What is an “essential service” anyway? How does this designation impact a public sector union’s ability to strike? This has been a point of contention in Saskatchewan for over a decade under the Saskatchewan Party government. First, we’ll hear from CUPE 1975 President Craig Hannah, representing 2,000 workers at the University of Saskatchewan who work Continue readingUnderstanding Sask’s new essential services legislation
Podcasts
By Emily Leedham Amelia Deneka, a student and first time organizer disrupts a United Conservative Party meet and greet at the University of Alberta on Wednesday, March 6. In what could be a result of the protest, UCP leader Jason Kenney ended up not speaking at the event. Deneka shares why they organized the event Continue readingManitoba’s Austerity Budget & Protesting Jason Kenney
Rank & File Radio – Prairie Edition, February 17, 2019: Daniel Huber, founder of the Alberta Vanguard Association and Fairserve.ca, reacts to UCP leader Jason Kenney’s new proposal for a sub-minimum wage for youth and alcohol servers in Alberta. Kenney announced that idea at a recent meeting for Restaurants Canada, an industry lobby group opposed Continue readingCombating Alberta’s restaurant lobby | Worker-driven workplace inclusion
Nasr Ahmed from media union CWA Canada talks fighting Doug Ford’s attacks on campus press, supporting diverse voices in media, and labour organizing among journalists. Follow CWA Canada: twitter.com/CWA_Canada_AM The CKUW fundrive runs until Friday, February 15th! Pledge online at www.ckuw.ca/donate!
Rankandfile.ca’s West Coast Correspondent Daniel Tseghay speaks to Teferi Zemene and Aballah Idris about their work within Toronto and York Region Labour Council diversity network for Ethiopian and Eritrean workers in the city. Precarious work, temp agencies, and informal work that pays less than the minimum wage are some of the major issues these workers Continue readingR&F Podcast – Eritrean & Ethiopian Workers in Toronto
This episode, R&F.ca’s West Coast Correspondent Daniel Tseghay speaks to Michael Brunson, Recording Secretary for the Chicago Teachers’ Union and Sonia Singh of Labor Notes. They discuss the lessons from the 2012 Chicago Teachers’ Strike and the importance of building social movement unionism in the era of Trump. Also included are their speeches from the Continue readingRankandfile.ca Podcast Episode 8 – Lessons from the Chicago Teachers’ Strike
Activist and journalist Kevin Brice-Lall talks about the situation facing sugar workers in Guyana and the attempt of the government to shut down Wales Estate. You can sign a petition supporting the sugar workers here.
This week our West Coast correspondent Daniel Tseghay interviews Adriana Paz Ramirez, an organizer with Justicia for Migrant Workers. She’s also the co-author with Jennifer Jihye of the chapter “Struggling Against History Migrant Farmworker organizing in British Columbia,” in the new book Unfree Labour: Struggles of Migrant and Immigrant Workers in Canada. https://soundcloud.com/user-392020410/rf-podcast-episode-4
In Episode Three, RankandFile.ca’s West Coast Correspondent Daniel Tseghay interviews Hessed Torres of Migrante BC and Raul Gatica of the Migrant Workers’ Dignity Association about how Canada treats its migrant workers through its different temporary foreign worker programs and the challenges they face working in Canada as some of the most precarious workers within Canada’s Continue readingR&F.ca Podcast Episode 3 – Migrant Workers in Canada
On this second episode, Rankandfile.ca’s West Coast Correspondent Daniel Tseghay interviews Farah Shroff, First Vice-President of the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils and Lisa Descary, a teacher and activist in Richmond BC. Both guests discuss the ongoing effects of cuts to public education in British Columbia and what must be done to fight the Continue readingRankandfile.ca Podcast Episode #2 – Education cuts in BC
Rankandfile.ca’s West Coast correspondent Daniel Tseghay interviews Megan Whitfield, President of Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 626 in Toronto as well as Jennifer Savage, President of CUPW Local 846 in Vancouver about the CUPW strike vote an bargaining. Daniel also interviews Dru Oja Jay of Friends of Public Services about ideas to transform Canada Continue readingRankandfile.ca Podcast Episode #1: Canada Post negotiations and the future of the post office