RE: The future in a "No" VoteI am one of the ones who still has to vote on the TA. I am leaning to vote "yes" from a pure personal selfish reason. Voting yes and going back to work will give me the lump sum and as soon as I can I would take the ERIP/VDIP and get the hell out. I am also at the stage where I can retire early...and that is a good option. My future is friendly, but the rest of my co-workers....not.
One of my concerns is that as part of the settlement, the TWU has to drop the 250 Million dollar class action lawsuit against Telus for mishandling of the Aberta Pension Fund. But then again, Alberta is the Scab capital of canada, so should I care. Second, the TWU would have to drop all petitions to the CIRB...and we would never know how they would rule regarding all the replacement workers Telus has brought in. Third, the new agreement will kill the TWU. This agreement takes all the hard won rights over many strikes and throws all that away.
In my opinion, this battle was lost due to lack of solidarity from Alberta. Also, the TWU did a lousy job of tactical planning. On day one of the lockout...there should have been a massive protest, but that did not happen. The TWU played nice guy over the last 5 years and got taken to the cleaners because Telus played the legal system to a "T" while preparing their contingency plan. It appears being a scab is becomming a respectful career, and I can only say that I hate those people and wish them nothing but bad luck and diasters for the rest of their miserable lives. I just wish that the merger had never taken place...so then Alberta could have all the scabs to themselves.
Now I have to Vote...Its a decision I don't like to make...especially since my job right now is being done in the Phillipines. Vote Yes...get something, vote no, and perhaps get nothing.