2014 James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Winner It is with great pleasure we announce Owen Marshall, son of Wayne Marshall from Praxair, Kelowna, B.C. has won the $10,000 James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship.  Owen will be attending the  University of Western Ontario to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Sciences on his journey to become … Read More

For Immediate Release:                                              July 25, 2014 British Columbia Labour Board rules IKEA commits unfair labour practices and orders damages to be paid The Labour Relations Board on July 24, 2014 ruled that IKEA is in breach of the BC Labour Relations Code. The LRB Decision found that IKEA has bargained in bad faith and committed … Read More

KELOWNA — It’s been a cornerstone in the Okanagan for nearly seven decades and is currently one of Kelowna’s biggest employers with 300 workers. SunRype has made some big changes since opening its doors in 1946 and in the last few months alone unveiled a handful of new products and new packaging along with a … Read More

#BoycottIKEA

The world’s biggest pour, earthquake-readiness techniques, the collective agreement from 1956, member profiles…see the feature story in Today’s Teamsters 213. Below: Perhaps the world’s largest continuous pour—the Wilshire Grand project in downtown Los Angeles in February—took 20 hours without interruption and required 2,100 truckloads delivering 21,200 cubic yards for the 73-storey tower’s foundation. A 6 … Read More

Pat Kennedy Shop Steward at Sun-Rype Products in Kelowna, BC was presented with a certificate in Critical Incident Stress (CIS) after attending Canadian Labour Congress Winter School in February.  The CIS course develops an understanding of critical incident stress and how it can affect people, the course helps unions develop a critical incident response system … Read More

JRH Memorial Scholarship Fund Essay Contest for 2014   The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund has announced this year’s Essay Contest topic:  “The vast majority of union members make more than the minimum wage.  Why should Teamsters care what the minimum wage is?” For students attending a community college, 4-year institution, or a technical/vocational program, … Read More

One year later…. When the company owned by the world’s fifth richest man challenges 350 unionized workers in Richmond, B.C. and demands they take concessions, you know it’s a David versus Goliath fight. But IKEA workers now locked out for a year won’t give in to billionaire owner Ingvar Kamprad. The lockout illustrates the difficult … Read More

Today in labour history – May 13, 2013 IKEA locks out its Richmond, British Columbia location Teamsters Local 213 members on May 13, 2013 to force major concessions on its workers. Since the start of the labour dispute, IKEA has been in breach of the law for using replacement workers.  35 scabs crossed the picket … Read More