By C. Rockarts On Thursday, February 27, over 7,000 teachers, students, and public sector workers rallied in Edmonton in support of maintaining quality public services. The ‘March for What Matters’ was hosted by a coalition of teachers, parents, artists and students. It was organized in response to cuts to education, health care and the looming Continue readingChallenging Alberta’s Austerity
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by Romy Garrido Knox United Church played host to the newly formed Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, a strikingly diverse coalition of labour unions, religious groups, universities, and community organizations representing more than 30,000 Calgarians.
Alison McIntosh, Research Manager at the Parkland Institute breaks down Alberta’s new austerity budget from the United Conservative Party government. A short excerpt from the Chicago Teachers Union podcast CTU Speaks with CTU Chief of Staff Jennifer Johnson explaining the core issues 25,000 Chicago teachers are out on strike for. Lori Bossaer from the Saskatchewan Continue readingFrom Chile to Chicago to Calgary, it’s the same austerity
On June 28, Bill 9, The Public Sector Wage Deferral Act received royal assent and came into effect in Alberta. The bill affects approximately 180,000 public sector workers and 24 collective agreements across the province, and delays wage arbitration negotiations for public sector unions until after October 31, 2019. The impact of Bill 9 on Continue readingBattling Kenney’s Bill 9
The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) Economic and Budget Outlook review has identified planned government spending savings that come via (1) announced program changes (program cuts like the government’s cut to OHIP+), (2) announced efficiency targets (identified areas where the government hopes it will find savings without service cuts), and (3) cuts that have not yet been Continue readingFord plans many more healthcare cuts
By Greg Albo, Bryan Evans and Carlo Fanelli The eminent conservative scholar of public budgeting Aaron Wildavsky characterized annual budgets as a record of “victories, defeats, bargains, and compromises.” The province of Ontario’s 2019 Budget, the first of the new Conservative government of Doug Ford, does indeed tell us something of this – additional fiscal supports for Continue readingAnother Round of Punishing Austerity in Ontario
By Haseena Manek “Our thing is that, as front line work is being cut, overall it affects the people of Ontario being served. I mean, what are they to do? If they’re being discriminated [against] in a human rights matter, what do they do? It’s not just impacting our front line people, it’s impacting the Continue readingHuman rights support centre workers fight back against provincial cuts
Today on Rank & File Radio, teachers and students fighting for quality, public education. We’ll hear from Megan Linton, from the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students, on creating a prairie solidarity network for students to connect, share knowledge and organizing skills. And we’ll hear an excerpt of my interview with Eric Blanc, Continue readingBuilding Student & Teacher Prairie Solidarity
by Emily Leedham and Chloe Rockarts As the provincial election approaches, Alberta’s unions are hard at work educating their members about what is at stake for workers at the ballot box. While many unions identify as non-partisan, most have still expressed concerns about the right-wing populism sweeping across the country – and its implications for Continue readingThe past, present & future of workers’ power in Alberta
By Emily Leedham Amelia Deneka, a student and first time organizer disrupts a United Conservative Party meet and greet at the University of Alberta on Wednesday, March 6. In what could be a result of the protest, UCP leader Jason Kenney ended up not speaking at the event. Deneka shares why they organized the event Continue readingManitoba’s Austerity Budget & Protesting Jason Kenney
In this edition of Rank and File Radio – Prairies Edition, host Emily Leedham speaks with Kate Jacobson, host and producer of the Alberta Advantage podcast, talks austerity budgets and their impact on public sector union struggles across the Prairies.
Editors introduction: This is the first article in a two-part series by Blake McCall, a Hamilton bus operator, and Caitlin Craven, a member of CUPW Local 548 and organizer with Hamilton’s Fight for $15 and Fairness. In this first article, McCall and Craven take a look at the big picture of campaigns against privatization and argue Continue readingKeeping Transit Public in the Age of Austerity