Update from the Negotiating Committee

On Nov 20, 2012, we formally signed the new Collective Agreement that will be in effect until Dec.31, 2014. You will be receiving a copy in the near future, as soon as the Company can print them.

Also, on that date, the Company agreed to renew the “Letter of Understanding RE: Trial for Reduced Off-Season Days of the Week Prioritization”. This means that starting the week of Dec. 16 2012, until the week ending March 30 2013, you may elect to prioritize only four different days of the week.

A “ROE” (record of employment) will automatically be generated and sent out to Service Canada when you have not worked for seven days. These days do not have to be in one week but must be consecutive.

Loss of “A” status

For any members that will fall below the 24 hour average for the period from April 1, 2012 to Dec.31, 2012, the following will happen:

On or about the middle of January 2013, you will receive from the Company a letter stating you will lose your “A”. This letter will explain your options and dates you have to exercise these options. You are an “A” member with full rights under the collective agreement until the date stated on this letter.

For those members who are 55 years old and older at that time are eligible to take early retirement as outlined in our collective agreement. Early retirement is separate from the options above and will not be included in the letter you will receive.

Notice of Meeting

DATE:    Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

TIME:     7:00 pm

PLACE:  Comfort Hotel - located across the street from Woodbine racetrack at the south east corner of Hwy 27 and Rexdale Blvd

Meeting Agenda:

• Nominations for Interim replacements for Executive board members and committee members for our Local 2007

• Stewards and Committee Persons

Your attendance is important

Deadline For VRSP Apllications is September 1, 2012

This is a reminder of the upcoming deadline for the applications for the thirty (30) remaining Voluntary Resignation with Severance Payment (VRSP) packages available. All applications must be submitted no later than 1200 hours (noon) on September 1, 2012.

 All previous VRSP applications that were declined will need to be re-submitted for the September 1, 2012 deadline. Please be reminded that the application is irrevocable once it has been completed and submitted.

CAW Group Home & Auto Insurance - CAW/CEP New Union Project

The CAW’s own group home and auto insurance program is now open to all CAW members. Click on the logo below for more information.

As many of you are now well aware, the CAW and CEP are engaged in preliminary talks to discuss the prospect of forming a new, Canadian union. In our effort to communicate this initiative with our members, and the broader public, we’ve set up a project “micro-site” that can be found by clicking on the logo below.

EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE & CANADA PENSION PLAN

The following information is a general overview of some of the rules of eligibility for Employment Insurance (EI) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
The union or any of its representatives do not take any responsibility for the content of this information and how it will affect each individuals claim for EI or CPP.

IT IS EACH INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSIBILITY TO DETERMINE THEIR ELIGIBILITY FOR EI OR CPP.

1)    For those employees who have taken or will be taking the severance package and have resigned or will resign from the workplace; You have four weeks from your resignation date to apply for EI .
When you apply for EI, the employment insurance office will determine how long your severance will last based on your average week’s earnings. This will all be indicated on your record of employment (ROE).  Once your severance is exhausted by their calculations then your EI will start. Your will not lose any of your eligible weeks of EI due to your severance.

*For those employees who were able to transfer some or all of their severance into their RRSP account you will have to discuss this with the EI office to see how this is handled.

**One thing regarding EI; once you are receiving the benefit you must report any earnings you have and if you are away on vacation for an extended period. Service Canada does have a cooperative program with Custom’s Canada to match any EI recipients to people who have left the country. Extended vacations would be of concern; weekend shopping in Buffalo would not be a concern.

2)    Anyone between the ages of 60 and 65 and who do not plan to work, should be aware that if they do not apply for CPP now, the years between 60 and 65 that they do not work will be included in calculating the eventual amount of CPP you will receive. Service Canada does eliminate a percentage of your low earning years from the calculation, so if you do not work this will add more low earning years to the calculation and possibly lower your CPP benefit.

3)   Anyone who is medically documented to be permanently disabled and unable to work should apply for disability CPP regardless of their age.

Assistance, please

Any member who has a valid phone number for Richard Swinburk or knows how to contact him either call me at 905-334-6118 or have Richard call me. 

Thank you, 

Bob Ciprick

Honda Indy Toronto / CAW Local 2007 Community Ticket Program

" We are happy to have CAW Local 2007 as a member of our Community Ticket Program. Please let me know if you have any questions about the promotion.  I have put my contact information on the offer so I can be the point of contact for your company." 

       - Jennifer Oldford (Honda Indy Toronto)

Click here for more info and ticket discounts

Starting Dates at WEG or in Pension Plan Disputes

For members who are disputing their start date with Woodbine and/or their start date in the company pension plans:

The company needs verifiable proof of both dates for any dates that are in dispute.

For proof of years of consecutive service, this would be for the number of years used in the calculation for the amount of money you will receive.

If you disagree with the date they have on record, a paper trail of your T4s for the time period in dispute would be the best proof, although not the only proof. It would be difficult for each member to have retained this paper trail. The Canadian Revenue Agency only would be able to supply T4 information going back to 1986.

For the service years that would be used in calculating the amount of money that would be allowed to be transferred into ones RRSP, similar proof would be required. When employees joined a pension plan, when the plan was initiated or when they were transferred to a new plan, there is the possibility that credit calculations for prior years of service was done at that time. This credit would be a subtraction from the amount of years prior to the 1989 calculation.

I have been informed by Woodbine that they are checking into this as thoroughly as possible to uncover any of the disputed dates.

The union is following this closely and we are working to find a solution to these disputed dates. Any positive solutions to providing the needed proof from anyone is more than welcome.

VRSP Forms are Now Available

Voluntary Resignation with Severance Payment (VRSP) forms are now available.

Please contact Veena to obtain forms.

If you have any questions about your VRSP please call Bob Ciprick at
1-647-367-2264.

New WAPs Should Be Ready Sunday

The WAPs should be ready this Sunday for reducing your WAPs as per the following Letter of Understanding:

Letter of Understanding Re: Trial for Reduced Off-Season Days of the Week Prioritization

Notwithstanding the Days of the Week requirement listed in Article 15 (a)(ii), the parties agree that during the period beginning the second Sunday following the date of ratification up to and including March 31, 2012, the following will apply:

     “Days of the Week

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 

A Seniority List employee must prioritize a minimum of four (4) Days of the Week. If he chooses to prioritize only four (4) Days of the Week, he will not be allocated available work on more than four (4) days in a given week.  If he chooses to prioritize only five (5) Days of the Week, he will not be allocated available work on more than five (5) days in a given week.  If he chooses to prioritize six (6) or seven (7) Days of the Week, he will not be allocated available work on more than five (5) days in a given week, unless he has indicated his preference to be scheduled for six (6) days.” 

If a Seniority List employee elected to prioritize less than six (6) Days of the Week during the period outlined above, he must submit a new WAPS, effective for the schedule which includes April 1, 2012, to reflect the requirement outlined in Article 15 (a)(ii).  If a Seniority List employee does not submit a new WAPS at that time, then all of his preferences will be defaulted to his WAPS that was in effect for the last full week of the 2011 calendar year.

The Employer will assess the results of this trial and discuss such results with the Union at a Labour Management meeting prior to the next off-season period.  If the Employer determines that there was no detrimental impact of such trial and the requirements for the next off-season period have not changed materially, the Employer may elect to renew this trial for that period, beginning the last Sunday of the Thoroughbred season to March 31, 2013.  This trial may be renewed, following this process, for each year of the Collective Agreement.  

Ratified Final Settlement

Click here for a copy of the Final Settlement as ratified on Tuesday February 7th, 2012 

Click here for the previous Collective Agreement that is modified by the above Settlement - (large file , be patient)

Considering - "Voluntary Resignation with Severance Payment" options ?

For any Seniority List employees thinking about the "Voluntary Resignation with Severance Payment" option as per the new Collective Agreement please review the following:

SEVERANCE PACKAGES  - An explanation of rules for rolling severances into your RRSP and the tax implications.

SunLife Conversion, SunLife Conversion Rates and Manulife Conversion - Information about continuing life and medical coverages after resignation.

Each individual should seek out other insurance carriers, benefit providers, and independent financial advice to determine the best way of handling their particular situation regarding severance, pension,their RRSP and medical insurance.

Negotiations Update - Agreement Ratified

The membership has voted 86% in favour of accepting the Memorandum of Understanding. 

More details to follow.

Negotiations Update

 WE HAVE A TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

Contract details at the ratification meeting on Tuesday February 7th, 2012

Notice of Meeting(s)

There will be two sessions

DATE:    Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

TIME:    Day session 1:30 pm
            Night session 7:00 pm

PLACE:  CAW LOCAL 252 OFFICE
            1343 Matheson Blvd., East
            Mississauga, ON L4W 1R1 
            (West of Dixie on Matheson)
            905-629-0186

Meeting Agenda:

• This meeting will EITHER be a ratification vote or an update on our negotiations. If it is ratification, voting will take place during both sessions.

Your attendance is important

Important Notice

THIS POSTING IS RELATED TO THE PREVIOUS POSTING (below) WITH REGARDS TO OUR SENIORITY MEMBERS WHO ARE 55 YEARS OLD AND OLDER WHO DID NOT MAINTAIN THEIR HOURS IN THE 2011 REQUIRED PERIOD.

"Notwithstanding Article 14(d), a Seniority List employee, who on average has not worked at least twenty-four (24) hours per week during the period between April 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011, will be removed from the Seniority List on February 10, 2012 or two (2) days after the date of ratification, whichever is earlier, and will also have the options available as listed in Article 14(d) (i) and (ii) at that time.

Such extension is without precedent and applies only for the 2011 calendar year.

What this means is that any member who is 55 years and older who is losing their "A" as a result of not maintaining their hours for the 2011 year and are contemplating earlier retirement, now have until February 10, 2012 or two days after the date of ratification, whichever is earlier.

****************

Negotiations Update

Two more days have been added to our negotiation dates.

We will be negotiating on January 12, 17, 18, 19 and February 2nd and the 3rd.