McDonald's paying foreign workers more than Canadians

[Anonymous]

^There will always be a job for your kids, especially in Alberta. Don't even worry about that.



As I said, my thoughts on this are mixed. I know there is a skills shortage here in Western Canada. I also know it can be difficult for franchisees in places like Saskatoon, Edmonton and Grande Prairie to find people for low-skilled service jobs. However, this is happening in some places like Nova Scotia which indicates franchisees are gaming the system and worse than that discriminating against Canadians. This will inevitably bring about a federal crackdown which hurts employers who genuinely cannot find workers.

Maybe, I worry too much..



I see the Sobey's and Walmart I shop at always have a sign looking for employees.

[Obvious Li]

^There will always be a job for your kids, especially in Alberta. Don't even worry about that.



As I said, my thoughts on this are mixed. I know there is a skills shortage here in Western Canada. I also know it can be difficult for franchisees in places like Saskatoon, Edmonton and Grande Prairie to find people for low-skilled service jobs. However, this is happening in some places like Nova Scotia which indicates franchisees are gaming the system and worse than that discriminating against Canadians. This will inevitably bring about a federal crackdown which hurts employers who genuinely cannot find workers.

Maybe, I worry too much..



I see the Sobey's and Walmart I shop at always have a sign looking for employees.

yes you worry way too much.......my son runs a big company in Calgary...when she is ready and if you are interested let me know and i will make the phone call....see...easy peasy japaneasy........ :ugeek:

[Anonymous]

^There you go Fash, problem solved. Now stopping asking franchisees to consider the applications of lazy Canadians. ;)

[Romero]

The number of job opportunities in Canada is shrinking, and the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program may be to blame, according to an overlooked comment in a recent report from the Parliamentary Budget Office.



The report also suggests that one-quarter of new jobs in Canada could be going to temporary foreign workers.



New data from StatsCan, released Tuesday, show the number of job openings in Canada continues to shrink, sitting near its lowest points since StatsCan started measuring the data in 2011.



There was an average of 219,000 job vacancies in Canada in 2013, down from 252,000 in 2012, StatsCan reported. Competition for jobs is also growing: There were 6.2 unemployed people per job in 2013, compared to 5.4 unemployed per job the year before.



The PBO report, released last month, suggests that the TFW program may be behind the shrinking job opportunities.



http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04/17/pbo-temporary-foreign-workers_n_5162001.html">//http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04/17/pbo-temporary-foreign-workers_n_5162001.html

[Anonymous]

While we all agree some people have used the Temp Worker Program in a way it was NEVER intended there is still a need for foreign workers.

290,000 jobs went unfilled in Canada in Q2



Toronto, August 22, 2013 – While labour market pressures eased somewhat in the second quarter, 290,000 full- and part-time private sector jobs still went unfilled for four months or more, according to data compiled by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).





The results of the quarterly Help Wanted report are based on responses from 3,526 small business owners, who were surveyed on unfilled jobs in their firms owing to the shortage of qualified labour. Later today, CFIB and Employment Minister Jason Kenney will host a Twitter forum (#cdnjobchat) on these ongoing labour shortages, and possible solutions such as the Canada Job Grant program.



"While the overall vacancy rate dropped to 2.4 per cent (from 2.5 per), the problem continues to be most acute for smaller businesses," said Ted Mallett, CFIB's chief economist and vice-president. "In fact, those with fewer than 4 employees saw an increase in their vacancy rate (4.5 per cent), while larger businesses all saw decreases."





Saskatchewan continues to have the highest provincial vacancy rate in the country, and climbing (4.1). Alberta's rate dipped (3.4), but continues, along with Newfoundland and Labrador's (3.0) to be above the national average. Quebec (2.4), Manitoba (2.5) and British Columbia (2.4) landed right around the average, while Ontario (2.1), New Brunswick (2.0), Nova Scotia (2.0) and Prince Edward Island (1.8) had lower-than-average vacancy rates.





By sector, personal services (3.9) and construction (3.5) had the country's highest vacancy rates, although both saw slight declines from the previous quarter.  Health and education services (2.4) and hospitality (2.8) saw increases in their vacancy rates.





"If you can't find people with the right skills, sometimes you find people, and work on the skills," said CFIB president Dan Kelly. "Programs like the Canada Jobs Grant have significant potential to help on the training front if they reflect the realities of running a small business. I look forward to today's Twitter forum to get the minister's thoughts on these issues."

http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/5388-help-wanted-release.html">http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article ... lease.html">http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/english/article/5388-help-wanted-release.html

[Anonymous]

These kind of abuses are going to bring about a federal crackdown on the entire program.



Who the fuck works at a family restaurant for 28 years?  :o  :o  :o

Sandy Nelson can't fight back the tears as she talks about losing her long-term serving job to temporary foreign workers.



"How can that be right, that they're not Canadians? I'm a Canadian," said Nelson, 58, who worked at Brothers Classic Grill and Pizza [previously called El Rancho] in Weyburn, Sask., for 28 years.



"How can it be that I'm the one out looking for a job and they're the ones that are still employed?"



In March, she and all the staff received letters from the three brothers who own the restaurant.



She says about half of the workers are Canadians. The other half are temporary foreign workers.



"Due to changes in operations we are currently discharging all of our staff," the letter says.



Some of them were subsequently hired back, including two waitresses who are temporary foreign workers.



But Nelson was permanently dismissed.



Since 2002, the federal government has allowed companies to hire temporary foreign workers for jobs they can't fill with Canadians.



Employers are supposed to advertise available positions in hopes of finding Canadian candidates. If no Canadians want the job, they can hire temporary foreign workers after applying for a Labour Market Opinion, a process intended to demonstrate there are no Canadian workers available to do the job.



In recent years, Brothers has brought in workers, including waitresses, through this process.



Now those government-approved temporary foreign workers have jobs, while Nelson continues to look for one.



Nelson says she was planning to retire at Brothers and had every reason to believe that would happen.



She says that at a meeting a few years back, "the three of them [Brothers personnel] were sitting there and they all said as long as we own this place, you'll always have a job with us."



'It's hurtful to be put aside'



Shaunna Jennison-Yung said she was given the same promise.



She worked at the restaurant for 14 years, before she lost her job to temporary foreign workers.

"The jobs they have aren't jobs that nobody wanted. We wanted them," Jennison-Yung explained.



She said to make matters worse, as a supervisor, she was unwittingly training her replacements.



"It's hurtful to be put aside and have people that you trained to do your job now doing your job. It's heartbreaking is what it is."



Brothers restaurant responds



In a written statement to CBC's iTeam, the owners of Brothers acknowledged that the company participates in the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.



"To the best of our information and belief the business is compliant with the program and any changes to operations will be structured to ensure compliance."



And they pointed out "employees are a valuable asset to any business."



"All obligations to any employee are taken seriously. This includes the protection of personal information."



Chris Worswick, a labour economist with Carleton University in Ottawa, said there is increasing anecdotal evidence employers prefer to hire temporary foreign workers.



"I don't see how they can legally choose to not hire Canadian workers who are qualified, who want to work at the advertised wage, and then turn around and ask the government for a temporary foreign worker. My understanding is they should be refused in that situation."



Worswick said temporary foreign workers are tied to the employer who brought them into the country and would have to leave Canada if they lost their jobs.



He said this gives Canadian employers confidence that foreign workers will be hard working and won't take days off.



"I have genuine concern that Canadian employers are distorting the program, sort of breaking the rules, I think explicit rules of the program, to their own advantage."



Brothers situation raises questions, expert says



The chair of Queen's University's School of Policy Studies in Kingston, Ont., said while she doesn't know the specifics of the Brothers situation, on the surface it raises some questions.



"It would certainly be against the spirit, the intent of the program and likely it would be against the letter of the regulations to bring people in and then subsequently displace people as a result of bringing those folks in," said Naomi Alboim.



She worries that Canadian companies are using the temporary foreign worker program before they've done their due diligence and thoroughly examined the Canadian labour market.



"We should only be using temporary foreign workers as the very, very, very last resort." Alboim explained.



She said Canadian companies should do some self-reflection and examine their own wages, working conditions and training programs before looking outside the country.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/waitresses-in-saskatchewan-lose-jobs-to-foreign-workers-1.2615157">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatche ... -1.2615157">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/waitresses-in-saskatchewan-lose-jobs-to-foreign-workers-1.2615157

[Anonymous]

These kind of abuses are going to bring about a federal crackdown on the entire program.



Who the fuck works at a family restaurant for 28 years?  :o  :o  :o

Sandy Nelson can't fight back the tears as she talks about losing her long-term serving job to temporary foreign workers.



"How can that be right, that they're not Canadians? I'm a Canadian," said Nelson, 58, who worked at Brothers Classic Grill and Pizza [previously called El Rancho] in Weyburn, Sask., for 28 years.



"How can it be that I'm the one out looking for a job and they're the ones that are still employed?"



In March, she and all the staff received letters from the three brothers who own the restaurant.



She says about half of the workers are Canadians. The other half are temporary foreign workers.



"Due to changes in operations we are currently discharging all of our staff," the letter says.



Some of them were subsequently hired back, including two waitresses who are temporary foreign workers.



But Nelson was permanently dismissed.



Since 2002, the federal government has allowed companies to hire temporary foreign workers for jobs they can't fill with Canadians.



Employers are supposed to advertise available positions in hopes of finding Canadian candidates. If no Canadians want the job, they can hire temporary foreign workers after applying for a Labour Market Opinion, a process intended to demonstrate there are no Canadian workers available to do the job.



In recent years, Brothers has brought in workers, including waitresses, through this process.



Now those government-approved temporary foreign workers have jobs, while Nelson continues to look for one.



Nelson says she was planning to retire at Brothers and had every reason to believe that would happen.



She says that at a meeting a few years back, "the three of them [Brothers personnel] were sitting there and they all said as long as we own this place, you'll always have a job with us."



'It's hurtful to be put aside'



Shaunna Jennison-Yung said she was given the same promise.



She worked at the restaurant for 14 years, before she lost her job to temporary foreign workers.

"The jobs they have aren't jobs that nobody wanted. We wanted them," Jennison-Yung explained.



She said to make matters worse, as a supervisor, she was unwittingly training her replacements.



"It's hurtful to be put aside and have people that you trained to do your job now doing your job. It's heartbreaking is what it is."



Brothers restaurant responds



In a written statement to CBC's iTeam, the owners of Brothers acknowledged that the company participates in the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.



"To the best of our information and belief the business is compliant with the program and any changes to operations will be structured to ensure compliance."



And they pointed out "employees are a valuable asset to any business."



"All obligations to any employee are taken seriously. This includes the protection of personal information."



Chris Worswick, a labour economist with Carleton University in Ottawa, said there is increasing anecdotal evidence employers prefer to hire temporary foreign workers.



"I don't see how they can legally choose to not hire Canadian workers who are qualified, who want to work at the advertised wage, and then turn around and ask the government for a temporary foreign worker. My understanding is they should be refused in that situation."



Worswick said temporary foreign workers are tied to the employer who brought them into the country and would have to leave Canada if they lost their jobs.



He said this gives Canadian employers confidence that foreign workers will be hard working and won't take days off.



"I have genuine concern that Canadian employers are distorting the program, sort of breaking the rules, I think explicit rules of the program, to their own advantage."



Brothers situation raises questions, expert says



The chair of Queen's University's School of Policy Studies in Kingston, Ont., said while she doesn't know the specifics of the Brothers situation, on the surface it raises some questions.



"It would certainly be against the spirit, the intent of the program and likely it would be against the letter of the regulations to bring people in and then subsequently displace people as a result of bringing those folks in," said Naomi Alboim.



She worries that Canadian companies are using the temporary foreign worker program before they've done their due diligence and thoroughly examined the Canadian labour market.



"We should only be using temporary foreign workers as the very, very, very last resort." Alboim explained.



She said Canadian companies should do some self-reflection and examine their own wages, working conditions and training programs before looking outside the country.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/waitresses-in-saskatchewan-lose-jobs-to-foreign-workers-1.2615157">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatche ... -1.2615157">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/waitresses-in-saskatchewan-lose-jobs-to-foreign-workers-1.2615157

I feel so bad for the people that lost their jobs.

 :(

[Anonymous]

With all the publicity surrounding their dubious dismissal they will get job offers, guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

With all the publicity surrounding their dubious dismissal they will get job offers, guaranteed.

I didn't read any follow up story about them..



I hope it all works out for them.

[Gary Oak]

Slimy, backstabbing Chinese will always find a way to bring in more Candiscams.

[Anonymous]

Slimy, backstabbing Chinese will always find a way to bring in more Candiscams.

If you don't mind Oak, we're trying to discuss a serious issue.

[Obvious Li]

i'm thinking the owners of Brothers restaurant in Weyburn SK. will be keeping a low profile for a while.....that is old style reform country........a city not on Justins future book signing tour...... :ugeek:

[Anonymous]

i'm thinking the owners of Brothers restaurant in Weyburn SK. will be keeping a low profile for a while.....that is old style reform country........a city not on Justins future book signing tour...... :ugeek:

McDonald's is ordering some kind of change to how their franchisees recruit foreign labour. I find it hard to believe that fast food joints in Sask and Alberta will rely on locals any time soon to meet their labour needs.

[Obvious Li]

i'm thinking the owners of Brothers restaurant in Weyburn SK. will be keeping a low profile for a while.....that is old style reform country........a city not on Justins future book signing tour...... :ugeek:

McDonald's is ordering some kind of change to how their franchisees recruit foreign labour. I find it hard to believe that fast food joints in Sask and Alberta will rely on locals any time soon to meet their labour needs.

agreed.....i reference this one case as it is a single entity owner business that laid off a 30 year and an 18 year employee and replaced them with Filipinos...the locals in small town weyburn bitch enough now that they have to repeat their order of pancakes to some non english speaking "mud" person...so i suspect they locals will not look kindly on their friends being replaced by dark faces...Macdonalds in general stated tonight on the news it is going ahead full steam with its TWP hiring policies.......i have mixed feelings about it all...the company i work for hires a lot of Filipino TFWs....they ALL end up staying in canada and bringing their families here......that is good....i like that part of the program......but the owners here get hundreds of applications from local kids.....they just throw them in the garbage and never respond.

[Obvious Li]

it now appears Macdonalds will halt their participation in the program pending a third party review......so look for it to start up again soon