March 4, 2019
Via email: bob.bratina@parl.gc.ca
Bob Bratina
Member of Parliament, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek
40 Centennial Parkway North (Main Office)
Unit 2
Hamilton, Ontario
L8E 1H6
Dear Mr. Bratina:
We write regarding the events last week when Hamilton Steelworkers travelled to Ottawa to
lobby federal MPs to support legislation to protect workers and pensioners in bankruptcy and
insolvency cases.
As you know, the USW delegation visited your Parliament Hill office and asked why you were
not defending steelworkers – and workers and retirees in general – by supporting proposed
reforms to bankruptcy and insolvency legislation to protect pensions and benefits.
We are advised that you then proceeded to launch into a profanity-laced tirade – directed at
Steelworkers as a group as well as an individual member, before ordering the workers to
leave and slamming the door behind them.
This is disrespectful and unacceptable behaviour for any Member of Parliament, and it is
particularly objectionable when it is directed at your own constituents. It also calls into
question your role as the co-chair of the all party steel caucus.
Our Union’s members in Hamilton, your constituents, have suffered enormous hardship as a
result of the cuts to the pensions and retiree benefits suffered by Stelco retirees in Hamilton.
It continues to be a great disappointment to our Union that you will not publicly support the
practical changes to our bankruptcy laws advocated by a number of MPs, including most
prominently Hamilton MP Scott Duvall in his private member’s bill that would protect
workers pensions and benefits.
As I am sure you know, these are challenging-times for the steel industry and steelworkers in
Hamilton. As co-chair of an all party caucus, we would expect that you would take the time to
listen to the concerns of steelworkers, rather than treat them with contempt and aggression.
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On behalf of the more than 225,000 Steelworkers members in Canada, we write to demand
that you do the right thing and publicly apologize to the Steelworkers and our members who
visited your office last Tuesday. Should you fail to do so, we will no longer have any
confidence in your ability to advocate for Hamilton steelworkers, or to act as the co-chair of
the all-party steel caucus.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Neumann Marty Warren
National Director District 6 Director
KN/MW/slq
cc. Tony DePaulo . USW
Tom Walsh, USW
Gary Howe, President USW Local 1005
Tony Ciaramella, President USW Local 5328
David Christopherson, All-party steel caucus
Scott Duvall, All-party steel caucus
Tracey Ramsey, All-party steel caucus
Terry Sheehan, All-party steel caucus
David Sweet, All-party steel caucus
Filomena Tassi, All-party steel caucus
Erin Weir, All-party steel caucus
