AMBULANCE PARAMEDICS APPLAUD GOVERNMENT FOR PROTECTING FIRST RESPONDERS

May  1,  2012   

VANCOUVER,  BC  –  The  Ambulance  Paramedics  of  British  Columbia  (APBC)  applaud  the  Government  of  British  Columbia  for  tabling  the  Emergency  Intervention  Disclosure  Act  in  the  legislature  yesterday.

 “We  applaud  the  Government  of  B.C.  for  taking  this  step  to  protect  the  health  and  peace  of  mind  of  our  members,  the  ambulance  paramedics,  as  well  as  our  colleagues  in  the  police  and  fire  departments  across  B.C.,”  said  Bronwyn  Barter,  APBC’s  President.  “Our  members  are  proud  to  often  be  the  first  on  scene  to  act  quickly  to  make  sure  British  Columbians’  health  needs  are  met.  This  legislation  demonstrates  government  putting  workers’  safety  first.”

 The  Emergency  Intervention  Disclosure  Act  will:

 • Enable  emergency  workers  and  Good  Samaritans  to  get  a  court  order  to  require  individuals  to  give  a  bodily  fluid  sample,  if  one  is  not  given  voluntarily.  

• Protect  privacy  by  assuring  information  is  shared  in  confidence  only.  

• Set  penalties  for  non-‐compliance  of  testing  orders  and  privacy  provisions.  

• Establish  a  presumption  of  disease  exposure  for  first  responders  seeking  workers’  compensation  benefits.  

It  has  been  a  joint  initiative  of  all  public  safety  workers  –  ambulance  paramedics,  police  and  fire  departments.    “We  want  to  specifically  recognize  MLA  Norm  Letnick  (Kelowna-‐Lake  Country)  for  his  leadership  on  this  important  issue,”  said  Barter.  

“Our  paramedics  and  partners  in  police  and  fire  are  routinely  exposed  to  needle-‐stick  injuries  or  blood  splashes.  Not  being  able  to  find  out  in  a  timely  manner  whether  or  not  you’ve  been  exposed  to  a  blood-‐borne  illness  can  cause  a  great  deal  of  stress.  We  have  the  right  to  know.”

Labour Federation Applauds Higher Minimum Wage – Calls for Further Increases to Keep Wage Above Poverty Line

May 1, 2012 Vancouver, BC – While the B.C. Federation of Labour applauded today’s increase in BC’s minimum wage as a good step, the Federation’s President Jim Sinclair also expressed disappointment in the BC Liberal government’s decision to leave some workers out.

Sinclair also reiterated the B.C. Federation of Labour’s view that anyone working 40 hours a week should earn at least enough to stay above the poverty line. He said that today, using the Low Income Cut Off (LICO), median would put the wage at about $11.25 an hour.

“Today’s increase to $10.25 is good news, and long overdue. Unfortunately, even at $10.25, workers in BC don’t reach the poverty line,” said Sinclair. “We are looking for a commitment by government to increase the wage again six months from now.”

The minimum wage in BC jumps to $10.25 an hour today for all workers except liquor servers and hand harvesters. Piece rates remain unchanged and liquor server minimum wages increase to only $9.00.

“It is absolutely unfair and arbitrary of this government to increase the minimum wage for some workers and not others,” said Sinclair.

Sinclair also called on the Minister of Labour to outline her government’s plans for future increases, noting a commitment from the Premier to put a process for future increases in place and to review the wage rate this summer.

Sinclair said that the Federation has proposed an increase to $11.25 in November, followed by a system of annual minimum wage increases based on the recommendations of an independent panel, similar to the Prince Edward Island and Alberta system. The independent panel, to include labour and employer representatives, would recommend an annual increase based on changes in average earnings, gross domestic product, cost of living and the LICO poverty level when setting the wage level.

CUPE celebrates May Day

APR 30, 2012 05:31 PM

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

There is no denying that as trade unionists, we are facing tough new challenges that threaten many of the rights andvalues we’ve fought so hard to maintain over the years. The Harper Conservatives are continuing their assault on workers’ rights and public services, as they interfere with collective bargaining and impose austerity measures that force the poorest among us to carry the greatest burden. Meanwhile, provincial and municipal governments in many jurisdictions are using heavy-handed legislation and tough bargaining tactics to force union members into a corner.

These struggles are echoed all over world. Workers in many countries across Europe face attacks on wages, benefits, and pensions. Trade unionists in Colombia have been murdered or face death threats. Workers in Iran have been imprisoned. Our own fight may be local, but the struggle goes far beyond our borders.

May Day has come to symbolize the international spirit of the labour movement. We face difficult challenges all over the world, but our movement was built on tough fights in the face of adversity. Workers’ rights were not handed over by the good grace of governments or employers.

Think of the hundreds of thousands of workers across North America who took to the streets in 1886 to fight for an eight-hour workday. The resulting riots that took place days later in Haymarket Square in Chicago led to international recognition and annual commemoration of May Day. Think of the women who filled the streets of New York following the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in 1911 to protest inhumane and unsafe working conditions. Think of the workers of Winnipeg who took to the streets in the general strike in 1919 to protest low wages in the face of rising inflation and unacceptable working conditions. These are proud moments in labour history that led to real change, but none came with ease. These workers put their livelihoods and even their lives on the line to fight for basic rights we enjoy today.

Our movement is one defined by struggle, andthis new era is no different. May Day was founded to commemorate the tenacity and commitment that the labour movement showed then and continues to show today in the face of adversity

On May Day, we should take stock of how far we’ve come – and the distance we must still go to protect and improve conditions for all working people.

Governments are increasingly targeting public services to pay the price for the crimes of big banks and multinational corporations. CUPE members are fighting to protect jobs, pensions and the important public services that we provide that are even more vital to Canadians during tough economic times.

We will continue to utilize our collective knowledge and frontline expertise to advance alternatives that will protect services, create jobs in all sectors and buildstable, prosperous communities. And we continue to grow. Now more than 618,000 strong from coast to coast, CUPE members can be proud of the accomplishments of our union. We’re bigger, better, and stronger than we’ve ever been before.

This May 1, we encourage you to celebrate what we have accomplished and reaffirm your commitment to our struggle and our collective vision for change.

In solidarity,

PAUL MOIST National President

CHARLES FLEURY National Secretary-Treasurer

RSMCs have made gains

April 27, 2012  -  11:00
http://www.cupw.ca

RSMC Negotiations 2012 / Fact Sheet

2012 RSMC Negotiations – Fact Sheet 2

Prior to 2004, RSMCs had no rights and no benefits. Their working lives, wages, and futures were subject to the whim of Canada Post.

Under section 13.5 of the Canada Post Corporation (CPC) Act, RSMCs were “contractors” who had no collective bargaining or other rights. RSMCs had to bid on their routes. They were often told to accept a contract for less money than before or else they would lose their route and their job. After they deducted their expenses from their earnings, many earned minimum wage or less. RSMCs got tired of their unfair treatment and waged a long battle to gain rights.

On January 1, 2004, RSMCs became employees of Canada Post. From 2002 to 2003, they signed membership cards for CUPW to represent them and bargain for their first collective agreement. Canada Post did not just “give” RSMCs employment status, access to the pension plan, a grievance procedure or any rights. Rather, these gains were made because RSMC bargaining was tied to the urban operations bargaining. Canada Post knew that urban operations members had the right to strike and were not afraid to use it to gain rights for all postal workers. Free collective bargaining combined with the right to strike resulted in the first ever RSMC collective agreement.

Gains made in 2004 bargaining

• A financial formula for guaranteed funding of improvements was agreed on: CPC was required to contribute $29 million in the first year, and an additional $15 million each year thereafter, to finance improvements in wages, benefits and working conditions. These were negotiated in a series of re-openers.

• RSMCs no longer had to compete with other bidders to keep their routes and their jobs.

• A grievance arbitration process was put in place to protect the rights of RSMCs.

• RSMCs received two weeks paid vacation leave in 2004 and three weeks paid vacation leave in 2005.

• Canada Post was required to pay the employer’s share of the CPP/QPP. Prior to 2004, RSMCs were required to pay for both employer and employee shares. The average RSMC gained approximately $876.00 from this.

• Most RSMCs became covered by the Canada Post Pension Plan.

• RSMCs gained coverage under Workers’ Compensation.

• RSMCs gained coverage under Employment Insurance.

• A joint, six-person Transition Committee, with three CUPW and three CPC representatives was formed.

• RSMCs gained protections against unjust discipline and dismissal.

• The agreement outlined a standard vehicle allowance of $0.42/kilometre, for the first 5,000 kilometres and $0.36 for each additional kilometre per year.

• In 2004, RSMCs received an increase in wages of $225.00 for each daily hour designated on their route.

• RSMCs also obtained the right to unpaid parental leaves, paid statutory holidays, health and safety protection under the provisions of the Canada Labour Code, and protection from harassment in the workplace under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

• In 2005, RSMCs were covered under the CUPW childcare fund, a vision and hearing-aid plan, and provided with improved bereavement leave.

• Canada Post was required to pay 1/3 of a cent (per scheduled hour for all RSMC employee routes) into the CUPW education fund as of January 1, 2004, 2/3 of a cent as of January 1, 2005 and three cents as of January 1, 2011.

2006 re-opener

• March 1, 2006: An increase of $95.00 per daily scheduled hours of work.

• January 1, 2007: An increase of $95.00 per daily scheduled hours of work.

• On January 1, 2007 and every year afterwards, RSMCs received a non-taxable boot allowance of $30.00 per daily scheduled hours of work. Relief employees were also entitled a boot allowance

• Effective October 1, 2007 all RSMCs with six months of service became entitled to the dental plan.

• Effective September 1, 2005, the vehicle allowance increased from $0.42 to $0.45. Effective April 1, 2006, it increased by five cents to $0.50 for the first five thousand kilometres driven in a year.

• Canada Post was required to hire 300 relief employees.

• In offices without relief employees, CPC was prohibited from disciplining RSMCs who were unable to provide a replacement worker after making every reasonable effort to do so.

• In installations where relief employees were employed, vacation leave became granted on the basis of seniority.

• Relief workers became covered by certain provisions of the collective agreement.

• A route management study was initiated. The Transition Committee became responsible for studying six elements of the work performed by RSMCs, including delivery to community, group and rural mailboxes, delivery and sortation to business points of call, and driving time. This resulted in $4.1 million being added to RSMC wages.

• A clause was added to ensure union representatives do not suffer a loss of pay while performing activities related to health and safety during working hours.

• Vacant routes were filled on the basis of seniority from route holders within the installation.

• New employees were entitled to receive up to five days of paid training.

• Canada Post was required to make adjustments in the compensation paid to routes in a particular installation when they introduced a new route in the installation with a higher rate of compensation.

2008 re-opener

• Effective September 1, 2008, RSMCs received a wage increase ($80.00 yearly per daily hour) and on January 1, 2009, an additional increase ($32.00 yearly per daily hour).

• The lowest paid routes received an additional, substantial wage increase.

• Wages were paid bi-weekly instead of once per month.

• Certain RSMCs in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon received additional increases.

• Vehicle expenses increased to $0.52/kilometre for the first 5,000 kilometres a year and $0.46 cents for additional kilometres beyond 5,000 kilometres a year.

• Two personal days per year of paid leave.

• Canada Post was required to provide on-call relief employees (OCRE) to cover all absences in major urban centres. This forced the corporation to create new OCRE positions.

• RSMCs in other locations received a replacement training allowance of $250.00  per year if they were required to train a new replacement because Canada Post had hired their replacement as an employee.

• Qualified route holders were able to fill vacant routes within 50 kilometres of their present installation on the basis of seniority.

• Canada Post guaranteed that its intent to introduce “sequencing of mail” would not affect RSMCs  during 2008 or 2009.

• Changes to a route resulting in an adjustment of wages (Appendix A) were implemented once per calendar year, based on the actual changes to a route.  In addition, adjustments were made to the amount payable if the increase or decrease in the total number of points of call or total kilometres exceeded 5%. Payments were retroactive to the date on which the change exceeded 5%.

2010 re-opener

• RSMCs became entitled to paid leave when they are required to serve on a jury.

• RSMCs became entitled to four weeks of vacation leave after the completion of ten years of employment.

• Canada Post became required to fill vacant positions by seniority from applications received from members working within 75 kilometres of the vacancy. Both route holders and On Call Relief Employees within the area of eligibility are entitled to submit applications for the vacant position, although route holders are to be given the first opportunity.

• Canada Post’s Corporate Team Incentive was applied to RSMC members effective December 31, 2011.

• There was a new provision that CUPW and Canada Post may, through consultation at the local level, create additional On Call Relief positions if the local situation requires such additional positions.

• RSMCs who are entitled to maternity, parental or adoption leave under the Employment Insurance Act or the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, became entitled to receive an allowance that “tops-up” their wages to 93% of their weekly wage for the period of coverage.  

• As of December 1, 2011, RSMC route holders who are scheduled for 12 hours or more per week (see Schedule A) were entitled to a drug plan.

• RSMCs became entitled to short term disability insurance to cover absences due to illness or accident, in some circumstances up to 30 weeks. The number of personal days increased to seven per year. Five days per year can be carried over to the following year at an RSMC’s request, up to a maximum of 12 personal days per year.

• Canada Post became required to negotiate with the union about the introduction of technological changes that may affect RSMC members and eliminate any adverse effects arising from the introduction of such technological changes.

• RSMCs received retroactive wage increases: $107.00 and $68.00 for each daily hour of work, effective as of January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2011 respectively.

• There was an additional wage increase for the lower paid routes, bringing the minimum hourly rate up to $15.55 in 2011.

• There were improvements for on call relief employees. They became eligible for an annual boot allowance of $240.00, up from $180.00. As well, they received an annual retention allowance of $1000 for remaining on call for a year.

• RSMCs received increased payments for householders under 500 grams as of January 2010, doubling the amount previously received and providing an average annual increase of $1000 per member.  New tasks with corresponding monetary values were added to Appendix A (Changes to a route). Pre-existing monetary values were improved.

So what gains have RSMCs made in 8 years?

• Improved wages

• Increased vehicle allowance payments

• The Canada Post Pension Plan

• Access to Employment Insurance, Workers’ Compensation and CPP/QPP

• Seniority

• Paid vacation leave

• Paid personal days

• Short term disability insurance

• A grievance procedure

• A dental plan

• Bereavement leave

• Parental leave top-up

• Boot and glove allowance

• Relief employees

• A hearing and vision plan

• Protections from unfair discipline

• A drug plan

• Health and safety protections

• Access to a childcare fund and education fund

• Protections from technological change

• Union rights

Free collective bargaining – a better deal for RSMCs!

In short, RSMCs have made significant progress over the past 8 years. This is because the union, RSMCs and urban members, fought long and hard for improvements. But more needs to be done. This is why in 2012, rural, urban and suburban postal workers are united and determined to obtain equal pay and the same benefits and rights. It’s time for fairness, respect and progress.

To all BCGEU members at LDB

http://www.bcgeu.ca

30 Apr ’12

Earlier today the provincial government issued a Negotiated Request for Proposals (NRFP) for the privatization of the liquor warehousing and distribution system which is currently delivered by the Liquor Distribution Branch.

Initial proposals are due by June 29, 2012. The successful proposal will be announced on or about October 16, 2012. The government will complete negotiations on an agreement with the successful proponent on or about March 1, 2013.

Your union is examining the NRFP to see how it will impact BCGEU members who work at LDB.

The Article 29 Committee continues to meet with the employer to foresee and address any potential impact on members.

Your union is also developing a full scale campaign to oppose this privatization. A detailed plan has been sent to the campaign committee. It outlines a full scale campaign that will engage our members, the public, government and the media.

It will include advertising, media relations, public outreach and lobbying. The goal is to oppose the privatization of the LDB warehouse and distribution system and to head-off any possible privatization of the retail stores.

Let’s get ready to defend the public liquor distribution and retail system that has served British Columbians for decades.

CEP467/cope378

Costs of outsourcing medical transcription skyrocket by 150 per cent in just four years

http://www.heu.org

News release

Plan to contract out medical transcription across Lower Mainland will lead to higher costs and unnecessary risks to accuracy and privacy of patient records

April 30, 2012

The Hospital Employees’ Union is raising the alarm about Lower Mainland health authorities’ plan to completely contract out in-house medical transcription even though costs for limited outsourcing of this service ballooned from $2.4 million to $6 million in just four years.

The deadline for bids on the medical transcription contract was April 26. Providence Health Care (PHC), acting for Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health and the Provincial Health Services authorities, says it will lay off 130 medical transcriptionists once the contract is awarded.

It’s all part of a government-mandated exercise to shave $100 million from health budgets in the Lower Mainland. They say that contracting out medical transcription will save $3 million towards this goal, mostly in labour, rent and technology costs.

But an HEU investigation of health authorities’ financial documents show that Ontario-based Accentus Inc. – a for-profit medical transcription firm – increased its billings to PHC and the three other health authorities by 151 per cent between the fiscal years 2006/2007 and 2010/2011.

Outsourced medical transcription is usually performed by home-based subcontractors who must put in about double the hours to earn the same wage, and work with few benefits.

HEU’s secretary-business manager Bonnie Pearson says that contracting out of medical transcription is too big a risk.

“Based on their track record, I’d say health authorities will have a hard time controlling costs if they contract out 100 per cent of their medical transcription,” says Pearson. “In addition, outsourced medical transcriptionists do not have access to secure electronic medical records or other health care team members within the hospital system.

“Our in-house medical transcriptionists already spend a lot of their time editing and correcting outsourced work. What will happen if all the work is contracted out?”

Pearson also says British Columbians should be concerned about the privacy of their records, which would now be produced on personal computers by home-based contractors across Canada.

Medical transcriptionists are responsible for transcribing physicians’ dictation of surgical procedures, consultations, patient histories, test results, and various other reports.

Selkirk unions settle under net-zero mandate

 

By Timothy Schafer – Trail Daily Times
Published: April 25, 2012 4:00 PM

The province’s net-zero mandate has touched the vocational instructors and faculty of Selkirk College as two West Kootenay unions received final ratification by the Post-Secondary Employers’ Association (PSEA) this week.

Two collective agreements with faculty and instructors of Selkirk College’s BCGEU Local 709 Vocational Instructors and the Selkirk College Faculty Association were reached under the B.C. government’s 2010 net-zero mandate.

But the two agreements signed are set to expire since they cover from March, 2010 to March 2012, said Selkirk College director of communications and development, Barry Auliffe.

“We are now in the process of starting negotiations on the next agreement,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Education, the colleges will now have more freedom to negotiate the finer points of the next agreement, said Auliffe, albeit with some restrictions, and it would ultimately have to be approved by the province.

“But we are able to sit down and talk about some of the more important issues with the employees,” he added.

The BCGEU has around 135 members with Selkirk, and around 195 in the faculty.

Following local ratification by the two unions, the PSEA board ratified each two-year agreement, which contains items that were agreed to at the PSEA common table in December 2011.

The agreements ratified by the PSEA board also covered Douglas College and the Douglas College Faculty Association, North Island College and the North Island College Faculty Association, and Okanagan College.

The five settlements are for approximately 1,800 faculty and vocational instructors working at four public post-secondary institutions throughout the province.

Collective agreements that expired in 2010 and 2011 continue to be reached under the 2010 net-zero mandate, even as a number of public sector employers and unions in the public service, health and community social service sectors have begun negotiations under the 2012 Cooperative Gains Mandate.

Nelson teachers step up job action

 

Local union president Tom Newell (right) says teachers had few options remaining.

Bob Hall photo

By Bob Hall – Nelson Star
Published: April 30, 2012 5:00 PM
Updated: April 30, 2012 5:18 PM

Last week’s vote by the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) to withdraw voluntary extra curricular activities in schools across the province will be felt locally.

Last week teachers voted 73 per cent in favour of withdrawing activities as the next step in the union’s fight against the provincial government’s Education Improvement Act (Bill 22) which is aimed at settling the labour dispute that has lingered since last June.

“Those situations are very difficult for the teachers,” said Tom Newell, president of the Nelson District Teachers’ Association. “Those are things that teachers count on and have worked on for years.

“It’s difficult for everyone involved, but we felt when they [provincial government] make everything illegal and put in these draconian laws… it’s really difficult to find any wiggle room. We don’t a full-scale walkout so you are left with withdrawing the stuff that which they can’t force you to do. Often much of your career is based on this because you love doing it so much.”

Kootenay Lake School District superintendant Jeff Jones told the Star that the latest move in the dispute is troubling.

“We respect the right that teachers have to be in opposition. They are allowed to protest if they feel they have a just and valid reason to do that,” said Jones. “It concerns me gravely that we have gotten to this position where there is standoff and teachers feel they have they take the positions that they are.”

Extra curricular activities are wide ranging. They include sports teams, drama productions, graduation activities, homework clubs and end of school year field trips.

Last week the president of the Nanaimo District Teachers’ Association told media that there would be punishment for those members who do not adhere to the results of the vote. Derek DeGear told media that could range from apologies to fellow union members and even fines.

At this point the Nelson District Teachers’ Association has not set out a clear path for local teachers.

“The executive has not met to discuss the aspect of what would happen if a member didn’t follow the collective action,” said Newell. “At this point we don’t have a plan in place to discipline members that do volunteer their activities. That could change, but at this point in time we have no plans to do that.”

At the board office, Jones has also received very little direction as to how exactly the BCTF is planning on carrying forward.

“We are still unclear as to the BCTF’s position on the level of autonomy they are going to allow teachers,” said Jones. “There has been no formal statement to me or the district on that.”

If a teacher decides not to go along with the union, Newell said it would be a personal choice.

“At this point, nothing [would happen],” Newell said. “They would just have to live with their conscious of not joining their colleagues.”

Many students and parents depend on extra curricular activities to enrich school life. Newell feels the local union will find support in its latest move.

“I think that most parents understand that we wouldn’t do something like this callously and without a lot of thought,” Newell said. “This is really difficult on the teachers. I find that most of the time that there is very little hard edge against the teachers and sometimes it is just outright support that they understand the difficult situation the government has created in this province.”

Jones said finishing off the school year under the new arrangement would not be easy for students or parents.

“I have heard it and I feel it,” Jones said about concern being voiced. “Imagine that this is your first year of school or your graduating year of school or anywhere in between… it’s your one shot at it. This might have been the one year that kids would have gotten to participate in a drama production or a certain team. That one shot opportunity has now been taken away.”

That the dispute has reached this level is very disappointing for the local board boss.

“For me it’s a career,” Jones explained. “I may face this situation again in my career, I may not. We are all learning lessons that we can apply once we have some sort of settlement. It’s not a one-shot deal for most of us, but for our kids it is.”

Time to reflect on Day of Mourning downtown Trail

 

By Breanne Massey – Trail Daily Times
Published: April 30, 2012 4:00 PM and April 27, 2012 4:00 PM

Ear-piercing sounds of traffic rolled off of sunny Highway 3 Saturday, but the United Steelworkers Local 480 had a message that couldn’t be silenced.

The United Steelworkers Local 480 departed from the local 480 Hall—with members of the Greater Trail community—for the 28th annual Day of Mourning. The procession marched along Bay Ave behind piper Gordon Titsworth until they arrived at the Family and Memorial Worker Park near Cominco Arena where they expressed memories for people who lost their lives.

The memorial honours colleagues who died from occupational diseases or work-related accidents, but one person was on everybody’s mind.

Lonnie Plasko’s tragic death is an iconic example of an accident nobody could’ve imagined in this region. Many of his friends and family members remain devastated about the train derailment that killed him five years ago, and hope to use public events like this, as a preventative platform.

“I saw him that day. He went down that hill and he never came back,” said Gilbert Morrison, Plasko’s former colleague and friend. “And the worst part of it is, he was blamed for that accident.”

Morrison and his wife, Rita, expressed concerns for other people who have suffered from work-related accidents—but the memories of Plasko struck a familiar chord with most attendees. Plasko certainly never planned to die, nobody plans to die, it was an accident Morrison concluded.

Many other people found the ceremony emotional too.

“I think that would have been his 25th year of work,” said Tracy McLaughlin, Plasko’s stepdaughter. “We come every year to remember.”

The 28th Annual Day of Mourning puts things into perspective for people who haven’t lost somebody from a work-related accident. WorkSafe BC recorded that almost three million days were lost as a result of injuries or diseases sustained in the workplace. In B.C.,17 workers are permanently disabled on a daily basis.

But, the community remembers Plasko as “a kind and caring person who loved his job” and never made it home. He’s not just a statistic.

“I think the ceremony went very, very well,” said Gord Menelaws, the health and safety chair for the United Steelworkers Local 480.

“You can tell it means a lot to people because of today’s turnout.”

“It’s to remember workers who died or were injured—it’s like Remembrance Day,” said Steve Como, the safety coordinator at Teck. “Unfortunately these kinds of things do happen.”

The procession led to a forum for residents in Greater Trail to honor friends, family members and colleagues who have passed away while they were trying to earn a living.

Their lives were be celebrated in a prayer, march and a public address from David Mitchell, a local occupational hygiene office.

The ceremony is a national day of mourning that raises red flags about the importance of utilizing preventative safety measures on job sites.

“A lot of times we get so overwhelmed by our daily tasks and we don’t get time to reflect on the people who have been killed on the job,” said Gord Menelaws, the health and safety chair for the United Steelworkers Local 480. “These are people just like you and me, they left to do an honest day of work and for whatever reason, they never returned home.”

The ceremony provides a public celebration of life and it allows the community to mourn for the dead, and fight for the living.

In 2011, WorkSafe B.C indicated that almost three million (2,870,352) days were lost as a result of injuries or diseases sustained in the workplace.

In B.C., an average of 2.7 workers die each week, 2,715 work injuries are reported every week and 17 workers are permanently disabled on a daily basis. According to WorkSafe B.C., the Central Kootenay region recorded one death, and another in the Kootenay Boundary region in the last year.

“We’ve done a lot of work to reduce injuries on job sites,” said Menelaws, “and we’ve made a lot gains.”