Introduction I participated in a group called No One Is Illegal here in Toronto last year. The group decided to provide a zoom reading meeting every week to discuss the book A People's Guide to Capitalism, by Hadas Thier, with many participants not belonging to the group but interested in understanding more about capitalism. We … Continue reading Review of Thier’s Book “A People’s Guide to Capitalism,” Part Five
Month: May 2024
Further to The Protest at People’s Circle for Palestine / King’s College Circle, University of Toronto, St. George Campus
The Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU) and the United Steel Workers (USW) have responded to the University of Toronto's attempt to have the court impose an injunction against students camped out to protest, among other things, non-disclosure of the University of Toronto's investments in companies that aid Israel's genocidal actions: Unions seek intervenor status … Continue reading Further to The Protest at People’s Circle for Palestine / King’s College Circle, University of Toronto, St. George Campus
The Protest at People’s Circle for Palestine / King’s College Circle, University of Toronto, St. George Campus
Today, unfortunately, it is raining, which probably influenced the small level of support (a few hundred, perhaps) for the student protest that demands that the University of Toronto expose investments in companies that profit from exports to Israel. Some union supporters were present, as I indicated in my last post. The University of Toronto had … Continue reading The Protest at People’s Circle for Palestine / King’s College Circle, University of Toronto, St. George Campus
Union Organization (the Ontario Federation of Labour) Defends the Right of University of Toronto Students to Protest in Opposition to University Administration’s Attempt to Intimidate the Students
The following is found on the Ontario Federation of Labour's website (https://ofl.ca/ofl-open-letter-to-u-of-t-president/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3EzYdUF_-fzWOFNRtZPBj560Gv9KV7u9QDxtxnNNnxYFAcakK_U6jto2M_aem_AWBY1Jrh-UYX5guct0AlDTRh_cmIOTzCF75qzxar4lgud4er3oIg-SBlZy5KAFKYX1S8tNDNWT3CjhJn4UmGNzHb ). Let us hope that they are more than mere words and that real support for the students' right to protest--like the right of workers to strike--is forthcoming: The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) issued the following open letter to University of Toronto … Continue reading Union Organization (the Ontario Federation of Labour) Defends the Right of University of Toronto Students to Protest in Opposition to University Administration’s Attempt to Intimidate the Students
Two Toronto City Councillors Seek to Restrict Charter Rights in the Face of Protests Against the Genocide In Palestine
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), posted the following recently on Facebook: These kinds of anti-democratic measures must be opposed and, if necessary, defied. From rabble. Scared of progress, two Toronto City Councillors seek to restrict our charter rights by Andria BabbingtonMay 22, 2024 Andria Babbington, President of the … Continue reading Two Toronto City Councillors Seek to Restrict Charter Rights in the Face of Protests Against the Genocide In Palestine
Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Five: An Australian Collective Agreement
Introduction I was unable to find a specific management rights clause in an Australian collective agreement. However, such rights are implicit in it. For example, in the 2019-2022 Enterprise Agreement between Geoscience Australia and two unions--the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) and Professionals Australia--it is implicit that management ultimately establishes the standards used to … Continue reading Management Rights and the Lack of Criticism of Such Rights Among the Social Democratic Left, Part Five: An Australian Collective Agreement
Should Not the Radical Left Take into Account the Attitude of Workers Towards Their Own Jobs? Part One, The Case of Magna International Workers
Introduction One of the few things that I agree with the academic leftist Jeff Noonan, professor of philosophy at the University of Windsor, Ontario, is that leftists must start where workers are at: Political engagement begins from trying to understand where people are coming from. But where people are coming from can be interpreted in … Continue reading Should Not the Radical Left Take into Account the Attitude of Workers Towards Their Own Jobs? Part One, The Case of Magna International Workers
The Rule of Law in Action: The Clearing of the University of Calgary Encampment in Protest Against the Gaza Genocide
John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted this on Facebook. It illustrates the use of force to defend the property rights of a semi-state institution called a university: John Clarke A police attack on the Palestine solidarity encampment at the University of Calgary. From the Calgary Herald. … Continue reading The Rule of Law in Action: The Clearing of the University of Calgary Encampment in Protest Against the Gaza Genocide
Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty-Nine: Law and the Class Power of Employers
This is a continuation of a series of posts on summaries of articles, mainly on education. When I was a French teacher at Ashern Central School, in Ashern, Manitoba, Canada, I started to place critiques, mainly (although not entirely) of the current school system. At first, I merely printed off the articles, but then I … Continue reading Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Twenty-Nine: Law and the Class Power of Employers
Police Who Harass Other Police With No Consequences Is Indicative of a Public Organization That Stands Above Citizens and Not With Them
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following on Facebook: Cops aren't workers and we should be less concerned with their 'toxic work environment' than the toxic work they perform in our communities. Having said that, the way they treat their own before they get out on … Continue reading Police Who Harass Other Police With No Consequences Is Indicative of a Public Organization That Stands Above Citizens and Not With Them
The Abolitionary 