From the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s the campus anti-sweatshop movement was one of the largest and most prominent student movements on college and university campuses in Canada and the United States. The campaign against sweatshops grew to be a major force within the broader anti-globalization movement. Organizers targeted university administrations which had licensed university apparel Continue readingJust Don’t Do It: Students organizing against sweatshops
organizing
In the summer of 2015, summer student caseworkers at Parkdale Community Legal Services joined the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union. Two worker-organizers who were central to the campaign, Jenna Meguid and Parmbir Gill, took time to answer some questions from Jason Edwards for Rankandfile.ca. Rankandfile.ca: The Ontario Labour Relations Board certified your bargaining unit as Continue readingHow student caseworkers unionized their summer jobs
Every two years, a handful of movers and shakers north of the 49th parallel make their way to Chicago to take part in cross-border conspiring with thousands of North American labour activists. The Feb. 15 early bird registration deadline is fast approaching. Don’t miss out. Want to bring stories of struggle back to Canada? Help Continue readingHey early birds! Register now for the 2016 Labour Notes Conference
By Sonia Singh When you’re working without a union, it can feel impossible to take on workplace problems. What if you lose your job? But Somos un Pueblo Unido, a New Mexico worker center, is honing a process to help even tiny groups of workers win changes through small collective actions—while staving off retaliation. Willing Continue readingHow to Beat Retaliation, Even without a Union
By Labor Notes staff Do you ever feel like you’re the only one who cares about the union? Like none of your co-workers will lift a finger to help? Like your workplace is bogged down in “apathy?” It’s a common gripe. In Labor Notes workshops we often ask union members to make a list of Continue readingBeating Apathy
Support for resettling Syrian refugees from the Canadian Labour Congress and the wider labour movement is to be commended. The Labour movement has stood strongly against the Islamophobia and racism that reactionary forces inject into the issue. But the calls to welcome refugees and fight racism aren’t enough. The labour movement must take a principled Continue readingThe labour movement should say NO to war!
This week, on October 8th and 9th, Simon Fraser University is hosting a conference on Temporary Migrant Workers entitled “Labour Rights and Organizing Strategies”. RankandFile caught up with one of the speakers, Adriana Paz Ramirez, for an interview. Ramirez is a co-founder of and organizer with Justicia for Migrant Workers in British Columbia, a national Continue readingAn interview with Adriana Paz Ramirez, co-founder of Justicia for Migrant Workers
By Wael Afifi, PSAC Analyst and Unifor Local 2025 Vice-President, Human Rights I recently had an opportunity to watch Deux jours, une nuit (Two Days, One Night), a 2014 joint Belgian-French-Italian production starring Marion Cotillard (La vie en rose), who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Sandra, a Belgian working mother Continue readingFilm Review: Deux jours, une nuit (Two days, One Night)
by Paul Krehbiel Originally published at Labor Notes Want a stronger union at work? Consider building a stewards council. With only five stewards for 1,700 workers, demoralization was high at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The union, the old Service Employees (SEIU) Local 660, was very weak there. Many members complained that the Continue readingBuilding a Stewards Council
The Common Interest of Elementary, Secondary, and Post-Secondary Teachers By Jeff Noonan Vice-President (Internal) Windsor University Faculty Association As Alan Sears demonstrates in his superb Retooling the Mind Factory, the values the school system will serve has been a fundamental political-economic problem for over a century. Mass education developed as a response to economic changes Continue readingProtecting Education from Schooling
Tim Hortons vs. Workers in Winnipeg by Doug Nesbitt Less than a month ago, several workers at four Tim Hortons stores in Winnipeg began talking union. Management quickly learned of the union activities and, following a captive audience meeting, fired one of the women workers in touch with organizers from Workers United. The union responded Continue readingRoll Up The Boss To Win
The Toronto and York District Labour Council has put together a very helpful guide for trade unionists to organize campaigns inside and outside their workplace. This guidebook was authored by Rob Fairley and Mike Balkwill. Campaigns are all about power. Understanding the power relationships that shape our world and learning how to better create our Continue readingCampaign planning handbook: Build power through better campaigns