Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition: Recent Episodes
Emily Leedham
Rank and File Radio is an independent Canadian labour movement program.
Rank and File Radio’s mandate is to: ● provide listeners with factual and informative labour news ● build solidarity for workers in struggle ● develop a coherent analysis of the labour movement ● contribute to the building of rank-and-file labour networks
Twitter: @rankandfileca Facebook: facebook.com/rankandfile.ca
Dan Darrah joins the show to talk about the 2020 Newfoundland grocery strike and how grocery jobs went from good to bad in the 1980s and 1990s.
Check out the two-part series Grocery's Long War: https://canadiandimension.com/series/grocerys-long-war
Interview with historian Scott Price about 1987 Westfair strike https://www.rankandfile.ca/fighting-for-survival-manitobas-1987-westfair-strike/
A wide-ranging conversation with Emily Leedham touching on the Stella's Café strike in Winnipeg, the Saskatchewan election and corporate money, and the tactics of union-busting. Guest host: Doug Nesbitt, editor of Rankandfile.ca.
Labour lawyer Joshua Mandryk provides a short overview of Jason Kenney's Bill 32: The Restoring Balance in Alberta's Workplaces Act
Follow Joshua at Twitter.com/JMandryk
Union picketing and political campaigning curbed under proposed Alberta bill | CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-bill-32-workplace-unions-1.5640952
Alberta labour needs the UCP's union busting bill | The Progress Report https://www.theprogressreport.ca/alberta_labour_needs_the_ucp_s_union_busting_bill
Bashir Mohamed and Dr. Bob Barnetson discuss the COVID-19 outbreaks in Alberta's Cargill and JBS meatpacking plants. Government representatives and health officials, including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw told Cargill workers their plant was safe, citing an OH&S inspection. Two days later, a worker died and the plant shut down April 20.
Meanwhile some JBS workers have taken job action, reducing the plant's operating capacity. JBS remains open.
Meatpacking Plant Outbreaks are a Disaster and Dr. Hinshaw Shares Responsibility https://www.theprogressreport.ca/opinion_meatpacking_plant_outbreaks_are_a_disaster_and_dr_hinshaw_shares_responsibility
Cargill, Covid and the Failure of Alberta OH&S Policy https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/cargill_covid_and_the_failure_of_alberta_ohs_policy
Full Cargill Townhall Transcript https://www.rankandfile.ca/cargill-workers-town-hall/
Timeline: What we know about the Cargill outbreak https://www.theprogressreport.ca/timeline_what_we_know_about_the_cargill_outbreak
UFCW 401 President Thomas Hesse discusses the COVID-19 outbreak in the Cargill meatpacking plant, as well as steps needed to protect food workers in grocery stores.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cargill-meat-plant-union-covid-19-1.5530836
Also, the Migrants Right Network hosts a press conference with demands from undocumented workers to access healthcare and federal income supports.
MigrantRights.ca
https://www.rankandfile.ca/undocumented-cerb-status/
Support RankandFile.ca - Help us raise 15K! https://www.gofundme.com/f/rankandfileca-fundraiser
Deb Hopkins discusses an open letter calling for the release of Saskatchewan inmates to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Open Letter to Saskatchewan Minister of Corrections and Policing Christine Tell https://www.facebook.com/glen.luther.3/posts/10156955075456053
Sean Tucker, OH&S researcher at the University of Regina, discusses whether the Co-op Refinery's scab camp's health and safety response to limit COVID-19 spread is effective.
RankandFile.ca Unifor 594 lockout video https://www.facebook.com/rankandfile.ca/posts/3125681507476406
SHA Report on the Co-op Refinery Scab Camp https://www.facebook.com/AndrewStevensWard3/posts/2928799830566646
Debbie Boissonneault, President of CUPE 204, discusses the state of Manitoba's health care system & response to COVID-19. https://www.cupe204.ca/who_are_manitoba_s_health_care_heroes
Jennifer Whiteside, secretary-treasurer of British Columbia's Hospital Employees Union, discusses the BC gov'ts positive move to mend the fractured long-term care system. https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/04/01/Long-Term-Care-Worker-Pay-Boosted/
Rory Gill, President of CUPE Alberta, discusses Jason Kenney's massive layoff of twenty-five thousand educational assistant and support staff. https://jobkillerkenney.ca/kenneys-cuts/
Compassion: A Global History of Social Policy by Alvin Finkel https://www.macmillanihe.com/page/detail/compassion-alvin-finkel/?sf1=barcode&st1=9781352003093
Tenants Rights Provincial Factsheets please note these may not be updated with gov't responses to COVID-19 but can develop a baseline knowledge for how the system functions http://tenantrights.ca/facts
West Broadway Community Organization http://www.westbroadway.mb.ca/wbco-programs/housing-2
West Broadway Tenants Committee https://www.facebook.com/wbtenants/
Renters Action Movement - Calgary https://www.facebook.com/RAMCalgary/
What do the prairie budgets say about the values of our provincial leaders? In a time of such uncertainty, how can we formulate a vision of a society that values people over profits?
Joel French, Simon Enoch, and Lynne Fernandez discuss the Prairie budgets and what they mean for the future of workers.
AUPE asks for immediate expansion of public healthcare https://www.aupe.org/news/news-and-updates/media-release-aupe-asks-immediate-expansion-public-health-care
Public Interest Alberta https://www.pialberta.org/
CCPA - Saskatchewan https://www.policyalternatives.ca/offices/saskatchewan
CCPA - Manitoba https://www.policyalternatives.ca/offices/manitoba
Decent Work & Health Network https://www.decentworkandhealth.org/
Budget 4 All Winnipeg https://budgetforall.org/
The Shock Doctrine Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbF9M3_IF8c
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney tabled Bill 1: The Critical Infrastructure Defense Act on February 25, 2020. The bill would crack down on Indigenous land defenders supporting Wet'suwet'en sovereignty, but also have implications for labour and other social movements - especially in light of Kenney's recent austerity budget.
Read more about Alberta's 2020 budget here: https://www.aupe.org/news/news-and-updates/alberta-budget-attacks-our-jobs-and-public-services
John K Samson performs a live sing-a-long of Millennium for All at Winnipeg's Millennium Library, protesting one year of invasive library security screening. Recorded February 25, 2020.
Learn more here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/millennium-library-security-anniversary-1.5467241
Rally Against Library Security Tuesday, Feb 25, 4:30 PM at the Millennium Library Lobby Twitter.com/Millennium4All
Listen to John K Samson's song Millennium for All https://exclaim.ca/music/article/john_k_samson_fights_for_your_right_to_libraries_on_new_song_millennium_for_all
Free Transit Edmonton FreeTransitYEG.ca
Co-op Copter Scabs coopcopterscabs.app spek.work
Ivan Drury from Red Braid Alliance for Decolonial Socialism Twitter.com/StopDisplacement RedBraid.org
Wet'suwet'en Supporter Toolkit https://www.ienearth.org/wetsuweten-supporter-toolkit-2020/
Sean Carleton https://twitter.com/SeanCarleton
Putting the RCMP raid on the Wet’suwet’en in historical perspective https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/02/11/putting-the-rcmp-raid-on-the-wetsuweten-in-historical-perspective.html
Inside a protest movement: How climate activists are taking Wet’suwet’en fight from B.C. to Yonge Street https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/02/11/wetsuweten-shutcanadadown-supporters-vow-to-block-bc-throne-speech.html
Tune in live at 8 PM CST on CKUW 95.9fm or stream on ckuw.ca
Call 204-774-6877 or visit ckuw.ca/donate to pre-pledge!
Show goal: $1,200
Help us raise $60,000 for the radio station's operating costs & get some swag in the process!
Today on the show, an on the ground report from the Unifor 594 lockout at the Co-op Refinery in Regina, Saskatchewan
Previous coverage:
Dance Parties, Personal Growth, and Police: Three Days with Locked Out Regina Oil Workers https://www.rankandfile.ca/dance-parties-personal-growth-and-police-three-days-with-locked-out-regina-oil-workers/
Labour unites around Unifor 594 after arrests at refinery lockout https://www.rankandfile.ca/labour-unites-around-unifor-594/
https://www.rankandfile.ca/unifor-594-lockout-at-co-op-refinery-enters-second-month/
https://www.rankandfile.ca/local-594-history/
https://www.rankandfile.ca/regina-refinery-lockout-is-no-tea-party/
https://www.rankandfile.ca/the-regina-co-op-refinery-lockout-lowdown/
Simon Black, professor at Brock University, discusses labour's role in the anti-war movement and opposing Canada's arms trade with Saudi Arabia, and a just transition for arms manufacturing workers.
Read about the Lucas Plan https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/14/lucas-aerospace-1970s-plan-documentary-eco-pioneers?CMP=share_btn_tw
Sign the petition https://www.change.org/p/hassan-yussuff-open-letter-to-clc-president-hassan-yussuff-on-labour-opposition-to-canada-saudi-arms-deal-63275f35-e753-40c7-977d-e0f22a759e61?recruiter=973939154&recruited_by_id=9f85e210-92dd-11e9-8819-b75298ea9494
If you would like a draft resolution to oppose the arms deal to bring to your labour council, please email labouragainstarmstrade@gmail.com.
Twitter.com/LAATCanada
Audio from Winnipeg's anti-war rally provided by Paul S. Graham.
Unifor 594 escalates action against Co-op during lockout. https://www.boycottco-op.ca/
Winnipeg Tim Hortons ends lockout of workers fighting for 10 cents. https://www.rankandfile.ca/winnipeg-tim-hortons-workers-locked-out-over-10-cent-pay-dispute/
Round Dance to Support Wet'suwet'en https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/portage-and-main-round-dance-wet-suwet-en-clayton-swan-1.5422837
Today on the show, an update on Unifor 594 lockout at the Co-op Refinery in Regina, which is entering its second month. The workers were on the picket line throughout Christmas and New Year’s.
First, we’ll talk to Sean Tucker, an occupational health & safety researcher at the University of Regina who will discuss safety concerns leading up to an injunction granted to the Co-op which limits Unifor 594’s picketing activity.
Then, we’ll hear from Charles Smith, co-author of Unions in Court: Organized Labour and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, who will provide some historical context for this injunction.
Then we’ll hear from Andrew Stevens, a business professor at the University of Regina who has has written several pieces on the lockout for RankandFile.ca exploring Unifor’s struggle in the context of the Co-op’s history and 594’s organizing throughout the decades.
https://www.rankandfile.ca/local-594-history/
https://www.rankandfile.ca/regina-refinery-lockout-is-no-tea-party/
Folks from the RankandFile.ca crew review two holiday classics - Love Actually & Scrooged.
Editor's note: Unifor 594 is locked out, not on strike.
SupportUnifor594 and Boycott Co-op
http://www.unifor594.com/
Check out our 2019 Scumbags of the Year https://www.rankandfile.ca/2019-scumbags-of-the-year/
Unifor launches a Canada-wide boycott of Co-op products & services.
Local 594 President Kevin Bittman & Regina & District Labour Council member Darren Milo provide picket line reports from the lockout.
Sean Tucker, an Occupational Health & Safety Researcher at the University of Regina discusses public safety concerns with scab workers running the refinery.
Local 594 & the Lost History of Oil Worker Unionism https://www.rankandfile.ca/local-594-history/
Nora Loreto discusses the state of the feminist movement in Canada 30 years after the mass shooting that killed 14 women at École Polytechnique.
Il y en 30 https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/12/05/opinion/il-y-en-30
SandyandNora.com
SupportUnifor594
http://www.unifor594.com/
AUPE Fight Back aupe.org/FightBack
The National Farmers Union celebrated its 50th annioversary in Winnipeg, Manitoba at their annual convention from November 24-27, 2019. Stuart Oke, the Youth President of the National Farmers Union, and Avi Lewis, Co-Founder and Strategic Director of the Leap, discuss climate change and what a Green New Deal could mean for the future of farming.
www.nfu.ca
www.theleap.org
Chicago Teachers Union https://www.ctulocal1.org/ Twitter.com/CTULocal1 Twitter.com/KenzoShibata
How to Jumpstart Your Union https://www.labornotes.org/store/jump-start-your-union
Secrets of a Successful Organizer https://www.labornotes.org/secrets
No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Guilded Age https://janemcalevey.com/no-shortcuts/
Class Action: An Activist Teachers Handbook https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/02/class-action-an-activist-teachers-handbook/
Support Our Students Alberta https://www.supportourstudents.ca/
Support the Teamsters on Strike! TeamstersRail.ca
Doug Ford's Student Choice Initiative struck down https://thevarsity.ca/2019/11/21/divisional-court-strikes-down-ford-governments-student-choice-initiative/
Police Board Presentations from Winnipeg Police Cause Harm https://twitter.com/WpgPoliceHarm/status/1198354269239427073
Read the Community Services Budget https://winnipeg.ca/interhom/Budget/2020Budget/pdfs/2020-Multi-year-Budget-Presentation_Community-Services_20191116.pdf
Stop the Cuts to Winnipeg Transit - Community Forum https://www.facebook.com/events/567333177358988/
Sign Up to Speak Nov 27 & 28 https://winnipeg.ca/clerks/council/delegation.stm
Winnipeg Police Cause Harm https://www.facebook.com/pg/winnipegpolicecauseharm/
Transit Users Solidarity Coalition Winnipeg Twitter.com/TUSCWinnipeg
Bolivia Solidarity Draft Resolution http://rankandfile.ca/no-to-the-coup-in-bolivia-draft-resolution/
Climate Justice Edmonton climatejusticeedmonton.com
Bar None Winnipeg https://barnonewpg.org/
We’ll talk to Allen from Yellow Vests Canada Exposed, a group which documents and exposes the white nationalist and neo-nazi elements in Canada’s Yellow Vest movement. We’ll talk about how this movement conflates the interests of massive oil corporations with the interests of the working class - and how the media has often conflated the two as well.
Twitter.com/VestsCanada Patreon.com/YVCE
Then we’ll talk to Tannara Yelland, a student and freelance journalist who moved from Saskatchewan to Toronto and landed a job at Vice Canada in 2015, and subsequently kicked off the successful union drive at Vice Canada. We’ll talk about some of the barriers journalists face in participating in any sort of open quote political activity, including anti-fascist organizing, and why more journalists need to see themselves as part of the working class.
Twitter.com/Tyelland
SLAPP Suits: Chilling Public Protest https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/chilling-public-protest-rooster-town-slapp
Alberta's Bill 20 & 21 & Wage Freeze https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-government-plans-sweeping-changes-through-2-omnibus-bills-1.5338632
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ucp-alberta-wage-rollbacks-1.5340132
-Sign the ATU Canada Pledge for a National Public Intercity Transit Service- https://www.atucanada.ca/pledge-support-national-public-intercity-transit-0
(seriously, sign it! thank you!)
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Chicago Teachers Strike - https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/11/1/20943464/chicago-teachers-strike-deal
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Unifor Crown Strike - https://www.cjme.com/2019/10/31/573974/
-After the GM Strike - now what?- https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/belabored-podcast-187-after-the-gm-strike-now-what
Organizing for Power - Jane McAlevey webinar http://www.rosalux-nyc.org/organizing-for-power-with-jane-mcalevey/
CUPW Local 730 http://www.cupwedm.net/
Alison McIntosh, research manager at the Parkland Institute breaks down Alberta's new austerity budget.
A short excerpt from the Chicago Teachers Union podcast CTU Speaks with CTU Chief of Staff Jennifer Johnson explaining the core issues 25,000 Chicago teachers are out on strike for.
https://www.ctulocal1.org/ctu-speaks/
Lori Bossaer from SGEU explains why the Saskatchewan Employment Act handcuffs workers right to strike.
https://www.sgeu.org/latest-news/news-releases/sgeu-calls-on-sask-party-government-to-amend-employment-act-and-provide-long-term-funding-for-community-based-organizations
Barb Silva provides context for the protests in Chile and shares how Canadians can help support the Chilean people.
https://www.change.org/p/justin-trudeau-canadian-government-to-denounce-chilean-president-piñeras-human-rights-violations
Kevin Bittman from Unifor 594 in Regina, Saskatchewan discusses impending lockout for Co-op refinery workers.
http://www.unifor594.com/
Mike Espenell, from IBEW 2034 discusses how Brian Pallister’s cuts to Manitoba Hydro have impacted Hydro’s ability to respond to last week’s snow storm, which knocked out power for nearly 50,000 Manitobans.
https://www.ibew2034.com/
Jeff Traeger, President of UFCW Local 832 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, provides an update on the long saga of workers at Winnipeg’s popular restaurant chain Stella’s fighting to improve toxic workplace conditions.
http://ufcw832.com/node/8346
Joel French, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta, discusses Jason Kenney’s minimum wage freeze, effective October 1.
https://www.pialberta.org/
Also:
Edmonton' Climate Strike organizer Emma Jackson sends message to oil & gas workers, Unifor Crown Corporations reach a tentative agreement with the Province of Saskatchewan after 5,000 went on a 17 day strike, and Canadian Labour Congress Staffers strike over pensions, wages, and changes to anti-harassment policy.
Support CLC Workers on Strike http://iamdl78.org/clcstrike/
Recording of Emma Jackson's interview on Charles Adler Tonight on 770 CHQR Global News Radio, October 18, 2019.
Emma Jackson is an organizer with Climate Justice Edmonton, a group who organized a Climate Strike with Greta Thunburg as a speaker, bringing out 10-12,000 people, possibly the largest rally in Alberta since the 90s.
Listen to the full audio documentary at Soundcloud.com/ATUCanada
Sign the pledge: https://www.atucanada.ca/pledge-support-national-public-intercity-transit-0
Today on the show, Simon Enoch, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives in Saskatchewan. He’ll talk about the 5,000 workers for 6 Crown corporations and one Crown agency, who are all members of Unifor, who just walked off the job on Friday, October 4th. He’ll discuss why this strike is significant, and why Crown corporations matter not only for Saskatchewan, but the rest of the country.
Unifor employees at SaskTel, SecureTek, DirectWest, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskWater and the Water Security Agency all walked off the job over wage freezes in the first two years.
All of the Crown contracts expired in March. Unifor National president Jerry Dias has become a frequent figure in Saskatchewan, flying in back in January for a Unifor rally to kick off negotiations. Dias has been at the table with the Crowns alongside the local presidents throughout bargaining.
On September 30th, Crown workers instated a work-to-rule job action, banning overtime work. On Friday, October 4th, the workers walked off the job. At 4 PM on Friday, Unifor members rallied outside of the Saskatchewan Party convention in Regina.
On Friday, September 27th, an estimated 12,000 people met in front of the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg to participate in a global climate strike, organized by Indigenous youth and students.
According to some local leftists, this number was likely double the turnout of Winnipeg’s 2003 anti-war protests, making it possibly the largest political mobilization in the city since the 80s.
But where was organized labour? After the rousing conference and events marking the 1919 General Strike Centenary earlier this year, is labour leadership more interested in performativity of working class power than actually building it?
https://www.mbyouthforclimateaction.org/
Guest: Jamie Kirkpatrick, Program Manager, BlueGreen Canada BlueGreenCanada.ca
Blue Green Canada is an alliance between Canadian labour unions, environmental and civil society organizations to advocate for working people and the environment by promoting solutions to environmental issues that have positive employment and economic impacts.
Student Climate Strikes Are Structure Tests https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/student-climate-strikes-are-structure-tests
- Help RankandFile.ca get a new website!- www.gofundme.com/f/rankandfile
-Support the show on Patreon- www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-Social Media- Twitter.com/Emily_Leedham_ Twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie Twitter.com/RankandFile.ca
-Library should serve entire community- https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/library-should-serve-entire-community-560167062.html
- Watch the full committee meeting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU8oPwK2B_0
-Millennium for All Report- https://osf.io/preprints/lissa/vfu6h
Previous Episode on Library Security | Harm reduction activist Garth Mullins & author Owen Toews
https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/library-security-harm-reduction-in-the-workplace-garth-mullins-crackdown-owen-toews-bar-none
--Putting Climate Justice on the Bargaining Table Webinar-- https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yAeiUN3jTnmkIX6KK0MdPQ?fbclid=IwAR0wZjSGf5GLcxvQL4Y11YgSkaADPC1ilWiDD35R8STZC1WzmNVYKigLttI
---Bill 9--- http://rankandfile.ca/battling-kenneys-bill-9/ AUPE.org/fightback
---Millennium Library Shush-In--- Monday, September 9, 9:30 AM, Winnipeg City Hall
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/serious-incidents-down-65-since-library-security-screening-started-but-so-is-attendance-559293952.html
https://twitter.com/akohan/status/1168949405208256513
https://twitter.com/astrobri/status/1169275104980684800
https://twitter.com/learnsolidarity/status/1169991603085295617
--Support the show on Patreon-- Patreon.com/rfradioprairie
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--More Labour News-- www.rankandfile.ca
It's time to Unite Against Racism. Sign the pledge and keep up with the campaign at www.MigrantRights.ca.
Follow the campaign at Twitter.com/MigrantRightsCA.
-Support the show on Patreon- Patreon.com/RFRadioPrairie
-Follow the show on social media- Twitter.com/Emily_Leedham_ Twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie
-More Labour News- www.RankandFile.ca
Manitoba Health Care Votes https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-health-care-workers-union-vote-1.5256771
Moms Stop the Harm https://www.momsstoptheharm.com/
Lethbridge council votes down motion to cut ARCHES Funding https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/lethbridge-supervised-consumption-site-funding-1.5252803
Safe Consumption Services Review https://www.alberta.ca/supervised-consumption-services-review.aspx
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Support the show on Patreon - patreon.com/rfradioprairie
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Social Media - Twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie Twitter.com/Emily_Leedham_
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First, an update on the state of Rank & File Radio, reflecting on its past and future. Then labour historian Scott Price joins for a discussion on the media's role in grassroots and labour organizing, the need to build and fund new institutions on the left.
-Support the show!- Patreon.com/RFRadioPrairie
-Follow the show on social media- twitter.com/RFradioprairie twitter.com/emily_leedham_
-More labour news- www.rankandfile.ca
David Camfield, author of Canadian Labour in Crisis, explores Canada's labour law, the Rand Formula, and how this framework impacts labour organizing today.
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/canadian-labour-in-crisis
On August 7, 2019, at 10:30 am ATU Local 1505 and Fight for $15 & Fairness Manitoba hosted a solidarity rally demanding the City give Winnipeg Transit workers a fair deal. The union has been without a contract since January. About 400 people showed up to the rally, including transit workers, members from other unions, and community supporters.
This was the first time a rally was held at the new streetcar monument, officially unveiled in June 2019 to mark the 100th year anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike. After the speeches, the crowd marched across the street and chanted in front of City Hall.
Speakers in order of appearance: Zach Fleischer, ATU 1505 Communications Aleem Chaudhary, ATU 1505 President John Callahan, ATU International Vice President Emily Leedham, Fight for $15 & Fairness Manitoba John DeNino, ATU Canada President
What is an "essential service" anyway? How does this designation impact a public sector union's ability to strike? This has been a point of contention in Saskatchewan for over a decade under the Saskatchewan Party government.
First, we'll hear from CUPE 1975 President Craig Hannah, representing 2,000 workers at the University of Saskatchewan who work in food services, technician services, trades, security, clerical support, the library, grounds keeping and landscaping, caretaking, and many other areas.
In late June, CUPE 1975 finally reached a collective agreement after nearly 4 years of bargaining with the University over wages and pensions. The bargaining process was prolonged because, after CUPE attained a strike mandate, the union and the employer did not agree on how many positions were considered "essential services" - or positions that would not be able to go on strike - and thus had to wait for a tribunal ruling.
This was the first time the new essential services legislation had been tested out since being implemented in 2015 - after the Supreme Court determined the Sask Party's previous essential services legislation violated workers’ right to strike. After the ruling determined only 41.5 out of over 2,000 CUPE 1975 positions were essential services, the university came back to the table the following day, reaching an agreement.
Then we'll hear from Charles Smith, co-author of Unions in Court: Organized Labour and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, who provides some historical context for this legislation and what it means for labour organizing in Saskatchewan going forward.
Drew Brown, EIC of TheIndependent.ca, explores what lessons Green New Deal organizers can learn from Newfoundland's 1992 cod moratorium.
Twitter.com/Drewfoundland Twitter.com/TheIndependentNL
Cod and the Fishery: Down, but Not Out https://theindependent.ca/2019/07/02/cod-and-the-fishery-down-but-not-out/
CBC Archives: The Cod Moratorium https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/cod-fishing-science-subverted
ABCs of the Newfoundland Fishery https://youtu.be/9hWG_iZ_ykE
-Support the show on Patreon- Patreon.com/RFRadioPrairie
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More Labour News & Analysis www.rankandfile.ca
"It's time to either fight or be f*cked." - Jane McAlevey
From May 8-11, 2019, Manitoba’s unions hosted the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike Centenary Conference: inviting union members, labour activists and leaders from across Canada to reflect on the history of the general strike, and apply its lessons to the present and future of the labour movement.
What would it take to build another general strike? Why would another general strike be necessary? These questions came up over and over again throughout the conference. This episode explores those conversations, combining audio from the roundtables: Poverty and the Fight for Material Existence, Building an Inclusive Labour Movement and Making Labour a Social Force & Political Leader. It also includes audio from Dr. Jane McAlevey’s keynote speech at the Ukranian Labour Temple.
The speakers you will hear in this episode, in order of appearance, are:
Greg McPherson, musician (Winnipeg, MB) Dr. Jane McAlevey, author of No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age John Clark - Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (Toronto, ON) Sean Smith - Toronto Airport Workers’ Council (Toronto, ON) Victor Elkins - Former President, Hospital Employees Union (Vancouver, BC) Alia Karim - Fight for $15 Movement (Toronto, ON) Chris Ramsaroop - Justice for Migrant Workers (Toronto, ON) Suzanne MacNeil: President, Halifax-Dartmouth and District Labour Council (Halifax, NS) Basia Sokal - President of the Winnipeg Labour Council (Winnipeg, MB)
The music included in this episode is by Monplasir, found on Creative Commons, and Greg McPherson performing The Company Store at the Solidarity Forever concert on May 15, 2019, recorded by Paul S. Graham.
From May 8-11, 2019, Winnipeg unions hosted the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike Centenary Conference: inviting union members, labour activists and leaders from across Canada to reflect on the history for the general strike, and apply its lessons to the present and future of the labour movement.
This episode compiles audio from the disability and labour rights panel.
First, well hear from Dr. Melanie Panitch, Founding Director for the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University, who chaired the panel. She provides historical context for understanding divisions between injured workers, veterans and people with disabilities.
Then John Rae, who has worked on human and disability rights issues for decades within government and labour, explores the struggle to include people with disabilities in the labour movement from the 80s to the present day.
Then Elizabeth Kessler, Winnipeg based community organizer and disability justice writer, well address how the labour movement can better understand invisible disabilities, and fight for those who are not able to work full time or at all.
Closing out, we will hear from Allen Mankewich, who currently works at Winnipeg’s Independent Living Resource Centre and has been involved in many local campaigns and organizing, discusses how the charity model puts limitations on people with disabilities being able to organize and connect with the labour movement.
The presentations in this episode have been edited and and condensed for time, but the full length panel will be available on Soundcloud shortly.
Last month, ATU’s took its first legal job action on May 14, 2019 not enforcing fares for riders. Shortly after, the union overwhelmingly rejected what the city said was its second and “final” offer, putting the union in a legal strike position. On June 3rd, the union implemented a mandatory overtime ban, barring members from taking voluntary overtime shifts. On June 26, ATU 1505 announced it would not enforce fares on June 27, which included transit to the Winnipeg Blue Bomber's home opener.
This second fare strike also comes after a period of bargaining through the media, after the City leaked its latest offer to the CBC last month. ATU 1505 president Aleem Chaudhary provides an update.
http://rankandfile.ca/winnipeg-transit-drivers-go-on-second-fare-strike-tomorrow/
http://rankandfile.ca/winnipeg-transit-drivers-may-take-job-action-this-weekend/
-- Millennium 4 All-- Sarah Broad's presentation to the City of Winnipeg Protection, Community Services, and Parks Committee https://youtu.be/9PR6QagTAiE
-CUPE Local 1975- https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/cupe-1975-university-of-saskatchewan-reach-tentative-deal-on-new-contract
- Alberta's Bill 9- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-s-largest-sector-union-takes-provincial-government-to-court-over-bill-9-1.5187749
--Support the show on Patreon!-- www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-Follow the show on social media- twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie twitter.com/emily_leedham_
-More labour news- www.rankandfile.ca
From May 8-11, 2019, Winnipeg unions hosted the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike Centenary Conference: inviting union members, labour activists and leaders from across Canada to reflect on the history for the General Strike, and apply its lessons to the present and future of the labour movement.
This episode will explore the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the labour movement, compiling audio from two separate panels - Building an Inclusive Labour Movement and Colonialism, Race and the Winnipeg General Strike, as well as audio from the Winnipeg Labour Choir recorded by Paul Graham on May 15, 2019.
First we’ll hear from Leslie Spillett, founder of Ka Ni Kanichihk, a non-profit which provides programming and services to support Indigenous communities, discusses the importance of cultural diversity in the labour movement.
Then we’ll hear from Jerry Woods, Anishnaabe labour activist, who addresses the differences between overt and passive racism.
Then, Adele Perry, author of Aqueduct, Colonialism, Resources and the Histories We Remember, explores the intertwining history of the 1919 General Strike and the construction of the Shoal Lake 40 aqueduct. The aqueduct utilized Indigenous labour while simultaneously displacing Indigenous communities, and erasing them from the history of the working class.
And, Owen Toews, author of Stolen City: Racial Capitalism and the Making of Winnipeg, discusses how labour’s relationship with prisons and policing inhibits solidarity building today.
Closing out is a final comment from Dr. Karine Duhamel who was the Director of Research for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Avi Lewis, co-founder and strategic director of the Leap, shares the untold story of the Leap Manifesto, labour and the 2016 Federal NDP convention in Edmonton, Alberta. We’ll also talk about the pressing need to bridge the labour and climate justice movements, and what we can do to get there.
The Leap is a coalition member of the Pact for a Green New Deal, alongside other groups such as the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, CUPE Ontario, Fight for $15 and Fairness, and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. The Green New Deal envisions a just transition away from fossil fuels, implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and a massive expansion of low carbon, green jobs.
I talked to Avi Lewis on Saturday, June 22 in Winnipeg, on the last stop of the Leap’s seven city tour across Canada to promote the Pact for a Green New Deal.
www.greennewdealcanada.ca
www.fridaysforfuture.ca
https://www.mbenergyjustice.org/
-Bill 9- https://albertapolitics.ca/2019/06/the-strategy-behind-the-ucps-public-sector-arbitration-deferral-act-explained/
-Saskatoon Co-op AGM- www.co-opmembersforfairness.com https://briarpatchmagazine.com/saskdispatch/view/what-happened-to-the-saskatoon-co-op
Avery Edwards is a community organizer, gender freedom fighter, and a co-founder of PYROS, the Prairie Youth Radical Organizing School, located on Treaty 6 territory in Edmonton.
In 2018, PYROS launched Queer Scouts, a cohort style leadership development program that empowers queer and trans youth to challenge injustice in their schools and communities through collective action.
I met Avery and some other members of PYROS and Queer Scouts in Winnipeg last month at the 1919 General Strike conference. Attending this conference was part of their youth education programming.
Jane McAlevey, labour organizer and author of the book No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age, was the keynote speaker at this conference and spoke about the need to build the strike weapon to combat climate change. As young people across Canada and around the world participate in climate strikes, walking out of school to demand energy and climate justice, there has never been a more crucial time to engage youth in education about labour history and strike tactics that can win.
The Prairie Youth Radical Organizing School is creating programming that sets itself apart from many other queer and trans organizations in Alberta, by bringing in this important labour component.
For more information, visit: www.prairieyouthradicalorganizingschool.org
-Support the show on Patreon- www.patreon.com/rfradio-prairie
-Social Media- Twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie Twitter.com/Emily_Leedham_
-More Labour News- www.rankandfile.ca
Guest: James Wilt, freelance journalist and author of an upcoming book on public transit for Between the Lines.
Twitter.com/james_m_wilt
-Support the show on Patreon- www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-Social Media- Twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie Twitter.com/Emily_Leedham_
-NDP Green New Deal Platform- https://www.ndp.ca/power-to-change
- TTC Riders- https://www.ttcriders.ca/
-ATU 1505- http://rankandfile.ca/winnipeg-transit-drivers-may-take-job-action-this-weekend/ http://rankandfile.ca/winnipeg-transit-fare-strike-first-in-north-america/ https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/rfradiomarch3
-More Labour News- www.RankandFile.ca
Today on the show, fighting for a $15 minimum wage across the Prairies. Alberta premier Jason Kenney introduces a youth minimum wage at $13 which is lower than the $15 minimum wage introduced by the NDP.
We’ll hear from Daniel Huber, restaurant organizer with the Alberta Vanguard Association and FairServe.ca, on the impacts of this bill and fighting back will look like.
www.fairserve.ca Twitter.com/albertavanguard
And Saskatchewan currently has the lowest minimum wage in the country at 11.06 cents. In April, Fight for $15 organizer Saima Desai threw a block party to jokingly celebrate the province’s new status.
contact@fightfor15sk.ca www.briarpatchmagazine.com
Fight for $15 & Fairness Manitoba www.manitobafor15.ca twitter.com/manitobafor15
Migrant Rights Network Sign up & organize a #UniteAgainstRacism Day of Action on June 16 https://migrantrights.ca/
-Support the show on Patreon- patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-Social Media- twitter.com/rfradioprairie
Previous episodes on low wage worker organizing:
https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/fundraising-for-a-migrant-workers-organizing-centre-marco-luciano-migrante-alberta
https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/fairserveca-chef-daniel-huber-creates-a-new-organizing-hub-for-alberta-restaurant-workers
https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/fighting-for-15-fairness-in-manitoba-ontario-deena-ladd-workers-action-centre-co-founder
As activists organizing with the Our Time campaign put together town halls in cities across Canada to discuss what a Green New Deal would look like for Canada, the wildfire season had already begun. Alberta’s High Level fire forced over 4,000 town residents and nearby First Nations communities to evacuate their homes.
What does wildfire and emergency response look like for young workers beginning their careers, and how can we improve these much-needed jobs to best mitigate the effects of climate change?
-Support the show on Patreon- www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-Follow the show on social media- twitter.com/rfradioprairie
-wildfire stories in the episode-
https://our-time.ca/
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/all-hopes-resting-on-fire-break-at-high-level-as-winds-shift-sunday-morning
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/more-than-200-b-c-firefighters-sent-to-alberta-to-battle-wildfires
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-privatization-forest-fire-service-1.4925541
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/little-grand-rapids-evacuation-state-of-emergency-1.4675270
Also in this episode: The group Millennium for All continues to oppose security screenings at the Millennium Library in downtown Winnipeg
-Previous Episode on Library Security- https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/library-security-harm-reduction-in-the-workplace-garth-mullins-crackdown-owen-toews-bar-none
-Listen to Crackdown podcast- https://crackdownpod.com/
-Fighting for Space by Travis Lupick- https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/F/Fighting-for-Space
- Support on Patreon- Patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-Follow on Twitter- twitter.com/rfradioprairie
www.Migrantrights.ca
-Millennium for All Read Out- https://www.facebook.com/events/596872634144793/
-Our Time Meeting- May 23, 7 PM, Richardson Atrium, University of Winnipeg
-Winnipeg Transit Fare Strike ATU's First in North America- http://rankandfile.ca/winnipeg-transit-fare-strike-first-in-north-america/
-WestJet Onex Deal- https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/westjet-onex-private-sale-1.5134407
The 1919 General Strike anniversary conference in Winnipeg kicked off on Wednesday, May 8, with labour activists and academics from across Canada congregating at the University of Winnipeg. The intention of the conference was to not only reflect on the lessons of the general strike, but understand where Canada’s labour movement is at today. Specifically - what is the state of the strike in Canada?
Keynote speaker, U.S. based organizer and author of No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age, Jane McAlevey spoke at the Ukrainian Labour Temple on Thursday about what makes an effective strike.
I sat down with Mike Palecek, President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to talk about the state of the strike in Canada, given Trudeau legislated CUPW back to work last year, caving to corporate pressure concerned about losing profits during the holiday season.
On Saturday, May 11, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives hosted a talk by Boots Riley, rapper with the legendary hip hop ensemble the Coup, author, activist, and director of Sorry to Bother You, a mind bending dystopic film that centres heavily around labour organizing.
I sat down with Boots to talk about Sorry to Bother You, and why radical labour organizing is essential for fighting corporate power and giving teeth to social and economic justice.
It’s clear that the future of regaining the strike in Canada will require illegal action. It will also require activists within the labour movement willing to agitate and organize to build up workers willingness to take those actions.
But as Mike Palecek said, the best education is experience. And in the spirit of celebrating the 1919 General Strike, I hope that Rank & File Radio Prairie Edition and RankandFile.ca can be resources to help encourage and facilitate that kind of organizing in Canada today.
-Support the show on Patreon- patreon.com/RFRadioPrairie
-Social Media- twitter.com/rfradioprairie
- More Labour News - www.rankandfile.ca
Around 400 Nurses and healthcare workers filled the front steps of the Manitoba legislature on May 1, 2019 to protest government cuts to public services, citing forced overtime and burnout among healthcare workers.
In addition to these health care changes, Brian Pallister is attacking the structure of unions themselves.
Bill 29 is a forced reorganization of health care bargaining units according to different classes of workers, like Professional-Technical/EMS workers, Facility Support workers, Community Support workers, Nurses, Doctors, Medical Residents, Physician Assistants and Clinical Assistants. This reduces the number of bargaining units from 183 to 7. The seven new bargaining units will be determined through votes, where workers choose which union they would like to represent them. The dates for the votes have yet to be announced.
-Put Patients First Rally- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/nurses-rally-care-not-cuts-manitoba-legislature-1.5118736
-Support on Patreon- patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-Follow on Twitter- twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie twitter,com/emily_leedham_
-Labour News Across Canada- www.rankandfile.ca
-Student GSA Walkout- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/gsa-school-walk-out-alberta-1.5121466
-Winnipeg Climate Strike- https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1584972
-WestJet Encore Flight Attendants Unionize- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cupe-westjetflight-flight-attendants-1.512303
-Manitoba Crown Corp 8% Staff Reduction- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/maniotba-crown-corporations-cuts-1.5117800
-Foodora Workers CUPW Union Drive- http://rankandfile.ca/gig-economy-workers-strike-back/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/skip-the-dishes-class-action-lawsuit-terms-changed-1.4780906
Order Red State Revolt: The Teacher's Strike Wave and Working Class Politics
https://www.versobooks.com/books/2955-red-state-revolt
Join RankandFile.ca for the public book launch of Eric Blanc's "Red State Revolt: The Teachers' Strike Wave and Working Class Politics" on May 29, 2019 at the Worker's Action Centre.
https://www.facebook.com/events/312118976126556/
Today on the show, teachers and students fighting for quality, public education. We’ll hear from Meghan Linton, from the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students, on creating a prairie solidarity network for students to connect, share knowledge and organizing skills.
Contact Megan Linton https://cfs-fcee.ca/about/structure/
And we’ll hear an excerpt of my interview with Eric Blanc, author of Red State Revolt: The teacher’s strike wave and working class politics. It’s a brand new book documenting the massive illegal teachers strikes in 2018 in West Virginia, Arizona, and Oklahoma. These illegal strikes saw massive gains for teachers and public sector workers.
This interview is the first in the new Rank & File Radio Labour History series, where we look at previous labour struggles to apply lessons for today. This new episode is possible because I have reached $250 donation goal on Patreon, so thank you all so much for getting me there. The full interview will be available on the Rank & File Radio Soundcloud this week.
-Buy Red State Revolt- https://www.versobooks.com/books/2955-red-state-revolt
-Donate on Patreon- patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-News-
http://rankandfile.ca/ontarios-spring-students-lead-labour-must-follow/
https://www.660citynews.com/2019/04/18/alberta-students-to-walkout-in-protest-of-ucp-policies-on-gsas
CUPE 1975 Updates https://1975.cupe.ca/
Bob Barnetson's AUFA Updates https://albertalabour.blogspot.com/
Broadcast Date: April 21, 2019. Hosted & produced by Emily Leedham.
Chloe Rockarts reflects on conversations with public sector labour leaders in Alberta for a RankandFile.ca article called The Past, Present and Future of Workers' Power in Alberta. We reflect on tangible steps needed to build worker capacity to fight public sector cuts and privatization, build solidarity between unionized & non-unionized workers, and fight white supremacy.
http://rankandfile.ca/the-past-present-future-of-worker-power-in-alberta/
Emma Jackson from Climate Justice Edmonton reacts to Jason Kenney's 30 million dollar "war room" to fight "lies and misinformation" about Alberta's oil sands. CJE is fundraising to resist Kenney's attacks and build capacity among young organizers.
www.climatejusticeedmonton.ca
-Support the show on Patreon- www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
Visit RankandFile.ca for labour news and analysis across Canada.
-Email the show- RFRadioPrairie@gmail,com
Social Media Twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie Twitter.com/Emily_Leedham_
Someone tell Gil McGowan to unblock me.
Broadcast date is April 14, 2019. Hosted by Emily Leedham.
Today on the show, Robert Lee, an industrial electrician based in Alberta who has spent the last several years working on and off in the oil sands. Workers in the oil and gas industry have been used as a talking point by the Alberta NDP and United Conservative Party, both parties say they are the best choice for workers to get the trans mountain pipeline built and create more jobs in the industry. Albertans go to the polls on Tuesday, April 16th.
He’s an industrial electrician and oilfield automation programmer from Blackie, Alberta. He also teaches drop-in classes on handyman and home renovation topics for several continuing education facilities in Calgary. He's a married father of two, has worked as an electrician for 13 years, and was one of the first people in Canada to be CSA certified in solar power installation.
He has worked on and off in the oil sands and provides a bit of a window into the realities of working in the Patch, and why strong unions and labour standards matter for oil patch workers, and the challenges involved in building solidarity between migrant and non-migrant workers.
-Links-
https://www.pipestoneflyer.ca/provincial-election/no-government-can-bring-back-alberta-oil-boom-experts-say/
https://thenarwhal.ca/are-albertans-collecting-a-fair-share-of-oilsands-wealth/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/suicide-rate-alberta-increase-layoffs-1.3353662
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-alberta-opioid-overdose-fatalities-hit-record-levels-last-year-data/
-Previous episodes on oil sands work--
https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/fundraising-for-a-migrant-workers-organizing-centre-marco-luciano-migrante-alberta
https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/the-saskatchewan-co-op-strikes-can-steel-workers-build-more-than-pipelines
https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/a-just-transition-for-albertas-workers-dr-angele-alook-aupe-farid-iskandar-climate-justice-yeg
-Donate on Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
-Social Media- Twitter.com/emily_leedham_ Twitter.com/rfradioprairie
-More labour news- www.rankandfile.ca
Broadcast date: April 7, 2019. Hosted by Emily Leedham.
--Donate on Patreon-- https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
Today on the show, Marco Luciano, director of Migrante Alberta. Migrante is fundraising for a workers centre, where migrants can connect to resources, each other,and organize. We’ll talk about Migrante’s new Fort MacMurray chapter, the U.N migration compact and Jason Kenney’s changes to the temporary foreign worker program as federal immigration minister.
www.migrantealberta.ca
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/04/05/migrant-workers-lured-to-canada-with-promise-of-good-jobs-instead-endured-modern-day-slavery.html
-Winnipeg Library Security-
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/library-protest-security-1.5082340
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/millennium-library-security-1.5084834
Open letter from a library worker https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTwhdVLQIObiAgtSBem9dC1c8MWR1Cs1hQVTUZbPWoeVxVhNs4olXL3YBH82skEnn73ZFvxgp7NCKIa/pub
Previous episode on library security https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/library-security-harm-reduction-in-the-workplace-garth-mullins-crackdown-owen-toews-bar-none
"Now is a great time to call your city councillor and demand that the security screenings be immediately suspended while the issue is finally being properly studied by the library and city council. Especially important are those on the The Standing Policy Committee on Protection, Community Services and Parks."
Councillor Vivian Santos - Point Douglas - 204-986-8401 Councillor Sherri Rollins - Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry - 204-986-5878 Councillor John Orlikow - River Heights - Fort Garry - 204-986-5236 Councillor Ross Eadie - Mynarski - 204-986-5188
-UFCW 1400 Co-op Strike -
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/saskatoon-co-op-board-rejects-resolutions-submitted-ahead-of-annual-meeting
Call for nominations and candidates for Co-op Board of Governors https://www.facebook.com/events/1319282818213023/
-Fight for $15 Saskatchewan-
https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/sask-drops-to-lowest-minimum-wage-in-canada-workers-call-for-increase
https://leaderpost.com/news/politics/moe-hits-back-at-meili-if-im-sullied-by-views-of-rally-organizers-why-arent-you
- ATU Local 1505 votes no-
Clarification: ATU is only in the position to strike after the union votes in favour of a strike in a separate strike vote. The union does not yet have an official strike mandate.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-transit-workers-contract-vote-1.5086944
Broadcast date is March 31, 2019. Hosted by Emily Leedham. This show is supported by CKUW listeners, Patreon supporters and UFCW Local 832. Partner with www.RankandFile.ca
-Donate on Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
Twitter: Twitter.com/Emily_Leedham_ Twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie
Today on the show, Darren Stebeleski, a graphic designer and graphic design educator working on Treaty 1 territory. He is also a union steward and a member of Spark Poster, a collective of graphic designers working to support worker's movements and social justice causes. We’ll talk about the role of graphic design in labour organizing.
Follow Sparkposter twitter.com/sparkposter instagram.com/sparkposter
-Fight for $15 Art Build, Monday, April 15, 6-9 PM- https://www.facebook.com/events/2456316431119233/
-
Pallister's 30-cent increase is not enough- https://soundcloud.com/user-500028046-910395830/pallisters-30-cent-min-wage-increase-is-not-enough-cjob-680-march-28
-
News-
-SFL solidarity committee with co-op workers- http://www.sfl.sk.ca/news/media-releases/2019/march-25-2019-saskatchewans-labour-movement-forms-solidarity-committee-to-help-striking-saskatoon-co
-URFA tentative agreement- https://www.urfa.ca/images/pdf/Negotiations/UofR-Academic/2019-03-26_BargainingUpdate_V02.pdf
-Kenney declares war on workers- http://rankandfile.ca/kenney-declares-war-on-workers/
-Cornwall alternative school funding restored- https://globalnews.ca/news/5103679/saskatchewan-government-restores-funding-to-cornwall-alternative-school/
-Manitoba teachers protest closure of curriculum support centre- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/teachers-protest-resource-centre-closure-1.5076359
-Read-in at the Winnipeg library to protest security screenings- https://www.facebook.com/events/303181287020286/
Today’s broadcast date is March 24, 2019.
Follow Emily on Twitter: https://twitter.com/emily_leedham_ Follow Rank & File Radio: https://twitter.com/rfradioprairie
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
Visit www.RankandFile.ca for more labour news across Canada.
Today on the show - lightning round of Prairie labour news, because a lot happened this week. Basia Sokal resigned as president of the Winnipeg Labour Council, the University of Regina Faculty served a strike notice, CUPW held a solidarity picket for UFCW 1400 Saskatoon Co-op workers, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the truck driver involved in the Humboldt crash, was sentenced to eight years in prison, prompting a look at trucking safety regulations in Canada, Saskatchewan's provincial budget review, and Manitoba Teachers protested the closure of a curriculum support centre.
Truck driver isn't the only one at fault in Humbolt tragedy https://ricochet.media/en/2504/truck-driver-isnt-the-only-one-at-fault-in-humboldt-tragedy
CUPW Solidarity Rally with UFCW 1400 - recording by Mike Trottier https://www.facebook.com/mike.trottier.77/videos/10158365712129899/
URFA Strike Notice http://www.carillonregina.com/urfa-strike-notice-served/
Basias's resignation speech http://rankandfile.ca/basia-sokal-resigns-as-winnipeg-labour-council-president/
Sask Budget Review http://behindthenumbers.ca/2019/03/21/sk-budget-2019/
Winnipeg Curriculum Support Centre Read In https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/teachers-fighting-decision-to-close-curriculum-support-centre-1.4344975
On Tuesday, March 19, 2019, Basia Sokal resigned as President of the Winnipeg Labour Council, citing harassment and bullying from men within labour leadership. This audio of her resignation was recorded by Emily Leedham with Basia’s permission at the Winnipeg Labour Council Meeting. It is uploaded here in its entirety as a record of the event. Besides audio levels being adjusted, the recording has not been cut or edited in any way.
On February 25, 2019, Millennium Library in downtown Winnipeg implemented new security measures – a bag check and metal detector at the front entrance. Library workers and management have cited safety concerns regarding weapons, substance use and “inappropriate behaviour.” To the general public, the security screening came as a surprise.
Many library users were upset and concerned, and pressured library management to participate in a public consultation and discussion. On Thursday March 14, over 60 people participated in a community dialogue about:
- Concerns about the metal detector and bag check screenings
- Alternatives to security to create a welcoming environment while also keeping library workers and patrons safe
Garth Mullins, host of Crackdown podcast https://crackdownpod.com/
http://umanitoba.ca/student/health-wellness/naloxone.html
Owen Toews, author of Stolen City: Racial Capitalism and the Making of Winnipeg
https://arpbooks.org/Books/S/Stolen-City
Bar None Prison Rideshare https://barnoneblog.wordpress.com/
Are there times and situations when the police don't need to be, or shouldn't be called? Bar None Winnipeg is hosting a workshop on Alternatives to Calling the Police for people interested in reflecting on and strategizing alternatives to calling the police. Friday, March 22, 1-4 pm. Space is limited; registration is required: 204-783-5000 ext 106 or safety@spenceneighbourhood.org
Library Consultation https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/millennium-library-patrons-voice-concerns-about-new-security-measures-1.4337532
Email me at RFRadioPrairie@gmail.com if you're interested in learning more about organizing around library security.
- Support Rank & File Radio on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
Today’s broadcast date is March 10, 2019. Rank & File Radio is hosted by Emily Leedham.
https://twitter.com/Emily_Leedham_
Before we get started a quick announcement, I’ve updated my Patreon goals and subscription tiers. If I can get to $250 a month, I’ll produce one extra labour history episode each month. I’ve also added a 2$ tier because every little bit truly goes a long way. You can visit https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie to donate. I honestly would not be able to do this kind of show without your support, so to everyone who has donated so far, thank you.
If you aren’t able to contribute to Patreon, simply sharing episodes on social media, or going on iTunes and leaving a positive review helps immensely.
And finally, if you are part of a union that has some room in its budget for a monthly or one time donation, please reach out to me at RFRadioPrairie@gmail.com.
Thank you again to all my listeners and supporters, I am so thankful that I get to do this every week and am glad that you find it to be a valuable resource. I always welcome guest suggestions, show ideas, news tips and feedback as well.
Molly McCracken - Director - CCPA Manitoba
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/offices/manitoba
Amelia Deneka
https://twitter.com/cjedmonton
Protest audio: https://twitter.com/batulgulamhus/status/1103520685068935168
Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.9 FM provides Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by listeners like you through the annual CKUW funding drive, Patreon and UFCW Local 832.
https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
Broadcast Date: March 3, 2019. It is hosted by Emily Leedham.
Today on the show Justin Panos, national organizer with the Amalgamated Transit Union Canada, talks organizing on the Prairies - post-Greyhound.
ATU Canada is an umbrella organization of 40 transit locals of approximately 34,000 transit professionals. ATU Canada will be doing a tour of the western provinces starting in April - if you want them to come to your city or town, e-mail justin@atucanada.ca to participate in this national campaign.
http://atucanada.ca/
Connect with local organizers in Alberta: https://twitter.com/nationalizebus
In Saskatchewan: https://www.stopthecutssk.ca/
In Manitoba: http://functionaltransit.com/
in Toronto: http://www.ttcriders.ca/
--- links---
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/kzj4yv/western-canada-is-still-struggling-to-replace-cancelled-greyhound-service
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/thompson-bus-service-vote-1.5005885
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/stc-update-dec-22-2017-1.4462588
February 24, 2019. Today on the show - what is going on at the University of Regina?
Well, quite a bit. The U of R Faculty Association, or URFA, which represents 1400 employees, attained a strike mandate in November 2018, seeking wage increases to match inflation and job security for sessional instructors, among other things. URFA’s contract expired in June 2017. URFA and Administration are currently in mediation.
https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/u-of-r-academic-staff-vote-overwhelmingly-in-favour-of-a-strike-mandate
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/mediator-sought-in-faculty-contract-talks-with-university-of-regina-1.5008249
And the U of R Students' Union is experiencing a lot of internal conflicts - how does this impact solidarity building between students and faculty?
John Loeppky, editor in chief of the campus Newspaper the Carillon, breaks down how the administration, faculty, and students are all relating to one another.
Follow John Loeppky: @Cymru_Et_Canada
http://www.carillonregina.com/
Also, Dr. Emily Eaton, professor at the University of Regina researching how the fossil fuel industry influences post secondary education. In 2017, she filed a freedom of information request that was denied by the University- she’s now appealing that decision, and recently raised 8,000 to cover legal costs.
Follow Emily: @emi_eaton
http://www.saskoil.org/
https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/prof-taking-u-of-r-to-court-over-denied-freedom-of-information-request
Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.90 FM provides Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by CKUW listeners, Patreon supporters and UFCW Local 832.
This episode is broadcasting from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory, the original lands of the Cree, Oji Cree Anishnaabeg Dakota and Dene peoples and the homeland of the Metis nation.
Today’s broadcast date is February 17, 2019. It is hosted by Emily Leedham.
Today on the show, Daniel Huber, founder of the Alberta Vanguard Association and Fairserve.ca, reacts to UCP leader Jason Kenney’s new proposal for a sub-minimum wage for youth and alcohol servers. Kenney announced that idea at a recent meeting for Restaurants Canada, an industry lobby group opposed to Alberta’s new $15 minimum wage. But Huber, a chef, worker, consultant and now business owner in Edmonton, hopes restaurant workers can organize to make their voices a little louder.
Follow Daniel Huber: https://twitter.com/theBurlyChef
Visit www.fairserve.ca to get involved in restaurant worker organizing.
After, we’ll hear from Tiffany Sostar, narrative therapist and feminist community organizer based in Calgary, on the politics of feminist consulting for workplaces and organizations, and how the most effective changes to workplace culture and diversity are driven by workers, not management.
Tiffany Sostar is a narrative therapist and community organizer, living and working as a white settler on Treaty 7 land. They love collective narrative practice - meeting with groups or individuals to bring together stories of resisting and responding to trauma and injustice. They write and consult in addition to the narrative therapy and community work.
You can find more information about Tiffany at TiffanySostar.com
The CKUW FUNDrive runs until Friday, February 15th! Pledge online at www.ckuw.ca/donate !
At the end of the show we had made $785 - but a donation after the show sent us to $1,085! Thank you so much to everyone who pledged! This was my first Funding Drive and it meant a lot to have it go so well!
Follow Nasr Ahmed: https://twitter.com/nasrahmed93
Follow CWA Canada: https://twitter.com/CWA_Canada_AM
Learn more about CWA Canada: http://cmgfreelance.ca/en/cwacanadaassociatemembers/
Previous Rank & File Radio Episode on Student Organizing: https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/this-was-the-hill-to-die-on-levi-nilson-on-building-militancy-within-albertas-student-movement
My show incentives are no longer available but if you want to know more about any of the books I talked about you can look through them here: https://ckuw.ca/RFRadioPrairie/ckuw-95-9-fm-fundrive-incentives/
And as always check out RankandFile.ca for Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Thanks to UFCW 832 for supporting the show.
Bob Barnetson, Athabasca University prof, provides an overview of the labour reforms introduced by the NDP, and what might happen to those reforms should Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party form government in just a few months. He also provides an update on bargaining and impending faculty strike at Athabasca University.
https://albertalabour.blogspot.com/
And Regan Boychuk from Reclaim Alberta explains what Thursday’s RedWater supreme court decision means for cleaning up oil and gas wells and creating green jobs in Alberta.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/02/01/opinion/putting-supreme-courts-redwater-decision-context
Saskatoon Co-op
http://www.ufcw.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32091:stop-greed-at-saskatoon-co-op&catid=80:action-calendar&Itemid=2397⟨=en
Unifor/ SaskTel Bargaining Launch
https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/sasktel-employees-slam-unfair-work-conditions-on-launch-day-for-bargaining
CKUW FUNDING DRIVE SHOW: SUNDAY FEB 10 at 4 PM CDT TUNE IN LIVE AT CKUW.CA!
Stay tuned on Twitter for funding drive incentives: https://twitter.com/RFRadioPrairie
Pre-pledge at: ckuw.ca/donate
Doug Ford's "student choice" initiative in Ontario will destabilize student union funding and dramatically alter the landscape for training future student and labour organizers in Canada. In Alberta, the door to attack student funding has been wedged open by right wing bootlickers. Ultimately, it pushes Canada closer to a government being able to introduce right-to-work legislation that will undermine labour's ability to collect union dues, much like we've seen in America with the Janus supreme court decision in 2018.
Levi Nilson, former 2015/16 Students' Union president at the University of Calgary, reflects on the fight with administration over ownership of MacHall, a student-run building on campus, and the importance of building student militancy in Alberta.
Follow Levi Nilson: https://twitter.com/LeviNilson
Sandy & Nora on Doug Ford's "student choice" initiative http://sandyandnora.com/episode-46-doug-vs-student-democracy/
Follow Kevin Taghabon: https://twitter.com/KevinTaghabon
Nasr Ahmed: https://twitter.com/nasrahmed93
What Janus Means North of the Border http://rankandfile.ca/what-janus-means-north-of-the-border/
There's Some Shady Shit Going On at the University of Calgary https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/ppxwpg/there-is-some-shady-shit-going-down-at-the-university-of-calgary
Logo by Kelly Campbell
Allen Mankewich has over 15 years of experience working in the public and non-profit sector, working on a number of different disability-related initiatives. A highlight of his career was participating in the United States Government’s International Visitor Leadership Program in 2015, where he learned how advocates, disability organizations and different levels of government work together so people with disabilities in the United States can exercise their civil rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Follow Allen at @AllenMankewich
---CCPA Green Light Go Report---
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/2018-state-inner-city-report-green-light-goimproving-transportation-equity
---Winnipeg Transit Safety & Policy---
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-transit-security-drivers-pepper-spray-1.4753531
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-transit-workers-compensation-stress-leave-1.4743976
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-transit-safety-drivers-1.4914804
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/bowman-blows-off-threat-of-strike-by-winnipeg-transit-drivers-501497791.html
https://www.chrisd.ca/2018/10/11/winnipeg-low-income-bus-pass/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-transit-shields-1.4969809
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/bus-drivers-learn-about-dangerous-passengers-502633081.html
--Sidewalk clearing ---
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/lifeline-sidewalks-higher-snow-clearing-priority-than-little-used-bike-lanes-browaty-says-504023662.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-snow-plow-wheelchair-1.4965222
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/city-of-winnipeg-dumps-on-suggestion-union-should-do-snow-clearing-1.3296395
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-committee-oks-report-recommending-snow-clearing-status-quo-1.3301039
--Transit Plus---
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-transit-plus-handi-transit-1.4953433
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-transit-plus-delays-1.4973594
Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.90 FM provides Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by listeners like you through Patreon, and UFCW Local 832. It is hosted by Emily Leedham.
This episode is broadcasting from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory, the original lands of the Cree, Oji Cree Anishnaabeg Dakota and Dene peoples and the homeland of the Metis nation.
Today’s broadcast date is January 13, 2019.
Alberta’s first Amazon fulfillment centre has only been open a few months, but is already planning to open a second one in 2020.
Here to provide a bit of insight into the working conditions at the fulfillment center in Alberta is a worker I’ll refer to as "M" to protect their identity. M was a seasonal Amazon worker through November and December, hired for “peak” season, meaning she would work anywhere from 40-60 hours a week.
---Amazon---
https://www.facebook.com/rachelnotley/videos/amazon-has-chosen-balzac-near-calgary-as-the-location-of-its-first-warehouse-in-/10155648902331427/
https://dailyhive.com/calgary/amazon-second-alberta-fulfillment-centre
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/amazon-warehouse-lockdown-1.4931224
https://www.businessinsider.com/brutal-conditions-in-amazons-warehouses-2013-8
Correction: In the episode, it is stated that Pennsylvania fulfillment centre workers were fainting from heat in 2018. The reports are from 2011. Amazon has since installed air conditioning.
https://thelogic.co/news/exclusive/toronto-delivery-drivers-say-amazon-is-blocking-their-attempts-to-unionize/
https://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-amazon-workers-protest-poor-working-conditions-2018-11
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-makes-every-day-hour-minute-2018-10
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/09/05/bernie-sanders-introduces-stop-bezos-act-senate/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e398e383cf6b
https://nypost.com/2018/04/16/amazon-warehouse-workers-pee-into-bottles-to-avoid-wasting-time-undercover-investigator/
https://gizmodo.com/amazons-aggressive-anti-union-tactics-revealed-in-leake-1829305201
Emily, Dave, Tannara and Scott get drunk on union made beer (mostly) and listen to Episode 18 of the Canadaland podcast OPPO hosted by Jen Gerson and Justin Ling looking at the "state of the left" in Canada.
Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.90 FM provides Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by listeners like you through Patreon, and UFCW Local 832.
---Support via Patreon!---
https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
Thanks to everyone who has supported this show since July. It's been an amazing year, I've has such an amazing time doing each episode and have learned so much. Thank you for joining me every week! I am so excited for what's to come in 2019, so thanks again for making space for me to build up this program!
This episode is broadcasting from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory, the original lands of the Cree, Oji Cree Anishnaabeg Dakota and Dene peoples and the homeland of the Metis nation.
Today’s broadcast date is December 23, 2018 and is hosted by Emily Leedham.
Today on the show - two Stella’s restaurants in Winnipeg unionized after nearly two months of worker organizing around harassment and abuse in the workplace through a campaign called #notmystellas. Jeff Traeger, president of UFCW Local 832, shares how this campaign lead to workers deciding to form a union.
And the Saskatoon co-op strike enters its eighth week, and will go into Christmas and the New Year, with no resolution in sight. Co-op member Craig Theboud shares how the community is supporting workers on strike through the holidays.
But first, we’ll take a look at solidarity pickets and actions to support Postal Workers on the prairies.
----CUPW----
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/saskatoon-protesters-canada-post-1.4950459
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/u-of-s-student-raising-christmas-cash-for-striking-co-op-workers-1.4951418
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-union-postal-workers-protest-1.4950109
https://www.cupw.ca/en/mediation-process-ends
---Saskatoon Co-op---
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/groups-rally-support-saskatoon-coop-strikers-1.4954818
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/u-of-s-student-raising-christmas-cash-for-striking-co-op-workers-1.4951418
---Stella's---
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/social-media-storm-of-allegations-rocks-stellas-500171192.html
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/second-stellas-votes-yes-for-union-503371642.html
Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.90 FM provides Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by listeners like you through Patreon, and UFCW Local 832.
This episode is broadcasting from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory, the original lands of the Cree, Oji Cree Anishnaabeg Dakota and Dene peoples and the homeland of the Metis nation.
Today’s broadcast date is December 16, 2018. I’m your host, Emily Leedham.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has filed a constitutional challenge to the Liberal government’s Canada Post Act, which ended the union’s rotating strikes, and imposed a mediator between the union and Canada Post. Any CUPW members found in violation of this act can face thousands of dollars in fines.
First on the show, we’ll hear from Charles Smith, University of Saskatchewan professor and co-author of Unions in Court: Organized Labour and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, on the legal history behind the right to strike, whether the Liberal’s act is different from the Conservative’s back to work legislation in 2011, and what this legal fight will look like going forward.
Since CUPW cannot violate the Canada Post Act, other unions and supporters across Canada have engaged in civil disobedience, setting up solidarity pickets, shutting down Canada Post plants and depots. Pickets have gone up in Vancouver, Edmonton, Missasauga, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax and others.
On December 2nd, six out of 30 solidarity picketers were arrested in Halifax. A few days later, three people out of 40 protesters were arrested in Ottawa. So far, there have been no other arrests across Canada.
Later in the show, we’ll hear from Suzanne McNeil, president of the Halifax Dartmouth & District Labour Council, talking about how labour can organize and support members participating in civil disobedience. Her husband Tony Tracy was one of the six protesters arrested earlier this month.
https://www.ubcpress.ca/unions-in-court
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-protest-outside-canada-post-plant-leads-to-6-arrests-1.4929691
Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.90 FM provides Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by UFCW Local 832.
This episode broadcasts from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory, the original lands of the Cree, Oji Cree Anishnaabeg Dakota and Dene peoples and the homeland of the Metis nation.
The broadcast date is December 9, 2018.
Daniel Huber is an Edmonton chef and founder of the Alberta Vanguard Association, an advocacy group for the restaurant industry workers. Last week, the Alberta NDP government introduced legislation to ban mandatory high heels in workplaces, a direct result of lobbying from the AVA. Now, the group has partnered with the Alberta Federation of Labour to launch fairserve.ca, a place for workers to share their stories, connect with each other, and participate in organizing and lobbying. The key advocacy points are high heels, house tipping, and payroll deductions. This is only the first step in what Huber would like to see to improve working standards in the restaurant industry.
www.fairserve.ca
---CUPW---
http://rankandfile.ca/cupw-legislated-back-the-struggle-continues/
---Manitoba ---
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/wildfire-fighting-privatization-manitoba-babcock-1.4931056
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/2018-state-inner-city-report-green-light-goimproving-transportation-equity
Today on the show, Gina Smoke, Unifor’s new Indigenous Liaison, who will be travelling across Canada to start projects to support Indigenous communities.
And Charlene Matheson, president of Unifor Local 830, talks domestic violence leave in Manitoba, the first province to pass legislation of this kind two years ago, and why more education and outreach is needed to let people know that it available.
---Domestic Violence Leave---
https://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/doc,domestic_violence_leave,factsheet.html
--- Drag the Red---
https://www.facebook.com/groups/556842211083726/
----Alberta----
www.fairserve.ca
----Sask---
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/legal-aid-union-settle-unfair-labour-practice-complaint
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/saskatoon-co-op-strike-to-continue-as-latest-round-of-talks-fails
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/saskatoon-co-op-strike-to-continue-as-latest-round-of-talks-fails
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/saskatoon-co-op-board-refusing-to-hold-special-meetings-in-response-to-petitions
--- Manitoba ---
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/stellas-newspaper-apology-1.4928936
--- CUPW---
https://www.cupw.ca/en/we-have-only-just-begun-claim-our-power
Hello and welcome to Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.90 FM. Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by UFCW Local 832.
This episode is broadcasting from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory, the original lands of the Cree, Oji Cree Anishnaabeg Dakota and Dene peoples and the homeland of the Metis nation.
Today’s broadcast date is November 18, 2018. I’m your host, Emily Leedham.
This show is supported by listeners through Patreon and by UFCW Local 832.
Today on the show, the Saskatoon Co-op strikes continues, fighting a two-tiered wage system that would see new hires earn less. I was in Saskatoon this weekend and visited the Martensville Co-op picket line, which is a town 15 minutes outside city. There I talked to Lucy Flack Figueiredo, Secretary-Treasurer for UFCW 1400.
And Don Kossick, activist and organizer in Saskatoon, co-op member and former UFCW negotiator, shares a bit of historical context for the co-op strike and what it might mean for the future of co-op going forward. Don produces a community radio program Making the Links on CFCR 90.5 FM.
We’ll also hear some audio from the National Farmer’s Union Convention and a Fight for $15 organizing meeting hosted by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour.
But first, an update on the CUPW strike.
---- The Co-op Strike: Big Solidarity in Little Martensville----
http://rankandfile.ca/the-co-op-strike/
--- Don Kossick---
https://www.donkossick.ca/
Broadcast date: November 18, 2018
Rank & File Radio is supported by UFCW Local 832.
Today on the show - Patrick McGuire, an organizer with the Winnipeg I.W.W. talks restaurant organizing - and a failed attempt to unionize local Winnipeg restaurant Stellas in 2002. The I.W.W. was compelled to share their story, after former Stellas employees recently came forward with allegations of harassment and abuse from upper management. These former employees started a instagram page called NotMyStellas where they shared over 150 anonymous stories from past and present Stellas workers. They put forward a list of demands, including the removal of two members of upper management.
And Craig Theboud of the Friends and Saskatoon Co-op Members for the Fair Treatment of Employees discusses a petition he recently submitted to replace the board of directors for the Saskatoon co-op. Co-op workers, who are members of UFCW 1400, are currently on strike, fighting a two tiered wage system.
---STELLAS---
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/stellas-winnipeg-union-1.4909530 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/stellas-executive-indefinite-leave-allegations-1.4902331
---SASKATOON CO-OP STRIKE---
https://www.facebook.com/Saskatooncoopmembers/
---CUPW---
https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/canada/2018/11/18/justin-trudeau-weighs-in-on-contract-talks-as-canada-post-deadline-expires-without-deal
---Calgary's Olympic Bid---
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-olympic-plebiscite-2026-analysis-1.4906001
www.betterspent2026.ca
https://www.thestar.com/calgary/2018/11/14/calgary-facing-tight-budget-for-next-four-years.html
---MIGRANT JUSTICE ---
http://migrantrights.ca/en/take-action/landed-status-now/
---MORE LABOUR NEWS---
www.rankandfile.ca
Hello and welcome to Rank & File Radio - Prairie Edition on CKUW 95.90 FM. Canadian labour news and analysis across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This show is an independent partner with RankandFile.ca and supported by UFCW Local 832.
This episode is broadcasting from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory, the original lands of the Cree, Oji Cree Anishnaabeg Dakota and Dene peoples and the homeland of the Metis nation.
Today’s broadcast date is November 11, 2018. I’m your host, Emily Leedham.
Today on the show - Winnipeg fights back. Two separate grassroots campaigns to hold bosses and landlords accountable. First, Anna Sigrithur from the West Broadway Tenants Association addresses illegal Armour Property Management reno-victions - and an information session on November 14th to help provide support and action for affected tenants.
Then, former employees of the popular local chain Stella’s Cafe & Restaurant come forward with allegations of systemic and ongoing harassment and abuse from upper management. These employees created an Instagram account called #NotMyStellas on Thursday to collect and share anonymous stories from other past and present Stella’s workers. They have created a list of demands - including the immediate removal of two members of upper management.
---Make Armour Pay---
https://www.facebook.com/events/1243070539164081/
https://news.vice.com/en_ca/article/d3qajk/landlords-across-canada-are-pushing-tenants-out-with-renovations
---#NotMyStellas---
https://www.instagram.com/notmystellas/
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/social-media-storm-of-allegations-rocks-stellas-500171192.html
Press conference video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHXPjioC_Vw&feature=youtu.be
---UFCW 1400---
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/unhappy-saskatoon-co-op-members-target-board-over-strike-1.4894005
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/saskatoon-co-op-files-unfair-labour-practice-complaints-as-strike-continues
https://www.facebook.com/ufcw.local1400/posts/1367769753357995
---Life Flight Air Ambulance---
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/lifeflight-doctors-speak-out-against-privatizing-air-ambulance-service-499455471.html
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/kzj4yv/western-canada-is-still-struggling-to-replace-cancelled-greyhound-service
---- Fight for $15 - Building Your Activist Toolkit ---
https://www.facebook.com/events/722390721427932/
Today on the show, over one thousand Co-op workers are on strike in Saskatchewan, both in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon. The workers are members of UFCW 1400. Moose Jaw workers have been on strike for just over a month. Three days ago, Saskatoon workers walked off the job at over 20 locations across the city. While they are striking over two separate collective bargaining agreements, both are fighting similar issues, including a two-tiered wage system that would see some workers earn less than others. Rod Gillies, the director of negotiations for UFCW Local 1400, will provide an update on the latest round of bargaining with co-op, which occured Friday, November 2.
And as Alberta premier Rachel Notley continues to use scare tactics about potential devastation to workers lives and the economy if the TransMountain pipeline doesn’t get built, we’ll hear a more hopeful message from Hadrian Mertins- Kirkwood, CCPA researcher about the massive opportunity for job growth in a just transition away from fossil fuels. This will be part of a talk that was recorded at a conference called Just Transitions: Building Saskatchewan’s Next Economy.
----Greyhound---- Interview with ATU President John DeNino: https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/its-a-bigger-fight-than-greyhound-atu-canada-pres-john-dinino-on-the-future-of-greyhound
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/manitoba-shrugs-off-feds-bus-service-rescue-plan-499203571.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/thompson-bus-service-suspended-1.4883509
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/kzj4yv/western-canada-is-still-struggling-to-replace-cancelled-greyhound-service
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/greyhound-bus-cancellation-federal-funding-1.4885463
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/greyhound-bus-cancellation-federal-funding-1.4885463
---CUPW Strike--- https://globalnews.ca/news/4608288/canada-post-cuts-workers-disability-benefits/
https://www.cupw.ca/en/postal-workers-taking-worklife-balance-own-hands
---Churchill,, Manitoba--- Note: In the show, I referred to UCTE as the United Commercial Transport Employees. This is an error. It is the United Canadian Transport Employees.
Interview with UCTE president Dave Clark: https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/august-26-2018-ucte-president-dave-clark-winnipeg-labour-council-president-basia-sokal
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/churchill-first-train-arrives-1.4886923
UFCW 1400 Saskatoon & Moose Jaw Co-op Strikes https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/strike-continues-at-saskatoon-co-op-after-latest-round-of-bargaining-fails
https://globalnews.ca/news/4510864/moose-jaw-co-op-workers-strike-over-wage-dispute/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/coop-refinery-ratify-contract-1.4054315
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/federated-co-op-revenues-profits-climbed-sharply-in-2017
-----Just Transition----
https://climatejusticesaskatoon.ca/2018/10/30/just-transitions-summit-recap/
https://leaderpost.com/opinion/columnists/regina-can-be-renewable-energy-leader
Other
What would UCP labour policy entail? http://rankandfile.ca/what-would-ucp-labour-policy-entail/
Today on the show, Mike Palecek, the president for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. On Monday, October 22, CUPW commenced rotating 24 hour strikes across the country.
CUPW has been at the bargaining table since November 2017. Michael Keefe writes at RankandFile.ca:
“On September 7, after over 9 months of negotiations, Canada Post made its first offer to the union, which was full of rollbacks. The union countered their offer on September 14. Canada Post didn’t respond to the counter offer for almost 4 weeks. Their offer removed the rollbacks and made some movement on minor issues, but made no improvements to the major issues – health and safety, gender equality, work-life balance and preserving good, full time jobs. So, after no further progress, the union gave notice on Tuesday October 16 that it would start rotating strikes beginning on October 22.”
On the Prairies, Edmonton was one of the first cities to go on strike Monday October 22 at 12:01 am , Calgary went on strike at 6 PM Wednesday, October 24 and Red Deer followed at 6 AM October 25.
Winnipeg, Manitoba went on strike at 10 PM October 28, and Brandon, MB follows at 12:01 October 29.
CUPW workers are fighting for pay equity between urban and rural workers, better health and safety measures including an end to forced overtime and overburdening, job security, On October 24 the a mediator appointed by the federal government arrived in Ottawa to help determine procedures for the next round of negotiations.
We’ll also hear from James Hutt, who is the national coordinator for CUPW’s Delivering Community Power campaign. James was in Regina this weekend at the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour conference, as well as the Just Transitions summit organized by SaskForward, to talk about the campaign and how it can be a model for other unions to be more proactive on environmental and climate change issues.
-- CUPW
http://rankandfile.ca/why-were-striking-at-canada-post/
http://www.deliveringcommunitypower.ca/
https://saskforward.ca/energy-transition/
Saskatchewan
https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/im-up-for-the-challenge-new-sfl-president-hopes-fresh-face-will-open-new-doors
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/saskatchewan/labour-groups-hold-massive-rally-call-on-province-to-take-3-5-wage-cut-out-of-negotiations
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/ndp-calls-on-province-to-review-legal-aid-funding-after-alberta-system-gets-70m-injection
https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/prison-justice-meara-conway-on-cuts-to-sask-legal-aid-uws-katharina-maier-on-prison-labour
- Alberta-
https://albertapolitics.ca/2018/10/rachel-notleys-pension-announcement-yesterday-was-an-ironic-coda-to-alison-redfords-2014-war-on-unions/
-Greyhound- https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/greyhound-pullout-looms-next-week-ottawa-promises-news-very-shortly-498549441.html
- Manitoba -https://www.facebook.com/625254780822339/posts/2339555466058920/
Owen Toews is the author of Stolen City: Racial Capitalism and the Making of Winnipeg, published by ARP Books this year. He has a PhD in geography from the City University of New York and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta. He is a member of the abolitionist prisoner solidarity group Bar None, which operates a ride share in Winnipeg for people to visit their loved ones in Stony Mountain, Headingley, and Milner Ridge. Born and raised in Winnipeg, he is descended from Russian Mennonites.
https://arpbooks.org/Books/S/Stolen-City
Winnipeg Election Information
https://winnipeg.ca/clerks/election/election2018/Voters.stm
West Broadway Tenants Group wbtenants[at]gmail[dot]com
CUPW Strike
https://www.cupw.ca/en/cupw-announces-strike-locations
https://www.cupw.ca/en/our-picket-line-protocol-and-you
Alberta
https://globalnews.ca/news/4559061/living-waters-catholic-schools-strike-ends-support-staff/
Saskatchewan
https://www.dailyjaw.com/2018/10/15/meili-joins-the-picket-line/
Karla Villanueva Danan – anak of the diaspora – is a second-generation Pinay born and raised on Treaty 7 land. Across academic and artistic disciplines, Karla is most passionate about creating and holding space for Pinay/Filipinx diasporic stories. She is an avid practitioner of shine theory and cares deeply for community/collective healing and growth. Karla is currently pursuing a Master's of Social Work at the University of Calgary. She is one of the conference organizers for Pinay Power 2: Celebrating Peminisms in the Diaspora, April 17-20, 2019 at McGill University.
Since the 2005 publication of Pinay Power: Peminist Critical Theory: Theorizing the Filipina/American Experience (New York: Routledge), the first anthology of Filipina/American feminisms, we have seen great momentum in Peminist research and writing, cultural production, education, community service/practice, and activism. Pinay Power II: Celebrating Peminisms in the Diaspora will bring together self-identified Pinays (Filipina-identified, including queer and trans women) from across the diaspora to learn from one another and to create an agenda for peminist liberation in the 21st century.
This conference serves as a critical, community-oriented intervention in Peminist theories and praxis, highlighting Filipina experiences in the diaspora.
Please submit a 250-word abstract and a recent CV to submissions@pinaypower.ca
Opens: September 7, 2018
Closes: January 7, 2019
Notification: January 21, 2019
Today on the show, John DiNino, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Canada, provides an update on the talks between the union and the federal government over Greyhound shutting down all but one of its routes in Western Canada on October 31, 2018, and ATU’s commitment to fighting for public owned and operated inter-city transit.
to connect with others organizing around public intercity transit visit www.nationalizebusroutes.ca
Pinay Power II: Celebrating Peminisms in the Diaspora call for papers
Pinay Power II: Celebrating Peminisms in the Diaspora will bring together self-identified Pinays (Filipina-identified, including queer and trans women) from across the diaspora to learn from one another and to create an agenda for peminist liberation in the 21st century.
Please submit a 250-word abstract and a recent CV to submissions@pinaypower.ca
Opens: September 7, 2018
Closes: November 2, 2018
www.Pinaypower.ca for more details.
---Alberta---
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/catholic-school-support-staff-on-strike-in-edson-whitecourt-and-slave-lake
https://www.aupe.org/news/living-waters-senior-executive-hits-picketer-with-car/
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/unresolved-local-issues-could-lead-to-alberta-teacher-job-action-teachers-association-says
www.betterspent2026.ca
---Saskatchewan---
https://www.dailyjaw.com/2018/10/01/pay-inequity-major-issue-as-workers-set-to-strike-at-moose-jaw-co-op/
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/strike-mandate-approved-in-university-pension-dispute
---Manitoba---
https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/emergency-care-delayed-following-fatal-train-derailment-says-union-for-rail-workers-1.4118872
Guest: Charles Smith, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan and co-author of Unions in Court: Organized Labour and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Charles provides some historical context for the labour movement's relationship with the legal system and the struggle in building on these legal battles while also building up rank and file power.
https://www.ubcpress.ca/unions-in-court @ProfSmithSask
Right now Manitoba Federation of Labour is relying very much on the courts to combat Bills 28 and 29. Bill 28 legislates a two year wage freeze for public sector unions after each contracts expires, followed by a 0.75 per cent increase in the third year and 1 per cent increase in the fourth. MFL recently filed an injunction against the wage freeze which was denied.
Bill 29, the Health Sector Bargaining Review Act, cuts the number of bargaining units from 183 to seven and thus reduces the number of collective agreements or contracts with employees. The bill essentially pits health care unions against each other vying for membership of health care workers, who are now able to choose new representation in the restructuring of bargaining units.
Also in this episode: Minimum wage increases across the Prairies, with Alberta being the first in the country to attain a $15 minimum wage. Alberta and Saskatchewan still hover around 11.
Manitoba recently launched its own grassroots Fight for $15 & Fairness Campaign, Monday, Sep 24.
http://www.themanitoban.com/2018/09/fight-for-15-and-fairness-launches-in-manitoba/35170/
www.manitobafor15.ca Twitter @Manitobafor15
CUPE Local 1949 ramps up their fight against Legal Aid Sask cuts and restructuring that impedes Legal Aid staff's ability to provide the best service for their already marginalized clients.
To support the fight, follow the CUPE 1949 facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CUPE1949/
See previous interview with Local 1949 VP Meara Conway here: https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/prison-justice-meara-conway-on-cuts-to-sask-legal-aid-uws-katharina-maier-on-prison-labour
And a recent assault on an Edmonton Transit driver has the ATU calling for increased security. But is policing the answer when the majority of altercations occur over fare disputes? July 29th's episode is worth a revisit: https://soundcloud.com/rfradio-prairie/winnipeg-transit-safety-policing-aleem-chaudhary-atu-1505-bronwyn-dobchuk-land-uwinnipeg
Transit cops or free transit? http://rankandfile.ca/transit-cops-or-free-transit/
And as always, if you appreciate the show, consider chipping in a few bucks a month to Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
And if you are part of a union or group who wants to help rebuild labour journalism, consider making a group donation through PayPal here: https://ckuw.ca/RFRadioPrairie/
Twitter: @RFRadioPrairie Email: RFRadioPrairie@gmail.com Facebook.com/RankandFileRadioPrairie
Re-Upload of July 15, 2018 Episode. Had to be briefly taken down due to space constrictions on SoundCloud.
On this episode: a look at the various responses from labour unions and activists regarding Greyhound's announcement to pull out all bus routes in Western Canada - except one - by October 31. Could this be a good time to call for a publicly funded inter- city bus service?
Guest: Doug Nesbitt lives in Kingston, Ontario where he is an editor of Rankandfile.ca which he co-founded in 2012. He recently wrote a history of the Ontario Days of Action for his doctoral degree in history at Queen’s University. He is active in the Kingston chapter of the Fight for $15, and works for CUPE as an community organizer.
Re-Upload of July 8, 2018 Episode. Had to be briefly taken down due to space restrictions on SoundCloud.
Diwa Marcelino is a migrant rights organizer, writer and student. He is actively involved with Migrante Manitoba—a community organization that advocates for the rights and welfare of migrant workers, working toward social and economic justice for Filipino migrant workers and their families in Manitoba and the Philippines.
Re-Upload of July 1, 2018 episode. Had to be taken down briefly due to space constrictions on SoundCloud.
July 1st's guest was Greg Taylor, Human Rights Officer on Indigenous issues for CUPE, discussing the complex relationship between Indigenous and labour movements.
Resources:
Indigenous People, Wage Labour and Trade Unions: The Historical Experience in Canada - CCPA Indigenous Workers and CUPE 500 - CCPA Indigenous Writes - Chelsea Vowel Why Don’t the Poor Rise Up? Organizing the Twenty-First Century Resistance - AK Press Truth and Reconciliation of Commission of Canada - Calls to Action
September 23, 2018: Deena Ladd, co-founder of the Worker’s Action Centre in Toronto and coordinator for Ontario’s $15 and Fairness campaign.
I wanted to talk to Deena because a group of workers here in Manitoba, including myself, are launching a grassroots Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign here to raise the minimum wage, improve working conditions, and increase access to unionization.
Our campaign launch is Monday, September 24, 4:30 PM outside Portage Place.
We also have two volunteer training sessions on October 3 and October 16 for people who want to learn more about the campaign, the history of the Fight for $15 movement and how to get more involved.
Deena Ladd shares her experience as someone who has already been through this struggle, won $15 in Ontario as well as improved employment standards through Bill 148, and is now fighting hard against the potential rollback of Bill 148 which the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has been pressuring premier Doug Ford to do. Ontario’s minimum wage has been increasing incrementally and is currently at $14 with the final increase to occur on January 1st, 2019.
Manitoba’s minimum wage is currently 11.15 and set to increase to 11.35 on October 1, 2018.
For more information about Fight for $15 & Fairness Manitoba visit
www.manitobafor15.ca Twitter.com/manitobafor15 Facebook.com/Manitobafor15 http://rankandfile.ca/manitoba-is-ready-to-fight-for-15-and-fairness/
For more information about the Worker's Action Centre and $15 and Fairness Ontario visit:
http://workersactioncentre.org/ https://www.15andfairness.org/
If you enjoyed this episode, consider donating a few dollars a month to help the show become sustainable!
https://www.patreon.com/rfradioprairie
Today on the show we’ll talk prison justice. A nation-wide prison strike in the U.S just concluded last week, from August 21 to September 9. The strike was centered around 10 demands, including an end to unpaid labour, or prison slavery, and increased rehabilitation programs. One provincial prison in Nova Scotia also participated in the form of a peaceful protest.
Prison organizing is challenging because incarceration by design isolates prisoners and their conditions from their families, other support networks, and the general public. What would be needed to coordinate a cross-country prison strike here in Canada? Definitely a lot of work and a broader understanding of the colonial justice system, prison labour and living conditions. The two following interviews explore different aspects related to prisoner justice in Canada.
Meara Conway attended McGill law school and articled at the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. Originally from Saskatchewan, she recently returned to her hometown of Regina to work as a staff lawyer for Legal Aid and immediately took up the struggle against chronic under resourcing and mounting cuts to Legal Aid. She is currently Vice-President of her staff’s local, CUPE 1949.
Katharina Maier is a faculty member of Criminal Justice at the University of Winnipeg. She holds a law degree from Germany and completed her PhD in Criminology and Socio-legal Studies at the University of Toronto. Katharina is broadly interested in issues around punishment, incarceration, and prisoner re-entry. Her current research looks at the role of halfway houses and their role in facilitating the transition from prison to community living. One of the goals of her research is to understand what punishment means to people and how it is experienced by criminalized populations.
Inmates go on strike to protest pay cuts - October 2013 https://www.cbc.ca/news/federal-inmates-go-on-strike-to-protest-pay-cuts-1.1875491
Journal of Prisoners on Prisons http://www.jpp.org/index.html
Free Inside: The Life and Work of Peter Collins https://squareup.com/store/adastracomix/item/free-inside-the-life-and-work-of-peter-collins
Full interview with Nicole Montford from NationalizeBusRoutes.ca debriefing the Sep 3 Day of Action to call for a nationalized inter-city bus service to replace Greyhound once Greyhound pulls its routes from Western Canada on October 31. This was Nicole's first time organizing an action of scale, so she reflects on event logistics & timing, inter-generational organizing & next steps for the campaign. Twitter: @NationalizeBus
First, a follow up with Nicole Montford, a first time organizer in Calgary, Alberta, who recently organized a day of action to support a nationalized inter-city bus service to replace Greyhound. We’ll talk about her experience organizing and what she learned in the process. You can check out the campaign at www.NationalizeBusRoutes.ca and on Twitter @NationalizeBus .
An extended interview with Nicole will be uploaded shortly.
Then we’ll talk to Scott Price who is a labour historian with UFCW 832 here in Manitoba about the importance of working people documenting their own history and struggles, and how unions and grassroots movements can incorporate oral history and knowledge sharing as a key component of their organizing.
http://oralhistorycentre.ca/
http://www.oralhistorycentre.ca/projects/celebrating-our-past-preparing-our-future-ufcw-local-832-project
News links:
http://www.deliveringcommunitypower.ca/
https://www.620ckrm.com/2018/09/07/a-closer-look-larry-hubich/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/labour-day-winnipeg-march-1.4809202
Sunday, September 2, 2018: Kate Jacobson, host and producer of the Alberta Advantage podcast, talks austerity budgets and their impact on public sector union struggles across the Prairies.
Links:
Alberta
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/graham-thomson-labour-peace-as-another-big-tentative-deal-is-struck-with-public-sector-workers
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/graham-thomson-its-not-all-quiet-on-the-labour-front-for-albertas-46000-teachers
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-vanguard-association-house-tipping-daniel-huber-1.4794087
Saskatchewan:
http://rankandfile.ca/saskatchewans-2017-austerity-budget/
https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/possible-strike-looms-as-tension-grows-between-labour-and-province
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/labour-relations-board-dismisses-union-request-for-legal-aid-injunction
Manitoba:
https://policyfix.ca/2017/02/09/doing-austerity-in-saskatechewan-and-manitoba/
http://rankandfile.ca/manitoba-tories-ready-legislative-assault-on-labour/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/topic/Tag/2017%20Manitoba%20health%20care%20cuts%20and%20changes
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/allegations-of-racism-sexual-harassment-at-manitoba-hydro-site-report
This week, the Union of Canadian Transport Employees has called for the government to buy back the Canadian Wheat Board from the Saudi-U.S. joint venture, Global Grain Group. The Harper government sold 50.1% of the CWB to the joint venture, which is now known as G3 Canada Limited. UCTE President Dave Clark highlights that grain shipments through the Port of Churchill were vital to Churchill’s livelihood. He also notes that the port itself and the Hudson Bay Railway leading up to the port were both privatized in 1997 by the federal Liberal government and sold to Denver based company OmniTrax. The privatization of the port, railway and wheat board has lead to the perfect devastating storm for Churchill.
Basia Sokal is a proud member of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 856 and a letter carrier in Downtown Winnipeg. She is a Former VP and acting President of her local, and current president of the Winnipeg Labour Council. She started activism early on, working at Superstore while in high school where she became steward and worked on organizing campaigns with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 832. She was born in Poland and came to Winnipeg with her family in the late 80s as political refugees.
In this episode, Sokal discusses the impact Unifor’s disaffiliation with the Canadian Labour Congress has had on local organizing in the province and on the Prairies. She also addresses the need to bridge the gap between unionized and non-unionized workers, and the challenges facing the Manitoba labour movement under the Brian Pallister’s austere, union-busting Conservative government.
August 19, 2018 - This episode discusses employment across race & gender in Alberta's oilsands & organizing for climate justice & direct action.
Dr. Angele Alook is proud member of Bigstone Cree Nation and a speaker of the Cree language. She recently successfully defended her PhD in Sociology from York University. Her dissertation is entitled "Indigenous Life Courses: Racialized Gendered Life Scripts and Cultural Identities of Resistance and Resilience." She specializes in Indigenous feminism, life course approach, Indigenous research methodologies, cultural identity, and sociology of family and work.
Angele currently works in the labour movement as a full-time researcher for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees. She is also a co-investigator on the SSHRC-funded Corporate Mapping Project, where she is carrying out research with Parkland Institute on Indigenous experiences in Alberta’s oil industry and its gendered impact on working families. As a Research Collaborator on the SSHRC funded Feminist Energy Futures/Just Powers project, Angele is interested in exploring traditional subsistence practices in the Indigenous community along with settler allies who are also stewards of the land in her traditional territory of Treaty 8. She is directing her research toward a just transition of Alberta’s economy and labour force and the impact climate change has on her traditional territory.
https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/angelealook https://www.corporatemapping.ca/ https://www.justpowers.ca/
Farid Iskandar is an organizer with Climate Justice Edmonton. Farid joined the climate justice movement in early 2018. In a previous life, Farid was dedicated volunteer for the Alberta NDP. Farid was born and raised in Egypt, and moved to Edmonton in 2007.
Farid was one of the seven activists who rappelled mid air from Vancouver’s Ironworker' s Memorial Bridge on July 3rd, forming a human drawbridge to block oil tankers from passing, in protest of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion. They stayed there for 36 hours before they were arrested.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/07/12/opinion/how-rachel-notley-volunteer-wound-bridge-blockading-oil-tanker
https://climatejusticeedmonton.com/
Anthony Fenton is a researcher based in BC, specializing in Canadian political economy and international relations. Currently, he's finishing his PhD thesis at York University (Toronto), which focuses on the political and economic history of Canada’s relations with Saudi Arabia and the neighboring Gulf monarchies, covering the post-WWI to the present day. His Twitter handle is @AnthonyFenton
Also in this episode:
ATU Canada requests a meeting with Marc Garneau, the Minister of Transport, calls for the Federal govt to invest at least $250,000 in each bus route Greyhound wants to cancel. ATU President John DeNino speaks positively about the idea of a nationalized bus service but would still settle for a corporate subsidy.
(Correction: in the episode Marc Garneau was referred to as the Minister of Infrastructure. He is the Minister of Transport).
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/greyhound-canada-subsidies-manitoba-saskatchewan-alberta-1.4779609
SGEU receives a strike mandate from it's members while thousands of workers in other public sector unions are still without contract. Anthony Fenton and Chris Smith wrote an article last year outlining Saskatchewan's 2017 austerity budget for context.
https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/possible-strike-looms-as-tension-grows-between-labour-and-province
https://leaderpost.com/news/politics/thousands-of-sask-workers-in-limbo-with-contract-negotiations-open
http://rankandfile.ca/saskatchewans-2017-austerity-budget/
A Nigerian man who was about to be deported died during an altercation with border officers in Calgary, but the cause of death is unknown. No One is Illegal Toronto has an article on actions you can take to help stop deportations.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/bolante-idowu-alo-cbsa-widow-1.4782208
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/376
David Bush, editor at RankandFile.ca, talks about Ontario’s cancellation of the Basic Income Pilot Project, and what it means for Prairie provinces pushing for Basic Income programs of their own.
Calgary organizer Nicole Montford from NationalizeBusRoutes.ca talks about the days of action planned September 1-3 calling for nationalized intercity transit.
It is a rough time to be a transit driver in Winnipeg. In February 2017, a transit driver was stabbed and killed after waking a sleeping rider. Last week, a bus was briefly hijacked by a man spraying bear mace. The Workers Compensation Board release numbers that showed a dramatic increase in drivers on stress leave to cope with the day to day harassment and violence they experience on the job.
This all comes in addition to the struggles Winnipeg transit has had delivering reliable service.
The PC government led by Brian Pallister cut the 50/50 funding agreement, which had been in place since the 70s, where the province and municipalities split funding for transit.
The federal government recently announced 530 million dollars in infrastructure funding, but that funding does not go towards actual service - increasing the number of routes and their frequency. According to a comprehensive study released by McGill university, service is the number one factor to increase ridership.
The city threatened to cut 22 routes last year citing low ridership but, after sustained organizing led by Functional Transit Winnipeg and other groups, agreed to keep them running. They did however, increase the fare by .25 cents.
These factors are all important to the conversations you’re about to hear, which is whether Winnipeg Transit needs its own police presence to keep drivers and riders safe. These are just a few of the many conversations that need to be had about transit and policing in the city, especially as the municipal election approaches this fall.
ATU Canada President Paul Thorp and CUPW President Mike Palecek talk Greyhound's future. Also, Amazon on the Prairies, resisting "border crisis" rhetoric, Justice for Stolen Children Camp in SK and Manitoba labour's lawsuit against the provincial govt.