Gary Jarvis: July 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Support needed to end the lock out of 100 Vancouver workers

There's a lock out going on right now in Vancouver. It's a lock out that could be ended with your help. Yes you're reading right you can help bring an end to this lock out.

The action or actions that will end this lock out needs a big ask. That big ask is that hundreds possibly thousands mobilize in the coming weeks on Cottrell Street in Vancouver to support the locked out on-board workers of Rocky Mountaineer.

Some 100 Rocky staff have been locked out since the middle of June when the company decided to abandon bargaining and lock out their workers. The lock out came at a critical time in bargaining negotiations and rather than bargain in good faith management decided to lock out its on-board employees and run the tourist train without those workers.

The Rocky Mountaineer is operating with inexperienced staff hired at short notice to replace the locked out workers. Yes that is indeed scab labour - a further torment to the locked out workers. However the company has been able to get around this by using a combination of managers and scabs, the latter being legally acceptable as there is no such thing as scab labour under Canadian federal legislation. Of course just because scab labour is legal in Canada doesn't make it right.

The push to get the management of Rocky Mountaineer back to the bargaining table can be achieved and one of the quickest ways to make it happen is to mobilize hundreds of trade unionists. A weekly picket is being organized by the Vancouver & District Labour Council. We need to join that picket line this Friday, and every Friday until the objective - of getting back to the bargaining table - is achieved.

See you on Cottrell Street in Vancouver this Friday at 5pm.

Cottrell Street is the right turn off Terminal - one turning before the Home Depot store.

Alternatively meet at the Main Street skytrain station on the east side of the street at Thornton Park.
We're going to meet at 4.30pm and at 5pm march to the Cottrell Street site.