Archive for the ‘Talkin’ Union’ Category

Bryan Palmer: The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike heard around the world

Posted: October 13, 2019 in Socialism, Talkin' Union, Winnipeg
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Winnipeg, July 20, 2019: Professor Bryan Palmer at the 14th annual forum of the World Association for Political Economy. Photo: Paul S. Graham

The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike was followed with great interest by people around the world, says Dr. Bryan Palmer, Professor Emeritus at Trent University. Professor Palmer was speaking at the 14th Forum of the World Association for Political Economy entitled Class, State and Nation in the 21st Century, held in Winnipeg July 19-21, 2019. Here is my video report.

Video: CUPE President Paul Moist warns against the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement

Posted: June 30, 2011 in Nibbling on The Empire, Talkin' Union
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The governments of Canada and the European Union are negotiating a treaty called the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. They hope to sign it by the end of 2011.

This treaty will take power from local governments in Canada and give it to large transnational corporations headquartered in Europe. These huge companies could take over the delivery of vital public services – such as water, transit, energy and health care – whether local communities like it or not. It’s NAFTA on steroids.

The time to stop CETA is now. Paul Moist, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, speaking in Winnipeg on June 27th, explains.

The fight to block CETA is being led by the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Council of Canadians. CUPE’s Paul Moist and the Council’s Maude Barlow have been crisscrossing the country in an effort to drum up opposition to this treaty. You owe it to yourself to get informed and get involved. For more information:

Oppose Harper’s draconian back-to-work legislation

Posted: June 22, 2011 in Human Rights, In Solidarity, Talkin' Union
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Winnipeggers rallied in support of locked-out CUPW members in Winnipeg June 16, 2011. Photo: Paul S. Graham

This, just in, from Derek Blackadder at LabourStart. While it is addressed to trade unionists it should resonate with anyone who believes in democracy. The Conservative government’s decision to impose back-to-work legislation strikes at the heart of democracy; it is a form of forced labour, something expressly forbidden by the International Labour Organization of which Canada is a member.

If you think the Tories will stop with postal workers, think again. We must stop Harper here.

Please support the LabourStart campaign and tell Lisa Rait and Stephen Harper what they can do with their back-to-work legislation.

As trade unionists we understand that the right to free collective bargaining without interference from the state is fundamental to what we do.

When the state interferes on behalf of an employer our rights as workers are at stake.

‘Our’ newly-elected Conservative majority government is using the Post Office lockout as the first salvo in its war on trade unions in this country.

The legislation not only forces an end to free collective bargaining, it imposes wages that are less than those Canada Post had tabled.

It is virtually unprecedented for back-to-work legislation in Canada to impose terms and conditions of employment. (You can read the bill in PDF form here.)

Our CUPW e-campaign is within sight of the 10,000 messages mark.

The Minister of Labour is saying that she has thousands of messages demanding legislation to end the strike and to impose new conditions of employment on post office workers.

Help give the union the ability to say ‘we have tens of thousands of messages demanding free collective bargaining’.

Help build not only CUPW’s fightback, but the 4 year long fightback that has just started.

Join this campaign here and pass this link along to ALL your contacts!

See also: Video: Winnipeg Solidarity with the Postal Workers

Video: Winnipeg Solidarity with the Postal Workers

Posted: June 20, 2011 in Human Rights, In Solidarity, Talkin' Union, Winnipeg
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On June 16, about 1,000 members of several Winnipeg unions rallied at the main post office in Winnipeg in solidarity with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. The rally, one of many to be held across the country, was in response to federal government plans to legislate CUPW members back to work.

The union has been waging a rotating strike that started in Winnipeg on June 2 and then moved to other cities. Canada Post locked out the workers on June 14.

On June 20, the federal Conservative government tabled back-to-work legislation that will force the two sides to accept a form of binding arbitration called final offer selection. Under FOS, each side tables their final offer and the arbitrator picks one.

When governments force an end to strikes they undermine free collective bargaining. To put it another way,  they are trampling on our democratic rights. Some call this fascism; others feudalism. In any case, F-words, such as fightback, are entirely appropriate.

More information: Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Video: Canadian Labour in Crisis

Posted: May 16, 2011 in Talkin' Union
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On May 5, 2011, David Camfield launched his new book, Canadian Labour in Crisis – Reinventing the Workers`Movement, at the Mondragon Bookstore and Coffee House in Winnipeg, Canada. David Camfield is an associate professor in labour studies at the University of Manitoba.

More information about David’s book: http://www.fernwoodpublishing.ca/author/David/