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Friday, 30 March 2007
My Great Grandmother And Great Grandfather Wilson

Reprinted below is a newspaper article from the Perth Courier celebrating my great grandmother and my great grandfather 65th wedding anniversary. The article appeared in this paper in the late 1950s.

"Work is the secret of long life." says Margaret. "The trouble with most young people is they haven't got enough to do. They're bored with themselves."

Albert was born on Mill St., served 35 years with the Wampole company and put in a well-rounded athletic career. Margaret (his wife) was born near Balderson. Her maiden name was McVeigh, and she put in at athletic carerr too, raising those ten healthy children of hers (One of them was my grandmother Edna who died at 95).

Neither man nor wife smoke, drink or even plays cards, yet there's no question both have gotten as much out of life as they could.

Best 65th Anniversary wishes go out to the most wonderful couple this writer has ever had to the pleasure to interview.(Both Albert and Margaret Wilson lived into their late 90s.)


  Perth, Home Of My Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather

Pembroke My Birthplace And My Mother's


Posted by qualteam at 11:40 PM EDT
Updated: Saturday, 31 March 2007 12:08 AM EDT
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
A Major Recommendation To CUPW In 1997 and 2007
Mood:  a-ok

I would recommend the election of all national union executives by universal vote of the membership.

The question that confronts the union now is: Can the membership come up with a better national executive or negotiating committee than the one in existence? The present one was elected by delegates at a National Convention. 

Lets have open competition for the senior positions in the union.

The negotiating committee and national executive should have full accountability to all CUPW members.

We either stand by them or impeach them.

What do you think? Contact me at qualteam@yahoo.com.

 


Posted by qualteam at 10:58 PM EDT
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
The CUPW Ratification Marathon Continues
Mood:  don't ask

It's hard to believe a tentative agreement was reached almost two months ago.

We've now entered the second phase of our unionized journey which is cross-country voting that won't end until Apr/22/04.  Those voting in Frederiction New Brunswick, Val o' Or Quebec, London Ontario, Estevan  Saskatchwan, and Kimberly British Columbia will have to wait until the end of April to find out the results.

It would be easier if a few nights were set aside for electronic townhouse debates followed by mailed ballots to each CUPW member in Canada. Mailed ballots are given out for local elections. Why not ratifications? It's less expensive, time consuming and gets more members participating. However, that would involve changing some processes and constitutional by-laws and both local and national CUPW executives don't like change.

Federal elections are shorter than CUPW ratifications.

While the national and local CUPW management are using their shovels, you can visit the websites of the above scenic cities in Canada.

Fredericton New Brunswick

Val-d'Or,_Quebec

London, Ontario

Estevan, Saskatchewan

Kimberley, British Columbia

Toronto, Ontario

 


Posted by qualteam at 10:12 PM EDT
Updated: Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:17 PM EDT
Sunday, 25 March 2007
The Corporate Team Incentive With Job Security
Any incentive program has to provide an incentive, a reasonable payout, or it becomes a disincentive program. If Canada Post manipulated its profit sharing so it didn't pay out or paid out poorly, the results would be worse than having nothing at all. Remember CUPW members have control over the tools of productivity and delivery. It's quite easy for members to:
  1. Work Slow
  2. Work Stupid
  3. Work Without Shortcuts
  4. Work Without Favors To Supervision
Screwing around with an incentive program would have a powerful negative effect on the business of Canada Post. Moya Green has gone on record concerning the CTI with this statement: "Targets have to be reasonably achievable or the whole purpose of a bonus becomes meaningless."  Please, hold her to this statement and be willing to negotiate the terms and scope (including temps) of the bonus next contract. 

 


Posted by qualteam at 10:44 PM EDT
Saturday, 24 March 2007
Top Ten Reasons To Vote "Yes" To The CUPW/CPC Tentative Agreement
Mood:  a-ok

1. "The Corporate Team Incentive" opens the door to a renewed severance package that was lost in 2003. My vision of this severance package (Article 28 in the old contract) is that it will include rewards for unused sick leave and profit bonuses. As Jean Claude-Parrot stated to CUPW members when Canada Post became a crown corporation in 1981, everything is now negotiable.
 
2. Arguments against the CTI bonus system would probably look ridiculous in the press and on the floor of Parliament. This could lead to unpleasant rollbacks in third party arbitration.
 
3. Whether we like it or not, the CTI program has been around for some time and APOC members have profited from it while CUPW members haven't.
 
4. I discussed CTI payouts with some APOC supervisors and they were quite happy with them.
 
5. Very soon air mail products from and to Canada Post will have to be scanned and delivered on time in order to receive payment. It helps if employees are on board with this operation in order to process air mail parcels quickly. If employees (i.e. CUPW members), get a bonus for meeting delivery targets, it's highly likely that profits will continue to go up and we'll get part of this "Corporate Team Incentive Bonus" that only management gets now. If the incentive isn't there, delivery targets could be missed which could cost Canada Post millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. There would be pressure to cut back on our benefits, wages and full time jobs. Sections of the Post Office could be privatized which would result in job losses and a worse work environment.
 
With job security, high wages are not an incentive for posties to work hard or even work at all. You get paid just for showing up. How is management suppose to meet its delivery targets when many posties only care about their pay checks?
 
6. If a CUPW member doesn't want his/her CTI bonus, he/she can always donate it to charity.
 
7. It appears the National Executive Board has been weakened by internal dissent and lack of support from some local unions. The odds of achieving more in Collective Bargaining at this point are slim and none.
 
8. I believe that postal management will try to make the CTI bonus system work well over the next four years to win over the hearts and minds of non-believing posties("Targets have to be reasonably achievable or the whole purpose of a bonus becomes meaningless."-Moya Greene).
 
9. The wage increase in practically the same as PSAC and APOC wage increases. However, the 2.75% in the last two years of the proposed agreement looks better than 2.5% across the board. The 20% increase in shift premium isn't too shabby either (This is the first increase in 20 years.).
 
10. The recent wage increase in the U.S. postal service was something like 1.6% over four years.

CUPW's National President's Top Ten Reasons To Vote Yes


Posted by qualteam at 3:03 PM EDT
Friday, 23 March 2007
Letter To Deborah Bourque On The Shut Down Of The Breton Forum
Mood:  crushed out

Below is what I found on the "CUPW Breton Website".

"Due to pending disciplinary action initiated against me, I must resign my position as webmaster of Breton Local's Website. The site will be offline until these accusations can be resolved."

Take care,
Robert A. Chant.

The Breton Forum is the only democratic forum run by a CUPW organization. I was very upset by its removal. I wrote National CUPW President, Deborah Bourque, on this issue.

"I was very upset to find the Breton Website shut down.

 

Robert Chant’s forum has been a blessing to both sides of the debate, especially, the “Yes Side”.

 

At Gateway, the only bulletins that appear are those that favour the “No Position”. Bulletins by Philippe Arbour, Denis Lemelin and even a shop steward’s bulletin from Hamilton were posted at Gateway.

 

The “No People” seem to be intolerant of any “yes posting” because a bulletin from the regional office was removed last week. This isn’t fair debate. This is fascism.

 

CUPW has reputation of promoting fair democratic debates.

The “No Side” only wants its voice heard. 

There are rules for fair debates and they should be enforced.

 

I’ll make sure your recent bulletin: “Ten Reasons To Vote Yes” is distributed at Gateway on Monday."

Support the Breton Local and a fair debate. Contact the National CUPW Office.

 

CUPW's National Office

The Breton Debate Forum

 

 

 


Posted by qualteam at 6:05 PM EDT
Sunday, 18 March 2007
Replacing Article 28 With A Severance Reward System
The letter below was sent out to sister Deborah Bourque in the fall of 2002. It still applies today because nothing has been proposed to replace the old severance payout. "What about a reward system that helps a CUPW member address employer concerns over “sick leave abuse” and “declining employee productivity”? This would be an incentive program for employees to save sick days and increase productivity.  ·        As mentioned before, profit dividends would go into a fund that would accumulate interest over a postal worker’s career. He/She would then get this back as a “severance reward” at retirement. ·        Added to the above, would be a pay-out for unused sick leave credits. It, also, would be part of the severance reward at retirement. Hopefully, something call be found to replace Article 28 that rewards rather than rolls back. I look forward to positive negotiations in the fall."

Posted by qualteam at 5:49 PM EDT
Saturday, 17 March 2007
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Mood:  lyrical

Part of my heritage is Irish on my mother's side. She is a Peever and her father Lindsay was born near Tralee in Kerry County in Ireland. It's on the bottom left of this picture. What is also remarkable was that my grandfather was Protestant Irish in Southern Catholic Ireland.

It's a stereotype, but Irish people are thought to be good singers, drinkers and fighters. I fit into two catagories anyway. I love singing and I love fighting for what I believe in.

I've also been lucky to have a good job at Canada Post because I was fired at five other jobs before I was hired there.

The History Behind Saint_Patrick's_Day

A Medley Of Irish Songs By Dennis Morgan

 

 


Posted by qualteam at 10:36 PM EDT
Updated: Saturday, 17 March 2007 10:58 PM EDT
Friday, 16 March 2007
What Happened In 2003?
Mood:  d'oh

It looked like the severance (Article 28) was coming to an end, so I supported the idea of "another severance" based on profit sharing. Of course, that didn't happen in 2003.

The grandfathering of severance (the better deal) didn't happen either.(That was the original CPC proposal which was refused by the union.) In the end, the NEB accepted a 1% increase of wages for those with less than 28 years service. This was an inferior deal to "the grandfathering proposal" which would have left all full time employees at that time with their severance(new employees wouldn't get it).

The critics like Steve Killy fought to have the severance package reinstated but they lost that battle. 

Nobody mentioned "the grandfather proposal" until a year later. All of us dropped the ball on that one.


Posted by qualteam at 10:24 PM EDT
Updated: Friday, 16 March 2007 10:27 PM EDT
Thursday, 15 March 2007
My Top Ten Heavy Metal Rock Songs
Mood:  loud
  1. You Give Love A Bad Name/Bon Jovi
  2. You Shook Me All Night Long/AC/DC
  3. Come On Feel The Noise/Quiet Riot
  4. We're Not Going To Take It Anymore/Twisted Sister
  5. Bad To The Bone/George Thorogood
  6. Sweet Child Of Mine/Guns And Roses
  7. Angel Of Harlem/U2
  8. I Want To Break Free/Queen
  9. Black Dog/Led Zeppelin
  10. Rock And Roll All Night/Kiss

I like high quality energy songs. These are my favourites from my head banging collection.

The above list is linked to decent YouTube videos of the performers.


Posted by qualteam at 10:45 PM EDT

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