The New York Times reported yesterday how the coronavirus crisis is prodding a wave of mostly progressive American physicians to enter politics. Many are women and most have connected the dots between the United States’ appalling Third World health care system and the disastrous rate of COVID-19 infection and death
Continue readingTag: United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401
Alberta Politics: Maybe it’s time for Ottawa to use its power to close those meatpacking plants until their owners fix their COVID-19 mess
Now that he’s made a little progress sorting out Canada’s gun enthusiasts, maybe it’s time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to do something about those coronavirus mega-spreaders in our midst — meatpacking plants. It’s no longer possible to deny that the way the meatpacking industry operates in North America makes
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta safety inspection of Cargill slaughterhouse done by FaceTime, with no actual inspector on site
Alberta Labour’s occupational health and safety inspector didn’t actually visit the Cargill Inc. meatpacking plant in High River when the ministry inspected its COVID-19 safety measures on April 15. Instead, the Labour Ministry inspector watched with FaceTime as three employees conducted “a virtual plant inspection.” United Food and Commercial Workers
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Devin Dreeshen’s happy talk about workplace safety undermines the battle against COVID-19
By insisting Alberta’s meat-packing plants are safe to work in despite crowded conditions and ignoring workers’ pleas to temporarily close large slaughterhouses to halt the spread of COVID-19, Alberta Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen appears to be actively undermining the provincial fight against the coronavirus. It may have seemed faintly credible
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Doug O’Halloran, 66, Alberta union leader for more than 30 years, never shied from tough fights for his members
Doug O’Halloran, a pillar of the labour movement in Alberta and one of Canada’s last old-style union leaders, died peacefully yesterday. Mr. O’Halloran, who was 66, succumbed to cancer after a long illness. “It is fitting that he chose to leave us on Thanksgiving, a day for celebrating the two
Continue readingAlberta Diary: If it’s Alberta, it ain’t goin’ across the border: time to connect the dots on XL Foods
“If it ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef!” Alberta Beef Producers’ advertising models may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: I [HEART] [ALBERTA MAP] [BEETS]; Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson and Premier Alison Redford. Do you remember that brilliant advertising campaign, “If it ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef”? Well, nowadays –
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