Pensions key to current Unifor strikes

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Pensions are a central issue in several disputes confronting Unifor members on the picket line across Canada as companies continue to look to improve their bottom lines at the expense of workers.

“Unifor members are right to stand up for their pensions.  Pension plan funding has improved in the past year, but companies still demand pension cuts to improve corporate profits with no consideration for their workers,” Unifor Director of Pensions and Benefits Jo-Ann Hannah said.

“Workers, including new hires, have a right to a secure pension.”

In Thunder Bay, 900 members of Unifor Local 1075 at Bombardier Bay have been on strike since July 14 in a dispute over two-tier pensions.

“Bombardier is telling us that a secure retirement is good enough for the top executives but not for the workers," Local 1075 President Dominic Pasqualino wrote in a column in the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal.

In Brampton, Ont., 38 members of Unifor Local 252 have been on strike since July 3 over demands from Emerald Power from Waste that they agree to a cap on pension plan contributions.

In BC, Unifor Local 114 members are on strike at Cascade Aerospace to resist demands for a two-tier pension at the company.