R&F.ca Weekly Update
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- Published on Friday, 17 July 2015 03:15
- Written by editor
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YYZ CONTRACT FLIPPING AND THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM NEEDS TO END
By Dan Janssen
May 29th marked 15 years for me as a worker at Lester B. Pearson International Airport. I love my job loading aircraft with bags and cargo, sending them on their way to far off destinations around the world. Best part about my job is my co-workers and friends. We have fun at work and do our best to enjoy every day. There are many positions at the airport and we all play a critical role to ensure passengers and their belongings arrive safely and efficiently at their destinations.
For the first eleven years of my career I had to work two jobs, something many of my coworkers also have to do to just to make ends meet. It wasn’t until I turned 30 that I had the opportunity to leave my part time job as cabinet salesman. With my newfound spare time I decided to get involved with my union. Working with the union gave me a voice, a voice for my friends and co-workers. Now, four years past and I find myself working with a group that has a much louder voice. The Toronto Airport Workers’ Council stands up on issues that affect our workplace as a whole, bringing light to workers’ rights and fighting for a better, safer workplace, ultimately playing an active role in the larger labour movement. Read more!
STRIKING HAY RIVER MUNICIPAL WORKERS NOT BACKING DOWN AFTER FIVE MONTHS
By Scott Price
Thirty-one municipal workers, who do a range of jobs from office administration, ground and facility maintenance, by-law enforcement, lifeguards and pool attendants, in the town of Hay River, Northwest Territories have entered into their fifth month of walking a picket line for a contract with the town.
The Union of Northern Workers (UNW) and the town of Hay River have gone back and forth with three rounds of bargaining since the strike began on February 9th. Recently, the UNW took the towns latest offer to the membership and the offer was overwhelmingly rejected. Caitlin Lacey, assistant to the president of UNW told Rankandfile.ca in an interview that the town has improved its offer but the members have consistently voted for a better settlement than the employer has offered. Read more!
FILM REVIEW: DEUX JOURS, UNE NUIT (TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT)
By Wael Afifi, PSAC Analyst and Unifor Local 2025 Vice-President, Human Rights
I recently had an opportunity to watch Deux jours, une nuit (Two Days, One Night), a 2014 joint Belgian-French-Italian production starring Marion Cotillard (La vie en rose), who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Sandra, a Belgian working mother who is faced with a seemingly simple yet crucial and time sensitive challenge. Within two days, Sandra must reach her 16 co-workers and organize them for an important vote.
The background for Sandra’s story is unfortunately fairly familiar: the bosses had decided to get rid of this vulnerable worker who has been on an extended sick leave battling depression. However, what is very different is the method used to try to terminate her employment. Management planned a scheme that would let the workers have the ‘final say’ through a ballot question. Read more!
HOW MIGRANT FARMWORKERS ARE CROSS-POLLINATING STRATEGIES AND WINNING
By Sonia Singh
It’s been a whirlwind spring of precedent-setting wins for North America’s migrant workers, who are making connections across borders.
After three months of strikes and protests, 30,000 berry pickers in Baja California, Mexico, won raises of up to $4 a day and rights to social security benefits and overtime pay.
These workers, mainly indigenous farmworkers from Oaxaca and Guerrero, allied with U.S. groups including the Farm Labor Organizing Committee and galvanized international support.
Some of the Baja leaders had picked up their organizing skills working on Florida tomato farms with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Fidel Sanchez, for instance, was involved in CIW strikes in the 1990s. Read more!
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