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A8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER W ednesday Septem ber 26, 2001 Union leaders believe members will ratify Petro-Canada deal By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Ontario Votes were to be tallied last night to see if near ly 200 Petro-Canada workers in Oakville will go back to work after six months on the picket line, said a union official. Actually ratification votes, on a contract that union leaders urged Local 593 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers' Union (CEP) members to accept, were held in Oakville on Monday. However, the ballots were sealed until 270 Mississauga Lubes plant workers could cast their ballots yesterday. All votes were to be counted together, said Larry Lueck, chair of Local 593 of Oakville. "We urged acceptance because we've been on strike for six months and because people are hurt ing money-wise. We think we got the best deal we can, so let's get this done," said Lueck. It wasn't the deal envisioned by workers who earned approximately $29 per hour, when they hit the picket line last April in search of pension gains (pension based on gross pay, not base rate). They got "zero" in that regard, said Lueck. Strikers in Edmonton, Alberta and Port Moody, British Columbia settled by May without any pen sion gains, but the strike continued through the summer in Ontario. Going back to work now means concessions across the board, admitted Lueck. The Oakville Refinery had the best of the lot laid on the table from Petro-Canada, said Lueck. They would share in the three-year contract, with wage increases of 3.5%, 3% and 3%, that was negotiated at the national level last spring in the first of the petroleum industry's two-tier bargain ing process. However, the 136 striking Oakville Refinery employees have been asked to accept a longer work week -- 42 hours instead of the 37.3-hr. shift they've worked since 1978. Fifty employees at the Oakville Terminal didn't fare so well. They've been asked to accept a wage freeze in a three-year deal. A $1,500 annual safety bonus is available which they could earn, said Lueck. There were no lay-offs involved, some minor gains regarding language affecting holidays and all disciplinary actions were dropped, said the Local chair. In Mississauga, most of the 270 workers are facing a wage freeze, mandatory overtime and some 40 changes to their contract language over a three-year deal, said Lueck who admitted their contract was "stripped apart." Lueck said drivers are also being treated differ ently than clerks, the latter not facing a wage freeze. Again a $1,500 annual performance incen tive is available to the drivers. Mississauga workers are also being asked to go through much longer re-orientation sessions before getting back to work than the Oakville Refinery crews. If the contract is ratified, a $10 million lawsuit filed with the Ontario Labour Board by the union against the oil giant, related to bad faith bargaining and unfair labour practices, would be dropped, said Lueck. And, if ratified, workers could be back on the job at the Oakville Refinery as early as Saturday morning, Lueck said. "It looks good for Oakville," said Lueck, who admitted the larger plant is being asked to take some bigger hits. Lueck said he believed the "con cessions and rollbacks are punishment for the time we've been out, here in Ontario." Petro-Canada, which had operated strike-free for 25 years, reported a record $897 million profit last year and the company is reported to have a $200 million pension fund surplus. Oakville residents please note T h e tem porary O H I P office presently located in the O ak ville Trafalgar M em orial H osp ital w ill close on Friday, Septem ber 2 8 , 2 0 0 1 . To better serve you r com m u n ity, the M in istry o f H ealth and L ong-T erm Care is currently seek in g an alternate site in O ak ville for this office. U n til an alternate O H I P office is op en ed in O akville, residents are asked to visit an O H I P office o f their ch o ice at any o f the fo llo w in g locations: Mississauga office 201 City Centre Drive, Mississauga · Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. · Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. · Call (905) 275-2730 if you require further information. · Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. by appointment. Call (905) 896-6056 or (905) 896-6043 to make an appointment. Hamilton office 119 King Street West, Hamilton · Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. · Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. · Call (905) 521-7100 for more information. Outreach · Telephone (905) 896-6056 or (905) 896-6043 to make an appointment. Town snow removal budget could rise 20% Cool winds have just begun to blow, but the Town of Oakville is preparing for a blizzard. On the first truly cool day of autumn, the Town's Community Services Committee met last night and was to discuss plans for snow clearing this winter. A $ 1 million budget has been set aside -- near ly $200,000 more than last year. Of course, it all must pass through council, tar geted for next week, before it becomes official. To keep pace with growth. Public Works staff hopes to throw in one extra snowplow and one additional sidewalk clearing plow to its army of snow removers this winter. The budget calls for a total 29 plows of vary ing configuration and nine sidewalk plows. And while it may seem early, there's apparent ly a great demand for snow plowing capability in the GTA, so the Town wants to get all its contracts set in stone before the white stuff does, in fact, fly. Part and parcel of the increased supply and demand issue are the rising pay rates caused by the bid to retain operators. The bottom line is topped off by increasing fuel costs. New this year is that the Town hopes to hire a separate contractor, with smaller equipment, to haul away snow on new roadway configurations in the growing community -- specifically service road loops and rear yard public lanes (all owned by the Town). Also, the Town, which opted several years ago to start clearing cul-de-sacs with front-end loaders instead o f the usual snow plows, has seen improved snow clearing results there, so it plans to bump its complement of loaders from six to eight. While the issue of snow removal will move on to council next week, councillors will hear of this again sometime next month. That's because Public Works has been putting heads together with Halton Helping Hands to come up with a better, more accessible, service for clearing driveway windrows for seniors and the physically challenged. For more information, please call the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care INFOline at: 1-800-268-1153 or 1-800-268-1154 or in Toronto (416) 327-4327 White Rpse H om e R G a rd e n Event runs Sept. 26-30, 2001 Fall P la n tin g P u m p k in s C o rn Squash G o u rd s A p p le s Scarecrows 72" high, 6 different designs to choose from. Reg. 24.99 Fall Harvest Wreaths Reg. 19.99-69.99 FALL MUMS Assorted Ironstone Pots Huge selection. Reg. 3.99-9.99 w h ile q u a n titie s last Erin M ills store, 3115 D u n d a s S tree t W., M is s is s a u g a · STO R E H O U R S : M on.-Fri. 9a m - 9p m /S a t. 9a m - 6p m /S u n . & Hoi. 10a m - 5pm