Happy Labour Day
Yesterday Premier Danielle Smith issued a statement celebrating Alberta Day—a non-stat holiday created by her predecessor Jason Kenney to commemorate the day Alberta became a province—without once mentioning Confederation. Today…
unions
Conservatives court Labour
During the recent railway dispute, the federal Conservatives were strangely silent. A work stoppage of... The post Conservatives court Labour first appeared on Views from the Beltline.
Railway relief
Sighs of relief could be heard across the country when federal Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon... The post Railway relief first appeared on Views from the Beltline.
What is University For – Part 1
In case you’ve missed it, many students on university campuses have been protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The police have been heavy-handed — or outright violent — with some…
C-58, a victory for workplace democracy
People have fought for rights in their workplaces as long as there have been workplaces. The first labour strike in recorded history took place in Egypt in the reign of…
Can unions restore a stable America?
A stable US is important to all of us. A very imperfect democracy but nonetheless by far the most important, it is the central pillar of global liberty. Recently that…
Precariat jobs could be good jobs
What is a good job? In most people’s minds I assume that would be something that pays well and provides good benefits, steady employment and satisfying work. In the post-war…
Strike While the Fire’s Hot
Happy Labour Day! I’m sitting at a comfortable distance from Ontario school contract negotiations this time out, and I don’t know all the ins and outs of the various union…
Pierre is no ladies’ man
Angus Reid recently reported a survey of Canadians’ attitude towards our federal political leaders, and it was not good news for the Conservatives new head honcho Mr. Poilievre. While he…
Happy Labour Day: the tide of workers who wish they had a union is growing
Happy Labour Day! Overall union membership may be shrinking, but the number of workers who wish they had a union and would vote to join one if they could appears…
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em
I don’t know how else to interpret today’s media event wherein UNIFOR National President Jerry Dias and OPSEU President Smokey Thomas appeared in Milton praising Doug Ford’s plan to increase…
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em
I don’t know how else to interpret today’s media event wherein UNIFOR National President Jerry Dias and OPSEU President Smokey Thomas appeared in Milton praising Doug Ford’s plan to increase…
Ottawa’s municipal unions have blown a fuse on vaccine mandates
CBC is reporting that four of Ottawa’s unions — CUPE 503, CUPE 5550, ATU 279 and ATU 1760 — are grieving the city’s no jab, no job policy. And it…
Are the new Conservatives the old Conservatives?
Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives showed a new face during the recent campaign. A surprisingly progressive one. The leader said the party has let Canadians down, citing climate policies and engaging with…
Billionaires 1, Unions 0
The richest man in the world wins again. Earlier this week, workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, voted overwhelmingly against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.…
Joe Biden—union man
During Joe Biden’s election campaign, he promised he would be “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen.” This may be the most important promise he made, at least on the…
Conservatives and the working class
During the 2019 provincial election UCP leader Jason Kenney rambled about Alberta in a big blue pickup truck for all the world like a toiler in the oil fields. The…
Canada’s progressive politicians need to pay attention to Erin O’Toole’s pivot to unions
If Erin O’Toole was sincere when he surprised everyone last month by bemoaning the decline of unions, you’d think he’d publicly rebuke Premier Jason Kenney for his ongoing campaign to…
On McQuaig’s Sport and Prey
Linda McQuaig’s newest book, The Sport and Prey of Capitalists: How the Rich are Stealing Canada’s Public Wealth, is a fast read full of local history and written as history…