UNITED STEELWORKERS

USW LOCAL 8782

The Action Centre had conversation with the E.I. representatives and People on E.I. wanting to attend protest, demonstrations or rally's can attend with no negative impact on their E.I.

Update Meeting and Monthly Membership Meeting

February 8, 2010

6:00 P.M.

Place: Port Dover Community Centre

The regular monthly membership meeting to follow the update meeting.

Agenda:

- General Business

Ways & Means for USW Local 8782

Invite You

Our second annual

Valentine’s Dinner/Dance

At

Army & Navy Club

Water Street, Simcoe

February 13^{th, 2010}

Cocktails at 5:00 p.m.

Dinner at 6:30

Dancing at 9:00

Prizes & Door Prizes

Tickets: $25 per person

Available

Donna Wingrove (519) 587-2000 ext 223

Shannon Shepherd ext 253

Giulio Cicconi ex 228

Bryan Kennedy (519) 428-2121

Rob Clark (519) 426-8347

Marc Fletcher (519) 428- 0118

“Reb” Felker (519) 583-3068

Paul Coutts (519) 587-4325

Randy Graham (519) 587-2000 ex 224

JP Grant (905) 308 4889

Limited Tickets Available

“Workers Helping Workers”

Thanks to everyone who attended the Journey for Jobs Rally held in Simcoe and Nanticoke on June 23, 2009. Below there is a link to view the pictures and read the Simcoe Reformer Article.

Journey for Jobs Pictures Click Here

If only they were still driving to work

Posted By ASHLEY HOUSE, Simcoe Reformer-June 24, 2009

House foreclosures, sleeping in parks, company lockouts.

These are the stories people across the province are sharing with the Ontario Federation of Labour Drive to Work; Journey to Jobs caravan.

The caravan of community activists and labourers cruised into Haldimand and Norfolk yesterday on their provincewide tour to document the devastating effects the economic storm has had on communities and gain support in spurring governmental change.

The first stop was in front of MP and Minister of Human Resources Diane Finley's office.

Labourers have taken offense to Finley's comment in the House of Commons in January as to why she won't reform the Employment Insurance (EI) program to help the extensive number of workers out of jobs.

"We do not want to make it lucrative for them to stay home and get paid for it," Finley said.

Imitating the couch potatoes they think Finley thinks they are, labourers sat their butts on couches outside her office before heading to a rally and barbecue at the United Steelworkers union hall in Nanticoke.

"We wanted to highlight the government inaction of her ministry on EI reform," said Don Guest, vice president of the Brantford District Labour Council. "She's got some strange concepts on how we should look for jobs in this economy."

Charlie Scozzari thought he had job security at the U.S. Steel plant in Nanticoke.

"The lay-offs shocked me," he said. "They didn't have to shut it all down right out of the blue. The government can put pressure on foreign companies to keep people working."

Scozzari was forced into early retirement this year at 55 years old and after 30 years of employment at the plant. He wasn't financially ready to do so and figured he'd find something else. That has not been the case.

"We want to work," Scozzari said. "I haven't been out of a job since I was 16. This is all new to me. What do you do when your look for work and don't find anything for 47 weeks? Lose everything? After working for 30 years, I have to sell my house just to survive?"

Scozzari attended the rally yesterday to support his fellow unemployed and to hopefully spur change in the EI program. He suggested an EI paycheque equal to 75 per cent of what he was making.

The caravan has been listening to stories like these since June 8.

"At every corner of the province is chaos," said Terry Downey, executive vice president of the OFL. "This is an opportunity for workers and community activists to tell their stories and put a face to the d evastating statistics caused by a lack of political will to ensure good jobs, strong public services and healthy communities. "

Food bank client numbers are more than doubling. Houses are going up for sale and being foreclosed on. Employers are refusing to pay severances and clawing back pensions. Foreign companies are shutting down Ontario plants and consolidating operations south of the border. Companies are locking out employees.

"We need emergency legislation that everyone in Ontario gets a guaranteed income," said John Pittman, caravan driver and laid off employee of U.S. Steel in Hamilton. "The government has the power to do that. They bail out banks and big companies. They've got to start putting people first. I don't want to see my kids in the food bank line."

The caravan stops in Hamilton today before heading to Queen's Park to demand government action that gets people back to work.

"We want to work and we want our communities to be booming," Downey said. "This is a time when the government needs to stand up for the workers."

To view the Journey for Jobs Website Click Here

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