By, Bob Barnetson Last week, Alberta’s Bill 7 was passed and came into effect. This Bill moves faculty and graduate student collective bargaining under the Labour Relations Code. This means bargaining impasse will (effective immediately) be resolved via strike-lockout. Overall, Bill 7 is sensible and necessary to respond to the evolving jurisprudence around freedom of Continue readingAlberta NDP act like Tories on Bill 7
labour law
By Scott Price The Manitoba Tory government has introduced several bills over the last week that freeze public sector wages, reduce the number of bargaining units in health care, the introduction of “ride-sharing” companies like Uber, election law changes and changes to various regulatory acts. All of this is ahead of the provincial budget set Continue readingManitoba Tories ready legislative assault on labour
By Bob Barnetson The Government of Alberta is seeking feedback on recommendations made by industry working groups about the application of the Employment Standards Code and the Labour Relations Code to farms and ranches in the wake of Bill 6. You can view the recommendations and provide feedback here. Here are the thoughts I sent Continue readingRecommendations on Alberta’s Bill 6
By Bob Barnetson Alberta is reviewing it workers’ compensation system for the first time in 15 years. A few weeks ago, Merit Contractors started a campaign with the basic message is that business is opposed to increased operating costs: The government’s intended direction is clear: it wants to make it easier to file claims and Continue readingEmployers nervous about Alberta WCB review
By Matthew Brett Brian Pallister’s Bill 7 was introduced in the Legislative Assembly on June 15, aiming to amend the union certification system currently in place in Manitoba. A recent case in Edmonton makes very clear that this legislative change will put employees at risk while strengthening corporations and management. Give unionization “a great deal Continue readingManitoba’s Bill 7 is an attack on union rights
By Ben Sichel Every so often I find myself in a conversation with someone who wonders if unions are still needed in Canada today. Today we have laws to protect workers, they’ll say. There’s no more child labour, we get paid extra for overtime, employers can’t discriminate based on race, sex or anything else, employees Continue readingOntario report shows why unions are necessary
By Dan Darrah The internship, especially with the rise of the so-called “knowledge economy” since the 1980s, has become an unavoidable part of the college- and university-age experience for many young Canadians. For good reason, too: internships offer students practical on-the-job experience in many of the fields they will one day work in. They offer Continue readingReform Unpaid Internships Now!
By Jason Edwards In a recent decision, Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) Vice-Chair Kelly Waddingham dealt a blow to employers who use subcontracting schemes to avoid responsibility for paying workers’ wages and upholding other employment standards. While the decision is a positive development for working people, it exposes a glaring gap that exists in the Continue readingLabour Board decision shows need to close subcontracting loopholes
By Brad Walchuk A recent strike at Covered Bridge Potato Chips in Hartland, New Brunswick has garnered considerable attention in the popular labour media, and, to a lesser degree, even in the mainstream media. The strike is noteworthy for a number of reasons and provides a compelling look into contemporary labour relations, especially for the Continue readingStrike Wave: The Need for Mandatory First Contract Arbitration in Canada
On a Potential Constitutional Challenge to Nova Scotia’s Universities Accountability and Sustainability Act and the Limitations of Legalistic Labour Strategies By Solidarity Halifax’s Workers Action Committee How should workers fight repressive legislation, in the courts or in the streets? While a favorable judgement can bring concrete benefits to workers, there are serious drawbacks to a Continue readingWho Gives You the Right to Strike?
The Graphic History Collective Unionizes By Daniel Tseghay, RankandFile.ca Writer/Organizer On September 2nd, the Graphic History Collective (GHC), a volunteer-run collective producing comic books on Canada’s labour and working class history, announced that it has joined the Canadian Freelance Union (CFU). The CFU is a Community Chapter of Unifor. This type of organization gives its members some Continue readingIllustrating the Freelancer’s Organizing Model
By Gerard Di Trolio Noted sociology professor and long time labour movement activist Stanley Aronowitz has written a critical and accessible analysis of the labour movement in the United States. In The Death and Life of American Labor: Towards a New Workers’ Movement, Aronowitz surveys the decline and mistakes of the labour movement in the Continue readingBook Review: The Death and Life of American Labor