No Severance, No Termination, No Wages, NO JOB, NO Problem. BOSSNAPPING is here.

10 posts / 0 new

Wed, 2009-03-25 17:25

madmax

PARIS (AFP) - Bosses across the world are having to break bad news to employees as companies go under. But that can be a risky business in France, where some furious workers have taken to holding their managers hostage to demand better pay-offs.

In the latest outbreak of "bossnapping", workers at a pharmaceutical factory were Wednesday holding their boss in his office for a second day to force him to improve their redundancy packages.

"This action is our only currency. But there is no aggression," said union representative Jean-Francois Caparros from the plant owned by the US industrial conglomerate 3M in the central town of Pithiviers.

The detention came less than two weeks after workers held the boss of Sony France hostage for a night and barricaded their factory entrance with tree trunks. They freed him only after he agreed to reopen talks on their pay-off.

Wed, 2009-03-25 17:37

Tommy_Paine

Former head of the Bank of Scotland, Fred Goodwin, had his house attacked today. Seems Goodwin, after gleefully cutting jobs at the bank and running it into the ground-- to the point where the people of Great Britain had to shell out-- secured for himself a big fat pension before he scuttled off into the night.

CBC radio reports that police at the site of the upcomming Gang of 20 summit are advising people who work in the investment district to dress casual, "and not look like bankers."

Yee Haw!

Sat, 2009-03-28 11:32

triciamarie

Every normal person I talk to about this is right fired up about it. Again we learn something from the French.

Sat, 2009-03-28 11:57

Boom Boom

I'm happy to see workers taking action. I hope this spreads all over, teaching the owners and bosses a tough lesson. People are fed up with being screwed. Could be nasty consequences, though, if police start defending the owners and begin shooting into the masses, whether with tear gas, rubber bullets, stun guns, fire hoses, or worse.

Sat, 2009-03-28 16:15

Jacob Richter

It's a creative form of industrial class struggle that I like, in contrast to the "direct action" planned against "those greedy bankers."

Wed, 2009-04-01 21:37

saga

I am glad to see people fighting back. That's the spirit!

Not about 'bossnapping', but ... I hope I am right about this, but it seems like men are not suffering in silence as much any more - reaching out for help, and maybe to each other?

I am so lucky that my retirement number came up (last summer) before this latest recession. My heart goes out to those trying to find employment again in middle age.

Men open up like never before Demand rises for mental-health support among those hit hardest by layoffs

ERIN ANDERSSEN

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

April 1, 2009 at 4:06 AM EDT

Canadian men are calling crisis lines and joining support groups in unprecedented numbers, seeking help for anxiety and depression fuelled by rising layoffs and wobbling markets.

The recession is starting to leave more than worry lines: In Windsor, Ont., where automotive layoffs have walloped male workers and calls to crisis centres have doubled over last year, ambulances are rushing to keep up with emergencies, including a spike in mental-health-related problems.

Men, who are more concentrated in manufacturing and construction jobs, have taken the hardest hit in layoffs. According to Statistics Canada, employment for men between the ages of 25 and 54 has fallen by 170,000 jobs since October, four times more than for women. And unemployment can be especially wrenching for men, whose identity is often tied up in their work and image as breadwinners.

"You suddenly become kind of worthless," says Malcolm Parrish, 54, a former General Motors worker in Oshawa, Ont., who was forced to take early retirement to avoid a layoff. "When a guy my age looks into the future and sees nothing, it is depressing."

more ...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090401.wmen01/BNSto...

Tue, 2009-04-07 16:15

madmax

There have been so many closures that the Newspaper in my region doesn't have enough staff to cover them on any given day.....

There doesn't appear to be a trend in "Bossnapping" anywhere in Canada. But there are a number of Unions fighting the cuts that profitable companies are asking for. But all in all the 25% cuts are what is commonly seen coming across the Bargaining table, along with a 5 year wage freeze. Some Unions are taking it, others aren't.

What troubles me is that so many non union companies, which could set the wages at any rate they like at any time, don't bother, because they are in too deep in relocating or mismanaging their business and know that cutting wages isn't going to prevent them from leaving or going to hell in a hand basket.

Any bankrupt company with operations overseas, needs to be brought into line and pay the workforce its shafting instead of just the banks.

Canada is along ways from Boss Napping. Canadian Workers militant days are many generations past.

Tue, 2009-04-07 20:19

lucas

Call me crazy.... but I'm not in favour of forceful detainment on ANY level. I guess if management doesn't like the way negotiations are going with the unions they too can detain the union negotiators? I am sure that in managements opinion, they feel just as justified as the unions do. If we start normalizing this kind of thing... how far before we start holding their families hostage as well... wouldn't THAT be much better leverage?? Sure, let's lock up the wives, husbands and children of the execs... then we can have anything we want! Ends justify the means... right?

Wed, 2009-04-08 10:02

madmax

I wouldn't call you crazy. What is surprising is that the public in these countries is supporting the actions.

Much of this has nothing to do with Union Negotations, but more to do with law. It has not been unusual for plant occupations, that are illegal, successfully getting the employees their Severance Pay, when the bankruptcy laws say they are entitled to none and the company is broke. Yet, somehow this money appears, especially if the company needs that equipment overseas. There was one occasion where around 1,000 non unionized workers did this in the Brampton region. The company declared bankruptcy and was moving the equipment out the door. Trucking and rigging firms where hired prior to the declaration and where moving the assetts that could be sold to pay the employees their wages, vacation pay, and termination pay.

Bankruptcy planning or companies planning to move doesn't happen in the dark. But the execution of the plan often does. Leaving workers high and dry, and with Legal Recourses that cost more then what they could pay a lawyer, and then after the ruling, even if in the favour of the employees, the chances of collecting are NIL.

There is only one time to strike and that is while the equipment is still on the premises. If the court appointed monitors don't see the equipment, they appear to be blind from that point forward. They are not there for justice, they are there to make certain that companies agree to the procedures and that the bankrupt company continues in some other form, and in some other country.

Having participated in a plant takeover, of a bankrupt company, that had workers on the shop floor working under court order while not receiving pay and benefits, demonstrates how poorly the CCAA process treats employees. You can't get off the treadmill unless you have anthor job to go to during the CCAA period. You won't be let go, you must work. You cannot collect EI, and you are not entitled to all your pay. Plus any previous owings are scratched, once the Monitors appear. Monitors supplant health and safety and the employment standards act. If there is a Union Contract, it is virtually null and void. One plant takeover resulted in the company being forced to pay wages, benefits, and not cut off the retirees. The company which closed it doors, reopened because of the takeover and continues even in this climate. It was not "bankrupt". They wanted to part it out, and the employees prevented that from happening.

In other cases, I have watched the employees work, for a month, not receive a paycheck, expecting that the court monitors had everything under control. Perhaps the most interesting document the monitors sent around, was a letter stating that if the employees made a production target, they would receive half of their vacation pay from the bank. However, it wasn't on bank letterhead, it wasn't on the Monitors Letter head, it wasn't signed by any Monitors, or officials of the bank. But the monitors presented this letter to each and every employee. Your courts working for you.

At the end of the day, the employees found themselves working for about 1 month for FREE, no vacation pay, severance or termination.

The books demonstrated that the company made $960,000 profit in their last month of operation, (If they had paid the employees), so add on a months unpaid wages onto those figures of 250 employees.

Silly people, they believed the courts when they said they would have their money on Friday, next week, the week after, the following tuesday, in a month....... well, better go to court and file all your claims. Most people made over $1,500 for that month and many had to work forced overtime. All holidays were cancelled by the court monitors. Women who had been on holiday were told to return to work midweek, and each day they failed to show they would not be paid. They were not paid for the previous time they were off. The company made off "Depending on accounting practices" with between $7million and $12 Million. The Employees were owed a total of $5.2 Million, of which they managed to reclaim $375,000 for management and blue collar workers after 2 years in the courts. During this period, the laws changed to allow up to $3,000 be secured for employees.

Those people followed the law and had been sent down the garden path by their own government laws, courts, and employment laws.

Today, every one of them understands when there is a plant takeover. They believe they should have chained themselves to the equipment, vs let the company create its own leasing company, and prevent a purchase of the operation from interested parties.

So when you suggest that this is a union/management thing, you are a bit mistaken. The management knowing what happened to them after the antics of their foreign parent company, have had to hire lawyers for every penny received. They are the ones who cheer when others fight to keep the equipment in Canada. Once that equipment is across the border it has no value to the monitors, and banks don't care as long as there is enough money for them at the end of the day. IF they get that money from the claims of the employees, they really don't give a shit.

A bank could chase the company for monies owed it, and would if they weren't allowed to take from the employees and other "Unsecured" Creditors. Banks have the resources and power to handle rogue corporatations. Individual employees do not.

I don't call you crazy. I believe our laws are nuts.

Fri, 2009-04-17 18:00

#10

madmax

A Relatively Small Non Union Operation attempted to block tractor trailers removing the equipment from Company that abruptly closed. A mere day after being told they would be receiving a reduced Severance, the employees discovered that there wages and vacation pay are in jeapordy and no severance is forth coming. The company has not applied for bankruptcy in Canada.

Quote:

Police end employee blockade
Posted By EXPOSITOR STAFF
Posted 10 hours ago

A three-hour employee blockade at Noble Metal Processing on Plant Farm Road ended peacefully Thursday afternoon, when police told protesters to open up access routes or risk having their vehicles towed.
About 30 former employees at the plant, angered by news the company planned to deny them severance pay, had responded by blocking entrances and exits with their vehicles.
Brett Palfreyman, a production supervisor until the plant closed Tuesday, said police told them "if we didn't leave we'd be arrested. And you can't have a criminal record when you're looking for a job."
Eight employee vehicles were parked in front of the south entrance shortly after 1 p. m. and six more were parked at the north access.
"We found out early (Thursday) morning they're not going to pay us any severance pay," said Palfreyman. "Everyone started calling each other and we decided this would be the best thing to do."
With trucks trapped in the back lot, Noble would have been unable to move its remaining steel and packing materials off the property.
Palfreyman said about 65 employees are owed severance, including about 35 who were at the plant when it closed Tuesday.
Company officials had earlier promised them severance packages, he said.
"Some of us have been here 12 years," he said. And for them, "it could be (worth) upwards of $25,000 or $30,000.
"We're entitled to it under the Employment Standards Act."
The protesters had vowed to remain until the company at least makes good on its promise to surrender outstanding vacation pay.

They didn't make good ...
background as found

Quote:

Noble Metal closes early
Posted By HEATHER IBBOTSON, EXPOSITOR STAFF
Posted 2 days ago

The last day of work came earlier than expected for employees at Noble Metal Processing when they were told Tuesday morning not to come back to work today.

The Expositor learned that workers arriving for the 7 a. m. shift on Tuesday were called to a 9 a. m. meeting and told that production at the Plant Farm Road facility had been terminated immediately.

"We were told not to come back tomorrow," said one laid-off production worker, who didn't want his name used.

A company representative from Noble International's head office in Troy, Mich., broke the news to employees. About 35 workers are affected by the final layoff.

Management at the Brantford plant referred media inquiries to head office but no one from Michigan returned the Expositor's call on Tuesday.