Like it was yesterday! I remember Dalton McGuinty saying on the night he was first elected that he was going to treat the public service with respect; the respect it had so lacked under the Mike Harris regime of "scorched earth". Here we are years later and McGuinty has heaped out a lot of respect. Not much of it towards the public service and the thousands of employees that provide the services that many of us need everyday, but respect nonetheless.
McGuinty has respected corporations through billions of dollars in tax cuts that don't create jobs. He has respected Samsung and sold off jobs for Canadians in the energy sector. He has respected unfair trade deals that provide a "no" manufacturing jobs strategy for Ontario. He has respected the lack of democracy in legislation that prevents people from fighting against the location of wind farms. He has respected replacement in that he stood up against anti-replacement worker (scabs) legislation. He has respected legislation that may remove from workers the very ability to receive instruction in matters of health and safety from workers and amongst the many dollops of respect he has handed out he has now handed out respect for short term financial gain and decided to pound rural Ontario again by closing down jails in Walkerton and Owen Sound.
Although Tim Hudak should scare us all, McGuinty's future for Ontario is seemingly no less bleak in some respects. Tell McGuinty to live up to a couple of his promises and that one of them needs to be respect for the public service and hopefully that will translate into hope for rural Ontario. McGuinty needs to be told that his choices are just wrong and if we can't reach him through fighting back right now, lets tell him and the scary alternative (Hudak) that we don't trust either of them and in October lets get Ontario to a place where perhaps the progressive alternatives in the legislature will have the balance of power.
In Solidarity
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
http://www.greybrucelabour.com/
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Sisters and Brothers in Japanese Nuclear Plants
The events taking place in the Japanese Nuclear plants are not to be minimized and to do so would dishonor our sisters and brothers working to bring the plants into a controlled state. Despite all this thousands of dedicated and trained professionals maintain and operate close to 400 plants the world over and do so to support energy demand the world over while offering the best alternative to fossil fuels and providing economical base load generation. Hopefully the media will get this message and begin objective reporting of the situation in Japan's plants.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Elections, Get the facts
Dear Editor;
It is natural for the party in power to garner most of the attention of the media and the letter writers and in the case of the Ontario liberals, who have (amongst a litany of mistakes) done deep and significant damage to rural healthcare, manufacturing jobs and foisted the ill conceived green energy act on the citizens of Ontario, they should expect no less consideration.
Now that an election year is upon us in Ontario it is not likely to be very long before the campaign noise gets very loud. In the early part of this year I have noted what to me should be a concern for anyone that can remember the Harris years in Ontario; I get a sense that people are entirely focused on any alternative to McGuinty. Just as a reminder, the Harris years embodied, to name but a few items, the destruction of vast public services, the sell off of public institutions, attacks on worker rights on an almost daily basis, attacks on the poor, appalling funding cuts to education, the attempted destruction of universal and public healthcare and a variety of manufactured crisis.
I am no fan of the McGuinty liberals, but remain steadfastly concerned that the Hudak conservatives are in all likelihood a through back to the Harris years (Wisconsin mean anything to anyone?). I can't offer a political suggestion that answers all concerns, but in what will be the ever increasing noise level of a campaign year please don't ever forget that at least as many of the McGuinty disasters were empowered by the travesty that was the Harris tories as they were of their own making and design. When at long last we make the trip to the ballot box be the person who understands what the parties stand for and be the one who has asked about energy, hospitals, jobs, pensions, schools, worker rights, etc.. By the way, not bad advice if the federal election heads our way in the next while.
In Solidarity
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
http://www.greybrucelabour.com/
It is natural for the party in power to garner most of the attention of the media and the letter writers and in the case of the Ontario liberals, who have (amongst a litany of mistakes) done deep and significant damage to rural healthcare, manufacturing jobs and foisted the ill conceived green energy act on the citizens of Ontario, they should expect no less consideration.
Now that an election year is upon us in Ontario it is not likely to be very long before the campaign noise gets very loud. In the early part of this year I have noted what to me should be a concern for anyone that can remember the Harris years in Ontario; I get a sense that people are entirely focused on any alternative to McGuinty. Just as a reminder, the Harris years embodied, to name but a few items, the destruction of vast public services, the sell off of public institutions, attacks on worker rights on an almost daily basis, attacks on the poor, appalling funding cuts to education, the attempted destruction of universal and public healthcare and a variety of manufactured crisis.
I am no fan of the McGuinty liberals, but remain steadfastly concerned that the Hudak conservatives are in all likelihood a through back to the Harris years (Wisconsin mean anything to anyone?). I can't offer a political suggestion that answers all concerns, but in what will be the ever increasing noise level of a campaign year please don't ever forget that at least as many of the McGuinty disasters were empowered by the travesty that was the Harris tories as they were of their own making and design. When at long last we make the trip to the ballot box be the person who understands what the parties stand for and be the one who has asked about energy, hospitals, jobs, pensions, schools, worker rights, etc.. By the way, not bad advice if the federal election heads our way in the next while.
In Solidarity
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
http://www.greybrucelabour.com/
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Regarding the March 5th Jim Merriam column "Facing unions a hard fact in tackling debt".
Dear Editor;
Regarding the March 5th Jim Merriam column "Facing unions a hard fact in tackling debt". The Supreme Court has determined that the right of workers to bargain collectively is so important to society as a whole that it is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There are millions of Canadians that gain or sustain their voice in the workplace and on the electoral stage due to this Charter right.
Mr. Merriam is typical of those that see unions as some kind of bogeyman and in their haste to make their point do little research and hope that if they dump enough in the way of inaccurate fear and loathing in their medium that they will sustain the rest of their ilk in their ignorance of the century and half of social progress that the Trade Union Movement is responsible for.
When the Jim Merriam's of the world take a day off or get paid for a statutory holiday or enter a workplace that provides protection for workers through various laws and legislations please remember that each of these was not brought to him or them by any politician or business person; it was brought about by social progressives of which trade unionism is a pillar. Oh yes, the vitriolic rantings about public sector unions being responsible for budget deficits; perhaps it is time to ask why against over 20 years of advice by the Trade Union movement that governments have handed out billions to corporations while sending millions of jobs offshore and have reduced the very tax base that supports our communites.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
http://www.greybrucelabour
JIM MERRIAM: Facing unions a hard fact in tackling debt
By JIM MERRIAM
Posted 1 day ago
No matter what labour activists might tell you, the so-called assault on public-sector unions in the United States, particularly the State of Wisconsin, is about more than workers' right to bargain collectively.
You've no doubt heard of the battle. It has been marked by union activists occupying government buildings and members of the opposition Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate hiding outside the state to avoid facing a vote on the matter. (Great leadership on display there.)
In part, the fight is about enormous deficits, which have been rung up by governments with a tendency to buckle to the demands, monetary or otherwise, of any special-interest group big enough to hold a one-band parade. It's also about freedom for workers, but not in the way being spouted by the unionistas.
Before getting into that we should note that the Dalton Gang won't be bringing an antiunion movement to Ontario anytime soon.
The province's actions make its support of unions abundantly clear. A public-sector wage freeze announced last year applied to everyone except unionized employees. Plus the "Education Premier" has been in bed with the teachers' unions since taking office. Hence the pansion of all-day kindergarten (cost $1.5-billion a year) to serve a population with the attention span of, well of a kindergarten student, in a province that is broke.
Back to the subject of unions and workers' rights in Yankeeland, let's consider union membership as one of those rights. In a free society you'd think workers would be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to join a union. However, that freedom only exists as long as a union is outside looking in. Once a union is certified to represent workers, employees are forced to join if they want a job.
But that's not the biggest problem with unions today. In any company-union bargaining situation, the company must act responsibly with the union able to say or do almost anything to keep their members in line behind the organizers and/or the bargaining committee. Hence union leaders have been known to promise a mountain to their members, knowing a molehill might not even be within their grasp.
Outside the public sector, unions often don't achieve much for their workers, particularly in the area of wage increases. (Notable exceptions include auto workers and some others.)
In many instances, when companies face a newly certified bargaining committee the strategy is simple: The cost of the certification to the company is to net out at zero. So all the costs resulting from certification must come from the pre-union pay increase workers would have received.
So a planned 3.5% increase might be reduced to 1.5% with the other 2% going to cover these new costs.
Putting those issues aside for the moment, the aforementioned deficits eventually will force government versus union disputes to the surface everywhere.
Although the U.S. leads the world in deficit accumulation, Canada is working hard to catch up. In fact, this country's debt is north of $560 billion and rising by the second. (Check it out at www.debtclock.ca).Ontario's debt stands at a staggering $219-billion.
Something must be done about this and that something will include painful cuts involving workers in the public sector, whether Dalton McGuinty likes it or not.
When governments in this country develop the stones to join the battle against deficits, the union issue automatically will be attached as an interesting sideshow.
Regarding the March 5th Jim Merriam column "Facing unions a hard fact in tackling debt". The Supreme Court has determined that the right of workers to bargain collectively is so important to society as a whole that it is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There are millions of Canadians that gain or sustain their voice in the workplace and on the electoral stage due to this Charter right.
Mr. Merriam is typical of those that see unions as some kind of bogeyman and in their haste to make their point do little research and hope that if they dump enough in the way of inaccurate fear and loathing in their medium that they will sustain the rest of their ilk in their ignorance of the century and half of social progress that the Trade Union Movement is responsible for.
When the Jim Merriam's of the world take a day off or get paid for a statutory holiday or enter a workplace that provides protection for workers through various laws and legislations please remember that each of these was not brought to him or them by any politician or business person; it was brought about by social progressives of which trade unionism is a pillar. Oh yes, the vitriolic rantings about public sector unions being responsible for budget deficits; perhaps it is time to ask why against over 20 years of advice by the Trade Union movement that governments have handed out billions to corporations while sending millions of jobs offshore and have reduced the very tax base that supports our communites.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
http://www.greybrucelabour
JIM MERRIAM: Facing unions a hard fact in tackling debt
By JIM MERRIAM
Posted 1 day ago
No matter what labour activists might tell you, the so-called assault on public-sector unions in the United States, particularly the State of Wisconsin, is about more than workers' right to bargain collectively.
You've no doubt heard of the battle. It has been marked by union activists occupying government buildings and members of the opposition Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate hiding outside the state to avoid facing a vote on the matter. (Great leadership on display there.)
In part, the fight is about enormous deficits, which have been rung up by governments with a tendency to buckle to the demands, monetary or otherwise, of any special-interest group big enough to hold a one-band parade. It's also about freedom for workers, but not in the way being spouted by the unionistas.
Before getting into that we should note that the Dalton Gang won't be bringing an antiunion movement to Ontario anytime soon.
The province's actions make its support of unions abundantly clear. A public-sector wage freeze announced last year applied to everyone except unionized employees. Plus the "Education Premier" has been in bed with the teachers' unions since taking office. Hence the pansion of all-day kindergarten (cost $1.5-billion a year) to serve a population with the attention span of, well of a kindergarten student, in a province that is broke.
Back to the subject of unions and workers' rights in Yankeeland, let's consider union membership as one of those rights. In a free society you'd think workers would be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to join a union. However, that freedom only exists as long as a union is outside looking in. Once a union is certified to represent workers, employees are forced to join if they want a job.
But that's not the biggest problem with unions today. In any company-union bargaining situation, the company must act responsibly with the union able to say or do almost anything to keep their members in line behind the organizers and/or the bargaining committee. Hence union leaders have been known to promise a mountain to their members, knowing a molehill might not even be within their grasp.
Outside the public sector, unions often don't achieve much for their workers, particularly in the area of wage increases. (Notable exceptions include auto workers and some others.)
In many instances, when companies face a newly certified bargaining committee the strategy is simple: The cost of the certification to the company is to net out at zero. So all the costs resulting from certification must come from the pre-union pay increase workers would have received.
So a planned 3.5% increase might be reduced to 1.5% with the other 2% going to cover these new costs.
Putting those issues aside for the moment, the aforementioned deficits eventually will force government versus union disputes to the surface everywhere.
Although the U.S. leads the world in deficit accumulation, Canada is working hard to catch up. In fact, this country's debt is north of $560 billion and rising by the second. (Check it out at www.debtclock.ca).Ontario's debt stands at a staggering $219-billion.
Something must be done about this and that something will include painful cuts involving workers in the public sector, whether Dalton McGuinty likes it or not.
When governments in this country develop the stones to join the battle against deficits, the union issue automatically will be attached as an interesting sideshow.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Union Made
Canadian and American conservative policy makers fear the title "Danger Educated Union Member" more than almost anything else. What do they really fear? Perhaps the realization that if the workforce was educated, protected and surrounded by protections that ensure respect and dignity that basic conservative dogma would be seen for what it is; the politics and policies of fear and deception.
Conservatives often tie disagreeing with conservative dogma and policy as being unpatriotic or for some strange reason a risk to public and national security. Can't you just imagine the conservative think tank that comes up with this? It must go something like this; "let’s make sure we scare everyone so that no matter what perversion of the truth we perpetuate there will be that single moment of hesitation that will give us just enough time and opportunity to prevent any opportunity for concentrated resistance". That concentrated resistance, if it gained traction, would in short order collapse the conservative dogma to what it really is, a sham perpetuated on people to gain control over people and the economy.
For the years after the Second World War, up until about the year the first free trade agreement was signed in 1988, Union Made was like a modern day designer label and when it said Union Made in Canada, America etc. people were proud to wear it. That pride was indeed attached to the fact that people could touch a product that they may have actually made or at least the factory was in their town. Further it not only had a bit of a personal piece to it, but this label also had attached to it the title of prosperity and sustainability as people worked in their community and were compensated sufficiently to purchase the products they made and to support a middle class life. This represents nothing complex, but what could be called the dream of a middle class existence or to be entirely colloquial; "the American Dream".
Union Made is not only a part of our shared history when we look at product, but in fact represents such things as the 40 hour work week, health and safety law, violence in the workplace law and pay equity to name but a few.
Conservative dogma is hard at work in Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio and has been hard at work in Ontario and Alberta and they use it to talk to the issue of budget deficits and that to deal with the deficits they have to attack workers and of course particularly unionized workers. The simple reality is it is these same conservatives that closed down our factories and destroyed the tax base while recklessly handing out corporate tax cuts that want to punish the workers.
Union Made is not only a necessity for a fair and compassionate society, but in light of the extremes of current conservatism as set out by American republicans, British conservatives, Canadian conservatives, etc. it is the life breath of all workers as these workers who walk the line do so not only for their immediate sisters and brothers, but for their sisters and brothers in all walks of life.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce
Labour Council
Conservatives often tie disagreeing with conservative dogma and policy as being unpatriotic or for some strange reason a risk to public and national security. Can't you just imagine the conservative think tank that comes up with this? It must go something like this; "let’s make sure we scare everyone so that no matter what perversion of the truth we perpetuate there will be that single moment of hesitation that will give us just enough time and opportunity to prevent any opportunity for concentrated resistance". That concentrated resistance, if it gained traction, would in short order collapse the conservative dogma to what it really is, a sham perpetuated on people to gain control over people and the economy.
For the years after the Second World War, up until about the year the first free trade agreement was signed in 1988, Union Made was like a modern day designer label and when it said Union Made in Canada, America etc. people were proud to wear it. That pride was indeed attached to the fact that people could touch a product that they may have actually made or at least the factory was in their town. Further it not only had a bit of a personal piece to it, but this label also had attached to it the title of prosperity and sustainability as people worked in their community and were compensated sufficiently to purchase the products they made and to support a middle class life. This represents nothing complex, but what could be called the dream of a middle class existence or to be entirely colloquial; "the American Dream".
Union Made is not only a part of our shared history when we look at product, but in fact represents such things as the 40 hour work week, health and safety law, violence in the workplace law and pay equity to name but a few.
Conservative dogma is hard at work in Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio and has been hard at work in Ontario and Alberta and they use it to talk to the issue of budget deficits and that to deal with the deficits they have to attack workers and of course particularly unionized workers. The simple reality is it is these same conservatives that closed down our factories and destroyed the tax base while recklessly handing out corporate tax cuts that want to punish the workers.
Union Made is not only a necessity for a fair and compassionate society, but in light of the extremes of current conservatism as set out by American republicans, British conservatives, Canadian conservatives, etc. it is the life breath of all workers as these workers who walk the line do so not only for their immediate sisters and brothers, but for their sisters and brothers in all walks of life.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce
Labour Council
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Lies Told About Unions
Anti-Union people are predictable and so ideologically focused that really reaching them with accurate information is all but impossible. Finding anti union people is usually pretty easy as they reside in the homes of intolernace like the conservative party in Canada and the republican party in America.
The first lie is that Unions have outgrown their usefulness and that current legislation will protect workers. When was the last time that any representative of an elected government made a choice to better lives and the workplace for working people entirely of their own free will. The only time this type of legislation is actually provided any opportunity to mature is when the Labour Movement pushes the issue. A very breif list would contain, occupational health and safety law, employment standards, workers compensation and free collective bargaining.
The second lie is that Unions only seek to better the life of their own Members. The collective agreements built on the strength of free collective bargaining not only better the lives of Members in the bargaining unit, but add stength and vitality to communities as people have the ability to buy what they make. In addition Unions have a 100 plus year history of aiding the United Way and decades of contribuiting charitable dollars in every single community in which they reside.
The third lie is that government deficits justify attacking the Labour Movement and Unions. Government deficits are just that; government deficits and are never created by Unions and working people, but are created through the ridiculous mantra of corporate tax cuts and excessive spending on initiatives things like jet planes instead of the basic needs of the people like healthcare and education. Add to this the stupidity associated with free trade and a total lack of a manufacturing jobs policy in most of the OECD and you find vast amounts of tax revenue evaporating.
The fourth lie of what could be a list of dozens is Unions make a country less competitive. Competitive advantage is not obtained by demoralizing and demeaning workers it is obtained by working towards prosperity and security for all. The only form of sustainable prosperity has its roots in respect and dignity for all workers and that begins and with safe workplaces where workers are paid a living wage.
The perpetuation of the myths created by the right is easily found when the province of Ontario plans to enact essential service legislation for the TTC, but ignore the call of thousands to enact anit-scab and card check legislation. Coincidence; unlikley / ideologically motivated; for sure.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
The first lie is that Unions have outgrown their usefulness and that current legislation will protect workers. When was the last time that any representative of an elected government made a choice to better lives and the workplace for working people entirely of their own free will. The only time this type of legislation is actually provided any opportunity to mature is when the Labour Movement pushes the issue. A very breif list would contain, occupational health and safety law, employment standards, workers compensation and free collective bargaining.
The second lie is that Unions only seek to better the life of their own Members. The collective agreements built on the strength of free collective bargaining not only better the lives of Members in the bargaining unit, but add stength and vitality to communities as people have the ability to buy what they make. In addition Unions have a 100 plus year history of aiding the United Way and decades of contribuiting charitable dollars in every single community in which they reside.
The third lie is that government deficits justify attacking the Labour Movement and Unions. Government deficits are just that; government deficits and are never created by Unions and working people, but are created through the ridiculous mantra of corporate tax cuts and excessive spending on initiatives things like jet planes instead of the basic needs of the people like healthcare and education. Add to this the stupidity associated with free trade and a total lack of a manufacturing jobs policy in most of the OECD and you find vast amounts of tax revenue evaporating.
The fourth lie of what could be a list of dozens is Unions make a country less competitive. Competitive advantage is not obtained by demoralizing and demeaning workers it is obtained by working towards prosperity and security for all. The only form of sustainable prosperity has its roots in respect and dignity for all workers and that begins and with safe workplaces where workers are paid a living wage.
The perpetuation of the myths created by the right is easily found when the province of Ontario plans to enact essential service legislation for the TTC, but ignore the call of thousands to enact anit-scab and card check legislation. Coincidence; unlikley / ideologically motivated; for sure.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
Friday, February 4, 2011
Protests and Rallies
Protests and Rallies
To-day a newscast anchor asked one of the best questions I have heard for quite some time; he asked what it would take for the viewers to march in the streets demanding perhaps as much as a change in government. The question is related to the marchers in Egypt and the courageous protesters demanding Mubarak step down.
I inferred in the question that perhaps he thought that things had to get worse than they are now to motivate the viewers to march. As I thought about this I wondered what is keeping people off the streets in Canada right now or in the case of the news anchor, the United States. It goes without saying that Canada is in a much better position than Egypt or perhaps almost every country on Earth. The United States would not be far behind. Despite the obvious differences in the state of Egypt as compared to Canada it would be my opinion that we in Canada are well beyond the basic prerequisites required to hit the streets.
If we examine what Canadians have lost and what is under attack it would seem that there is ample reason to hit the streets in huge numbers. If we only look at the time period since the inception of the first free trade deal in 1988 Canadians have lost millions of well paid (mostly unionized) jobs in the manufacturing sector, the agenda of privatization and deregulation has jeopardized our healthcare and turned many of our public services needlessly into for profit enterprises and put at risk pensions and the future dignity of workers throughout the country. Without going over the top on this issue it is the bizarre ideology of leaders married to the current obtuse version of conservatism that seems to preach a “screw the worker” ideology and a form of aggressive behaviour that puts market and market forces as the most important aspect of their belief that provides the basis for workers considering hitting the streets.
I, along, with millions of Canadian workers (and Americans as they have experienced similar if not worse degradation) should find our current situation more than enough to go to the streets and that is the answer that the news anchor should get. Of course Ontario Workers have been here before during the Harris years, but it may be time for another version of the same thing.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
To-day a newscast anchor asked one of the best questions I have heard for quite some time; he asked what it would take for the viewers to march in the streets demanding perhaps as much as a change in government. The question is related to the marchers in Egypt and the courageous protesters demanding Mubarak step down.
I inferred in the question that perhaps he thought that things had to get worse than they are now to motivate the viewers to march. As I thought about this I wondered what is keeping people off the streets in Canada right now or in the case of the news anchor, the United States. It goes without saying that Canada is in a much better position than Egypt or perhaps almost every country on Earth. The United States would not be far behind. Despite the obvious differences in the state of Egypt as compared to Canada it would be my opinion that we in Canada are well beyond the basic prerequisites required to hit the streets.
If we examine what Canadians have lost and what is under attack it would seem that there is ample reason to hit the streets in huge numbers. If we only look at the time period since the inception of the first free trade deal in 1988 Canadians have lost millions of well paid (mostly unionized) jobs in the manufacturing sector, the agenda of privatization and deregulation has jeopardized our healthcare and turned many of our public services needlessly into for profit enterprises and put at risk pensions and the future dignity of workers throughout the country. Without going over the top on this issue it is the bizarre ideology of leaders married to the current obtuse version of conservatism that seems to preach a “screw the worker” ideology and a form of aggressive behaviour that puts market and market forces as the most important aspect of their belief that provides the basis for workers considering hitting the streets.
I, along, with millions of Canadian workers (and Americans as they have experienced similar if not worse degradation) should find our current situation more than enough to go to the streets and that is the answer that the news anchor should get. Of course Ontario Workers have been here before during the Harris years, but it may be time for another version of the same thing.
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council
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