Petro-Canada locks out workers, puts community at risk

[DainBramaged]

Petro-Canada has been associated with CEP’s National Energy Bargaining Program for decades. In every round of bargaining except one, it was with Petro-Canada that CEP negotiated the industry pattern agreement on major national issues. Once a pattern is set it applies across Canada. In 2007 Petro-Can denied the pattern at the Montreal refinery over the term of the agreement and wages, and locked-out 270 workers.

Petro-Can's lock-out means the refinery is being run by managers, placing the surrounding community at risk. An inquiry into the explosion at the BP refinery in Texas in 2005, which killed 15 people, was unequivocal in its conclusion that fatigue and poor training were behind that tragedy.

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=338

[AlertLurker]

1. This stuff's pretty funny.

It's humourous when unions attempt to use "pattern bargaining" over and over to attempt to merge disparate sectors into similar agreements.

I'm sure they will come to an agreement - certainly not the same one they came to out West...but they will say that it was...

[DainBramaged]

2. So you are anti-union??

[AlertLurker]

3. Not at all.

Petro-Can out East is an entirely different proposition to Petro-Can out West.

Apples and Oranges - hate to see pattern bargaining used in cases that should remain unrelated, even if both operations belong to the same union - they deserve their own deal.

Still - they will come to terms with those in Montreal, they will claim the same deal (and may actually propose it) works equally for both, but I won't believe it.

[Omaha Steve]

4. Welcome to the Labor Forum

Another new face.