AFIMAC News Bulletin – Covering Strike Security, Work Stoppages, and Labor Disputes

Quiznos Declares ‘HR Appreciation Day’ to Help Bridge Gap Between Employees and HR

DENVER, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ — A new survey* conducted with human resource professionals reveals a significant gap between them and employees when it comes to perceived morale in the workplace. The recent study, conducted by Quiznos and LinkedIn, found that 63 percent of HR professionals believe their workforce feels insecure during the current recession. In a similar survey conducted earlier this month**, employees indicated they felt differently, with only 34 percent stating they feel insecure. In response to these findings, Quiznos has proclaimed Friday, August 28th “HR Appreciation Day” to help close this communication gap between the two parties and “take the heat off” of HR during these stressful times.

Quiznos, pioneer of the toasted sandwich and one of the nation’s premier restaurant chains for sandwiches, salads and soups, released this survey in line with its current $1 Sub Sale called Toasty Toasty. The chain is encouraging workers and their HR representative to take a work break and enjoy the Toasty Toasty promotion where customers can buy one of Quiznos’ most popular sandwiches for themselves at full price and receive another for just $1. Often HR representatives are only on the receiving end of complaints and tough issue resolution, but HR Appreciation Day could help shift that.

“I think a day such as ‘HR Appreciation Day’ is important, not just to recognize the difficult job that HR professionals have encountered through one of the worst economic periods in history, but also to help start a conversation in an effort to get employees and HR on the same page,” said Evelyn Calleja, President of the human resources consultancy firm The Business Within. “While the Toasty Toasty campaign is not going to solve issues at the heart of the problem, it is a great way to bring both sides together and open the lines of communication, while having fun at the same time. Tasty food is a great equalizer and a wonderful way to get folks to sit at the same table.”

The study also found that while only 11 percent of HR professionals believe their employees feel at least somewhat appreciated by the organization, 37 percent of employees actually stated they do feel appreciated despite any cuts or loss of benefits that have occurred during the recession.

“Quiznos understands that times are tough, particularly in the workplace,” said Trey Hall, Quiznos marketing spokesperson. “With so many companies and organizations being forced into layoffs or eliminating work perks, we recognize there is a lot of uncertainty in the office. With ‘HR Appreciation Day’ and the Toasty Toasty promotion, we’re hoping to find ways to help bring some fun back into the workplace.”

The Toasty Toasty promotion will look to bring together all parties in the workplace and provide them with a new perk to share during the workday. Customers can choose from one of four popular subs at regular price and get a second sandwich of the same size and recipe – small, medium or large – for $1. The promotion includes these Quiznos favorites: the Classic Italian, Turkey Ranch & Swiss, Mesquite Chicken and the Traditional.

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LOS ANGELES — The United Steelworkers (USW) and the CLEAN Carwash Campaign have reached a formal settlement with Vermont Hand Wash, a Los Angeles carwash, after filing an unfair labor practice complaint against the wash in late 2008, according to a recent press release.

The Aug. 26 release said the agreement authorizes the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. to enter a cease and desist order precluding Vermont Hand Wash from violating 27 specific labor law requirements as well as a broad prohibition on violating the National Labor Relations Act “in any other manner or by any other means.” 

Under terms of the agreement, Vermont Hand Wash must also compensate employees for back pay and reinstate any workers fired for participating in the organizing campaign, as well as compensate them for time lost when the employer unplugged the time clock during union demonstrations.

The release said the back pay awards include: 

• $52,442 to four employees who were fired or saw their hours cut as a result of the organizing campaign.

• $8,925 to be distributed to employees in return for management’s decision to unplug the time clock during union picketing.

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Durham teacher rep says unions getting bad rap

In light of the recent tension perceived between the public and big trades unions, such as the CAW during GM’s downsizing, CUPE during the Toronto municipal workers’ strike and ETFO during its contract negotiations earlier this year, this is the first in a four part-series looking at the attitude, challenges and future faced by unions and those who deal with them. Part one looks at the attitude towards unions.

DURHAM — In this day and age, hostility towards unions hangs in the air like a gas, said Trent University professor Bryan Palmer.

And strikes are the match that set it on fire.

“I don’t think the role of unions has changed, but public perception has,” said Mr. Palmer, who’s Trent’s Canada Research Chair in Canadian Labour History and Canadian Studies.

As big trade unions such as the Canadian Auto Workers, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario and The Canadian Union for Public Employees publicly deal with bargaining disputes, the tension toward them is perceived as thick, in an economic time when people outside of unions deal with their own struggles in a current recession.

“Overall, since 1973, the unions have been under attack by the state,” Mr. Palmer said.

During the oil crisis of that time, attacking the high wages of unionized workers was seen as a way of dealing with the crisis, he said.

Immediately after the Second World War, the 1950s and 1960s were good times for unions — they established legal collective bargaining rights, won protections for workers and things were good for the labour movement, he said. But for the next three and a half decades, times have been less than favourable, with the last two years in particular getting worse, he added.

“I think the last eight months have been catastrophic,” he added.

During a recession, public opinion sharpens, said David Clegg, ETFO president.

“I don’t think the fundamentals (of bargaining) have changed,” Mr. Clegg said.

His union members found themselves on the losing end of a bargaining battle earlier this year as a result. ETFO disputed a wage increase offered by the Province and received a reduced take-it-or-leave offer from the Minister of Education instead, with the economy given as the reason for the scaled-back amount.

Mr. Clegg’s frustration comes from the reason Ontario is in a challenging time to begin with. The situation is the result of poor business practices unrelated to bargaining, such as big pay-outs to departing executives, bonuses and so forth, he said.

But it’s the ordinary citizen who ultimately pays, he added.

In CUPE’s case, with the recent Toronto city workers’ strike, the City wanted to roll back hard-won rights, he said. He doesn’t understand why more people aren’t outraged by rich corporations and people who created this atmosphere, he said. Instead, there’s backlash against the people trying to prevent losing what they’ve won.

The CAW is in the same position when it comes to that backlash, with people blaming it for the collapse of the big three automakers, Mr. Clegg said. But it’s the global environment that’s caused consumers to buy foreign-made vehicles.

“The reality is, the standard of living has not been increased with the wealth,” Mr. Clegg said, adding the credit crisis is proof of that, with people having to borrow to pay their bills.

What’s changed is the societal attitude and the Mike Harris era showed that, he added. During that time, there was an attitude change toward a need to curtail public services, a feeling public services are not in the best interest of the public. Mr. Harris was Ontario’s Conservative premier from 1995 to 2002.

“It’s the phenomenon that’s grown over time,” Mr. Clegg said.

It started in the 1980s with the Reagan-era, he added.

Mr. Clegg’s father would probably understand the change better than he does — the importance of good social security, of saving the sinking ship instead of jumping into a lifeboat, he said.

Unions in general are looked at with disdain and globalization has created a reason to exploit that, he said.

Don Bryans actually hears people say big unions are evil.

Mr. Bryans, president of CUPE Local 218 representing workers in the Durham Catholic and Durham District school boards, lives in Havelock in what he calls, a “Conservative area of Ontario”.

“You hear them saying ‘I’ve never had a pension plan, I’ve had to do it all myself,’” Mr. Bryans said.

But those benefits were created to fill positions that sat empty because their wages weren’t competitive, he said.

“I think unions are starting to get a rap that they’re greedy or don’t have a role in the world anymore,” Mr. Bryans said. “I don’t believe that’s the truth at all.

“As the economy starts to go into downturn, it’s easy to blame the unions for all the things going wrong in the world.”

But the people doing it are the same people who disrupted the economy to begin with, he said, pointing to decision-making on vehicle choices at General Motors, big management buyouts in hydro sectors and other areas.

It’s easy for governments and corporations to pit the working class against itself rather than blame themselves, he added.

“A lot of public sentiment comes out of people thinking they’re worth more than what these guys are,” Mr. Bryans said.

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