By Ben Sichel What gives unions their power? On the surface, the answer is simple: strength in numbers. A single worker has little power to negotiate wages or resolve conflict with an employer, but a united group of workers does. This is the union movement’s foundational and most important principle. But often, it can feel Continue readingBuilding an organizing union
organizing
A Rankandfile.ca editorial Well, Ontario, that was a shitty election! This is an important occasion to go back to basics and think about how organized labour is going to fight Doug Ford and the Ontario PC Party. First, let’s dispense with a story being spun by the mainstream media. As the votes were still coming Continue readingBack to basics for Ontario labour
By Lee Gilchrist Facing a major strike vote on Saturday April 30, eleven cleaning companies offered 2,500 Toronto cleaners a huge wage settlement on Friday April 29. The Saturday strike vote by SEIU Local 2 members turned into a ratification vote as hundreds of cleaners endorsed the new three-year deal with a 16.6 percent wage Continue readingJustice for Janitors forges ahead in Toronto and Vancouver
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
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