By Bob Barnetson An unfair labour practice complaint, alleging Christmas cards sent by a union to the employer’s bargaining team amounted to “Mafia-esque” intimidation, provides insight into the unexpected impact that Alberta’s restrictive picketing laws may have on union pressure tactics during bargaining. Alberta’s picketing laws In 2019, the United Conservative Party (UCP) formed government Continue readingXmas card “intimidation” and Alberta’s anti-picketing laws
Alberta
By Jeremy Appel Faculty and academic service officers at Concordia University of Edmonton beared blistering cold temperatures on Jan. 4 to kick off the first-ever post-secondary strike action in Alberta outside a mansion the employer purchased while they were negotiating a new contract. The 82-member Concordia University of Edmonton Faculty Association (CUEFA) voted to go Continue readingA small university strike sets big Alberta precedent
By Jeremy Appel Rankandfile.ca’s Cargill correspondent The new agreement won by workers at Cargill’s High River, Alberta meatpacking plant is a significant improvement over its previous iteration and could provide a template for labour struggles in the industry, according to labour relations experts. Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 voted 71% in Continue readingWorkers’ gains at Cargill set stage for JBS bargaining
By Jeremy Appel Cargill correspondent for Rankandfile.ca Whether or not workers at Cargill’s High River, Alberta, plant go on strike Monday, there’s no question the past 20 months have been a long, painful journey. Jamie Welsh-Rollo has worked at Cargill since June 2018. She is a cryovac operator and serves as a liaison between the Continue readingStories from the inside: Cargill workers speak
By Jeremy Appel Cargill correspondent for Rankandfile.ca Workers at Cargill’s High River, Alberta meatpacking facility have overwhelmingly rejected the company’s latest contract offer and management has escalated tensions by serving a lockout notice. The Cargill plant was the site of the largest COVID outbreak in North America in April 2020, with 950 workers — almost Continue readingCargill prepares lockout & scabs as workers reject offer
By Jeremy Appel In 1968, The Beatles released the song Blackbird, expressing their sympathies for the civil rights movement. “You were only waiting for this moment to arrive,” sings Paul McCartney before the song’s chorus. Tom Hesse, the president of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401, says he was reminded of this lyric Continue readingAlberta workers take on Cargill and its record profits
By Cole Rockarts Today, October 26 2020, hundreds of members of the Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE) walked off the job to protest ongoing attacks on health care by Jason Kenney’s government. The key issues include job security against outsourcing, addressing short-staffing, and stopping the privatization of public healthcare. On October 13, Health Minister Continue readingWILDCAT! Major Alberta strike against healthcare cuts