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Showing posts with label Labour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Labour. Show all posts
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Regina Labour Poster
I would guess this poster to be from the late 1940s to early 1950s. Note Henry Baker, mayor of Regina from 1959 - 1979 and Bill Beeching, Saskatchewan leader of the Communist Party of Canada and Hub Elkin. Any more identities you can let me know about? - NYC.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
The Regina Riot - Video
A Documentary by Ben Lies. (Badlands Productions, 2010).
Produced in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the On-to-Ottawa Trek.
Produced in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the On-to-Ottawa Trek.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Building Workers’ Power: ITUC May Day statement 2013
International Trade Union Confederation
29 April 2013
29 April 2013
Working people are facing sustained and often brutal attacks on their rights in every region of the world. Inequality and unemployment are hitting record levels, as governments continue to follow the failed and destructive policy of austerity-at-any-cost, and the onslaught against collective bargaining continues. The future of an entire generation of young people is at serious risk.
Corporate greed runs unchecked, costing the lives of thousands of workers, most recently in Bangladesh and Pakistan as factories burn and collapse. Trade unionists in Colombia, Guatemala and elsewhere are paying the ultimate price for their commitment to social justice, while Turkish workers face the heavy hand of judicial repression for standing up for their rights.
The promise of transformation in the Arab world is being betrayed by the replacement of one form of autocracy by another. Decades of social progress in European countries are being wiped out by the untrammelled power of global finance, while people across Africa continue to suffer under neocolonial plunder and corruption.
Discrimination against women at work is still pervasive, while migrant workers are exploited, abused and treated as slaves, even in some of the richest countries of the world.
The spirit of solidarity that inspired the first May Day marches, and has sustained trade unionism ever since, remains strong. It is more needed than at any time in decades. Our movement must grow, to foster and harness that spirit to counter the false promise of neo-liberalism.
We must build workers’ power.
Workers everywhere are showing their resilience in the face of model of globalisation designed to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. Through their unions they are winning new gains for working people. Hundreds thousands of informal workers in India are building their unions, domestic workers across the globe are gaining labour rights for the first time in history, and unions are leading political and community action for development, sustainability and social justice in every part of the world.
Where governments turn their backs on working people, unions must organise.
Where company bosses pit worker against worker, unions must organise. We must grow in number and in strength, taking inspiration from those who stand today, and have stood in years gone by, steadfast against repression and the avarice of the few at the expense of the many.
This May Day 2013, we must rededicate ourselves to the enduring vision of the foremothers and forefathers of the greatest democratic power on the planet – the power of working people, united and determined to make the world a better place.
Corporate greed runs unchecked, costing the lives of thousands of workers, most recently in Bangladesh and Pakistan as factories burn and collapse. Trade unionists in Colombia, Guatemala and elsewhere are paying the ultimate price for their commitment to social justice, while Turkish workers face the heavy hand of judicial repression for standing up for their rights.
The promise of transformation in the Arab world is being betrayed by the replacement of one form of autocracy by another. Decades of social progress in European countries are being wiped out by the untrammelled power of global finance, while people across Africa continue to suffer under neocolonial plunder and corruption.
Discrimination against women at work is still pervasive, while migrant workers are exploited, abused and treated as slaves, even in some of the richest countries of the world.
The spirit of solidarity that inspired the first May Day marches, and has sustained trade unionism ever since, remains strong. It is more needed than at any time in decades. Our movement must grow, to foster and harness that spirit to counter the false promise of neo-liberalism.
We must build workers’ power.
Workers everywhere are showing their resilience in the face of model of globalisation designed to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. Through their unions they are winning new gains for working people. Hundreds thousands of informal workers in India are building their unions, domestic workers across the globe are gaining labour rights for the first time in history, and unions are leading political and community action for development, sustainability and social justice in every part of the world.
Where governments turn their backs on working people, unions must organise.
Where company bosses pit worker against worker, unions must organise. We must grow in number and in strength, taking inspiration from those who stand today, and have stood in years gone by, steadfast against repression and the avarice of the few at the expense of the many.
This May Day 2013, we must rededicate ourselves to the enduring vision of the foremothers and forefathers of the greatest democratic power on the planet – the power of working people, united and determined to make the world a better place.
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Saskatchewan: A Beachhead of Labour Law Reform?
By Andrew Stevens
RankandFile.ca
April 29,2013
Sweeping changes to Saskatchewan's labour relations and employment standards legislation are on the verge of being passed. Bill 85, the Saskatchewan Employment Act, will dramatically transform the laws governing trade unions and industrial relations in the province. The Saskatchewan Party government, led by Premier
Brad Wall, insists that the changes will simply modernize and simplify a dozen pieces of existing legislation into a single, omnibus employment act.
April 29,2013
Sweeping changes to Saskatchewan's labour relations and employment standards legislation are on the verge of being passed. Bill 85, the Saskatchewan Employment Act, will dramatically transform the laws governing trade unions and industrial relations in the province. The Saskatchewan Party government, led by Premier Brad Wall, insists that the changes will simply modernize and simplify a dozen pieces of existing legislation into a single, omnibus employment act.
But workers and trade unions are justified in thinking otherwise. In 1998, Saskatchewan's current Minister of the Economy, Bill Boyd, unsuccessfully attempted to pass Bill 218, “An Act respecting the Right to Work (RTW) in the Province of Saskatchewan,” while the Saskatchewan Party was in opposition.[1] In fact, debates over right-to-work style reforms and union financial transparency have already been contested in Saskatchewan as Bill 85 developed. But why is Saskatchewan, a prairie province with just over a million residents, so important in the national context?
Sunday, April 28, 2013
SFL: Saskatchewan people have a constitutional right to strike
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
April 26, 2013
Accordingly, none of what I have written above is to suggest or presume that, if again confronted directly with the issue, the Supreme Court would not bring strike activity within the ambit of s. 2(d). Such a conclusion can certainly be reached…
- Court of Appeal, paragraph 67
Earlier this morning, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal released an important decision recognizing that Canadian law has evolved to a point where a right to strike may be protected by the Constitution. At numerous points, the Court of Appeal notes that, though it could not overturn previous Supreme Court decisions respecting a right to strike, striking could very well be a fundamental right protected by the freedom of association.
“Though we certainly hoped for a decision that was more in line with the Justice Ball decision,” said Saskatchewan Federation of Labour President, Larry Hubich “we note that the Court acknowledged just how much the law has and continues to evolve. The Court of Appeal noted that the Supreme Court may very well accept that there is a Constitutional right to strike.”
Though the Court of Appeal stopped short of striking down the 2008 legislation, it made several important observations. The Court notes, for example, that the effect of the legislation is to make it significantly more difficult for working people to organize themselves into unions and other organizations. Furthermore, it notes that, though the Supreme Court will have to make the final determination, Justice Ball was anticipating where the law could evolve.
“Working people and their unions have a responsibility to challenge laws that unfairly constrain people’s rights. This is how the law evolves. Though the Court of Appeal decision does not strike down the 2008 legislation, it recognizes that Charter rights are constantly evolving,” said Hubich.
Accordingly, none of what I have written above is to suggest or presume that, if again confronted directly with the issue, the Supreme Court would not bring strike activity within the ambit of s. 2(d). Such a conclusion can certainly be reached…
- Court of Appeal, paragraph 67
“Though we certainly hoped for a decision that was more in line with the Justice Ball decision,” said Saskatchewan Federation of Labour President, Larry Hubich “we note that the Court acknowledged just how much the law has and continues to evolve. The Court of Appeal noted that the Supreme Court may very well accept that there is a Constitutional right to strike.”
Though the Court of Appeal stopped short of striking down the 2008 legislation, it made several important observations. The Court notes, for example, that the effect of the legislation is to make it significantly more difficult for working people to organize themselves into unions and other organizations. Furthermore, it notes that, though the Supreme Court will have to make the final determination, Justice Ball was anticipating where the law could evolve.
“Working people and their unions have a responsibility to challenge laws that unfairly constrain people’s rights. This is how the law evolves. Though the Court of Appeal decision does not strike down the 2008 legislation, it recognizes that Charter rights are constantly evolving,” said Hubich.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Saskatchewan prepares to gut labour laws with Bill 85
By Lori Theresa Waller
Saskatchewan is about to dramatically overhaul its labour legislation, transforming it from one of the most progressive jurisdictions in Canada in terms of worker protection to one of the most regressive. You wouldn't know it, though, from reading mainstream news coverage.
The national media's near-total silence on the soon-to-be adopted Saskatchewan Employment Act, now being sped through the legislature as Bill 85 by the ruling Saskatchewan Party, is a bit puzzling given the unprecedented nature of many of the bill's reforms.
One exception was an article published last week by the Huffington Post [8] that focused on what the law will mean for unionized workers. The impact on those workers will, undoubtedly, be dramatic.
For instance, a new rule barring employees with any supervisory duties (including assigning or scheduling work or giving performance feedback) from belonging to the same bargaining unit as the people they "supervise" -- unless the employer and union agree to keep them in the same unit -- means employers will be able to push many workers out of their current units, potentially costing them years of seniority and other entitlements.
April 18, 2013
Saskatchewan is about to dramatically overhaul its labour legislation, transforming it from one of the most progressive jurisdictions in Canada in terms of worker protection to one of the most regressive. You wouldn't know it, though, from reading mainstream news coverage.
The national media's near-total silence on the soon-to-be adopted Saskatchewan Employment Act, now being sped through the legislature as Bill 85 by the ruling Saskatchewan Party, is a bit puzzling given the unprecedented nature of many of the bill's reforms.
One exception was an article published last week by the Huffington Post [8] that focused on what the law will mean for unionized workers. The impact on those workers will, undoubtedly, be dramatic.
For instance, a new rule barring employees with any supervisory duties (including assigning or scheduling work or giving performance feedback) from belonging to the same bargaining unit as the people they "supervise" -- unless the employer and union agree to keep them in the same unit -- means employers will be able to push many workers out of their current units, potentially costing them years of seniority and other entitlements.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Billy Bragg in Regina next Tuesday
Billy Bragg : Tuesday April 9 2013 in the
The Orr Centre,
4400 4th Avenue,
Regina
Regina Folk Festival Concert Series 2013
Billy Bragg
April 9th;
Doors open 7:30pm.
The Orr Centre
Billy Bragg was recently described by The Times newspaper as a “national treasure.” In the two decades of his career Bragg has certainly made an indelible mark on the conscience of British music, becoming perhaps the most stalwart guardian of the radical dissenting tradition that stretches back over centuries of the country’s political, cultural and social history.
It’s a legacy that’s brought Bragg fans the world over as an artist with a keen sense of political activism as well as a way with a pop hook, all informed with a sense of humanity and humour. All Ages. Advance tickets $32/40 at the door (subject to availability). No exchanges or refunds. Handling fees not included in ticket price (for Globe Theatre purchases only).
Regina Folk Festival Concert Series 2013
April 9th;
Doors open 7:30pm.
The Orr Centre
Billy Bragg was recently described by The Times newspaper as a “national treasure.” In the two decades of his career Bragg has certainly made an indelible mark on the conscience of British music, becoming perhaps the most stalwart guardian of the radical dissenting tradition that stretches back over centuries of the country’s political, cultural and social history.
It’s a legacy that’s brought Bragg fans the world over as an artist with a keen sense of political activism as well as a way with a pop hook, all informed with a sense of humanity and humour. All Ages. Advance tickets $32/40 at the door (subject to availability). No exchanges or refunds. Handling fees not included in ticket price (for Globe Theatre purchases only).
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Monday, April 1, 2013
Class Conflict and Civil Liberties: The Origins and Activities of the Canadian Labour Defense League, 1925 - 1940
By J. Petryshyn
DURING ITS EXISTENCE from 1925 to 1940, the Canadian Labour Defense League (CLDL) was subject to a wide range of interpretation. Some viewed it as a diabolical bolshevik organization designed to create dissension within Canadian society. To others, it was a humanitarian agency which sought to relieve those who had found themselves in intolerable conditions. Led by Albert Edward Smith! a methodist minister turned communist, the CLDL rose in prominence (or notoriety) during the worst years of the depression, promoting communist policies, agitating on behalf of the Communist Party of Canada (CPC), and defending before the courts over 6,000 individuals - communists and non-communists alike - who had run astray of the law because of their militant activities.
Labour/Le Travailleur
Autumn 1982
DURING ITS EXISTENCE from 1925 to 1940, the Canadian Labour Defense League (CLDL) was subject to a wide range of interpretation. Some viewed it as a diabolical bolshevik organization designed to create dissension within Canadian society. To others, it was a humanitarian agency which sought to relieve those who had found themselves in intolerable conditions. Led by Albert Edward Smith! a methodist minister turned communist, the CLDL rose in prominence (or notoriety) during the worst years of the depression, promoting communist policies, agitating on behalf of the Communist Party of Canada (CPC), and defending before the courts over 6,000 individuals - communists and non-communists alike - who had run astray of the law because of their militant activities.
The CLDL was especially effective after the arrest and conviction of Tim Buck and seven other communist leaders in 1931 under the controversial Section 98 of the Criminal Code. Skillfully intertwining communism with the defense of civil liberties in Canada, the CLDL launched a series of protest campaigns which not only brought the organization a substantial following but also had a significant impact on the country's political leaders.
This paper will reconstruct the origins and activities of the CLDL and assess its role in the turbulent and violent interwar years.
This paper will reconstruct the origins and activities of the CLDL and assess its role in the turbulent and violent interwar years.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Free ebook - Working People in Alberta: A History
Alvin Finkel, with contributions by Jason Foster, Winston Gereluk, Jennifer Kelly and Dan Cui, James Muir, Joan Schiebelbein, Jim Selby, and Eric Strikwerda
Working People in Alberta traces the history of labour in Alberta from the period of First Nations occupation to the present. Drawing on over two hundred interviews with labour leaders, activists, and ordinary working people, as well as on archival records, the volume gives voice to the people who have toiled in Alberta over the centuries. In so doing, it seeks to counter the view of Alberta as a one-class, one-party, one-ideology province, in which distinctions between those who work and those who own are irrelevant.
Workers from across the generations tell another tale, of an ongoing collective struggle to improve their economic and social circumstances in the face of a dominant, exploitative elite. Their stories are set within a sequential analysis of provincial politics and economics, supplemented by chapters on women and the labour movement and on minority workers of colour and their quest for social justice.
Published on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Alberta Federation of Labour, Working People in Albertacontrasts the stories of workers who were union members and those who were not. In its depictions of union organizing drives, strikes, and working-class life in cities and towns, this lavishly illustrated volume creates a composite portrait of the men and women who have worked to build and sustain the province of Alberta.
ISBN: 978-1-926836-58-4, paperback, 360 pp, View online version
Published on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Alberta Federation of Labour, Working People in Albertacontrasts the stories of workers who were union members and those who were not. In its depictions of union organizing drives, strikes, and working-class life in cities and towns, this lavishly illustrated volume creates a composite portrait of the men and women who have worked to build and sustain the province of Alberta.
ISBN: 978-1-926836-58-4, paperback, 360 pp, View online version
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Saskatchewan government urged to bring proposed labour law changes into line with accepted Canadian standards
By James Clancy
NUPGE News
March 13, 2013
“There is no reason that Saskatchewan labour law needs to be so radically different than the Canadian legislative norm in the treatment of supervisory employees,” says Clancy.
The Saskatchewan government’s proposed labour law changes are a radical departure from accepted norms across Canada and violate standards set by Canadian and international law, according to the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE).
“The proposed Saskatchewan Employment Act deviates from long-established labour law principles in many areas, including unilaterally excluding workers from union membership and taking away workers’ rights to belong to the union of their choice,” says NUPGE National President James Clancy.
March 13, 2013
“There is no reason that Saskatchewan labour law needs to be so radically different than the Canadian legislative norm in the treatment of supervisory employees,” says Clancy.
The Saskatchewan government’s proposed labour law changes are a radical departure from accepted norms across Canada and violate standards set by Canadian and international law, according to the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE).
“The proposed Saskatchewan Employment Act deviates from long-established labour law principles in many areas, including unilaterally excluding workers from union membership and taking away workers’ rights to belong to the union of their choice,” says NUPGE National President James Clancy.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Historic Two Day Strike Paralyses India
By Countercurrents.org
20 February, 2013
Workers began a two day strike in India to protest rising prices and government policies to open up the economy. Millions of factory and bank employees stayed away from work and public transport was shut down in most big cities after major trade unions called the countrywide strike. It is the first time since the Independent struggle that India witnesses two consecutive days of strikes.
A labour leader was fatally crushed when he tried to stop buses from leaving a terminal in Ambala, Haryana.
Workers armed with iron rods smashed factory windows and set a fire truck and several cars on fire in Noida.
Trade unions oppose government policies to open the retail, banking and aviation sectors to foreign investors in an effort to jumpstart India's sputtering economy.
20 February, 2013
Workers began a two day strike in India to protest rising prices and government policies to open up the economy. Millions of factory and bank employees stayed away from work and public transport was shut down in most big cities after major trade unions called the countrywide strike. It is the first time since the Independent struggle that India witnesses two consecutive days of strikes.
A labour leader was fatally crushed when he tried to stop buses from leaving a terminal in Ambala, Haryana.
Workers armed with iron rods smashed factory windows and set a fire truck and several cars on fire in Noida.
Trade unions oppose government policies to open the retail, banking and aviation sectors to foreign investors in an effort to jumpstart India's sputtering economy.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The City of Regina’s Unquenchable Thirst for Bad Ideas
Saskatchewan Office CCPA
February 13th, 2013
It seems the City of Regina just can’t get enough of bad deals. Hot on the heels of the City Plaza debacle and the stadium funding mess, the City has now announced its intention to enter into a 30-year contract with a private corporation to upgrade its waste water treatment facilities. Just as the City seems immune to the evidence that sports stadiums are a poor use of taxpayer money it seems equally oblivious to the mountain of evidence that essential public infrastructure should remain in public hands. In the case of contracting out wastewater treatment, the record is anything but reassuring.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Bill C-377 and the year ahead for the labour movement
By Dave Coles
January 4, 2013
In late December, the Conservative majority in the House of Commons passed Bill C-377, an Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (requirements for labour organizations), which was designed to challenge unions' involvement in political activities and divert their resources to busy work.
Like so many other actions on the part of the Harper government, Bill C-377 will inevitably turn out to be a purely political and ideological attack on his opponents. Its adoption fits right in with funding cuts to the women's, environmental and international development groups of the past few years.
If passed by the Senate and if the courts don't strike it down, Bill C-377 will require every trade union to file a public information return with the Canada Revenue Agency on expenditures over $5,000. It also mandates that labour organizations detail the percentage of time employees dedicate to political and lobbying activities.
In late December, the Conservative majority in the House of Commons passed Bill C-377, an Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (requirements for labour organizations), which was designed to challenge unions' involvement in political activities and divert their resources to busy work.
Like so many other actions on the part of the Harper government, Bill C-377 will inevitably turn out to be a purely political and ideological attack on his opponents. Its adoption fits right in with funding cuts to the women's, environmental and international development groups of the past few years.
If passed by the Senate and if the courts don't strike it down, Bill C-377 will require every trade union to file a public information return with the Canada Revenue Agency on expenditures over $5,000. It also mandates that labour organizations detail the percentage of time employees dedicate to political and lobbying activities.
Monday, December 17, 2012
A step backwards for workers' rights in Saskatchewan
BY DAVE COLES
DECEMBER 17, 2012
The changes to proposed labour legislation in the new Saskatchewan Employment Act aren't as bad as they could have been, but they still represent a step backwards for workers' rights. And one of the reforms unveiled last week is a particularly mean-spirited attack against some of the most vulnerable workers.
In May the Saskatchewan government released a consultation paper that included a slew of proposals that would have contravened International Labour Organization and Supreme Court decisions. Fortunately, the government listened to the labour movement's protests and dismissed the more extreme suggestions. Still, most of the changes in the proposed legislation weaken workers' rights.
The changes to proposed labour legislation in the new Saskatchewan Employment Act aren't as bad as they could have been, but they still represent a step backwards for workers' rights. And one of the reforms unveiled last week is a particularly mean-spirited attack against some of the most vulnerable workers.
In May the Saskatchewan government released a consultation paper that included a slew of proposals that would have contravened International Labour Organization and Supreme Court decisions. Fortunately, the government listened to the labour movement's protests and dismissed the more extreme suggestions. Still, most of the changes in the proposed legislation weaken workers' rights.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
The Saskatchewan Farmers Union, Hal Banks and teaching history
The following is an excerpt from No Expectations: A Memoir by James N. McCrorie published by Next Year Country Books. You can purchase this book HERE. - NYC.
This is not the place to reconstruct the history of the disruption of shipping on the Great Lakes and along the St. Lawrence river. Suffice to note that the sailors who manned the great lakes ships had once belonged to the Canadian Union of Seamen, a militant trade union with a Communist leadership. This situation was not acceptable to the owners of the Great Lake shipping companies, most of whom had ties to the Liberal Party of Canada. The Federal Liberal Government was prepared to admit a convicted, American felon – Hal Banks – to Canada for the purpose of organizing a raid on the Canadian Seamen’s Union and replacing it with a compliant, international (read American) union known as the Seafarer’s International Union of Canada.
Banks proceeded to surround himself with goons. They beat up and ran ashore seamen who were militant and left wing, and worked out sweet heart collective agreements with Canada Steamship Lines – the largest of the carriers. Smaller, competing shipping companies soon discovered the wisdom in following the course, charted by Canada Steamships. The Company, after all, had an “in” with the Federal Government.
The Diefenbaker Conservatives were in office at the time and the SFU [Saskatchewan Farmers Union] leadership wished to arm itself with ammunition, blowing open the nature of the collusion between Canada Steamships, the former Liberal Government and a corrupt, American dominated union. I was ordered to Ottawa to “get the goods”.
This is not the place to reconstruct the history of the disruption of shipping on the Great Lakes and along the St. Lawrence river. Suffice to note that the sailors who manned the great lakes ships had once belonged to the Canadian Union of Seamen, a militant trade union with a Communist leadership. This situation was not acceptable to the owners of the Great Lake shipping companies, most of whom had ties to the Liberal Party of Canada. The Federal Liberal Government was prepared to admit a convicted, American felon – Hal Banks – to Canada for the purpose of organizing a raid on the Canadian Seamen’s Union and replacing it with a compliant, international (read American) union known as the Seafarer’s International Union of Canada. Banks proceeded to surround himself with goons. They beat up and ran ashore seamen who were militant and left wing, and worked out sweet heart collective agreements with Canada Steamship Lines – the largest of the carriers. Smaller, competing shipping companies soon discovered the wisdom in following the course, charted by Canada Steamships. The Company, after all, had an “in” with the Federal Government.
The Diefenbaker Conservatives were in office at the time and the SFU [Saskatchewan Farmers Union] leadership wished to arm itself with ammunition, blowing open the nature of the collusion between Canada Steamships, the former Liberal Government and a corrupt, American dominated union. I was ordered to Ottawa to “get the goods”.
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