By Michal Rozworski Wouldn’t it be great to get a cheque every month just for being you? This is the sweet, fuzzy vision the Ontario and federal Liberals, are counting on to sell their latest idea, a basic income. Just this year, the Ontario government laid the groundwork for a pilot project to test the idea. Any actual large-scale Continue readingBeware of Basic Income
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by David Bush, Gerard Di Trolio, and Doug Nesbitt The best solution for Bombardier’s endless financial woes is the one that nobody is talking about: nationalization. It’s time for the Canadian government to stop subsidizing the profits of the transport and aerospace company’s shareholders. The only people to lose in this proposal are Bay Street speculators. The Continue readingBombardier: Time to Nationalize
by Brad Walchuk CUPE Local 1281 member Upwards of 100 workers and community allies gathered in Hamilton, Ontario on February 29, 2016 for a rally in support of the roughly 170 unionized workers (Unifor Local M-1 Hamilton) at “CH”, a local Hamilton television station, who were terminated without cause in mid-December 2015 as part of Continue readingCancelled: How a local TV station destroyed a union
By Alicia Williamson March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD), an annual tradition that began over a hundred years ago. While celebrations continue worldwide, few people remember that the holiday was first initiated by American Socialists. As legend would have it, they were inspired to hold a demonstration in order to mark the anniversary of Continue readingThe Working-Class Origins and Legacy of International Women’s Day
By Daniel Tseghay They worked 12 hours a day, with no more than an hour break under an unrelenting sun, for six days a week. When one worker left the work site without authorization he was imprisoned for four months. Working for the equivalent of $30 a month, they were rewarded with inadequate food and Continue reading“Labour Struggles truly have no borders:” Vancouver’s connections to Slave labour in Eritrea
By Daniel Tseghay British Columbia isn’t known for its black population. Only about a single per cent of the greater Vancouver area is populated by black people. Those who’ve been here have been displaced, like the members of Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley. But black people have been here. And the black experience has also been a Continue readingA glimpse of black workers’ history in Vancouver
Why we should care about the privatization of Saskatchewan’s prison services By Denise Leduc In late 2015 and again in January 2016, hunger strikes were initiated by inmates in Saskatchewan’s prisons over food issues. There were complaints of uncooked eggs, and meals that were nutritionally unsound. The premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall, flippantly replied, “If Continue readingLetters from Saskatchewan’s inmates
by Doug Nesbitt If you see Covered Bridge potato chips, don’t buy them. Tell the store manager why. And if you’re anywhere near Hartland, New Brunswick, head down to the picket lines and support the workers who have been forced to strike after two years of trying to negotiate a first contract. The boycott against Continue readingBOYCOTT! Sharpening a workers’ weapon
By David Bush Thousands of steelworkers, community members, and union allies from across the province rallied outside of Hamilton’s city hall on Jan. 30. The demonstration was called to show support for the workers at U.S. Steel who have weathered major job losses and are now facing the loss of their benefits and pensions. U.S. Continue readingHarper lives: The U.S. Steel robbery
By Scott Price Ride-sharing service Uber wants into the Winnipeg taxi market. Looking past the marketing facade, Uber isn’t innovative or inevitable. Uber is in fact deregulation of the taxi industry, modernized using smart phone applications and an aggressive expansion campaign. Studies of the deregulation of the taxi industry in other jurisdictions find a decline Continue readingUber not the answer to Winnipeg’s transport woes
By Dan Darrah In the wake of a contract dispute unresolved by conciliation and bargaining, 61 workers at the Halifax-based Chronicle-Herald newspaper walked off the job late last Friday, mandated by an overwhelming 98.3 per cent in favour of strike vote. In negotiations prior, management was adamant in its position of a 17 per cent Continue readingHTU Striking for Jobs and Journalism
By Samantha Ponting and Andrew Stevens On Feb. 26, 2014, the WestJet Professional Flight Attendants’ Association (WPFAA) began a certification drive to unionize WestJet flight attendants, amidst resistance from management. The WPFAA is an in-house representative organization seeking union certification under the Canada Labour Code. It has hundreds of members, and is “organized to empower Continue readingThe Struggle to Organize WestJet Flight Attendants