IF YOU DONT FIGHT YOU LOSE
It was an interesting start for the day.
After being picked up from our hotel we started on our historic journey on the internationaly renowned Rocky Mountaineer up to the Olympic village of Whistler in British Columbia.
Minutes before arriving at the train station our tour guide said “by the way the staff that service the train are on strike”. After the initial shock we were then informed that the workers who act as guides and provide excellent service “were on a picket line”‘
Talk about being railroaded!!
Their leaflets said
“We are sorry that we can not be with you today so that you may experience the guest service excellence that the Rocky mountaineer is so famous for.Collectively the onboard attendant team has over 900 years of experience working on the train and would love to show you the passion and the integrity with which we do our jobs however this is not possible because the management have locked us out for asking for reasonable conditions in our workplace“
These workers have been unable to negotiate what they deem as fair and reasonable, have been locked out, and scab labour brought in.
In order to assess these claims believed unreasonable by the company, let’s look at the facts, these workers have foregone a wage increase in order to be paid reasonable overtime.They have given over 900 hundred years in loyal and dedicated service only to be treated in this shabby way.
In Canada the industrial laws demand that if you work more than 8 hours a day you are entitled to be paid overtime, but because of frequent delays due to weather, rock slides etc some workers are working 11 or 12 hr shifts and not receiving overtime.
This is not a case of greedy workers as the company may claim, but of workers demanding a fair wage for the excellent service they offer to tourists from all over the world and for which the Rocky Mountaineer is famous.
The Teamsters union have been negotiating this claim for an excessive period of time during which the company has been training management in the role of “replacement workers” that is a very nice way to describe a scab who is willing to break down your conditions and take the food off your childrens table while at the same time put out their hand for the conditions you are willing to fight for and win.
.
The strikers were not asking people not to cross the picket but to let us know that we would be served by scab workers trained secretly in the previous weeks knowing that there was industrial disputation pending.
Maybe there are different laws in Canada,or the same regressive laws that face Australian workers.
Remember the Maritime dispute in 1998 when scabs were brought onto the wharves, masked thugs and dogs? Australian workers will never forget those dark days, but they ended with victory for all Australian workers
As an act of solidarity we met the strikers, spoke to them and asked how we as Australian workers could assist and inform others about the unfair treatment.
We intend to contact our relevent unions in Australia to send messages of support and encouragement and ask you as workers to google the management of the rocky mountaineer and express your disgust at the way they are treating their loyal employees.
P.S. This is a commercial clip for the Mountaineer. As you can say, it’s terrific, pity the workers aren’t treated with respect.
BM says
Absolutely devastated to hear that you are still locked out, I will send a message of condemnation to the company once again. Pass on our message of solidarity from workers in Australia.
Still locked out says
Hello, Thank you so much for writing this article. I am a locked out member of Rocky Mountaineer who has been with the company for 10 years.
Unfortunately, we are STILL LOCKED OUT. Today, February 22, 2012 makes it 8 months. The company still refuses to negotiate, and they have re-hired and are hiring more replacement workers.
We used to be a company united, but the company that hired me no longer exists.
If RM truly cared about their guests, they would inform them of the dispute, AND offer them a discount for subpar service. They are counting on the guest’s lack of knowledge in order to take advantage of the situation.
The Bagman says
Many comments from aussies who will not use the Mountaineer while you are being treated in such a brutal way, comments like seeing pregnant women with tears rolling down their faces at Komloops {?}
I have highlighted the dispute on my radio programme and people have had a good response. Will try and spread the word further . Dare to Struggle ,Dare to win!!
Denis
The Bagman says
Thanks for your comment it sounds like our experiences are almost identical, we must try and inform fellow Aussies
about what is taking place, I was there 2 months ago and saw similar scenes ,so I’m surprised that the lock
out is still continuing. I will never use the service again. You will get a satisfaction survey soon from the management,
make sure that you let the management know you do not approve their of tactics of trying to starve working people
back to work. Please keep in touch
Denis
Fellow Aussie says
What an interesting holiday it looked like you had as well. I have also recently returned from a trip to Canada and the Rocky Mountaineer Train. My trip was largely uneventful until our arrival at our half way point of Kamloops where a handful of locked out employees stood with signs, one was crying openly and visibly pregnant and I can only imagine how they are all suffering. I attempted in the morning to question management onboard and was given no clear insight from the staff who probably worries for their own jobs, especially since the President himself was on board. The images of more picketers, mostly young women surrounded by beefy security, in Vancouver left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
I think it is so important for travellers to inform themselves of things that are happening in the countries we visit, otherwise we are just ignorant tourists that are as much to blame for the problem.
Thank you for providing me with more information than I have been able to get elsewhere. A dispicable company that will not profit from me again.
Ted Noakes says
This is such a great article. You don’t know how much it means to these folks to know that their guests understand. I am a former OBA and friend with many of the people whom are now walking the line. This is a company I was proud to say I had worked for. My family, who lives in Kamloops, used to come down to the train all the time to greet me and the other onboards. They used to wear Rocky Mountaineer gear….they were proud of it.
Now we are all so taken a back by what is being done to these onboards. The treatment, above and beyond locking them out it atrocious. It is unfortunate that in order to get their jobs back and be recognized for what they do these folks are having to picket the train. The only way the company takes notice is when they take their plight public, and then the company takes them to court. It is shameful.
Again thanks for this and for any help you can offer down under!
Onboard76 says
Thank you for further educating people, passengers and strangers, about our plight.
However, we do not work over 11 hours a day due to rock slides and other delays, those are simply typical days. Under extenuating circumstances we would often work 14-20 hour days and still see no overtime (keep in mind, after a 20 hour day we didn’t go home to sleep in our own beds; we were on the road and back up at the crack of dawn to report for work).
Knowing that operationally we would be required to work long hours we did not ask for the western world standard law of overtime after 8 hours; we asked to negotiate for overtime after 11 hours. While it is a great job, it is difficult to be asked to sacrifice your health and well-being (given the long hours and lack of benefits) when a $200 million dollar company still makes profits but wants to under cut the labour costs of its long term front line staff.
Their business, reputation and accolades were built largely on the backs of its onboard staff and now they have Locked us Out!! They have found a legal loop hole, and are effectively trying to fire over 100 longterm employees without cause or severance.
I used to be incredibly proud to say I worked for Rocky Mountaineer. I have an unblemished record of service and was very happy in my job. Now I am saddened and ashamed to say I worked for Canadian company that would think it acceptable to treat any of its employees this way. Imagine how they treat their non-unionized workers (other than their executives who admitted they were paid bonuses last year)……
Anontrainattendant says
Wow. Thank you so much for your article. You clearly spent a great deal of time fact-finding and it really shows through. We love having the Aussies onboard, and especially now we appreciate the sense of decency and willingness to stand up and speak out against injustice that seems to be ingrained in your national character.
It is very important that we start getting the message out across Australia. One of the most effective ways is to share this video with all your friends via facebook, email etc (and ask them to do the same) as well as sharing it with unions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHuci_v7_c0
onboard1 says
As a locked out worker, I deeply appreciate you taking the time to write such an accurate portrayal of our situation. Thank you for your support, it means a lot to us. Our working season is drawing to a close, and there has been no signs from management that they have any intention to bargain. We see them continue to hire to prepare for the busy fall season, the security force is as strong as before, and the company continues to invest in more infrastructure to minimize the contact of guests with the picketers.
I did not include my name since many letters of discipline have been served, and one of our members has been fired for “speaking their truth”.
The Bagman says
Thanks for your comments and the time to respond . I have just returned to Australia
is the problem resolved?
Sugel says
and Alberta has locked out its on-board service staff and replaced them with senior staff and temporary workers. It s a move union representative Rod Blackburn calls distasteful referring to replacement workers as scabs. Scabbing cuts at the very heart of Canadian society he said.
anthony says
Great article ,demonstrating the same problems for workers all over the world.
locked out for asking for legal overtime,hard to believe!!
Good article!