Sending good vibes to my former colleagues
I am really hoping that the negotiators for my former colleagues can reach a fair settlement with their employer this weekend. As my wonderful, hardworking and ravishingly beautiful partner still works there, I have an interest in the settlement too.
Strike breaking legislation: from premature to preemptive
I don’t know what’s in the deal reached today between CUPE’s Air Canada Component and the company. I’m guessing, since Lisa Raitt said the union would not be allowed to exercise its legal right to strike, that it will not herald a new era of progress and prosperity for flight attendants.
Did the NDP fall into a trap?
I suppose the doyens of public opinion research will tell us the answers soon enough, but I’m wondering if, as Bob Rae claims, the NDP fell into a Tory-set trap by embarking on this filibuster.
The Canada Post lockout busting legislation explained
It all makes perfect sense to me now. At first I thought it strange that the Tory government was ordering its wholly-owned crown corporation and its Tory government-appointed president to open the doors and let CUPW back to work. After all, I would have thought they’d need the blessing of cabinet to stand tall in the saddle and face down those pesky workers, and that the government’s enthusiasm for the lockout would take a lot longer to wane than just a few days.
Rights versus the economy
In uniondom we talk a lot about the ‘right to free collective bargaining’. I expect most of us realize the meaning of that phrase is lost on most people in the country and even on most amongst union members. If anyone asks me my professional opinion, I’ll usually tell them that bemoaning its loss – as recently happened with Canada Post and Air Canada – is usually a non-starter from a communications perspective.
I’m not the only person who thinks this
Tim Harper, a Toronto Star columnist, has a good item this evening about the meaning of the Harper government’s moves to end two nation-wide strikes for no reason that would hitherto be considered legitimate.
Okay, so I get to eat my words
Yesterday I predicted that the tory government would not introduce legislation to end the contract dispute between Canada Post and CUPW. Today, it seems Labour Minister Lisa Raitt formally announced plans to do just that.
So this is how it’s going to be: CAW to be legislated back to work after one day on strike
After a single day of strike, labour minister Lisa Raitt has announced the government’s plan to legislate CAW members at Air Canada back to work. Wow. Welcome to Stephen Harper’s Canada.
Why I support the postal workers
Not exactly a shock, I suppose, since I worked at CUPW for seven years. But I’m reading a bunch of stuff online about how we ‘must’ support postal workers because of all the great things CUPW has done for workers everywhere, how what Canada Post workers deliver has an important social policy function (aka universal access etc etc), and how important solidarity is etc etc.
How much longer is Canada Post going to be able to get away with this
They do this every time. The union prepares a global offer, presumably with the hope of reaching a settlement, Canada Post’s negotiators go off and huddle to consider it and then – even mid huddle – the corporate communications team comes out with a statement denouncing the union’s demands because they would [insert numeric factoid intimating dramatically higher costs here].
Workshops done. What a relief
But now I have to emcee an awards ceremony. Oh the travails of being president. I lead two workshops today and got elected President of CALM. I wasn’t opposed and there’s a lot of work to do and apparently the perks are awful, so congratulations may not necessarily be in order, but I’m still proud that the organization has confidence in me.
Today is still today, for me anyway
The time zone thing being what it is, it’s tomorrow at home. But I was having too much fun at dinner tonight comparing notes with some colleagues and laughing about the jobs we do. I really feel a connection with folks at these conferences. We’re going through the same experiences and we share advice, successes and disasters all without the too frequent narsty internecine rivalry of uniondom.
And now, to Burnaby
So I have a cab coming for me at 5:30 tomorrow morning to take me to the airport whereupon I will fly to Vancouver to attend the Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM) conference. The union movement’s best acronym.
If your words make rich people richer
You can say pretty much anything you want. Facts, rational argument, proof – all that stuff is strictly optional. For my proof, I give you Terence Corcoran.
How to keep government spending under control? Stop outsourcing
It makes me crazy how media, bloggers, pundits and politicians can, almost without needing evidence or proof, trash the public service. Doesn’t matter if they’ve just laid off 60,000 people, frozen wages for ten years or passed a law eliminating pay equity. The same refrain is always trotted out. But here’s an actual study. And not a labour market study comparing wages and what not – though there are lots of those – but one looking at the growth of outsourcing.
