By Doug Nesbitt Editor of Rankandfile.ca If you want a union in your workplace, it’s hard to know where to start. Talking union on the job will get you shushed by co-workers, or worse, fired my management. The fear of retaliation is real. So here’s some basic advice on how to get things started. The Continue readingCrash course: Starting a union in your workplace
organizing
By Lisa Cameron on behalf of the Halifax Workers’ Action Centre Workers at Wynn Park Villa, a long-term care home in Truro, Nova Scotia, are getting close to winning major workplace improvements. Less than a month since the abrupt termination of Tevin Crawford, a former long-term care nurse at the facility, the workers of Wynn Continue readingAfter nurse is fired, Truro long-term care workers go for union
Food courier Alexander Kurth discusses how Foodora workers in Toronto organized a union Introduction to the gig economy By Jordan House and Paul Christopher Gray The “gig economy” and the spread of app-based work have become prominent topics of conversation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Foodora, an app-based food delivery company, has become particularly notorious Continue readingGig Workers, Unite! Inside the Foodora union drive
Editor’s note: The following is a statement from the Amazon Workers Collective. Rankandfile.ca is sharing this call-out in the interest of advancing the cause of mutual protection in the workplace, unionizing Amazon, and taking on Jeff Bezos and his corporate empire. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the rotten core of our economic system. Wall Street Continue readingAmazon workers in Canada call for workplace organization and power
By Ryan Hayes A group of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) with the Halton District School Board (HDSB) were in the midst of a union drive when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. With schools closed and physical distancing rules in effect, workers had to quickly shift gears and experiment with new approaches in order to win their Continue readingHow ECEs formed a union during COVID-19
By Ellen David Friedman Complaining isn’t the first step to organizing—it’s the graveyard of organizing. Just ask any union steward or rep who has listened to a member complain bitterly but refuse to take action. If you’re a steward, officer, or rank and filer trying to fix problems on the job (or in the union), Continue readingDon’t Complain, Organize!
By Gerard Di Trolio There has been a modest but not insignificant revival of the strike in the United States. After all, it is the ultimate weapon of workers and its decline alongside that of the American labour movement has had a disastrous impact on economic inequality and working conditions. Teacher strikes have been a Continue readingBook Review: Red State Revolt
Chloe Rockarts reflects on conversations with public sector labour leaders in Alberta for a RankandFile.ca article called The Past, Present and Future of Workers’ Power in Alberta. We reflect on tangible steps needed to build worker capacity to fight public sector cuts and privatization, build solidarity between unionized & non-unionized workers, and fight white supremacy. Continue readingFighting Back in Jason Kenney’s Alberta
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
Today on Rank & File Radio, Darren Stebeleski, a graphic designer and graphic design educator working on Treaty 1 territory. He is also a union steward and a member of Spark Poster, a collective of graphic designers working to support worker’s movements and social justice causes. We’ll talk about the role of graphic design in Continue readingCampaign branding & graphic design in labour organizing
By Mike Parker and Martha Gruelle The difference between a truly democratic union and one that follows a servicing model is stark when it comes to grievance handling. In a strong democratic union there may not even be many grievances; members organize to convince supervisors to stop violating the contract without having to use the Continue readingHow to Use Grievances to Organize
By Ellen David Friedman We know good organizers when we meet them. They’re accessible. They listen and show respect. They react calmly to all kinds of people, take their time to size up a situation, and engage people on their own terms. They brim with suggestions for action, but they’re open to new ideas. They’re Continue readingWhere do good organizers come from?