Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Grey-Bruce Labour Council Reacts to Drummond Recommendations

For Immediate Release, Feb 15 2012
Grey-Bruce Labour Council Reacts to Drummond Recommendations
The Drummond recommendations fail to take into account the history of gross legislative negligence at the federal and provincial level that has put Ontario’s economy in its current state. Drummond claims that in only a couple of years the debt will be so large that the province will not be able to recover and will perhaps succumb to problems no less dramatic than that of Greece.
When the Drummonds of the world and their free market / globalization / deregulation / anti-union / anti worker political allies intentionally look away from the history that they have been an integral part of creating we get recommendations that if boiled down lay the blame squarely at the feet of those that did not make or contribute to the crisis; average workers! The free marketers of the world have destroyed Canada’s manufacturing base and given massive corporate tax cuts and now want to shift their attack to the public services and the workers that are part of a legacy of excellent public services and fair and reasonable treatment of workers that did exist before the introduction of free trade and deregulation.
It is time for a responsible government, if we can find one, to push the Drummonds away and to have the courage to abide by the adage to “do no harm” and in that restore Ontario to a place of prominence by bringing home and protecting manufacturing jobs, by standing behind their people by acting on policy that will protect them and recognize that progressive social policy is far more economically sound over the long run over policy that bows to the agenda of capital.
Mr. McGuinty and Mr. Duncan dump Drummond and embrace for the first time in a decade and a half a policy that honours the social contract with the people of Ontario.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey Bruce Labour Council
519 955 1061

Monday, February 13, 2012

Feb. 11, 2012, For Immediate Release

Feb. 11, 2012, For Immediate Release
Grey-Bruce Labour Council Conducts Planning Session
Caterpillar, Goodyear, Public Services, Pensions, CPP, OAS, Occupy Movement, Union Rocks. Whether it is the reprehensible act of greed perpetrated by Caterpillar, the needless loss of jobs in the former Goodyear plant, the Drummond driven impending attack on our public services, Harper’s failure to understand the need for retirement with dignity for all Canadians, the so much needed direct action of Occupy or Union Rocks elevating the next generation into activism, the Grey-Bruce Labour Council set its course today to ensure that our region will hear loud and clear the voices of “the people”.
For over 50 years the Grey-Bruce Labour Council has been the voice of working people in our region and through the decades of working on behalf of all working people the rights of working people and the public services so critical to our lives have never been at more risk.
Representatives of the Labour Council from CUPE, CAW, OPSEU, OECTA and UFCW worked through a session on the 11th of Feb. to prepare for the struggle to protect Canada’s heritage of social responsibility and to engage the broader community in a region wide coalition to line up against the forces that seek to destroy the jobs and services that support workers.
The details of the planning session align with the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress and will have to be vetted by the entire Labour Council before being committed to action, but as Brad Drake of Union Rocks and a UFCW delegate stated “the days of depending on traditional methods to carry out this work will not get the job done this time. The integration of youth and direct action with our traditional methods along with seeking to increase our density and political influence is the only framework that will lead to success and that success is measured only by one standard; the ability to ensure a fair and equitable of share our wealth to all in our society”.
For More Information
Dave Trumble
President Grey Bruce Labour Council
dtrumble@bmts.com
5199551061

Saturday, February 4, 2012

For Immediate Release, Grey-Bruce Labour Council, Feb 4, 2012, Electro-Motive Plant Closure

For Immediate Release, Grey-Bruce Labour Council, Feb 4, 2012, Electro-Motive Plant Closure




Two weeks ago the community, labour, the occupy movement and citizens from all walks of life stood in London in support of workers; not just the workers at Electro-Motive, but the Canadian worker. Yes, the focus was the CAW Members on the picket line, but the workers on the line that day represented every single worker in Canada being wilfully targeted by corporate and government organs and repreresentatives that have made it the purpose of their existence to destroy the ability of workers in Canada and around the world to exercise any form of self defence such as collective bargaining. In Canada it is particularly heinous and despicable as these agents of terror are purposefully undermining the right of Canadian workers to their charter right to free collective barging.



In a week where the former Goodyear plant in Owen Sound announced the closing of it's doors the announcement by Caterpillar cannot help but stir the call to direct action. What form does such action take? Dave Trumble, President of the Grey-Bruce Labour Council and one of many that journeyed to London and stood with USW 818L at the Goodyear plant some years ago believes that this will become only too obvious when in the near future those "left to deal with poverty, illness, injury and the 99% who no longer see the inequality in our society as sustainable take up the call to change the status quo". The battle plan will no doubt exhibit a focus on seeing progressive governments elected, but people should not be surprised if the streets begin to fill up with people that have had enough.



In an interview on Friday Trumble called the actions of Caterpillar and the Harper government sad and despicable. The Grey-Bruce Labour Council will be carrying out a planning session in the next week and will align itself clearly with the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress and the 99% as the time nears to re-establish fairness and equality in Canada.



For Information;

Dave Trumble

President

Grey-Bruce Labour Council

http://www.greybrucelabour.com/

dtrumble@bmts.com

519 955 1061

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Letter to the Editor; Re, Former Goodyear Plant to Close

Feb. 1st, 2012
Letter to the Editor; Re, Former Goodyear Plant to Close


Black Lawson Kennedy, Russell Brothers, PPG, Bell Canada Operator Services and now Veyance Technologies (former Goodyear plant) and manufacturer’s too many to name have left Owen Sound or downsized over the years since the early eighties. This does not begin to identify the list of other manufacturing sector jobs and / or well paying public service sector jobs that have left the entire Grey Bruce region since the same time period.

The three conservative horsemen of economic destruction (Mulroney, Regan and Thatcher) ushered in the era of free trade and deregulation and three decades later the conservative mantra set out in those days continues to manifest itself in more an more jobs disappearing across Owen Sound, our region and Canada; millions to be more precise. What troubles progressive people such as Trade Unionists is that 30 some years later and with countless friends and families destroyed or forever financially crippled by job loss that is directly tied to neo conservative legislative policy is why there is one vote cast for the candidates that represent the parties that have legislated into existence the polices and deregulation that facilitate the very loss of this base of work for the working class and the source of middle class and community prosperity.

As we discover more about this latest closure let us not forget that these closures have been underwritten and empowered by neo conservative policy since the 1980’s and if there is one thing we can learn is that unless candidates arrive with progressive platforms, manufacturing jobs strategies and support for public services it is time to unelect the purveyors of economic destruction that are dressed in blue and sometimes red.

Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council