AUTO MAJORS
The Big Three plus CAMI employ just under 55,000 CAW members. Canada assembles over two vehicles for every one sold in this country - the highest ratio of any developed country. About one in six vehicles made in North America (ie Canada-U.S.-Mexico) is assembled in Canada. Productivity and quality at the Big Three have been rising, are higher than in Europe, and are as high or higher than the United States. Labour costs are amongst the lowest in the developed world (because of the low Canadian dollar, the lowest payroll taxes amongst the major auto producing countries and - especially re the United States - relatively low health care costs).
When we went into bargaining in 1993, wage increases in the economy were at historical lows (under 1%/year), governments were cutting programs vital to workers, and we faced major job losses - especially at GM where we stood to lose as much as one-quarter of our members. Yet our overall demands were probably more ambitious than they had ever been and, in spite of the times, we achieved a great deal. At CAMI, where we have built a strong union even in the context of the Japanese production system, we matched the Big Three pattern. That pattern contrasted sharply with the direction of governments, which preached restraint and concessions on the part of workers, ignored job creation, threatened pensions, reduced income security through UI cuts, and eroded social programs.
Our settlement averaged about 2.4% annually and pensions went up by about a third. Wage increases for the trades were slightly higher and, in recognition of "replacement income", the trades argued for, and won, higher pension benefit increases. We limited layoffs of younger workers caused by corporate restructuring, by providing $35,000 buy-outs to encourage older workers to choose retirement. And we addressed equality issues by establishing equity coordinators, anti-harassment training, the right to refuse in dealing with harassment, a women's advocate to support women suffering harassment in the workplace or abuse at home, and extended our childcare program.
We continued to make gains in reduced worktime including an additional 24 hours of time off; the move by the Ford workers to get workers to actually take all the time off we've negotiated; and the introduction of a 7.5 hour day for eight hours pay (as part of a job creating third shift) at the Chrysler Minivan plant.
It is clear that the main issues in the upcoming bargaining round will be security (fighting outsourcing and subcontracting, opening up more jobs through reduced working time) and working conditions (speed-up, production standards, health and safety). This is now also true at CAMI where, for the first time, permanent layoffs have been announced. Frustration is running high in all our workplaces over the contrast between the downsizing of the workforce and the upsizing of profits and the parallel contrast between the speed-up and pressures faced by workers versus the rewards given to the executives responsible.
Profits at GM Canada are at record levels. Over the last three years this company made $2.7 billion after taxes. GM's Canadian workforce, representing 5% of the corporation's global employment made 20% of GM's overall profits. Ford, which has been losing money - in large part because they have less content in Canada than the other companies and therefore don't benefit as much from the lower costs in Canada - returned to profitability last year. Chrysler, which is more dependent on Canada than the other companies, has, of late, been posting incredible ongoing profits.
Three executives - the top officers of GM, Ford, and Chrysler - paid themselves $60 million
in compensation over the last three years. Not bad for the tough times the rest of us don't just read
about but experience daily.
INDEPENDENT AUTO PARTS
The Canadian independent parts sector includes almost 32,000 CAW members in over 180 workplaces. These members work in metal stampings, plastic components, engine parts, tool & die, trim, electrical, wheel and brake, steering and suspension parts. Employment in this sector doubled between the mid-seventies and the mid-eighties, rising significantly as a share of the overall Canada-U.S. independent parts sector. Today the level of employment has returned to the record levels of the mid-eighties. The strength of the Canadian industry is rooted in access to the large concentration of assembly plants in Canada, the lower labour costs in Canada, and - as highlighted in a recent government study - the quality of the workforce.
In spite of pressures from the Big Three and the Japanese transplants to lower the prices the suppliers receive, the major parts companies in the sector are doing well ("Wall Street is bullish on automotive suppliers" - Ward's Automotive, April 29, 1996). The problem, however, is that hidden in the growth and successes of the larger companies is a devastating enormous degree of restructuring and dislocation for workers. Over the past decade hundreds of plants have closed even as others expanded and new plants were opened. Moreover, although we've focussed on parts and brought dozens of new plants into the CAW, the level of unionization is slipping as the rapid change continues.
In this context of insecurity over both jobs and the strength of the union in this section, solidarity with brothers and sisters in the Big Three is crucial. To avoid a possible conflict over jobs as Big Three workers address outsourcing concerns, parts delegates to the April CAW Council passed the following statement:
Developing a response to Outsourcing and Deunionization in Auto Moving Towards a Union Code of Conduct for Corporations
Corporate restructuring of the auto industry has included the loss of union jobs and the erosion of union standards. Companies have outsourced jobs, insourced sub-contractors, and exploited insecurities by pushing groups of workers to compete for jobs by undermining each other.
In fighting this agenda, workers are fighting to defend themselves, limit divisions, and maintain union strength. We subscribe to the following principles:
While we can resist and limit corporate restructuring, we will not end it in the foreseeable future. If outsourcing does occur, it should go to unionized workplaces working to improve the standard of living of their members. To this end, the union will:
That code of conduct, to be developed in discussions at the base and amongst the leadership of all sections of the auto industry, would include:
AEROSPACE
The CAW represent just over 10,000 aerospace workers in 24 bargaining units, well down from our peak of 16,000 aerospace members in 1990. During the intervening six year period the aerospace industry worldwide hit bottom, marked by slowing commercial aircraft orders and escalating cancellations, massive downsizing in the defense sector, and widespread corporate restructuring. The result was job losses in thousands. By the end of 1995, however, the industry had begun a resurgence.
The aerospace industry is made up of several divergent subsectors, including civil or commercial aviation, avionics systems and products, space systems and repair and overhaul. Each subsector includes up to three tiers of companies. The industry is dominated by the tier one companies: the major airframe assemblers -- Bombardier de Havilland, McDonnell Douglas, Boeing -- and the major system integrators -- Pratt and Whitney, and Spar Aerospace. The majority of CAW membership in the industry is concentrated within these major companies, with the balance spread throughout second and third tier companies.
It was in the context of uncertainty and downsizing that the union entered negotiations with the aerospace majors, beginning with Local 2169/Boeing in Winnipeg in 1993. A good collective agreement was reached with Boeing in spite of the difficult times. Then it was Bombardier de Havilland and Locals 112 and 673 in 1994, where jobs and pensions were our main issues. In what was an incredibly difficult set of negotiations -- with an employer that demanded massive concessions and with our membership at its lowest level in years -- we came away with job commitments from the corporation on the final assembly work for the Global Express and Dash 8-400 aircraft, a special retirement incentive for workers affected by restructuring, a 20% increase in the basic pension benefit, a $3 increase in the basic pension benefit for retirees, etc. Today, prospects at Bombardier de Havilland are excellent: the Dash 8 delivery rate is stable, the new Dash 8-400 series is in development, final assembly on the Global Express has begun, with expected first flight in September 1996, and our combined membership has grown to well over 3000 workers.
The basic framework of the Bombardier de Havilland agreement was then extended, with local variation, to workers in Locals 1967 and 673 / McDonnell Douglas, and Local 510 / Pratt and Whitney, as well as elsewhere in the sector.
But widespread corporate restructuring in the aerospace sector continues to take its toll on workers in the CAW. Our brothers and sisters in Local 3005 / Bristol Aerospace have lost half of their membership (about 500 workers) since the last Collective Bargaining Convention, primarily from the cancellation of the CF-5 modernization program. And while the company is attempting to refocus itself as a commercial aerospace supplier, our members are paying the price in terms of lost jobs and insecurity. And coming close on the heels of a successful set of negotiations in 1995, McDonnell Douglas workers are once again facing an extremely uncertain future. The awarding of the contract for the new generation MD-95 aircraft to Hyundai of South Korea, and the Company's recent announcement of its intention to outsource small parts fabrication and sub-assembly work and centralize several office functions in the U.S., has set relations back yet again.
These difficulties illustrate the unevenness of developments within aerospace, but the general outlook is positive: commercial orders are rebounding following the return to worldwide airline profitability. The aerospace majors continue to be profitable; demand for new aircraft is expected to increase as airlines seek to replace older aircraft with obsolete technology. As an illustration of this, Boeing has announced that it expects to double purchases from Canadian aerospace suppliers in 1996/97. This is the context within which we enter bargaining in 1996 and beyond.
ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The sector is diverse, consisting of over 55 units and over 9000 members. CAW members in this sector manufacture everything from telephone switching equipment to turbines to personal computers to home appliances. In addition, the members of Local 2000 provide long-distance telecommunications services through Unitel.
Like the electrical and electronics industry as a whole, the CAW's membership in this sector has experienced tremendous turbulence in the years since the Free Trade Agreement. Companies have shifted their production and investment strategies to serve the global marketplace, rather than their initial at-home Canadian customers. The result has been an ongoing wave of plant closures and layoffs that has continued even as other Canadian manufacturing sectors (such as auto and parts) bounced back from the FTA and the recession.
The worst example in this regard has been Northern Telecom, supposedly a great home-grown corporate success story, which has shed over 3,500 workers since 1993 (almost 30 percent of its Canadian manufacturing workforce) through the closure, downsizing, or sale of numerous plants including London, Brampton, and most recently Kingston. This company was built thanks to preferred contracts to supply Canada's telephone system, but now the Canadian market -- like its Canadian workers -- are barely an afterthought. Other CAW employers have also contributed to the shakeout, including plant closures at Alcatel (Local 521) and Westinghouse (Local 504). Total employment in Canadian electrical and electronics production fell by one-third from 1989 to 1995, a loss of 50,000 jobs, and is still dropping.
On the bright side, the lower Canadian dollar and high productivity have made Canadian-based plants competitive, even within a globalized environment, and there are early signs of a rebound in some sectors. For example, CAMCO has announced a new appliances product line with resulting new jobs for the members of Local 504 in Hamilton, and employment continues to grow in Canada's largely unorganized computer manufacturing industry. Nevertheless, a true recovery in this battered sector will not occur until effective policies are put in place (such as measures to promote Canadian content in upcoming "information superhighway" projects) to ensure that Canada retains a valuable, viable share of this vital industry.
Despite this generally negative economic environment, success at the bargaining table followed our 1993 convention: for example, CAW members at Northern Telecom and General Electric achieved collective agreements containing improvements in a number of areas, including pensions, early retirement incentives, wages and benefits.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
There are approximately 4,000 CAW members (excluding the fishery) spread across 43 bargaining units in the Food and Beverage industry. Our members in this sector produce a wide range of different products: from beer at Molsons and Connors to fine salt and rock salt at Canadian Salt; from spirits at Hiram Walker and Seagrams to chocolate at Nestle; from bottled water at Eau de Source Bois Chatel to canned soups, fruits and vegetables at Nabisco Brands; from Coca Cola at T.C.C. Bottling to cereals at the new CAW unit Quaker Oats in Peterborough, Ontario.
The union has made gains at the bargaining table throughout the sector, with notable achievements in pensions and other areas at Locals 1959 and 240 / Canadian Salt, at Local 385 / T.C.C. Bottling after workers were forced to strike, and at Local 2027/Hiram Walker and Local 2098/Seagrams. A difficult set of negotiations is underway now with Nestle Corporation, where our members are determined to make progress on a number of issues, including the key area of pensions, but with the company demanding a move to a continental shift.
Looking to the future, trade issues, technological change and corporate restructuring will continue to create uncertainty for workers, making job and income security and pension improvements key demands in collective bargaining.
HEAVY EQUIPMENT
The CAW represents over 10,000 members involved in the manufacture and repair traditional heavy equipment: on- and off-road heavy trucks, buses, locomotives, rapid transit equipment and rail cars, tractors and ag. imp. equipment, diesel engines, trailers and construction machinery.
Paccar recently announced the closure of the Kenworth plant, the profitable U.S. based heavy truck manufacturer. The St. Therese plant, with over 800 CAW members, was a profitable operation for Paccar. But the erosion of the provisions of the Auto Pact, first by the U.S. Canada Free Trade Agreement, and then by NAFTA, allowed Paccar the corporate flexibility to consolidate operations in Mexico and the U.S., without penalty. The CAW has called for trade policies that would protect the market for corporations who make a commitment, in terms of jobs, to Canada. At the time of this writing discussions were continuing with Paccar over the future of the plant.
CAW membership in the heavy equipment section of the union increased over the 1993-1995 period, with the increase spread fairly evenly across units, but as usual the increase was cyclical and layoffs have returned. Heavy truck sales and production were, until late 1995, setting records, tractor and bus sales were up and steady, and rail and subway car work was continuing. While much of this growth has fallen off, especially in trucks and farm equipment, there are some bright spots. New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg, for example, had a good 1995 and is projecting an even better 1996, and has announced a 67,000 square foot expansion to the plant. Members there go to the bargaining table later this year.
On the bargaining front, the CAW pattern was extended outside auto to Navistar in 1993. This agreement is up for renewal in October of this year. Workers in Local 2224 at Versatile made significant pension, early retirement and income security improvements after a strike in 1994. Local 275 members at John Deere resisted the corporation's demands for U.S.-style concessions and negotiated an agreement that included improvements in pensions and early retirement provisions. Other agreements in the sector were successfully renewed and contained improvements in most areas.
The CAW is Canada's most diversified transportation union representing workers in all modes -- rail, air, marine, trucking and bus. Rail Sector
In the past, railways played a key role in uniting Canada, creating jobs, and contributing to the national economy. But, in recent years, the railways have undergone massive downsizing. Since 1986, the railways have cut over 10,000 km of track. In 1994, CP Rail ceased all operations east of Sherbrooke, Quebec. Included in these devastating job losses were the closures of major shops across the country. Employment in the railways declined from 85,000 jobs in 1986 to 56,000 in 1994 with job cuts continuing to occur.
The Liberal government carried on with the previous Tory Agenda and introduced legislation to privatize and deregulate the transportation system.
Upon the recommendations of the Nault Report, CN was privatized in 1995. Aside from a general provision that limits ownership to 15% for any one shareholder, there were no restrictions on foreign ownership. Also in 1995, the government introduced the Canada Transportation Act, giving the railways greater freedom to abandon or sell off rail lines. The CTA sets the way for a privatized CN to downsize in the interests of its shareholders. To further assist short line railway operators in their demand for non-union railways, the Ontario Conservative government amended the Labour Relations Act to revoke successor rights for union workers when a section of federal line is sold off and comes under provincial jurisdiction.
In the 1995 budget, the federal government reduced subsidies for passenger rail, eliminated subsidies for freight transportation in Atlantic Canada, and further deregulated grain transportation. The Crow rate was ended and freight rates for grain under the Western Grain Transportation Act will be phased out by the year 2000. In the past, the provisions ensured that grain would be shipped over Canadian railways and through Canadian ports. Thousands of Canadian jobs are at stake under the new regime.
The CAW represents 17,000 rail members. In December 1993, collective agreements at CN, CP, VIA, and ONR expired. The intense competition of deregulation, the economic recession, and government cuts in transportation subsidies made collective bargaining extremely difficult. Employers entered negotiations demanding concessions. In particular, the railways called for an end to the employment security (ES) provisions negotiated in 1985. Under ES, the railways must maintain compensation for senior employees if job loss is due to employer-initiated restructuring.
The government appointed Conciliator, chided the employers for over exaggerating the problems with ES and recommended that labour and management continue to negotiate. Nevertheless, when negotiations broke down, the federal government passed back-to-work legislation and appointed Commissioners to mediate/arbitrate disputes at CN, CP Rail, and VIA.
The Commissioners modified ES at CN and CP: eligibility and duration were limited, the amount was cut back and requirements to relocate were extended. At VIA, ES was temporarily suspended until the employer cuts 400 jobs. There were wage and benefit improvements.
At Ontario Northland, the Associated Shopcraft Unions were on strike for almost 4 months. An agreement was reached with wage improvements and no changes in ES. Agreements expire in 1995 at BCR and 1996 at ACR.
(Reported in $ millions except for Operating Ratios)
| Operating Revenues | Operating Income | Net Income | Operating Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN | 4,098 | (1,085) | (1,013) | 89% |
| CP | 3,757 | (608.2) | 360.3 | 90% |
| VIA (1994) | 176.4 | (39.3) | (332.2) | N/A |
| ONR (1994) | 73.7 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 98% |
Notes:
BC Rail reported net income of $47 million for 1995 (unaudited) and a 5-year operating ratio of 80%.
Figures for ONR and VIA include government
reimbursements.
The federal government claims that economic security for Canadians lies in a deregulated transportation market. But since the introduction of deregulation in 1987, rail workers have experienced insecurity, increased workloads, stagnant wages, and a deteriorating relationship with the employer.
AIRLINES
The CAW represents approximately 8,000 airline workers. These members work in customer services such as reservations and airport check in, cargo and baggage handling, crew scheduling and maintenance, and related industries such as airport carparks and airline food catering.
The federal government has continued with the Tory Agenda to privatize and deregulate transportation. Fallout from these government policies have been job insecurity and job loss as well as reduced wages and benefits.
The bilateral air agreement between Canada and the U.S. was signed off in February 1995. The new liberalized policies will intensify airline competition--particularly as Canadian carriers go against the large U.S. megacarriers, with their economies of scale, well-developed hub systems, and years of experience in a deregulated environment.
The current legislation limiting foreign ownership to 25 percent remains in place despite previous government discussions on increasing the limit. The AMR 25-percent equity investment in PWA was the first time a Canadian carrier in economic trouble sought such a high level of foreign investment. In the future, airlines could demand increases in the foreign ownership limit and governments might well see this as a quick solution rather than addressing the core problem in the airline industry--the financial instability created in the intense competition of deregulation.
Transport Canada currently owns or operates 150 airports. Under the 1994 National Airports Policy, the operation of Canada's 26 busiest airports will be commercialized. Commercialization will mean cost-cutting measures which will affect safety and working conditions for airport workers and could increase costs for travellers. At Horizon Air in BC workers saw new restrictions during a labour dispute. Picket lines were restricted to specific locations. Shortly after the privatization of the Vancouver airport, a $10 "airport fee" was introduced - a sign that maintenance costs will be passed along to users.
Collective bargaining has been difficult in the airline industry. Air Canada and Canadian Airlines are trying to increase capacity without increasing costs. Workers are paying the price.
When Canadian Airlines demanded wage concessions from its employees in 1992, Air Canada came to the bargaining table with demands for wage concessions. In July 1995, Canadian Airlines announced plans to negotiate work rule flexibility and save $125 million in operating costs. Canadian Airlines could then expand capacity in the open skies competition. One month later, Air Canada responded with an announcement of $150 million in cost savings through attrition and a hiring freeze. As well, Air Canada announced plans to increase capacity starting with 20 new U.S. destinations.
Airline workers have seen their working conditions deteriorate even though the corporations have enjoyed major productivity gains in the recent years. Workers are doing much more work but without the improvements in wages and benefits.
There have been some achievements at the bargaining table. The retirement phase-in programs have been successful at Air Canada and Canadian Airlines. Few such programs exist anywhere in Canada. The only other CAW program is a pilot negotiated in 1993 at the three auto manufacturers.
The major airlines have also agreed to same-sex health care benefits which will be introduced at the connectors. The CAW currently has a case before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for same-sex benefits under the Air Canada pension plan.
Financial Results 1993 - 1995
| $ millions | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Operating Revenues | 4,507 | 4,024 | 3,598 |
| Operating Income | 275 | 244 | 1 |
| Net income | 52 | 129 | (326) |
| Canadian Operating Revenues | 3,141 | 2,965 | 2,754 |
| Operating Income | (26.7) | 55.0 | (65.0) |
| Net Income | (194.7) | (53.7) | (292) |
TRUCKING
The CAW represents 4,600 members in the trucking industry, including courier services. The largest single group by far is the 2,000 members in the Loomis group. Other groups with over 200 members include Reimer Express Lines, Dolphin Delivery, and Meyers Transport.
The trucking industry in Canada has settled down to some degree after the tumultuous conditions that prevailed immediately after deregulation in 1988. The most significant specific aspect of trucking deregulation was a change-over in the entry test for inter-provincial operators from one of "public convenience and necessity" to a test based on being "fit, willing and able". This so-called reverse onus - from requiring a new operator to prove that their new service was necessary, to one whereby a licence had to be granted unless a lack of fitness was proven - resulted in a large influx of new operators. The standard of fitness applied was less than the highest, and the situation was worsened by the overly expeditious approval of the backlog of applications that built up in the early years of deregulation.
General overcapacity and sharp price competition led to a wave of bankruptcies, and a process of merger and acquisition. In the courier sub-sector, one of the significant recent moves was the purchase by Canada Post of Purolator - a major courier company. (Perhaps predictably, other courier companies have expressed concerns about the prospect of cross-subsidization by Canada Post from its main-line postal operations in a way that hurts their competitive position).
The corporate cannibalism that has prevailed in the industry has created a tremendous degree of employee insecurity and job loss. Real wages in the industry have declined to a greater degree than in the economy as a whole. Employee take-overs - most notably, the purchase of the CP trucking system by a group of managers, supervisors and employees under the banner of Interlink - have floundered badly. The tumult in the industry even unnerved some of the shippers' community for whom deregulation was largely designed as a way of enhancing competitiveness.
The twin pillar of deregulation of the industry was the implementation of the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement and its extension to the NAFTA. What has evolved is a marked shift in east-west traffic toward north-south patterns. Along with this has come a stronger presence in Canada of huge U.S.-owned trucking companies. A particular issue that has impacted negatively on Canadian drivers is the requirement under NAFTA rules to submit to compulsory drug-testing as a condition of carrying loads across the border.
In spite of the current relative stability in the industry, employers are continuing to take a hard line in negotiations. Our 800 members with Loomis in British Columbia had to go on strike in April against a difficult employer and we expect a difficult fight at Reimer Express this August. The main issues at Loomis - typical of the challenges faced elsewhere in the sector - included wages, pay equity, guarantees for owner operators, work ownership and technological change. On the latter question of technological change, for example, a major concern throughout the industry is the negative impact on office employment from the use of hand-held portable data-entry computers.
MARINE
The CAW represents 2,700 workers in the marine sector. This is a relatively new sector of representation for the CAW, as these workers came into the CAW with the merger with the former CBRT&GW. The primary component of our marine membership consists of ferry services on the East Coast - in particular workers at Marine Atlantic and Northumberland Ferries. The second largest group are the members working for the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority in Quebec and Ontario. We now also represent the Great Lakes shipping employees of ULS (Upper Lakes Shipping), and a number of smaller groups who provide services related to marine transport, such as fuelling activities and tug-boat support.
The marine sector is the last of the transportation modes to be subjected to the privatization and commercialization fashion of the times. Under the banner of a new marine policy, the federal government is currently now applying this direction, including user-pay, in the marine sector. This policy is affecting all segments of the marine sector - port administration, pilotage and coast guard services, ferry services and the operation of waterways. Our St. Lawrence Seaway and eastern ferry services membership are being affected in significant ways. The St. Lawrence Seaway Authority has been operating on a quasi-commercial basis for some time. It has been denied transfers of capital from the federal government and has been mandated to rely on its own internal sources. The result has been a combination of deteriorating facilities, excessive toll increases and missed opportunities for new traffic by increasing the capacity to handle larger ships through the system. The drive for self-sufficiency has resulted in a deteriorating collective bargaining relationship with significant job losses and an employer at the bargaining table looking to the employees to in effect subsidize the system through concessions.
The current proposal is to hand over the Seaway to a consortium of private operators under a non-profit corporate banner. The only conclusion possible is that this will damage the collective bargaining relationship, as these private operators will apply even more viciously bottom-line and cost-cutting measures.
Our ferry service membership on the East Coast is feeling the severe effects of the cost-cutting and commercialization mania. The federal 1995 Budget reduced the annual subsidy to Marine Atlantic by almost 40% and this will result in the loss of jobs with the curtailment of the Yarmouth service. Marine Atlantic employees - particularly the PEI service - are also being sacrificed as the federal government has proceeded with the building of the "fixed link" bridge, despite a totally flawed process of environmental review of the consequences. About 425 CAW members will be out of work by the end of 1997 as a result of the new bridge. The bargaining of a closure agreement with Marine Atlantic has been a difficult process that is now before an arbitrator. The negotiations were made even more complex because of the participation of three other unions.
Air pollution in cities and global climate change are serious problems.
Air pollution is obvious: smog and brown haze are visible over urban areas, and it is clear that asthma, other respiratory disease and heart disease occur more often and become worse when people have to breathe air that is increasingly polluted.
Climate change is less obvious as it is happening gradually, yet if global warming continues we may face disaster in the not-too-distant future. The greenhouse effect caused by excess carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuel will heat up the earth. The resulting impact on water levels, hydroelectric generation capacity, fisheries and agriculture in Canada will be disastrous.
Both of these problems are directly connected to transportation, because when we run our vehicles fossil fuels are burned, releasing pollutants that cause toxic smog and climate change.
In order to reduce these harmful emissions we need to do a number of things including using clean fuels and vehicles.
The best kind of fuel is a fuel which produces no harmful emissions. These zero emission fuels are electricity and hydrogen which burns so cleanly it produces only water. Some trains, subways and trams as well as forklifts run on electricity. The transit vehicles are powered from rails or overhead lines; the forklifts are powered by batteries. General Motors is the first of the Big 3 to market an electric passenger car. At present electric cars are expensive but an increasing market will reduce the cost to the consumer. Our members produce hydrogen fuel cell buses which are just beginning to be used for public transit. Since they are still in the developmental stage they are expensive.
Other fuels such as natural gas and propane produce lower harmful emissions than gasoline. Our members presently produce vehicles powered by all of the alternate fuels.
For existing gasoline and diesel powered vehicles we need mandatory vehicle emission testing programs. As well, we need regulations requiring lower sulphur content in diesel fuel. And we must ensure that batteries for electric cars are recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.
Today's vehicles are safer, more comfortable, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient than ever. But cars are so large and so heavy, much more energy is devoted to moving the car than to moving the passenger. To reduce energy waste and excess fossil fuel consumption we need lighter cars.
Our union needs to study alternative vehicle design and propulsion such electric/gasoline hybrid engines and the use of composite materials so that we can understand how these new technologies impact on the environment, and, if introduced, we can ensure that our workplaces are converted to produce these new materials.
We need government run scrappage programs such as the new B.C. system, designed to get old vehicles with high emissions off the road. For those vehicles which are salvageable, we need car dismantling and recycling programs so that parts can be rebuilt and reused.
Over time, we need to replace the current fleet with vehicles that produce zero emissions and we need to insist that our members produce them. During the transitional period we need to see the fleet mix include some vehicles which produce zero emissions and others that produce lower emissions. Throughout this period we need to ensure that our members are trained to produce these new products and that our present workplaces are converted to produce these new products. In order to ensure there is a sufficient market to lower costs to the consumer, laws must drive these changes. We must support laws like the Clean Vehicles and Clean Fuels Regulations in B.C. These laws should be federal to apply to the entire country so that all Canadians are protected and vehicles suitable for all provinces are built in Canada.
We cannot stand in the way of progressive technological change. We either get out in front and lead the technology in a way that benefits our membership or we try to retard new developments and see them push our members out the door.
As the number of cars in use in our cities increases, urban roads and highways become more congested. Congestion leads to increased local pollution, safety and noise problems. Eventually it becomes difficult to get around in urban areas, and unpleasant and unhealthy to live in them. Why is the construction of more and more highways seen as an investment by the government when it so clearly saps the public purse?
At the beginning of the century, people in towns and cities walked a lot more since they lived close to where they worked and shopped. Higher urban density meant that public transit systems such as electric trams were efficient and low cost. Since the Second World War, however, Canadian cities have been laid out differently with spread out suburbs requiring cars to get around. Because of decreased population density in the suburbs, public transit systems are inadequate.
We need to redesign our cities so that we live closer to where we work and shop. We need to increase urban density to build real communities, not bedroom communities. We need to be able to walk or cycle safely where we want to go. We need to ensure that public transit is plentiful and cheap. Taxation used to support public transit should not be seen as a subsidy but an investment in building the community, the urban environment and urban planning. We need to support van pooling so that groups of workers can ride to work together.
Deregulation has meant that there are increasing numbers of ever more heavy trucks hauling freight on our highways, yet our members in the trucking industry still have trouble making a living. We need re-regulation of the trucking industry. We need to commit to increased rail freight transportation. We need intermodal systems so that freight travels most of its way by rail or by water, with local delivery being made by trucks. Rail transportation reduces road congestion and is much more fuel efficient than trucks.
We called on the companies to begin to develop light, energy efficient, non-polluting, and safe vehicles more than forty years ago (1948) but the companies rejected this advice ... After the first energy crisis ... their investments and engineering skills led to a 90% decrease in major pollutants and a doubling of fuel efficiency ... future changes will have to be more dramatic and adjustments more severe.
-- CAW Statement on Transportation, 1992
The CAW must be front and centre in the demands for the protection of our jobs in the transportation industry. If new technologies change what we produce or how we produce we must ensure that we require education and training for our members to be able to perform these new jobs and that existing workplaces be converted to workplaces which produce the new product.
We are a transportation union. Our members build, service and operate automobiles, trucks, buses, subways, commuter rail passenger and freight rail, boats and ships, and airplanes. We want to keep our good jobs and to make and work with products that contribute to society, not that do society harm. We demand that the corporations we work for produce, service and operate environmentally and socially responsible products. As well as protecting the environment we all live in, this ensures the viability of the Canadian transportation industry, making our jobs secure.
In bargaining we need to achieve a cents per hour fund to study and act on environmental issues.
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