A note to Cathy on the travel issues- from a worker

Sent June 7.2009 @ 4:16 pm to:

Cathy,
I would like to ask how you figure that we will get paid for travel time. The changes proposed that will take place will cut even our 32 cents per hour. When the blocks are set up the clients will be less than 1 km apart and since we don't get our km if it is less than 1 km between clients we lose our 32 cents. Since we won't get any km. we won't get travel time. I don't see how your reps could sit there and say there was no point in explaining the block system as it was too complicated for us to understand. I know the staff in Woodstock had it figured out. That is why most of Woodstock voted against the contract.
The weekend setup means they can require us to work not only a ten hour shift on friday but also be available to work another 5 hours friday evening. You also set it up that we will be on call 10 hours sat. and sun. without pay.
I really can't find anything that improves our working conditions. You also set it up that as union stewards we have to have 3 hours open without pay for disciplinary meetings. I don't know about the rest of the stewards but I can't afford to lose 3 hours pay per week.
You kept telling us in the conferance calls that you were bargaining for better pay, hours and working conditions but you had already agreed to the changes back in May of 2008. Your letter states that CCAC were going to give the contract to another company in Toronto. Perhaps if you hadn't led the staff to picket at their office this would not have happened. Of course since they didn't have a contract yet the other company was probably one that had put in a bid and would have hired the Toronto staff and the union would have lost a lot of dues.

****Now this email was never answered as of todays date...Hum are you thinking what I'm thinking? Loss of dues for the union, I've been thinking that is the first and formost important issue that the union has. When this is answered by "Cathy" I will post it.******REDSHADOW