Saturday, October 09, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR GATINEAU QUÉBEC:
SECOND ORGANIZED WAL-MART IN NORTH AMERICA:
A recent Labour Board decision has certified a Wal-Mart in Gatineau Québec as the second unionized Wal-Mart on the North American continent. The only other location now represented by a union is also in Québec in St. Hyacinthe. Previous attempts to unionize Wal-Mart in Québec and in locations as far afield as Texas and Weyburn Saskatchewan have been beaten back either legally or by the expedient of simply closing the outlet affected.
The latter is both a favoured threat and a favoured action on the part of Wal-Mart management. The largest example of this was when Wal-Mart decided to withdraw from the whole German market rather than tolerate unions in its stores in that country. The only country where Wal-Mart is happy to coexist with a unionized workforce is...China. In China's case the "union" is, of course, the official government controlled federation which takes its marching orders from the Communist Party. Nothing could be plainer in pointing out the ideological affinity of neo-conservative managerialism and it communist counterpart. Two sides of one coin.
This Board decision may benefit the workers involved only marginally as the wage increases stipulated were only minimal, and the biggest issue, the use and abuse of the part time system, remained outside the Board's decision. Still it shows that even the Wal-Mart colossus is not invulnerable. It is a shame that the unions involved in Wal-Mart organizing are not imbued with at least a minimum of the internationalism and industrial unionism of the anarcho-syndicalist unions or revolutionary syndicalist unions such as the IWW. Things would go much better then.
Be that as it may if you want to follow the misdeeds of Wal-Mart in more detail Molly can suggest the following sites: Wake Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch. It`s almost a classic 'Perils of Pauline' series complete with evil top-hatted capitalist. A refreshing old fashioned morality play in an age when the corporate rulers more often than not adopt fuzzy "progressive" and "new age" public personae. Here`s the story from the CBC.
WMWMWMWMWM
Quebec Wal-Mart workers get rare union deal
Only one other North American Wal-Mart has a collective agreement
CBC News
The contract covers more than 150 employees at the store on Boulevard du Plateau in Gatineau. (CBC) Workers at a Wal-Mart store in Gatineau, Que., have won a new collective agreement, only the second at any Wal-Mart store in North America — but not everyone is celebrating.
A government arbitrator imposed the agreement, after negotiations between the union and retailer were judged to be going nowhere.
The contract covers more than 150 employees at the store on Boulevard du Plateau. It took three years for the United Food and Commercial Workers to unionize the store, and another two years to get the contract.
"We had a first assembly last night to present the first collective agreement that was imposed by the Labour Board of Quebec," said union member Matthieu Allard.
He said the collective agreement gives employees a grievance process, recognizes statutory holidays and considers seniority in determining working hours.
Wages will go up 30 cents an hour this year, and another 30 cents next year. None of the employees, however, would say how much an hour they make now.
The arbitrator modeled it on the contract at the Wal-Mart in St-Hyacinthe, Que., the only other store with such an agreement.
"It might not have been as much as we could have gained in a normal negotiation process, but it's a definite step forward," Allard said.
Some employees at the store think otherwise.
In the parking lot outside the store, Denise Barre said she and her coworkers are disappointed with a 30-cent-an-hour raise, especially when it means paying union dues.
She said only 13 of the 150 employees went to Wednesday night's meeting with the union, which she says shows employees aren't interested.
Barre said she doesn't need this contract.
She said Wal-Mart treats her well and gives her benefits.
In a statement, the company also pointed out that the arbitrator found its wages competitive with other retailers, and adopted the wage scale Wal-Mart proposed.
The union said employees at the store were concerned by Wal-Mart's previous actions at unionized stores, but the Gatineau location is busy, and they hope Wal-Mart will not close it
In 2005, Wal-Mart closed a store in Jonquiere, Que., days before an arbitrator imposed a contract for its employees. The employees took Wal-Mart to court over the closure but lost their case.
In 2008, Wal-Mart also closed a tire shop on Maloney Boulevard in Gatineau after its employees received union certification.
The new agreement has a start date back in 2008, which means the union will be back to negotiating next year.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/10/08/ottawa-wal-mart-deal.html#ixzz11vWkUx1U
Quebec Wal-Mart workers get rare union deal
Only one other North American Wal-Mart has a collective agreement
CBC News
The contract covers more than 150 employees at the store on Boulevard du Plateau in Gatineau. (CBC) Workers at a Wal-Mart store in Gatineau, Que., have won a new collective agreement, only the second at any Wal-Mart store in North America — but not everyone is celebrating.
A government arbitrator imposed the agreement, after negotiations between the union and retailer were judged to be going nowhere.
The contract covers more than 150 employees at the store on Boulevard du Plateau. It took three years for the United Food and Commercial Workers to unionize the store, and another two years to get the contract.
"We had a first assembly last night to present the first collective agreement that was imposed by the Labour Board of Quebec," said union member Matthieu Allard.
He said the collective agreement gives employees a grievance process, recognizes statutory holidays and considers seniority in determining working hours.
Wages will go up 30 cents an hour this year, and another 30 cents next year. None of the employees, however, would say how much an hour they make now.
The arbitrator modeled it on the contract at the Wal-Mart in St-Hyacinthe, Que., the only other store with such an agreement.
"It might not have been as much as we could have gained in a normal negotiation process, but it's a definite step forward," Allard said.
Some employees at the store think otherwise.
In the parking lot outside the store, Denise Barre said she and her coworkers are disappointed with a 30-cent-an-hour raise, especially when it means paying union dues.
She said only 13 of the 150 employees went to Wednesday night's meeting with the union, which she says shows employees aren't interested.
Barre said she doesn't need this contract.
She said Wal-Mart treats her well and gives her benefits.
In a statement, the company also pointed out that the arbitrator found its wages competitive with other retailers, and adopted the wage scale Wal-Mart proposed.
The union said employees at the store were concerned by Wal-Mart's previous actions at unionized stores, but the Gatineau location is busy, and they hope Wal-Mart will not close it
In 2005, Wal-Mart closed a store in Jonquiere, Que., days before an arbitrator imposed a contract for its employees. The employees took Wal-Mart to court over the closure but lost their case.
In 2008, Wal-Mart also closed a tire shop on Maloney Boulevard in Gatineau after its employees received union certification.
The new agreement has a start date back in 2008, which means the union will be back to negotiating next year.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/10/08/ottawa-wal-mart-deal.html#ixzz11vWkUx1U
Labels: Canadian labour, CBC, current events, Gatineau, labour., managerialism, Quebec, tactics, UFCW, Wake Up Wal-mart, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart Watch
Thursday, September 16, 2010
AMERICAN LABOUR:
MOTTS STRIKE ENDS VICTORY OR DEFEAT ?:
Well the strike at the Motts plant in Williamson New York has finally ended after a vigorous continent wide solidarity campaign. Now Molly can go back to buying Clamato juice by the case. Yum ! The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) who are the parent union of the RWDSU who represent the Motts workers are 'declaring victory". Here is their statement from the Canadian website.
MWMWMWMWMW
Mott’s strike ends in victory
The four-month strike by three hundred RWDSU-UFCW Local 220 members at a Mott’s bottling plant in upstate New York has come to a successful conclusion.
Workers at the plant, owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS), have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement by a margin of 3 to 1.
“This is a very important victory for our Local 220 brothers and sisters,” said UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “Their resolve was reinforced by the solidarity and support of UFCW International and UFCW Canada members and local unions across North America through their letters, petitions and boycott of DPS products.”
More than 300 members work at the Mott’s plant in Williamson, New York. With the successful conclusion of the strike, the campaign to boycott DPS products has also come to an end. The conclusion of the work stoppage also marked the end of UFCW Canada's very successful No to Clamato/Down with Caesar campaign, which was widely received by Canadians across the country.
"Our brothers and sisters in Canada were a key part of this fight," says RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. "The donations to the hardship fund we received from Canadians, the support of Members of Parliament, and innovative campaigns like UFCW Canada's "No to Clamato/Down with Caesar" petition drive - all of these things helped Local 220 members know that they were not alone as they fought for good middle class jobs. We are grateful to our brothers and sisters in the UFCW."
MWMWMWMWMW
All, however, is not wine and roses in this agreement. It is, I guess, expected that the unions involved would blow their own horns about "victory". Expected yes, but is it either useful or desirable ? This fault called in old-fashioned language "triumphalism" is hardly restricted to unions or the business world in general. It is a widely spread human tendency. Where it becomes harmful is where the disconnect from reality is so great that pretty well anyone other than a protagonist can see the discrepancy. In such cases the claims do little other than discredit the claimant. This is where it becomes undesirable. It becomes a hindrance ie not useful when it prevents the protagonist from dispassionately analyzing what went wrong and what went right and making future plans. be my guest to judge where the union proclamations of "victory" fall in this case.
Many others outside of those immediately involved have opined that the strike was less than a clear victory. I could quote many sources, but here is a particularly good one from Mike Elk in the Huffington Post. This has been a long running theme on this blog. Truth is usually a messy affair in which one side is never always either right or good. After many years of being "on one side" I have come to accept it as a truism that many on my own side may exaggerate, lie or even be simply out to lunch. In this case I would personally definitely support the Motts strikers, but I don't see the usefulness of lieing and pretending that they achieved an unsullied victory.
MWMWMWMWMW
Was the Mott's Strike "Victory" Really a Victory?
While organized labor spends close to $100 million to propel Democrats to victory in November, members of the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union/UFCW (RWDSU/UFCW) Local 220 on Monday won perhaps labor's most important victory of the fall.
The Mott's applesauce plant workers went on strike in Williamson, N.Y., on May 23, after Mott's parent company, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, demanded what amounted to a $3,000 per year wage cut for every worker across the board, as well as cuts in pension and healthcare. Companies and unions across the country were watching the Mott Applesauce Strike as a sign of bargaining trends to come. So Monday's settlement is being seen as a "victory" because it stopped profitable companies from demanding wage cuts.
But was the "victory" at Mott's really a victory? For the first time, Mott's workers were forced to accept a two-tier employee structure -- a system that breaks union solidarity over the long run by pitting new hires against older employees. Under the new system, new hires will not have guaranteed pension plans like current workers, but instead have riskier 401(k) plans. Likewise, the company will decrease its matching payments to all retirement plans as well as force employees to pay health care contributions of 20 percent.
As Stephen Franklin reported last week, Snapple argued that because the average worker in the Williamson area was making $14 an hour, while Mott's workers were averaging $21 an hour, Mott's workers should accept wage cuts because the local area contained so many workers who would work for less. Mott's demanded this despite boasting one of its best annual profits on record last year--$550 million, up from $312 million the year before.
As Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), an affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, said, "This is the first time a very profitable company has come to us and asked for concessions, and I've been with the union for 23 years."
Yes, the new agreement does "restore" wage levels for current employees. But it also freezes them for three years.
One has to wonder how much of a victory this truly is for labor. At a time when Mott's overall profits are increasing, workers wages' should be increasing. By threatening massive wage cuts, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group was able to force the union to accept small benefit concessions and a two-tier employee system that saves Dr Pepper Snapple money.
The fact that a corporation was able to force these concessions on workers while making record profits is a testament to the weakened state of organized labor, and the desperation of American workers.
Follow Mike Elk on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MikeElk
Labels: American labour, labour., Mott's, New York, RWDSU, strike., triumphalism, truth., UFCW, USA
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:
FARM WORKER DEATHS SHOW NEED FOR CHANGES:
The recent deaths of two Jamaican migrant workers in southern Ontario highlights the need for changes in the system of migrant labour employment. Here's a press release from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) on what happened.
FWFWFWFWFW
Migrant worker fatalities at Ontario farm under investigation
Deaths of two Jamaican seasonal workers at Ontario agriculture operation was “job-related” says Jamaican official
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 12, 2010) -
The cause of death of two Jamaican migrant agriculture workers who died Friday, September 10, at a central Ontario farm is still under investigation. The chief liaison officer in the Jamaica Liaison Service (JLS) in Toronto would only describe it as a "job-related accident".
The two men, aged 36 and 44, were working at the Filsinger's Organic Foods apple orchard and processing facility in Ayton, Ontario - about 70 kilometers south of Own Sound. Their bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in Hanover, Ontario awaiting an autopsy.
Provincial police and the Ontario Ministry of Labour are conducting an investigation. The names of the victims have not been released.
"We are saddened by the death of these two men, and our sincere condolences go out their families," said Wayne Hanley, the National President of UFCW Canada, and the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA).
For more than two decades UFCW Canada has led the campaign for improved safety and workplace rights for migrant and domestic farm workers. UFCW Canada, in association with the AWA, operates ten agriculture worker support centres across Canada, including centres in Leamington, Simcoe, Virgil and Bradford, Ontario.
"The deaths of the two workers in Ayton is a tragic reminder of the dangers and risks in involved in the agriculture sector," said Hanley, the leader of Canada's largest private-sector union.
"Certainly what happened has to be investigated, but at the same time the Ministry of Labour must also take a more proactive role - with stepped up inspections and increased regulations - to reduce and prevent farm place fatalities and accidents."
Jamaican migrant agriculture workers have worked each season in Canada since 1964. This season more than 6,000 Jamaican migrants were employed on over 300 Canadian farms.
/For further information:
www.ufcw.ca
www.awa-ata.ca/
Labels: Canadian labour, deaths, farmworkers, labour., Ontario, UFCW, workplace deaths, workplace safety
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR QUÉBEC:
NEW EXPLOITATION OF FARM WORKERS IN QUÉBEC:
Always in search of new sources of underpaid migrant labour to exploit agribusiness in Québec has finalized a deal with a new source- Honduras. Here's the story from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).
QLQLQLQLQL
Federal Government Asked to Intervene After Quebec Agribusiness Owners
Cut a Deal With Honduras Under Federal Temporary Foreign Workers Program
Migrant agricultural workers from Honduras began toiling in Quebec fields this week, after a Quebec farm lobby group and Honduran officials cut a deal to bring the workers to Canada under the federal government's controversial Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program. The TFW program provides no oversight to prevent the abuse of foreign workers contracted to Canadian employers, yet it is a program the federal government has aggressively been expanding by the tens of thousands of workers.
"The TFW program is the federal government's "Exploitation Express" that delivers migrant workers to Canada as a vulnerable and disposable work force," says Wayne Hanley, the national president of UFCW Canada - the country's largest private sector union.
"The collusion between the farm lobby and the governments is not only appalling, but an assault on the rights and safety of precarious workers who are fired and shipped out if they voice any concerns."
While the newly arrived Honduran workers do have visas and a work permits, the employment contract they are forced to sign clearly states that Canada "has no power to intervene or ensure the contract is enforced" in case of dismissal, abuse or exploitation.
The abuse of migrant workers under TFW program was recently in the news after UFCW Canada and community allies launched a campaign to denounce the nefarious living and working conditions of migrant Guatemalan farm workers. For a number of years workers from Guatemala have been brought to Canada under TFW contracts that force them to sign away some of their basic workplace rights to get the job and keep it.
Yet in spite of the well documented problems with the TFW program, the federal government has begun discussions, along with industrial agriculture lobbyists, to "harmonize" the system; potentially allowing employers even less supervision, as well as passing housing and transportation costs that are now paid for by employers onto the workers.
"The TFW program absolutely has to change," says Hanley, "but what's going on here is the private sector, behind closed doors, calling the shots on employment and immigration policy."
"The abuse has to end - not increase. That will only happen with an open and just public review and reform of the programs that bring temporary workers to Canada," said the UFCW Canada national leader.
"Whether workers come from Honduras, Mexico, the Caribbean, Guatemala, Thailand, the Philippines or other sending countries, the story is the same. They are forced to surrender their human and workplace rights at the border in order to work here. The federal government would say it's not so but a public review would definitely show otherwise."
UFCW Canada has been an ally and advocate for migrant agricultural workers in Canada for more than three decades, and in association with the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA) operates ten agriculture worker support centres across Canada.
Labels: Canadian labour, current events, farm workers, Honduras, labour, migrant workers, Quebec, UFCW
Friday, August 27, 2010
AMERICAN LABOUR PITTSBURGH:
TELL GIANT EAGLE NOT TO SOIL ITS NEST:
Giant Eagle is an American supermarket chain centred on the mid-Atlantic states. Presently this company is waging an anti-union campaign, and the following letter is one of their mendacious tactics. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) are the union attempting to organize in their stores, and the following story and appeal comes from them.
GEGEGEGEGE
Tell Giant Eagle to Respect Worker Rights
Giant Eagle is sending intimidating and misleading letters to its non-union employees, trying to scare them away from talking to UFCW Local 23, the union nearly 7,000 of their coworkers are proud to belong to. Tell Giant Eagle to respect all its workers!
Take a look at the letter Giant Eagle workers have received at home:
Tell Giant Eagle to Respect Worker Rights
Giant Eagle is sending intimidating and misleading letters to its non-union employees, trying to scare them away from talking to UFCW Local 23, the union nearly 7,000 of their coworkers are proud to belong to. Tell Giant Eagle to respect all its workers!
Take a look at the letter Giant Eagle workers have received at home:
Dear Team Member, (cough, cough...Molly )
It has come to our attention that you may be approached by Union organizers, employees of our competitors, and some of your current co-workers, to sign one of their union cards or a list/petition for the Union. We want to take the opportunity to inform you about this matter.
If anyone told you that if you refused to sign up for the Union now, you will not be able to work at our store, that is simply not the case and it makes your signature for the Union invalid.
Let's discuss the union card/list of names, addresses and email addresses. The union may tell you that these cards/lists really don't mean anything. Don't believe them.
First, no one has any legitimate reason to ask you for your address or email address, social security number, home phone number or other identifying information. ( Ohhhh, and how pray tell does the company get all this information for its employees. I guess that "no one" doesn't include the company...Molly )The NLRB only requires your name and the date you signed and nothing else. You must ask yourself why you are asked to give any more information.
The union can actually use your signed card or your name on a list to try to prove that they represent a majority of employees. The union can then demand that we turn over all of your individual rights to them without you having a chance to vote in a secret election. ( But turning over "individual rights" to the company as a condition of employment is OK I guess...Molly )
Signing a union authorization card, or a list for the Union, is a lot like signing a blank check because you don't know how much your signature will cost you. By signing a union card, or the Union's list, you may be committing yourself to initiation fees, monthly dues, fines, penalties, political action funds and other charges. Wouldn't you rather know and have control over where your money is going, and solve whatever problems we may have without outside interfrerence ? ( Who could be more "outside" than management, unless you believe the buddy,buddy 'team member psychoboo ?...Molly )When you sign one of those lists/cards, you really lose that control. How many of you would sign a blank check, endorsed to someone you didn't know ? ( Answer every worker who works for a period of time in the hopeful expectation that they will be paid at the end of that time and that the employer will not declare bankruptcy and skip out on their debts...Molly )
No one can force you to sign anything. If someone tries to threaten or coerce you into signing a union card or petition, or if they commit other illegal acts, please call the NLRB office in Pittsburgh at 412-395-4400.
If you have already signed one of these cards or lists and are having second thoughts about it, you have a right to demand that your card be returned to you or that your name be removed from the list.
It is important to understand that even if you signed a card or their list that you are not obligated to support the union. ( Uhh, but didn't management claim that once you signed the card that you had turned over all your "individual rights" ? It has to be one way or the other...Molly )
Please think about all these things before signing a "blank check" union card.
Sincerely yours,
Dave Daniel
Vice President, GetGo & GEX Operations
A final Molly Note... I'd suggest that the company hire somebody who knows a bit more about grammar and punctuation. Is "union" spelled with a capital U or a small U or whatever you type at the moment ? It would also lend a bit of credibility if the letter writer had a better grasp of the use of commas. But I'm being pedantic here.
Take action - tell Giant Eagle to stop this coercive and manipulative smear campaign.
Take action - tell Giant Eagle to stop this coercive and manipulative smear campaign.
GEGEGEGEGE
THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following letter to the management of Giant Eagle. Unfortunately this solidarity action seems to be restricted to US residents.
GEGEGEGEGE
Giant Eagle: Respect all your workers!
Dear [Decision Maker],
I was deeply disappointed to learn that Giant Eagle has been sending intimidating and misleading letters to its non-union employees.
The entire Pittsburgh community relies upon the good jobs provided by local employers like you and I feel strongly that all Giant Eagle workers deserve the chance to have a voice on the job and the choice to join the union that already represents nearly 6,000 of their coworkers. Workers at non-union Giant Eagle stores have said they feel threatened by misleading and intimidating letters they received from the corporate office. These letters need to stop.
You should treat all of your workers with respect.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
Labels: American labour, Giant Eagle, labour, organizing., solidarity., UFCW
Friday, August 13, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR AMERICAN LABOUR:
NO TO MOTTS:
Seems that the Mott's company is waging a campaign to have the Caesar declared the "national cocktail" of Canada. I never knew that countries had "national cocktails", and I'm sure that this would be an occasion for endless puns. If the idea ever takes off, however, Mott's behavior would probably fit it to be the 'national cocktail' of a place like North Korea. Molly has blogged before on the long standing strike at the Mott's plant in Williamson New York. In response to this latest Canadian campaign the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada have opened a petition in solidarity with their American fellow workers and against the Motts campaign. Here's the story >>>>
MPMPMPMPMP
No to Clamato! Down with Caesar!
Mix one part greed with a big dash of corporate bullying, and what you get is the company behind Mott’s Clamato beverage.
Doesn’t sound very Canadian does it? Well, Mott’s isn’t Canadian, and Clamato isn’t made in Canada — so don’t be fooled by a new campaign to have the Clamato Caesar named the national cocktail of Canada!
Mott’s Clamato is a brand owned by Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) Group — the hugely successful multinational which has tried to force a bitter and malicious cocktail of wage and pension cuts on 300 workers at a very profitable Mott’s plant in Williamson, New York.
That’s why tens of thousands of activists across Canada and the USA have said NO to buying Mott’s products — including Clamato — to show their support for the UFCW/RWDSU Local 220 workers in Williamson, New York.
So add your name to the petition and say “NO to Clamato" and "Down with Caesar” until the DPS/Motts empire stops acting like a bunch of dictators.
No to Clamato! Down with Caesar!
Mix one part greed with a big dash of corporate bullying, and what you get is the company behind Mott’s Clamato beverage.
Doesn’t sound very Canadian does it? Well, Mott’s isn’t Canadian, and Clamato isn’t made in Canada — so don’t be fooled by a new campaign to have the Clamato Caesar named the national cocktail of Canada!
Mott’s Clamato is a brand owned by Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) Group — the hugely successful multinational which has tried to force a bitter and malicious cocktail of wage and pension cuts on 300 workers at a very profitable Mott’s plant in Williamson, New York.
That’s why tens of thousands of activists across Canada and the USA have said NO to buying Mott’s products — including Clamato — to show their support for the UFCW/RWDSU Local 220 workers in Williamson, New York.
So add your name to the petition and say “NO to Clamato" and "Down with Caesar” until the DPS/Motts empire stops acting like a bunch of dictators.
MPMPMPMPMP
THE PETITION
Please go to the UFCW.CA website to see and sign the following petition and also to play their exciting online game of 'bean the Mott's executive'.
MPMPMPMPMP
I say NO to Clamato and Down with Caesar because of DPS/Mott’s shameful treatment of UFCW/RWDSU Local 220 workers in Williamson, New York. Canadians believe in justice, fairness and honesty — not the malice now being served up by Clamato headquarters.
Labels: American labour, Canadian labour, labour, Mott's, Mott's strike, solidarity., strike., UFCW
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR:
SUPPORT GUATEMALAN MIGRANT LABOUR IN CANADA:
When one thinks of migrant labour in Canada one usually thinks of Mexico, but there are large numbers of workers from other Central American nations presently in Canada, and they perhaps have even less protection than the Mexicans whose situation is already a national scandal. Here's a news item and appeal from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union about this situation.
CLCLCLCLCL
New campaign calls for action on Guatemalan migrant abuse
UFCW Canada and the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA) are spearheading a new campaign to denounce the systematic abuse and violation of the rights of Guatemalan farm workers who come to Canada through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP).
The campaign, called No More Injustice and Oppression against Migrants!, calls attention to the illegal treatment of Guatemalan workers and the degrading terms of a contract imposed on them by FERME, an employer association, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – an intergovernmental agency mandated to “promote humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all,” according to its website.
“Over 4,000 Guatemalan workers come to Canada every year to harvest our food and make one our most important industries possible,” says Andrea Galvez, coordinator of the AWA Centre in Saint-Remi, Quebec, where many Guatemalan migrants work. “But we repeatedly hear from Guatemalan migrants who are degraded and demoralized by the individuals and organizations who cash-in on the temporary foreign workers program.”
Workers are recruited in Guatemala by the IOM and must ante up a $400.00 deposit – a huge amount of money for the average Guatemalan – before they’re allowed to work in Canadian fields. If the worker refuses to obey the outrageous terms listed in the contact, he or she can be terminated and the deposit is not returned, which is a terrifying prospect for workers because they generally borrow from friends and family to get the cash.
Although the TFWP is administered by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), the contract imposed on migrants does not allow the ministry to intervene in the terms of work. Once the contract is signed, the worker is brought in and left to the mercy of employers.
UFCW Canada and the AWA are strongly urging Canadian authorities to open an official investigation into FERME and the IOM’s management of the project, and are calling for immediate and substantive reforms to the TFWP.
All activists are encouraged to join this fight by sending messages and by using their social networks to help spread the word by posting links to the campaign page.
CLCLCLCLCL
THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following letter to (shudder) Prime Minister Steven Harper in support of Guatemalan migrant workers in Canada.
CLCLCLCLCL
Dear Prime Minister:
Approximately 4,000 Guatemalan men and women come to work in the Canadian agriculture industry every year. As you know, they enter Canada through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, which has been widely criticized since it was introduced over seven years ago because it offers even less protection for migrants who come to Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP).
Workers are recruited in Guatemala by the IOM and have to accept a series of inhumane conditions to come to Canada. Although the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training is administered by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), the contract imposed on migrants does not allow the ministry to intervene in the terms of work. Once the contract is signed, the worker is brought in and left to the mercy of employers. I am writing to strongly request a complete review of the pilot project and the dehumanizing contract it imposes on workers.
I am asking Canadian authorities to open an official investigation into FERME and IOM’s management of the pilot project. I also want to make sure that those workers willing to come forward and file complaints will be heard without fear of deportation, and that workers already fired for voicing their concerns are given the opportunity to be heard as well.
Moreover, I am asking for the creation of a neutral body that will regulate the program and ensure acceptable working conditions and fair treatment.
We all have an interest in creating a strong Canadian agriculture industry. However, we cannot allow this to be done at the expense of workers’ rights and Canada’s well earned international reputation for decency and fairness. I strongly urge you to demonstrate leadership on this issue by doing the right thing.
Sincerely,
Labels: Canada, Canadian labour, Guatemalan workers, labour, migrant workers, solidarity., UFCW
Thursday, April 22, 2010
AMERICAN LABOUR- MASSACHUSETTS:
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY SUPERVALU:
Since last month workers at the Shaw Supermarket distribution centre in Methuen MA have been on strike. Supervalu is the parent company of Shaw, and even though they basically set the negotiations for their subsidiary they refuse to acknowledge their responsibility. The following appeal from the Jobs With Justice group asks that you support the workers by putting pressure on Supervalu.
SVSVSVSVSVSVSVSV
Tell Supervalu to be good Parents!
Support Striking Shaw's Grocery Workers
Supervalu, the parent company of New England grocery store chain Shaw's, is behaving badly. The 310 workers from Shaw's Supermarkets Distribution Center in Methuen, MA, members of UFCW Local 791, have been on strike for almost 7 weeks. Although Supervalu is the driving force behind negotiations, they refuse to take responsibility and come back to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith. They claim that they are not responsible for their subsidiary Shaw's.
Call and write Supervalu today to tell them to be good parents and settle the strike now!
- Call Supervalu CEO Craig Herkert at (952) 828-4000
- Send a fax to Supervalu http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/supervalu/wukd7sd9y7mbw3k3?
Last month, union workers at Shaw's distribution center voted to go out on strike after the company refused to return to the bargaining table. Workers rejected a company proposal that would have increased employees' health insurance payments, resulting in a net loss of pay.
To make matters worse, the company is threatening to permanently replace all striking workers, placing all the workers at the distribution center's jobs in peril. Shaw's followed up its refusal to bargain with an announcement that they were going to lay off 4% of the workers in its local stores. Then the company announced that, "store associates who are laid off will be offered positions at the Methuen, Mass., distribution center as permanent replacements for 300 striking workers." Then the company announced it was ending health benefits for the workers it has refused to bargain with.
The new CEO Supervalu, Craig Herkert is the former president/CEO of Wal-Mart's operations in North and South America. Supervalu could pay him an annual bonus of more than $2.5 million if the company meets certain "targets" for net earnings. In January, the company announced quarterly net earnings of $109 million. Supervalu is the parent company for grocery stores nationwide, including Albertson's, Jewel-Osco, Cub Foods, Shopper's food Warehouse, and Acme among others. Tell Supervalu to be good parents and settle the strike now!
You can take action on this alert either via email (please see directions below) or via the web at: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/supervalu/wukd7sd9y7mbw3k3? Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/supervalu/forward/wukd7sd9y7mbw3k3?
We encourage you to take action by June 30, 2010
Tell Supervalu to be good Parents!
Support Striking Shaw's Grocery Workers
----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I support Shaw's Methuen Warehouse workers in their struggle fora fair contract and a living wage with decent benefits. I am writing to express my outrage that your company has forced hundreds of Shaw's warehouse workers onto a picket line to protect good jobs in their community and affordable health care, and has threatened to replace your workers.
Supervalu, as Shaw's parent company, has a responsibility to ensure that Shaw's comes back to the table to negotiate a fair contract. Shaw's cut off health care coverage for strikers and their families, ignoring the plea from U.S. Congressman Michael E.Capuano (D-MA) to reinstate their coverage. The company announced a lay-off of 1,000 workers in their retail stores and offered them positions in the Methuen warehouse in an attempt to permanently replace the strikers.
Many respected voices including political, religious, labor and community leaders have asked Shaw's to come back to the table. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick sent a letter to the UFCW and to Shaw's on April 12 in which he offered to mediate a settlement and Shaw's refused to participate. I urge you to sit down at the bargaining table and bargain in good faith in order to work out a reasonable and fair agreement so that the hardworking men and women at your Methuen, Mass.,warehouse can go back to work and resume their lives.
Labels: American labour, labour, Massachusetts, Shaw Foods, solidarity., strike, Supervalu, UFCW, USA
Saturday, April 10, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR-ALBERTA:
END THE HARVEST OF DEATH:
It has been only 14 months since the workplace death of Kevan Chandler in Alberta, but in that short time there have been 13 other farm worker deaths in that province. Across the country there have been 59 such deaths. This carnage must stop. Here's a story and appeal from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) who are campaigning to have Alberta apply the simple minimum protection that other workers enjoy to farm workers in that province.
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Premier Stelmach: End the Harvest of Death!
Premier Ed Stelmach: 14 months and
13 deaths later and still no action
It’s been 14 months since Justice Peter Barley told Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach that farm workers in Alberta should be granted the same health and safety rights as everyone else.
Despite asking Justice Barley for his advice, the Premier doesn’t want to hear it, and farm workers are paying the price.
After being asked by the Premier to investigate the workplace death of farm worker Kevan Chandler, Justice Barley found that farm workers must be included in Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to prevent future workplace injuries and deaths.
To date, Premier Stelmach has ignored that advice, and since then 13 more people have been killed on Alberta farms in work-related accidents.
Since Kevan Chandler died at work on Father’s Day nearly four years ago, an additional 59 people have been killed in agriculture-related accidents.
As the leader of a majority government, Premier Stelmach is the “decider”. He has the power to save lives with stroke of a pen by granting basic health and safety rights to farm workers – they’re the same rights that most of us already have.
Tell Premier Stelmach to do the right thing by ending the deadly discrimination against Alberta farm workers.
Click here to tell Premier Stelmach: End the Harvest of Death!
Premier Stelmach: End the Harvest of Death!
Premier Ed Stelmach: 14 months and
13 deaths later and still no action
It’s been 14 months since Justice Peter Barley told Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach that farm workers in Alberta should be granted the same health and safety rights as everyone else.
Despite asking Justice Barley for his advice, the Premier doesn’t want to hear it, and farm workers are paying the price.
After being asked by the Premier to investigate the workplace death of farm worker Kevan Chandler, Justice Barley found that farm workers must be included in Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to prevent future workplace injuries and deaths.
To date, Premier Stelmach has ignored that advice, and since then 13 more people have been killed on Alberta farms in work-related accidents.
Since Kevan Chandler died at work on Father’s Day nearly four years ago, an additional 59 people have been killed in agriculture-related accidents.
As the leader of a majority government, Premier Stelmach is the “decider”. He has the power to save lives with stroke of a pen by granting basic health and safety rights to farm workers – they’re the same rights that most of us already have.
Tell Premier Stelmach to do the right thing by ending the deadly discrimination against Alberta farm workers.
Click here to tell Premier Stelmach: End the Harvest of Death!
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Please go to this link from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start to send the following message in support of Alberta farmworkers to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.
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Dear Premier Stelmach:
I am writing to you to express my displeasure over your government’s inaction in providing farm workers in Alberta coverage under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.A. 2000 CH.0-2.
In the Public Fatality Inquiry into the death of farm worker Kevan Chandler, Judge Peter Barley recommended that farm workers be covered under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Mr. Premier the death of one farm worker is one too many, yet Alberta has averaged nineteen farm worker deaths per year since 1997. I urge you and your government to take a proactive role in preventing further industry deaths and join the national consensus by immediately implementing the recommendation of Judge Barley and give Occupational Health and Safety coverage to the farm workers of Alberta.
Labels: Alberta, Canadian labour, Corporate criminals, deaths, Ed Stelmach, farmworkers, labour, Labour Start, petitions, solidarity., UFCW
Saturday, March 20, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR- ALBERTA:
THE HARD LIFE IN THE FIELDS OF ALBERTA:
Canada plays host to an increasing number of foreign temporary workers, and their lot is not an easy one. Unless they have the good fortune to be represented by a union they pretty much fall outside of the normal legal protections that Canadian workers enjoy. Here's a story from Alberta about just how grasping their employers can be. From a press release by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union...
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Alberta stats confirm frontline evidence of foreign worker abuse
Workplace violation statistics released as UFCW Canada delegation and allies gather for national conference on challenges faced by immigrants and foreign workers
March 18, 2010 — The violation of the workplace rights of many Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) in Alberta “reinforces what we’ve reported for years now,” says Wayne Hanley, the National President of UFCW Canada. “Except for locations where those workers have a union, TFWs in Alberta and across Canada are regular targets for exploitation and workplace abuse.”
Alberta stats confirm frontline evidence of foreign worker abuse
Workplace violation statistics released as UFCW Canada delegation and allies gather for national conference on challenges faced by immigrants and foreign workers
March 18, 2010 — The violation of the workplace rights of many Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) in Alberta “reinforces what we’ve reported for years now,” says Wayne Hanley, the National President of UFCW Canada. “Except for locations where those workers have a union, TFWs in Alberta and across Canada are regular targets for exploitation and workplace abuse.”
UFCW Canada is Canada’s largest private sector union, and represents thousands of TFWs under collective agreements. These agreements protect these TFWs against workplace violations, require health and safety information in the workers’ language, and provide a legal pathway for these workers to permanent Canadian residency.
“So the story for UFCW Canada members who are Temporary Foreign Workers is positive. But outside the union, TFWs are treated by thousands of employers like disposable commodities, with no respect for their safety or other workplace rights. The latest stats from Alberta back that up.”
The UFCW Canada president’s remarks come in the wake of newly released Alberta Ministry of Labour inspection statistics that show that of the 407 Alberta TFW workplaces inspected this year, 74% of those employers had violated the Employment Standards Act regarding pay rates and record keeping. The data was released by the Alberta NDP, which obtained the records under a Freedom of Information application. ( In other words the Alberta government had to be squeezed to provide the information- Molly )
“We agree with the Alberta NDP and the Alberta Federation of Labour that the federal government’s TFW program needs to be revised to fully respect the human and labour rights of these vulnerable workers. That should also include the right to build a permanent life in Canada for these workers and their families. And that goes across this country — not just Alberta,” said Hanley.
“Unless you’re unionized, the treatment of Temporary Foreign Workers continues to be a national disgrace,” says Naveen Mehta, Director of Human Rights, Equity and Diversity, UFCW Canada.
Mehta is also one of a 25 UFCW Canada delegates from across the country who are attending the 12th Annual Metropolis Conference on Immigration and Diversity being held in Montreal. UFCW Canada is presenting and participating as one of the country’s leading advocates, in the community and on the front lines, for migrant workers in Canada.
“The federal government has to stop turning a blind eye to what happens to these workers once they get to Canada,” says Mehta. “Canada was built on generations of immigrants. That is a proud legacy that is being cast aside by federal migrant worker programs that treat these workers like inputs and not people. We are here with our allies to change that.”
Labels: Alberta, Canadian labour, farmworkers, immigrants, labour, temporary workers, UFCW
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR-WINNIPEG:
CNIB STRIKERS/LOCKED OUT WORKERS SUPPORTED BY CLIENTS:
The CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) strike/lockout began yesterday March 15 here in Winnipeg. I have to admit that there is one thing that has always puzzled me about labour law here in Canada. Quite frankly I can't see any advantage to employers being the first to "draw their guns" and declare a lockout on the eve of an impending strike. If anything they should wait until labour "makes the first move" in terms of public support. Labour is certainly always happy to declare that they are locked out as opposed to being on strike, and to me the advantages of this are obvious. Could somebody more familiar with the law enlighten me ?
In any case the union, Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, has certainly been quick off the bat in garnering public support for their positions. Here, from their website, is a story about how clients of the CNIB have rallied behind the workers that serve them. Rather inspiring actually as management has been rather treacherous to clients in the past while workers have defended them.
Please refer to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog as well as the Local website for further coverage of this strike.
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Clients who use CNIB Services outraged
Will support striking CNIB staff on picket line.
UFCW Local 832 members working at Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB) will have the support of the people they help in Manitoba on the picket line at 1080 Portage Avenue.
Will support striking CNIB staff on picket line.
UFCW Local 832 members working at Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB) will have the support of the people they help in Manitoba on the picket line at 1080 Portage Avenue.
Many of the clients that receive assistance from the staff at CNIB are ready to show their support and walk with them in hopes the remaining issue of paid sick leave can be resolved.
“I think it’s appalling that this strike is taking place. The support workers and everyone on strike have been very good to us, and they were there for us when CNIB closed down our specialty store in 2007. So we want them to know they have our support and hopefully the CNIB will put an end to this strike quickly,” said Eric Mackinder who is a client at the CNIB and the Winnipeg Chapter President for the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians.
The members at CNIB have already agreed to the company’s proposal of a wage freeze in the first year and their proposal of 2.5 per cent in the second year. The unionized staff at CNIB is paid generally $5 less per hour less than other non-profit organizations in the province. The remaining issues are over the reductions to the paid sick leave and long term disability the members have had since their first collective agreement. Both of which the company has stated at the bargaining table are not being abused.
Labels: Canadian labour, CNIB, CNIB strike, labour, labour law, local events, lockouts, strike, UFCW, UFCW Local 832, Winnipeg, Winnipeg Wobbly Blog
Saturday, March 13, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR-WINNIPEG:
CNIB WORKERS SET TO STRIKE ON MONDAY:
Nineteen employees of the Canadian national Institute for the Blind (CNIB), represented by Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), are set to strike this coming Monday, March 15. Contract negotiations have been dragging on for almost a year, and management has proved intransigent despite offers of concessions from the union. Here's the story from the CBC. Many thanks to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog who alerted Molly to this development and plan to be following the situation as it develops.
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CNIB workers prepare to picket
Workers at Winnipeg's Canadian National Institute for the Blind are preparing to walk off the job on Monday.
CNIB workers prepare to picket
Workers at Winnipeg's Canadian National Institute for the Blind are preparing to walk off the job on Monday.
Union members on Thursday voted down the CNIB's final contract offer, after negotiating with management for close to a year.
The union is willing to accept a wage freeze in the first year of a new deal but not the proposed reductions to paid sick leave and long-term disability, said United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 832 president Robert Ziegler.
'The company has taken a hard line on a non-issue.'—Robert Ziegler, union president
"The membership is outraged that after spending nearly a year at the bargaining table and being understanding on monetary issues that the company would force a reduction in their health and wellness benefits when it has never been a problem," Ziegler said.
The 19 union members who work at the CNIB perform various duties assisting people living in the province who have visual impairment.
Contract negotiations started in April 2009 and in July 2009, a government-appointed conciliator was brought on to try helping the two sides reach a deal.
"The company has taken a hard line on a non-issue and unfortunately they are demonstrating to the people in the province who need these services that they would rather force our members on a picket line instead of helping them," said Ziegler.
There are no plans to continue negotiations as the company stated this was their final offer, he added.
However, the union is willing to meet with the company over the weekend prior to the Monday morning picket, if they are willing to move off this issue, Ziegler said.
There's been no comment from the CNIB.
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Here is a posting from the website of Local 832 from which much of the article above was derived. Keep tuned to the union's website for further news.
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CNIB members in Manitoba set to strike on Monday
Company pushes members to the streets over non-issue.
UFCW Local 832 members working at the Winnipeg Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) at 1080 Portage voted down the company’s final offer on March 11.
Company pushes members to the streets over non-issue.
UFCW Local 832 members working at the Winnipeg Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) at 1080 Portage voted down the company’s final offer on March 11.
“The membership is outraged that after spending nearly a year at the bargaining table and being understanding on monetary issues that the company would force a reduction in their health and wellness benefits when it has never been a problem” said UFCW Local 832 President Robert Ziegler.
Negotiations started in April 2009 and have been assisted through a government appointed conciliation officer since July 2009 with all the items being agreed upon, including a wage freeze in the first year but the members refuse to budge on CNIB’s stance to change its paid sick leave.
“Our members have been very understanding to the financial constraints that CNIB is currently under. They are long standing employees have been with the company for many years. They have agreed to take a wage freeze and a small increase in the second year of the contract. The only outstanding item is the company’s stance to reducing its sick time pay, which the company admitted during negotiations hasn’t been abused,” said Ziegler.
The 19 members working at the CNIB perform various duties assisting people living in the province who have visual impairment.
“The company has taken a hard line on a non-issue and unfortunately they are demonstrating to the people in the province who need these services that they would rather force our members on a picket line instead of helping them,” said Ziegler.
Currently, members who have five years of service or more are entitled to 15 weeks of 100 per cent paid sick leave should they need it. The company wants to reduce it to 10 days at 100 per cent then whatever days that member has not used to-date under its “sick time cushion” 100 per cent of a potential 10 days but the remaining time will be at 67 percent. Currently, if a member does not use their sick leave it’s not carried over or can be cashed out. The company also proposed a reduction to the long term disability from 67 per cent to 60 per cent of their eligible earnings.
There are no plans to continue negotiations as the company stated this was their final offer. The union is willing to meet with the company over the weekend prior to the Monday morning picket, if they are willing to move off this issue.
Labels: Canadian labour, CBC, CNIB, labour, local news, Manitoba, strike, UFCW, UFCW Local 832, Winnipeg, Winnipeg Wobbly Blog
Friday, February 05, 2010
CANADIAN LABOUR-MOOSE JAW:
AN XL BEEF BOYCOTT -FINALLY:
Last November 24 Molly reported (one of three reports on the subject here at Molly's Blog) on the call on the part of locked out workers at XL Foods in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan for a boycott of XL products. At the time I had some rather harsh words for the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) and their hesitation in calling for such a boycott. That hesitation, I am happy to say, is over, and the SFL has called for a boycott in support of the workers who have been locked out since the beginning of last September. Better late than never I guess. Here's the story from The Canadian Cattlemen.
MJMJMJMJMJMJMJ
Sask. unions call for XL boycott over lockout:
With no new talks in sight to end a lockout at XL Foods' beef processing plant at Moose Jaw, Sask., the province's labour leaders have called for a boycott of the Alberta parent company's beef.
With no new talks in sight to end a lockout at XL Foods' beef processing plant at Moose Jaw, Sask., the province's labour leaders have called for a boycott of the Alberta parent company's beef.
As of Wednesday, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada) Local 1400, which represents 200 employees at the Moose Jaw plant, reported no bargaining dates have been set and XL Foods has yet to respond since the workers voted in October to reject its last offer.
The workers, who have been without a contract since the end of January, came back in September from a five-month shutdown to be greeted by a company-imposed lockout, then rejected an XL Foods contract offer later that month.
"XL Foods locked out those workers to put pressure on them to accept concessions at the bargaining table," the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour said in a statement.
The Regina-based SFL, the overarching body for unionized labour in the province, urged in its statement that consumers "ask where (the) meat comes from" at grocery stores and meat markets, and not to buy if the answer is XL Foods.
"If you are at a restaurant, ask where the beef is coming from; if the answer is XL Foods, consider some other product," the SFL said.
It also recommended that consumers ask those questions every time they buy beef, as businesses may switch suppliers often for better pricing.
UFCW president Norm Neault said recently members have been distributing leaflets with the same general message.
Neault said he had yet to hear from XL but recently had heard from a provincial conciliator.
Unionized employees walking the line at the Moose Jaw facility recently got a boost in picket pay, he said, as affiliated unions in the U.S. raised money to support the locked-out staff.
That news was offset by a recent ruling from the federal Employment Insurance program, which according to Neault said the locked-out workers are not entitled to EI benefits relating to their layoffs beyond XL's originally scheduled recall date of Sept. 28, 2009. The company by that time had announced the lockout.
The UFCW noted that its Local 401 is also currently in talks with XL at the company's Calgary beef plant. UFCW-represented staff at that plant have been working under the terms of their last contract, which expired at the end of March 2009.
Bargaining sessions between the union and XL in Calgary are scheduled for Feb. 23 and 25, UFCW staff in Regina said.
Bargaining is also expected to begin in early 2010 for unionized staff at XL's plant at Brooks, Alta.
Labels: boycotts., Canadian Cattlemen, Canadian labour, labour, lockouts, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, SFL, UFCW, XL Beef, XL Beef Boycott
Monday, December 21, 2009
CANADIAN LABOUR-MOOSE JAW:
UFCW SOLIDARITY WITH LOCKED OUT WORKERS IN MOOSE JAW:
Looks like it's "celebrating the donations" time here at Molly's Blog. Following the previous article here's another good news story as the UFCW from across the continent have raised $86,000 as a donation for workers locked out by XL Beef in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. Yeah, I know it's not the centre of the universe, just as here in Manitoba the plight of workers locked out by Tembec in Pine Falls hardly blips onto the world screen. Multiply these isolated incidents in out of the way places to what they actually are, however, and you see a vicious pattern of managerial assault on ordinary workers.
The following is a "good news story", just as the previous 'Operation Christmas Cheer' reported here at Molly's Blog is such a thing. I suppose, however, that I have to get my "grouch" in. It has been some time since the UFCW asked the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour to support a boycott of XL Beef. The SFL spokesman came out with a disparaging statement about the idea, and since that time little has been heard about it. Can anyone say "death by neglect" ? It seems as if the UFCW Union is unwilling to publicly challenge the SFL about their lack of action. Too bad. This is one of the many instances that point to the need for independent voices, not just in Canada's unions but amongst "the left" in general, voices that are not mouthpieces for this or that organization. Too much get swept under the carpet. The SFL should be challenged to say whether it is or is not willing to support such a boycott and to give its reasons if not. My own opinion, for what it is worth is that, given the fact that XL Beef is marketed internationally, that the UFCW should go ahead with a boycott whether they have the support of the SFL or not.
OK, enough preaching. Here's the story from the Moose Jaw Times.
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UFCW stands behind local XL Beef employees:
$86,000 US.
That’s how much United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) from across North America gave local XL Beef employees currently on lock out on Friday.
$86,000 US.
That’s how much United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) from across North America gave local XL Beef employees currently on lock out on Friday.
“It may seem at times this is a fight you’re taking on by yourself, but you’re not by yourself,” UFCW vice president and food processing and packing director Mark Lauritsen told about 60 local workers, who were picketing across the road from XL Beef plant.
Lauritsen said the fight was important not just in Moose Jaw, but to anyone who works in the beef-packing industry in Canada and the U.S.
Lauritsen then presented UFCW Local 1400 president Norm Neault with an envelope containing $86,000, which the union collected from its members in from both countries following a recent sector meeting.
Labels: Canadian labour, labour, lockouts, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, SFL, solidarity., UFCW, XL Beef
Sunday, December 06, 2009
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:
THE MONTRÉAL MASSACRE- 20 YEARS AFTER:
It was 20 years ago that Marc Lepine went on a rampage at the École Polytechnique in Montréal. Blaming "feminists" for his failures in life he entered that engineering school armed with a semi-automatic rifle and a hunting knife. In the end 14 people, all women, were dead and 14 others, ten of them women, were injured. Lepine ended by killing himself. The full details of the incident can be read at a Wikipedia article on the subject.
Since that day November 6 has become an officially recognized 'National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women'. Here in Winnipeg two events were held today, one a showing of the film 'Polytechnique' at the University of Winnipeg and the other a candlelight vigil in front of the office of Conservative MP Shelley Glover. Tomorrow there will be a candlelight march beginning at 7:30 am (!!!) from the Union Centre at 275 Broadway to the Legislature down the road. A memorial service will follow. Here are several statements on the import of this day. First, from the Canadian Labour Congress.
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National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women December 6, 2009:
Posted: Friday, 27 November 2009
On December 6th, we mourn the 14 women killed in Montreal in 1989. On this day we remember all women who are murdered or experience violence by partners, family members and strangers throughout this country. On this day we recommit to take action against all forms of violence against women in our society.
Posted: Friday, 27 November 2009
On December 6th, we mourn the 14 women killed in Montreal in 1989. On this day we remember all women who are murdered or experience violence by partners, family members and strangers throughout this country. On this day we recommit to take action against all forms of violence against women in our society.
This December 6th will mark 20 years since those 14 young women were murdered in Montreal simply because they were women. Ironically, as this anniversary approaches, our government is trying to do away with the firearms registry, the one concrete measure taken to reduce gun violence against women.
We recognize that ending this violence will only be possible when all women in Canada live in economic and social equality. We know that fighting violence requires governments to pursue an integrated legal, social and economic agenda.
For twenty years, women have been waiting for action. Twenty years is too long. On this anniversary of the December 6th murders, Canadians can take action to demand a serious government commitment to ending violence against women.
The Canadian Labour Congress has developed a campaign asking Canadians to send 20 postcard messages to the federal government. The campaign is called “20 Days 20 Ways to End Violence Against Women”.
Beginning on November 16th, Canadians can send a postcard every day to the Prime Minister to remind him that we need action now.
The CLC’s 20 Days 20 Ways campaign recognizes that a law and order agenda will never end violence against women. Women need a series of comprehensive social and economic policies including:
*maintaining the long gun registry, which has reduced gun-related spousal homicides by 50% since it was started.
*access to affordable, safe housing;
*a living minimum wage;
*effective pay equity laws;
*a national publicly-funded child care programme;
*equal access to Employment Insurance;
*access to justice, including the resources to challenge discriminatory government action and legal aid;
*increased governmental support for women’s centres, rape crisis centres and women’s shelters;
*legal protection and support for women who report sexual assault.
Rather than promoting women’s equality, the federal government is severely limiting women’s capacity to organize, advocate and lobby. They won’t support women’s equality in the workplace and have limited women’s rights to challenge discrimination before the courts.
Canadians cannot accept an erosion of our hard-won and still fragile equality rights. We will not be silenced by the socially conservative government agenda.
We call on the federal government to reverse its policy decisions on childcare, pay equity, the gun registry, the Court Challenges Program and Status of Women Canada. We call on the government to drop its law and order agenda and instead, develop an effective women’s equality agenda.
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Also, from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
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20 years later, remember and take action:
December 4, 2009 01:11 PM
This December 6 marks the 20th year that we remember and mourn the 14 women who were shot and killed at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989.
December 4, 2009 01:11 PM
This December 6 marks the 20th year that we remember and mourn the 14 women who were shot and killed at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989.
While December 6 is a day of remembrance, it has also become a national day of action to address the many outstanding issues that continue to threaten the safety and security of women.
CUPE is participating in the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) December 6 postcard campaign, which outlines 20 different measures that the federal government can take to improve the safety and security of women.
At our recent national convention, the National Women’s Committee highlighted the issue of violence against women by encouraging delegates to participate in The Handkerchief Project to end violence against women and girls.
The money raised was matched by CUPE National and a donation was sent to the Sisters in Spirit, an organization addressing violence against Aboriginal women - in particular the high rates of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.
In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the tragic events of December 6, CUPE has updated its poster “Until all Women are Free to Be”, available from the Equality Branch.
There are ceremonies across the country honouring the memory of those women who died on December 6. We encourage CUPE locals and members to participate in these events in your communities.
CUPE will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure that women have economic and social security so that they truly can be safe at home, at work, and in our communities
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And from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
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December 6 — National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:
04/12/2009
Downloadthe 2010 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada poster
December 6 — National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:
04/12/2009
Downloadthe 2010 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada poster
December 6, is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women – still one of the most important days of commemoration on our calendar. It marks the sombre anniversary of the day in 1989 when a disturbed young man used a rifle to murder 14 women at a Montreal engineering school – singling them out simply for being women.
Most of us remember vividly learning the grim details of the Montreal massacre as the news emerged. Such a calamitous event, it was fair to think, would certainly result in positive changes for women in the future. And there have been changes for the better – the general awareness of issues involving violence against women has definitely grown.
But, 20 years from the Montreal tragedy, are we really farther ahead? Awareness and education are vital factors, but women are still victims of violence with alarming regularity. And today our federal government continues to procrastinate and even move backwards on legislation and policies that affect women’s safety and well-being.
At a time when vision and action are needed, the Harper Conservative government is sadly lacking. Programs that would help women are being cut or ignored rather than growing or being enhanced. The 20th anniversary of the events in Montreal must be a wake-up call to our leaders to take action for positive change for women in Canada.
In solidarity,
Wayne Hanley
National President
In solidarity,
Wayne Hanley
National President
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Many other statements could be appended, and I am sure that they would all express noble and lofty sentiments. There is a problem here, however. Most of these statements express the sentiment that the government must do something. Such opinions are, of course, common in any statist society where it is seeming "common sense" that for anything to be done effectively it has to be done by government. It is, however, sad to see this way of thinking expressed by labour groups who should know better than others that government action tails effective action by those most concerned rather than initiates it. At best government action makes achieving a certain goal that many people are already working towards a little bit easier. It never initiates such action, and it quite often derails and prevents such civil society action from achieving the fullest expression of its goals.
That doesn't mean that such legislation should be opposed, though I think the long gun registry is one piece of repressive legislation that should be abolished. It can, after all, have minor benefits. In relation to the subject of women and their advancement one should ask the old chicken and egg question. How many of the gains that women have made over the past decades were due to government action ? How much of such legislation was merely a response to formalize gains that were already well under way by the "molecular action" of society outside the state ? How much does a focus on government detract from a focus of what people, women included and especially, have to do themselves ? Questions to ponder now that the day of remembrance and (entirely) symbolic action is over.
Labels: Canadian labour, CLC, CUPE, feminism, labour, statism, UFCW, violence against women, Winnipeg, women
