Most Finning employees heard the latest “all-employees call” from President and C.E.O Mr. Juan Carlos Villegas. In this phone call he made mention of a further reduction in the work force at Finning Canada. While Local Lodge 99 has no more information on this topic than the membership does, we wanted to remind those close to the bottom of their respective seniority lists of the existence our comprehensive benefit package. Some members may have already gone out and had their or their dependents’ teeth cleaned, their eye glass prescriptions updated or used any of the other negotiated benefits that they have under the collective agreement while employed by Finning Canada. Some may not have utilized those benefits recently. The Union wishes to remind members who may be affected by layoffs to utilize these benefits before it could potentially be too late.
Members also need to know that as per 5.10 in the C.B.A, extended health insurance benefits will be provided for up to four (4) months in the event of layoff. It is also important that members understand that there is an option to purchase an additional 8 months of medical coverage by prepaying the entire cost of the extended health insurance as per Article 5.10(a) in the C.B.A. The Union has found that making this purchase is almost always cheaper than any other plan that can be found in the open market; it will also cover pre-insisting conditions that new plans may not.
It’s also important for Finning and the Union to have a correct address for all members. Any members who are in doubt of this detail should resubmit their address and contact information to both Finning and Local Lodge 99.
Finally, it is important in these trying times that we look out for one another and make sure that we are working safely! Any member who is feeling like their focus is not on-task should notify their supervisor. Some members may also benefit from talking to someone within Finning’s EFAP system.
