What's up with all the strikes lately?
- Thread starter mentalfloss
- Start date
It may be only a matter of time before the provincial/federal gvts start to revisit the legislation that currently protects the unions... If that scenario were to unfold, the unions would pine for the days of binding arbitration/mediation.
Has a Union ever gone to the govt and asked for bail-outs?
Shouldn't representatives of the workers (Canadians who actually make the money for gov to spend) have a guarantee that the very same assholes who lost their future income aren't allowed to do it again? If there is money to bail out or invest in to shore up finances of companies who deal in magic beans using CPP funds then there damn well better be funds to ensure all pensions are stable.
There are stable Union pension funds that took a poundings beacause of the unstable mythical inventions such as derivatives and the loose cannons of deregualtion.
Stable investment funds that are 100% Canadian being invested back into Canada are a rarity and should be backed by the Canadian govt to ensure they exist 50 years from now in this cut-throat world of economics.
You were relying on those A&W and Pizza Pizza cuopons? They will come with your Sunday community paper.
Me neither and I haven't missed a single piece of it. :lol:
I walked by the local Canadian post office here last week and there were protests going on.... Hopefully I get mail next week
You must be expecting a cheque from the Lottery! :smile:
Really? I thought the reason so many people got their cheques really early is because they were afraid the strike would postpone the delivery.
I for some reason wasn't one of the people that got it early. Now my cheque is stuck in the system !
Socio-Economic Cheques will be delivered on Monday, June 20
Despite the ongoing labour disruption, Canada Post, under a special agreement with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), will deliver socio-economic cheques on Monday, June 20 only on behalf of the following participating federal and provincial agencies and programs:
National (Receiver General of Canada):
- Canada Pension Plan
- Old Age Security
- Veterans Affairs Pension Plan
- Canada Child Tax Benefit
- Quebec Pension Plan
- Child Assistance
- Income Security
- Pension Cheques (from Alberta Seniors)
If you receive your regular mail delivery via postal box or general delivery and are eligible to receive a socio-economic cheque from one or more of these participating agencies or programs, your post office will be open on June 20 to allow you to retrieve your cheque.
For more information, please contact the appropriate participating government agency or program.
Canada Post - Socio-Economic Cheques will be delivered on Monday, June 20
Is Stephen Harper prepared to wage war on Canada’s unions?
The proposed back-to-work legislation for both Air Canada and Canada Post was a means to protect the "fragile economic recovery, " the Tories argued. The real agenda, some contend, was to send a message to Canada's unions that a Stephen Harper majority government is not a friend of the labour movement.
The evidence of Harper's disdain for unions seems conclusive - particularly in the case of Air Canada.
By Tuesday afternoon, the government announced it would legislate the striking workers back to work. The decision is perplexing, given the company had announced the private corporation would operate on its full schedule, meaning the effect on the economy was likely negligible.
Tim Harper of the Toronto Star accused the Harper government of bullying the unions. "Harper is also sending a powerful message to other unions that are trying to protect long-held pension rights and to any public service unions itching for a fight with him over looming government cuts," he wrote.
Economists predict more management-labour strife ahead for Canada, especially in the public sector, as companies and governments remain in austerity mode. "We've had a fair bit of (labour) peace over the last year and that may well be coming to an end," BMO's deputy chief economist Douglas Porter told the Globe and Mail.
Is Stephen Harper prepared to wage war on Canada?s unions? | Canada Politics - Yahoo! News
The proposed back-to-work legislation for both Air Canada and Canada Post was a means to protect the "fragile economic recovery, " the Tories argued. The real agenda, some contend, was to send a message to Canada's unions that a Stephen Harper majority government is not a friend of the labour movement.
The evidence of Harper's disdain for unions seems conclusive - particularly in the case of Air Canada.
By Tuesday afternoon, the government announced it would legislate the striking workers back to work. The decision is perplexing, given the company had announced the private corporation would operate on its full schedule, meaning the effect on the economy was likely negligible.
Tim Harper of the Toronto Star accused the Harper government of bullying the unions. "Harper is also sending a powerful message to other unions that are trying to protect long-held pension rights and to any public service unions itching for a fight with him over looming government cuts," he wrote.
Economists predict more management-labour strife ahead for Canada, especially in the public sector, as companies and governments remain in austerity mode. "We've had a fair bit of (labour) peace over the last year and that may well be coming to an end," BMO's deputy chief economist Douglas Porter told the Globe and Mail.
Is Stephen Harper prepared to wage war on Canada?s unions? | Canada Politics - Yahoo! News
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But it's been proven time and time again that Unions (democracies) are the enemy of bolsheviks, dictators, tyrant kings and whiners. Well, Harper isn't King, I know that much as fact so....
If you think Stephen Harper is no friend of unions, this time last year the pilots of Jazz were about to give their 72 hours notice. Lisa Raitt expressed in no uncertain terms that she would table back to work legislation. She had all party support, that means that the Conservative, Liberals, Bloc, and yes, the NDP supported it. It is almost unprecidented that a private company, that is not a monopoly, would be legislated back to work, I fail to find any history of this ever being done.
Politicians are most self serving, rotating strikes at Canada Post are no big deal, a teacher's strike would only be a bit of a concern, Health care employees are forbidden to strike so that's a non issue. If an airline stops flying it will inconvenience them greatly because they would have to make different arrangements to use up their 44 free yearly flights.
The airline industry is a strange animal; since deregulation in 1987, wages and working conditions have been in steady decline. Gains made during negotiations are given back when the economy hits the ditch. US legislation forbade Frank Lorenzo from ever being part of this industry after his union busting tactics sank Eastern Airlines. However, many more have followed in his footsteps. The industry has been in the hands of robber barons for some time, and the chickens are coming home to roost. It is a highly capitalized industry, boatloads of money come in, as boatloads go out. The executives take a great deal of the income before it is dispersed to pay bills. This Americanization arrived here with Hollis Harris, formerly of Continental, to head up Air Canada. Both it and Canadi>n were bleeding from the ears, but that didn't stop him from reducing fares in a bid to sink Canadi>n. I remember Mr. Harris's remuneration in the neighbourhood of $4M, where Canadi>n's last Prez, Kevin Benson's was around $360K, about 10% greater than the highest paid 747-400 captain, (a working stiff wage never to be seen again in this lifetime). This garnered more good will from the unions to accept austerity measures.
This Americanization continued with the arrival of Mr. Harris's protoge, Robert Milton, (whose qualifications were that he could memorize airline schedules, and he knew Hollis Harris). While his base remuneration was in the neighbourhood of $4M, he went on a base closure and consolidation binge. He continued with the closure of the flight attendant base in Halifax, to save $8M per year, about one twentieth of his reported total remuneration. All this while the company is posting record losses. The new Prez's retention bonus is also north of $4M, But the company is still in concessionary bargaining for some strange reason. With the machinists, flight attendants, ramp staff, and pilots all in the late stages of bargaining, this will be an interesting summer.
Politicians are most self serving, rotating strikes at Canada Post are no big deal, a teacher's strike would only be a bit of a concern, Health care employees are forbidden to strike so that's a non issue. If an airline stops flying it will inconvenience them greatly because they would have to make different arrangements to use up their 44 free yearly flights.
The airline industry is a strange animal; since deregulation in 1987, wages and working conditions have been in steady decline. Gains made during negotiations are given back when the economy hits the ditch. US legislation forbade Frank Lorenzo from ever being part of this industry after his union busting tactics sank Eastern Airlines. However, many more have followed in his footsteps. The industry has been in the hands of robber barons for some time, and the chickens are coming home to roost. It is a highly capitalized industry, boatloads of money come in, as boatloads go out. The executives take a great deal of the income before it is dispersed to pay bills. This Americanization arrived here with Hollis Harris, formerly of Continental, to head up Air Canada. Both it and Canadi>n were bleeding from the ears, but that didn't stop him from reducing fares in a bid to sink Canadi>n. I remember Mr. Harris's remuneration in the neighbourhood of $4M, where Canadi>n's last Prez, Kevin Benson's was around $360K, about 10% greater than the highest paid 747-400 captain, (a working stiff wage never to be seen again in this lifetime). This garnered more good will from the unions to accept austerity measures.
This Americanization continued with the arrival of Mr. Harris's protoge, Robert Milton, (whose qualifications were that he could memorize airline schedules, and he knew Hollis Harris). While his base remuneration was in the neighbourhood of $4M, he went on a base closure and consolidation binge. He continued with the closure of the flight attendant base in Halifax, to save $8M per year, about one twentieth of his reported total remuneration. All this while the company is posting record losses. The new Prez's retention bonus is also north of $4M, But the company is still in concessionary bargaining for some strange reason. With the machinists, flight attendants, ramp staff, and pilots all in the late stages of bargaining, this will be an interesting summer.
How about just leveling the playing field by retracting the legislation that protects union groups?
That is so 1930s.
Legally recognizing unions creates less work stoppages for the company.
Oo
AirCanada is the carrier for the mail and other "sensitive" cargo inside Canada and abroad. They have contract obligations. Cargo can still move without check in agents so it hasn't been as big an issue as pilots.
Yeah, I suppose that the unions would cease to exist without the protection of the gvt... I guess that the unions aren't so necessary afterall considering that they really wouldn't exist in their current form without gvt protection.
BTW - Interesting comment about fewer work stoppages... I'm trying to think of an example of a non-union shop that actually had a work stoppage recently.