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.
Settlement at Le Journal de Montréal
This is bad. CSN members at Le Journal de Montréal settled their two year lockout against Québecor. And by all measures, it looks like they got creamed. I’m not at all close to this strike but it seems like the company has the same approach it had against CUPE members who were locked out for a year at the Journal de Québec.
Members can look up their ID number now
It’s a small thing. And there remains some work to do on it, but I’m quite proud of the fact that members of the organization I work for can now look up their membership number on the organization’s website.
City of Ottawa saves millions by doing its own garbage
This item came out a few days ago, but it’s never getting old. Not for me anyway. Union waste collectors save Ottawa millions. Smart Torontonians should take notice. Or, if that’s not enough, read this Now Magazine item on why privatized garbage collection is a bad idea.
How long should you be an activist?
The proper answer – at least according to doctrine – is “until you’re pushing up the daisies”. But I’m not so sure. I don’t know how to situate this post, or how to explain what I feel I’ve heard. Maybe it’s just over the last few days, or last few years. And maybe it’s just the milieu I frequent, but I often get a feeling that people are pretty tired of fighting a lot of the time.
Bargaining. It’s very gritty. And nitty
And we’ve only just started. I’m at a work meeting where there’s a group of members talking about the rules and regulations that govern their working lives. Aka the collective agreement. It’s a lot of very detailed discussion about a lot of very particular issues. Prior to accepting this assignment, I reminisced about being involved in bargaining based on my experience with the postal workers union. I loved it.
People for corporate tax cuts: I like this campaign but
OPSEU’s recently unveiled “People for corproate tax cuts” campaign is really cute. It’s ironic, bright, Web 2.0 hip and it makes me laugh. It gave me a real morale boost. A lot of my friends have been passing it around on Facebook and on Twitter. I don’t confuse this, however, with “going viral”.
André Cornellier has died
André Cornellier has died. I have had a lot of bad things to say about him, but I am truly sorry he’s gone. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and union siblings.
Eric Lee has blown a social media fuse
Eric Lee is a pioneer among union users of the Internet and widely acknowledged as an expert in this stuff. In fact he’s written the book on it. Several books, in fact. Or more accurately, quite some time ago he wrote the book on union use of the internet. And I have a lot of respect for the work he’s done over the years. But on this Unionbook vs Facebook business, he’s wrong. And this ad he’s putting up on Facebook to encourage people to join his union-friendly network on ning.com, aka Unionbook offends me.
Diversity of tactics = rubbish
I’m trying to make sense of this whole diversity of tactics business. And I can’t. I’m going to earn the enmity of a lot of folks who might normally consider me an ally, but what the hell. I understand the phrase to mean: deliberate property damage as a protest tactic is okay.
Labo(u)r’s Media Strategy
I was on this panel at Labornotes 2010 on what the trade union movement’s media strategy should be. And Steve Zeltzer, the moderator, suggested that we write something about what were going to say and post it on the internet. I thought I’d oblige.
Nortel execs give themselves raises
Are they effing kidding? Their only function right now seems to be to parcel up chunks of the former corporate behemoth and sell it off garage sale like.
Penny beaver: museum workers still looking for a deal
To Victor Rabinovitch: a raise for museum workers, already
When I was off work looking after Mallory, one of my – and her – favourite things to do was go to the Museum of Science and Technology. Some of the reasons for that have nothing to do with the strike by 420 PSAC members who work at the War Museum and Museum of Civilization. But one thing that struck me about this strike – the revolving door staff issues they have – have everything to do about why the Children’s museum isn’t that great for children.
Who signs the cheques, who’s got the keys?
There’s much online kvetching about all the power unions have as garbage piles up in Toronto, Windsor and as a strike deadline at VIA Rail approaches. But when I hear someone complain that unions have too much power, I understand they’re complaining that unions have any power at all.
