPWC, an independent union, is raiding our members at GTAP,” said Al Bieksa, President...

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. This project was the vision of Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins, who is a former student himself. It brought together former students and their families from the Secwepemc, Tsilhqot’in, Southern Dakelh and St’at’imc Nations along with the Cariboo Regional District, the Mayors...

In response to the recently announced Aspen Planers - Flavelle Sawmill closure, pension specialists from the IWA–Forest Industry Pension & LTD Plan Office will be available for one-on-one phone and video consultations with affected members October 7 – 9.  This will give you a chance to speak with a pension specialist to understand how your job loss affects your credited service in the IWA–Forest Industry Pension Plan and what options you have going forward. ...

FLAVELLE CLOSURE   What terrible news! Why is the mill closing? Was this avoidable? Is this an example of lack of fibre supply or poor forest management? Who are the victims in all of this?   You will be surprised by the answers?  Not what you will expect!  Read on.   The Company gave the Union and the employees formal notice on August 25 that the Flavelle Sawmill in Port Moody will cease operation on October 31, 2020.  Flavelle operates under the AP...