Canada. Unifor's Founding Convention: The Predictable and the Unexpected

The piece below was sent to us from a retired CAW member in Canada. Not being in Canada it is hard to determine how much of a good thing this merger might be. The author points out that when it comes to organizational details, nothing has changed and women, a huge section of the working class and union membership throughout the world are visibly absent. Sister Hinshelwood points out that there was some progress in that she received 17.49% of the vote in a challenge for the union's first national president and correctly pointed out that the bosses' austerity agenda cannot be halted without international solidarity. This is not an insignificant result and shows the potential for a genuine fighting opposition developing in Unifor.The most important thing of course is whether the strategy and tactics of this new union and its leadership are going to change. What is the leadership going to do differently from what has been done in the past? Will the present world-view of the union hierarchy, that the market and capitalism is the answer to all things, be discarded and a working class offensive be built that can drive back the austerity agenda and open up a new period of struggle?

By Lindsay Hinshelwood

Over the Labour Day weekend two of Canada's largest industrial unions, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP), merged to become the country's largest private sector union, Unifor.

At this founding convention, facilitated by retiring CAW President Ken Lewenza, the new union leadership moved forward by engaging in exactly the same kind of rhetoric it engaged in the day before when the CAW held its final convention: the usual "we fought for this, we fought for that." So if we ask the question "what kind of union is Unifor likely to be?" I'm going to say it will be just a larger, more tightly controlled Old Boys' club.

I had the privilege of being a first-time delegate at this merger convention and I wasn't expecting anything more than the same words I've been hearing for the 15 years I've been a CAW member. I expected sycophants giving their orchestrated standing ovations and speeches as expected. But the unexpected happened: the delegates offered some criticism and even some democracy, rarities in these patriarchal organizations that are traditionally plagued with appointed reps, nepotism and tokenism.

A sister, Kerry Ann Taylor, from the former CEP Local 232 spoke out about the lack of women and people of colour in the presentation of the new union. This led other delegates to say that it was only the Old Boys playing starring roles, and that this was the underlying culture of this historical event: the CAW leaders, all men, were controlling the democracy. This set the stage for the elections of the new national leaders of this new union, as Dave Coles, retiring President of the CEP, opened the nominations.

The anointed prince for the position of Unifor's first National President was the CAW's Jerry Dias. He is a careerist official who has been a union representative for most of his working life in the CAW, a self-titled "rank and file man" who spent most of his time in office. Then a challenger was

nominated by Bruce Allen, militant activist and Vice President of former CAW Local 199. After a compelling introduction he nominated me for National President, not only the first rank-and-file member to contest the top position in Unifor or the CAW before it but also a woman.

Instead of controlled democracy we had democracy forced from the floor. This developed further: when Coles wouldn't allow the candidates to speak, the delegates spoke out and demanded it. I received 17.49% of the vote, a great indication that many delegates were not happy founding a new union on old guard practices. I campaigned on a platform that we must be the change we want to see, with One Member One Vote for national officials and nominations open to the rank-and-file. My leaflet stated "Lindsay Hinshelwood recognizes that solidarity knows no borders and the struggle

against the austerity agenda cannot be effectively fought just in this country. She does not endorse reducing workers to being competitors, competing for lower wages, undercutting each other and impoverishing all, rather she believes in forging international solidarity."

With the election over and the other 24 nominees acclaimed, it was time to review and adopt the new Constitution and Vision, and this is where the union remains the same. There are few changes in the policies and procedures except that the role that the Public Review Board played in the CAW, as a body to which rank-and-file workers can make appeals, becomes diminished. The new vision implies that concessions are sometimes necessary, a frightful statement coming from the collaborationist, concession- seeking CAW officials. There is a plan to somehow include workers who work in non-unionized workplaces or who do not have jobs. This is a twisted irony for the Unifor members who are low-waged supplemental workers on General Motors' assembly lines who pay union dues but are not protected under the collective agreements.

Overall, the microphones were stacked with servile officials harping on about how good the union has been for them and these performances were always met with thunderous applause. However, there were also many delegates who addressed the floor on issues which concerned workers, issues which Dias just glossed over.

The merger does come with a glimmer of hope for change, and that will come from future delegates and members who demand change, contest the tradition of appointments and acclamations for national level positions, continue to publicize their critique of the union and raise the issues which concern them. The delegates of the founding convention forced a historic election, which has been more or less ignored by the new Unifor. I fear the driving down of workers will only accelerate before any progress is made.

Lindsay Hinshelwood is a member of Unifor Local 707 (Ford Oakville). She has been referred to as "the most outspoken critic of the CAW."

Read More

Public Sector Workers Must Claim Our 'Entitlement ."

by Wendy Forrest

It is difficult to instill a sense of entitlement among nurses and teachers.One of the most difficult challenges of a union steward in the public sector these days is to encourage and promote awareness of the value of our work - to help them achieve a sense of entitlement.


At work I talk a lot everyday about the attacks on public sector workers. I try to get them to see the erosion of our rights as workers and how attacks on us, our wages, benefits and likely soon our pensions is connected to the undermining and theft of our public services such publicly funded and administered health care and education.

There are many days when I leave work tired of my own voice and wonder if a word I have said has sunk in. I wonder if I have been the least bit effective in exploiting the constant opportunities to help my coworkers see that what is happening to them is not incidental but is part of a deliberate well orchestrated attack, local and global , on us as workers.

I do not overuse the term austerity. I try to get as close to the bone of what is actually happening in the moment to us as workers and draw out a few implications for folks.
Nurses often resist understanding themselves as "workers." Most prefer to use the term colleague or employee. It is one of the challenges of working as a so-called “professional “ to constantly challenge language we use , to deconstruct and challenge the ways we see ourselves and the work we do.

I especially worry about younger nurses starting out. In Ontario most nurses in hospitals are unionized. As a result they have no idea what it was like to work without a union. So I tell them. Some days it seems important to tell them a little bit of history of our union. I may just mention to them how the rights and protections we have were not always there. I recount anecdotes about working in a non union hospital decades ago. I tell them about being forced to work for 10 days in a row without a day off-about having to work double and extra shifts without overtime pay and leaving work at midnight and having to show up again at 8 am with no choice and no overtime pay. I try to take every opportunity, heed sighs of frustration, fatigue, signs of too much stress and to bolstering the anger I see and hear when workloads seem overwhelming, when our safety is at risk, when we are harassed regarding “overuse of sick time”. It is a constant activity to deconstruct the language used by the employers, terms like “attendance management” reminding them that no matter what we are told it is our collective agreement that determines our rights.

Sometimes it feels like an intricate dance, stressing the importance of our union and at the same time emphasizing the need to challenge the leadership of our union and all public sector unions to fight for us more aggressively. I have never been a good dancer and often chastise myself for being too clumsy in the way I do this. I remind myself that the task is to not to act like a blunt instrument , like a baseball bat rather like a delicate scalpel to expose the lies we have internalized , the myths about ourselves as workers and our work as an essential social function.

It is absurd that many days I must remind new nurses to claim their overtime, to take their lunch and supper breaks.

I talk to them as well about the realities of working in a female dominated profession-and to claim their right to “care” without letting the caring nature of our work be used against us as a source of exploitation.

It astounds me how uncomfortable most nurses are with the words labour and worker. Most “professionals” do not want to see themselves as “workers.” They resist, as if it is an insult to be seen as having the same class interests as a city worker or a bus driver. It takes a lot of imagination to construct analogies that help them see differently. I often tell them about the “professionalism” exhibited moment by moment by the transit driver who every day takes abuse from the public, who is verbally and physically assaulted at work yet continues to maintain his “professional” behaviour and to keep her passengers safe.

I ask them who is more important to us in the midst of a power failure and tell them the story of watching three city workers outside my window in an ice storm at 3 am in the morning, while my son and I shivered under blankets and duvets inside. Who do you want to see in a case like this, a lawyer, a professor, a banker or stockbroker, even a teacher or a nurse outside your window? No you want to see a city worker acting in the public interest not only to restore our conveniences but to prevent an elderly person, a disabled person or newborn baby from getting sick even dying from the cold.

I value my Saturday mornings when I read the weekly edition of my newspaper and savour my coffee at leisure.  I subscribe to what is considered to be the newspaper of business and finance. And I have to admit what I read is biased towards the enemy of my class. But it is in this newspaper that I see to a better extent the degree of threat working people face.

These writers are bold. They write to and for the capitalist class and leave no stone unturned. I believe all working people should once in a while read what these apologists for the greedy unproductive bankers and business class have to say about us as workers.

We have become used to references to public sector workers as the “bloated public sector.” 

These lies come from the vampires whose CEOs" salaries define the meaning of "bloated."We have become hardened to this. But when we take a good look at the language of their propaganda we become more skilled at analyzing their repetitive narratives . It can help us learn better how to talk among ourselves to build a counter narrative and a shift in how we see  and understand ourselves as workers.

More often we hear the use of the term "entitlement" to refer to workers. Ironically it is the most non-entitled parasitical representatives of the privileged and exploiting class that throw this word around to bully and demean us .

The capitalist class has been very successful and can claim many victories in part thanks to a failure of the leadership of our unions to reject the mantra of labour peace and build a  fighting opposition  across unions-their refusal to utilize their tremendous resources to build  genuine resistance to neo-liberalism and austerity agendas . Concession after concession in the name of labour peace has pretty well dug us into a hole. So far they have not quite yet thrown in the dirt to bury us completely but it a very deep hole with very steep sides to scale.

The mantra of “increasing the productivity “of public sectors workers has been around for awhile. But I wonder how many of us understand the level of sophistication this particular piece of propaganda has taken on. I marvel at the success  they have enjoyed in convincing a large section of the public that we are lazy, that we waste and exploit tax dollars as they viciously attack our “sense of entitlement.”
A favourite site of attack is our sick time. Putting aside the reality of wage freezes and cuts, the attacks on defined pensions plans, all those “entitlements, “ it seems that “abuse” of sick time by public sector workers is slowing down productivity. Enter attendance management programs with a vengeance. 

Apparently the average amount of sick time used per year by government employees in Canada is approximately 12.5. In my experience as a health care worker this amounts to maybe one good bout of influenza and maybe a common cold if we insist on staying off work until were really well. This is for a “healthy” worker with no chronic illnesses. It does not account for unforeseen injuries, stress related illness, “mental health days” (which at one time were written into some collective agreements), the need to use sick time because our children are sick -most collective agreements do not cover this reality. Forget about the fact that we are allowed 4 entire days official bereavement leave (which must be taken consecutively) if a child, partner, mother or father dies. and of course ignore the number of unused sick days , hours and hours of unclaimed overtime.

Never mind that the average number of vacation days for a worker in Italy is 42, in France 37 and in Canada 26. In the US it is 13 days per year on the average.

Their response is the introduction of attendance management programs that “entitle “ the boss to harass workers at home, violate a workers right to confidentiality regarding health care history, frequent calls into the bosses office to be intimidated and threatened, demands for letters from our physicians after even one day off sick and threats of dismissal.

And beware the “more enlightened” approach" – so called employer driven “health and wellness programs” which under the guise of "caring" for  to the health and well being of workers ends up placing full responsibility for our health on the worker/individual . These programs are introduced into the workplace in what appears to be a benign and even benevolent way.

Unfortunately some public sector unions are buying into these sneaky programs and promoting them. These programs ignore workload issues, continual increased stresses in the workplace, close monitoring of workers, increased intimidation etc.

Workers may be  enticed to volunteer for a 2-4 week “project” where that keep track of the foods they eat , the amount of exercise , how much alcohol they consume , whether or not they smoke etc. The employer exploits  the dreaded “team concept“, with all its whistles and bells and appoints or solicits “champions “ among the workers to promote  the project.

Not only does this distract from real and serious concerns in the workplace that union steward must address in a vigourous way, but it reinforces the notion that the individual worker is responsible for his or her health exclusively. The social and political context of health is deliberately ignored. A careful examination of these programs reveals that more and more information is revealed to the employer, more responsibility for being sick is placed on the worker as well as providing the employer with more and more tools to penalize and punish workers who are sick. You have to marvel at the sophistication and the stealthy deception used. Beware the wolf in lambs clothing.

A useful  article by Steve Early in The Nation , February 26th 2013 www.the nation.com/article/173088/why-workers-should-be-wary-about-corporate-wellness.#axzz2WejzCNXG lays out clearly the dangers of these programs. The article cites the experience of the Chicago Teachers Union who signed on to a wellness program. The result was increased mandatory monitoring of workers health and lifestyles, fines for not participating in the program, excessive monitoring of workers lifestyles, excessive employer and insurer intrusion into workers lives and right to privacy, their “preexisting conditions.” Ultimately workers who do not cooperate often end up having to pay more for health care benefits or endure other penalties.

A fundamental question arises then for the work of the union steward in the workplace whose work is voluntary and largely unrecognized. Who rarely goes to convention with all the perks of hotel rooms and free meals and paid time off work. Whose efforts often bring them into conflict with their boss and whose ears must at all times be to the ground, listening to coworkers, grasping at every moment their anger and their fear and capitalizing on every almost microscopic opportunity to intervene, educate, reframe in an attempt to shift their consciousness to one that makes them proud to be workers and determined to feel entitled.

For me it highlights the need to build solidarity among the closest to ground, the steward in the workplace. No one is more important in the workplace, in the union except the workers themselves. There is no one better placed to understand the consciousness of the workers, their anger and their brilliance as well as the opportunities and the obstacles. Stewards share the shop floor, do the same work and endure the same oppression .

It struck me a few days after my boss asked me several months ago “who do you think you are?” how much I  wish I had a quicker wit , had said to her. “I am an entitled public sector worker, my entitlements were hard won and many have suffered, even died so that I can claim that entitlement as a  right and  I am determined to make sure the workers in my union understand that they too are entitled to rights and privileges even beyond your imagination.”

Maybe next time I will be faster on the draw.

Read More

Canadians oppose privatizing the postal service

From Alan Maki

From the Canadian Union of Postal Workers  CUPW


OTTAWA- People like the idea of Canada Post making money through financial services according to a new poll.

Close to two out of every three respondents (63%) to a Stratcom poll supported Canada Post expanding revenue-generating services, including financial services like bill payments, insurance and banking.

   

CUPW asked Stratcom to conduct the poll in order to contribute to the debate on the future of Canada Post. The post office is currently conducting a public consultation on its future, focusing on cuts.
'Canada Post has options other than cutting,' said CUPW National President Denis Lemelin. “It could follow the lead of post offices in other countries by leveraging its network and adding lucrative banking services. Our poll results suggest there would be support for such a move.” 
The Stratcom poll also found that there is no appetite for major changes such as postal privatization and deregulation. 69 % of poll respondents opposed privatization of Canada Post and 71% opposed allowing private companies to deliver lettermail in Canada.

   

These results are drawn from a Stratcom national online survey which interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,514 adult Canadians between May 24^th to 26^th, 2013.

-30-

For more information contact Communications Specialist, Canadian Union of Postal Workers: Kevin Matthews, Cell: 613-327-1177, Email: kmatthews@cupw-sttp.org. To obtain more information about the poll and postal banking, go to: cupw.ca/PostalPoll

Read More

OCAP Wins small victory for homeless in Toronto

Update on Toronto Shelters Campaign: City Council Votes to Open Beds for Homeless!

Submitted by ocap on Fri, 04/05/2013 - 04:41.

Thursday, April 4, 2013
It took months of community action, two occupations and some fifty arrests, but the City's claim that the overcrowded shelter system is 'meeting the needs of the homeless' has now collapsed.

On April 4th, City Council voted in favour of a return to the policy of opening new space when shelter occupancy reaches 90% (it is presently running at an official 96% average with some spaces, including women's shelters, at 99 and 100%). Staff are now instructed to take the measures necessary to achieve this goal including the opening of new facilities. Our efforts will now be devoted to ensuring that they do just that.

When the final vote was taken on the amended motion, one member of Council cast a vote against- Mayor Rob Ford. Ford had earlier told the media that he would return to the Council Chambers to explicitly vote against opening more beds for the homeless and he did just that. He had already delayed consideration of the shelter issue by placing on the agenda a proposal to open a Hero Burger outlet in Nathan Phillip's Square. He was able to win the burger joint, but his efforts to deny safety and dignity to homeless people were in vain.

This vote is a victory for community action. We said all along that
letting people die on the streets could be viewed as the ultimate result of the austerity agenda and we have shown we can fight back against that agenda and win. However, we are also clear that it will take ongoing action to ensure this Council vote translates into more beds and new spaces for the homeless.

Finally, pleased as we are with this victory, let's remember that we have won shelter beds for the homeless, not housing. We don't accept that people should sleep in hostels or that upscale development continues to push people and services out of the downtown core. We now have to build a powerful and united movement that can win housing for everyone in this city, and to push back against the gentrification of our communities. We know this will be a long and hard fight. The people who we've lost - members, friends, and the 'nameless' - they are not forgotten and we fight for a city where 'No More Homeless Deaths' is truly a reality.

Ontario Coalition Against Povertywww.ocap.ca
416-925-6939

I'd say three things stand out in the victory that has just been won around the crisis of overcrowding in Toronto's homeless shelter system:-

1. The dominant power structure at City Hall, gathered around the Mayor's office and the most senior levels of the administration, were determined to cram people into the shelters regardless of the human cost but they have been forced to give ground. Austerity is not inevitable and we can win victories even in the face of major attacks.

2. This particular victory is fragile as most victories are likely to be in the present situation. It is a given that the administration will do as little as possible to actually implement the Council decision to reduce the overcrowding. The gain we made will be worth something only to the extent that we continue to mobilize to force them to take real and effective action.

3. We can take a moment to feel some satisfaction at this win but we should also admit that it is a sign of our present weakness that we are fighting to prevent them from letting people die on the streets. We did not challenge homelessness but only eased the situation the homeless face. By gaining some additional shelter space, we took a few baby steps but we need to build a movement in this City that seriously fights for the right to decent and affordable housing for everyone.

 John Clarke, OCAP

Read More

Don't forget the Exxon Valdez

From Coastal First Nations. It could have done without the music but it's the sort of history that we are supposed to forget.

                                                                     *********

24 years later and this still gives us a sinking feeling. This is the actual radio call from the Exxon Valdez to Coast Guard, reporting the oil spill.

Released on the 24th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, this two-minute video reminds us of the dangers and costs that oil tankers and pipelines pose to our coastal waters. Produced by the Coastal First Nations (http://www.coastalfirstnations.ca), the video opens with Exxon Valdez Captain Joe Hazelwood's radio call to Coast Guard, accompanied by The Sound of Silence, by Simon and Garfunkel. It concludes with a simple message: "Don't be silent. Vote for an oil-free coast."

Paul Simon's music label granted the rights to use the song for a small honorarium after the Coastal First Nations wrote to him personally, telling him about the Great Bear Rainforest and the danger that oil tankers pose to the coastal communities that live here. Please share far and wide!

Read More

Canada's Indigenous movement is Idle No More

Al Jazeera covers Idle No More, the Canadian indigenous movement that is gaining strength. 

"It is important to understand that Canada is currently being governed by a very extremist power .... The reality of Bill C-45, and the complete gutting of 30 years of environmental approvals enforcement and regulatory mechanisms [is that it will] significantly kick open the door for international investment in tar sands, and other unsustainable and harmful and devastating extractive industries, which disproportionately impact our native people and our way of life ... "    - Clayton Thomas-Muller, an indigenous rights activist.

Read More