Canadian Auto Workers union leadership urges members to turn back on NDP
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at 16:23 on March 24, 2006, EST.
By MIKE OLIVEIRA
TORONTO (CP) - The acrimony between the NDP and Canada's largest private-sector union turned into a divorce proceeding Friday as the Canadian Auto Workers began urging members to abandon the party long seen as organized labour's closest ally.
Stung by the Ontario wing's decision to kick CAW president Buzz Hargrove out of the party after he publicly supported the Liberals in the recent federal election campaign, the union is asking its members to stop voting for the New Democrats.
Letters went out to CAW members Friday after the union's National Executive Board unanimously approved a resolution earlier this week calling on members, locals and staff across Canada to withdraw their support for the party.
"This was the first meeting we've had since the NDP expelled me from the party and it showed the frustration and anger of the elected top leadership . . . for not respecting our independence as a union and our right to make a decision on politics," Hargrove said.
Hargrove angered many in the party during the winter election campaign when he publicly backed Liberal Leader Paul Martin and urged NDP supporters to vote strategically in ridings where their candidate had little chance of winning.
The Ontario wing of the NDP ended Hargrove's 41 years with the party in February when it turfed him for breaking ranks, a violation of the party's constitution.
"I can't believe the kind of inward-looking, narrow-mindedness of the party leadership these days. It's just quite fascinating," Hargrove said.
"Politics is about reaching out and recognizing that differences of opinion are good for the party, different strategies are good - that's how you build a political following."
Federal NDP officials weren't talking about the split Friday - a spokesman would only said the party was "monitoring the situation" - but Ontario president Sandra Clifford said the NDP's fight is with Hargrove, not the union.
"We're disappointed that this has been spun out as an attack on the CAW because certainly it was not," Clifford said.
"Our resolution had to do just with Buzz and his actions during the election."
Clifford left the door open for Hargrove and the CAW to reconsider and said the party will continue to back the union, even if that support is not reciprocated.
"We continue as a party to support their issues, as we will with any other union's issues and working people's issues in general," Clifford said.
Hargrove said "there doesn't appear to be (a chance)" the two sides will kiss and make up, saying the union's focus is now on taking down the federal Conservative party, which it says "has clearly harmed the interests of working people in Canada."
He stopped short, however, of urging members to support the Liberals.
"If (Prime Minister Stephen Harper) forms a majority government, then everyone pretty much understands what his agenda is," he said. "It's certainly not consistent with the labour movement or the left-progressive movement in Canada."
http://start.shaw.ca/start/enCA/News/NationalNewsArticle.htm?src=n032441A.xml
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
at 16:23 on March 24, 2006, EST.
By MIKE OLIVEIRA
TORONTO (CP) - The acrimony between the NDP and Canada's largest private-sector union turned into a divorce proceeding Friday as the Canadian Auto Workers began urging members to abandon the party long seen as organized labour's closest ally.
Stung by the Ontario wing's decision to kick CAW president Buzz Hargrove out of the party after he publicly supported the Liberals in the recent federal election campaign, the union is asking its members to stop voting for the New Democrats.
Letters went out to CAW members Friday after the union's National Executive Board unanimously approved a resolution earlier this week calling on members, locals and staff across Canada to withdraw their support for the party.
"This was the first meeting we've had since the NDP expelled me from the party and it showed the frustration and anger of the elected top leadership . . . for not respecting our independence as a union and our right to make a decision on politics," Hargrove said.
Hargrove angered many in the party during the winter election campaign when he publicly backed Liberal Leader Paul Martin and urged NDP supporters to vote strategically in ridings where their candidate had little chance of winning.
The Ontario wing of the NDP ended Hargrove's 41 years with the party in February when it turfed him for breaking ranks, a violation of the party's constitution.
"I can't believe the kind of inward-looking, narrow-mindedness of the party leadership these days. It's just quite fascinating," Hargrove said.
"Politics is about reaching out and recognizing that differences of opinion are good for the party, different strategies are good - that's how you build a political following."
Federal NDP officials weren't talking about the split Friday - a spokesman would only said the party was "monitoring the situation" - but Ontario president Sandra Clifford said the NDP's fight is with Hargrove, not the union.
"We're disappointed that this has been spun out as an attack on the CAW because certainly it was not," Clifford said.
"Our resolution had to do just with Buzz and his actions during the election."
Clifford left the door open for Hargrove and the CAW to reconsider and said the party will continue to back the union, even if that support is not reciprocated.
"We continue as a party to support their issues, as we will with any other union's issues and working people's issues in general," Clifford said.
Hargrove said "there doesn't appear to be (a chance)" the two sides will kiss and make up, saying the union's focus is now on taking down the federal Conservative party, which it says "has clearly harmed the interests of working people in Canada."
He stopped short, however, of urging members to support the Liberals.
"If (Prime Minister Stephen Harper) forms a majority government, then everyone pretty much understands what his agenda is," he said. "It's certainly not consistent with the labour movement or the left-progressive movement in Canada."
http://start.shaw.ca/start/enCA/News/NationalNewsArticle.htm?src=n032441A.xml
