BY KATY LEROUGETEL
TORONTO - Since April 9 more than 9,000 members of the
Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) have been
walking picket lines outside Bell Telephone installations in
Quebec and Ontario.
Wilf Kortleve, one of 140 cable repair technicians in the Greater Toronto area, told the Militant as he walked the line, "Bell is going too far. I think what they're really after is to break the union. They've split off all kinds of operations like the people who look after the buildings, the warehouses." Through this those workers have lost benefits such as sick days, one of the things Bell is trying to eliminate from the present contract.
Currently, CEP members work 40 hours every week and are paid for 38. The other two hours are banked, and used as paid days off. Bell is seeking a 37+-hour workweek with no time banked for days off. But at the bosses' discretion during peak periods, the workweek could be extended to 40 hours at regular pay. Strikers explained that all the concessions being demanded practically negate the wage increase of 12 percent over five years being touted by the employer. "Besides, given all the changes in technology, five years is too long a contract," said Kortleve.
"I know for a fact that some people have been without phone service for a week because of the strike. That means people without 911 emergency services," added Kortleve. "Ten managers are trying to cover the whole 416 dialing area [Toronto]. We're praying for rain." Line damage often becomes obvious after rain, as water seeps into cables damaged by squirrels or other wear-and-tear, necessitating repair.
Katy LeRougetel is a member of United Steelworkers of America Local 5338.