By David Bush The crisis embroiling ATU Local 113 continues as Bob Kinnear, the trusteed President of Local 113, won an injunction on February 21 against the trusteeship of the local by ATU International. The decision by the Superior Court reinstates Kinnear as president. This decision was followed quickly by a vote of no confidence in Continue readingBob’s Back: ATU Local 113 crisis continues
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By Herman Rosenfeld With great sadness, I learned of the death of Bob White. In 1978, he became the leader of the Canadian section of the UAW about a year and half after I started working on the line at GM. Little did I know what an amazing leader and pioneer in working class history Continue readingRemembering Bob White
UPDATE: This article was published at 2:30am on February 10. Hours after publication Hassan Yussuff of the CLC sent a letter to Paul Thorp, President of ATU Canada, informing him that article 4 was being reinstated for Local 113 and the justification process would proceed. We also received a complaint and request from Unifor for Continue readingATU Trusteeship, Unifor Raid, CLC Crisis
By Daniel Tseghay On January 20th, migrant agricultural workers in the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) working at Floralia Plant Growers Ltd. in Abbotsford, BC achieved an important victory. The B.C. Labour Relations Board ruled that Floralia broke labour laws by impeding the ability of migrant workers who are known to be union supporters to Continue readingMigrant farm workers achieve an important victory at Floralia
By David Bush and Gerard Di Trolio This January marks the fifth anniversary of the struggle to save the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) factory in London, Ontario. Despite public outrage and political controversy, EMD was shut down in February 2012 after its owner, Caterpillar, demanded 450 EMD employees take a 50 per cent pay cut. The Continue readingRustbelt Blues: Electro-Motive closure 5 years later
by Doug Nesbitt Near the end of 2016, new owners took over the Georgian Bay Retirement Home, a private facility in Penetanguishene, the lakeside Ontario town of about ten thousand people. The new owners were Edgecon, a property management and construction company. To manage day-to-day operations, Edgecon brought in consulting company Caymans Staffing Solutions. The Continue readingOrganize! Georgian Bay workers want a union
The following is an excerpt from RankandFile.ca’s booklet: $15 and Fairness Now! An Organizer’s Handbook for Building a Movement. The goal of the booklet is to give organizers the facts, stories and tools they need to fight for better working conditions for all. If you are interested in purchasing copies of our booklet please email Continue readingBusting myths about raising the minimum wage
By Doug Nesbitt Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was given a standing ovation at the second Unifor convention in Ottawa yesterday. But not all Unifor members were cheering the love-in between the Prime Minister and their national union president, Jerry Dias. There are plenty of Canadian workers already fed-up with business-as-usual and inaction during a crisis. Continue readingWhy Trudeau is no friend of labour
By Crystal Warner Deputy Trustee BC/YT, Canada Employment and Immigration Union Initiated in 2009 by the Conservative government in an effort to modernize pay, Public Services and Procurement Canada unveiled a plan to centralize compensation for federal workers in Miramichi, New Brunswick. In February of 2016, on the watch of the Liberals, the IBM-created Phoenix Continue readingAll work and no pay: The Phoenix debacle
By David Bush The negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have been underway for over eight months. The two parties are far apart on a number of issues: pay equity for Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers, the introduction of two-tier pensions, improving the short-term disability plan, and improving working conditions Continue readingThe crooked intentions of Canada Post
By Denise Leduc After I became a parent in the early 1990s, I soon became concerned about the environment. I read extensively on the topic, made shifts in my lifestyle choices and aspired to one day be like Scott and Helen Nearing, the 1930s pioneers who advocated simple living for the health of people and Continue readingThe Leap Manifesto hits home: Reflections from a family working in natural resources
By Robert Devet “It used to be almost every postal worker would walk their route,” says Tony Rogers, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Nova Local. “Postal workers would hop on a bus and make their deliveries. The lowest carbon footprint possible.” Now all but seven out of 200 routes in metro Continue readingA Postal Service for the 21st Century