Introduction
I was surprised to read an article from Kiri Vadivelu (December 31, 2024, “No to Legislative Strikebreaking! Victory to Postal Workers!”) in The Red Review, a “Socialist Action journal.” [Socialist Action is an allegedly socialist organization]. Vadivelu was a candidate for mayor in the last municipal elections in Toronto–and I voted for him since he seemed to express some of the views that I share.
Idealization of the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Slogan “Fair Wages”
For this reason, I was surprised to read his article on the recent postal workers strike in Canada by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and the federal government’s forcing the workers back to work. I certainly agree that such a move by the federal government should be criticized, but this hardly justifies Vadivelu’s implicit idealization of his use of the social-democratic slogan “fair wages”:
By weakening CUPW, Ettinger [CEO of Canada Post] is attacking the very bench mark CUPW sets for fair wages in the entire delivery sector. This is nothing short of class warfare….
Postal workers set the benchmark for fair wages and rights in this industry. Attacking our union isn’t just an attack on CUPW—it’s an attack on every logistics worker in Canada.
Historically, CUPW was a militant union. As a consequence of Vadivelu’s use of this trade-union cliche, I decided to see whether CUPW used this social-reformist or social-democratic cliche as well (or its equivalent, such as “fair compensation”). Indeed, it does (see Fair Wages: Another Example of the Ideological Rhetoric of Canadian Unions, Part One: The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)). Such cliches need to be persistently criticized by socialists.
This post continues by providing evidence that, like CUPW, the second largest Canadian public-sector union–NUPGE–uses the cliche “fair wages” without justifying such a cliche or even specifying what it means by the cliche.
What are fair wages?
In the collective agreement between Stella’s Circle Community Services Inc. and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE–a union affiliated to NUPGE), which expires on March 31, 2028, we read on page 4:
Article 4 Management Rights
4.01 Management Rights
The Union recognizes that the Organization has the sole and exclusive right, except as otherwise specifically limited by the express provisions of this Agreement, and subject to the grievance procedure contained herein, to determine all matters pertaining to its business, the conduct of its management of the Organization and its affairs, the right to hire, the right to evaluate performance, classify, discipline, suspend, discharge for cause, promote or demote, transfer or layoff, and require employees to abide by Organization rules and regulations, safety systems and standards consistent with this agreement.
That clause includes such management rights as hiring, disciplining, suspending, discharging and evaluating the peformance of employees–subject to the limits of the collective agreement and relevant legislation. Such rights hardly are “fair” since they permit management to control workers’ lives in various ways and, ultimately, to treat them as means for purposes undefined by the workers themselves (see The Money Circuit of Capital and Employers as Dictators, Part One). How can wages in any way compensate for the loss of freedom of public-sector workers (and workers who work for employers in general)? Perhaps some “leftist” can explain it. More likely, though, the so-called left will remain silent about the issue.
My argument from another post also applies to the issue of “fair wages”:
As shown in the last post, unions persistently claim that, through collective bargaining and a collective agreement, there can arise somehow (by magic?) “a fair and equitable collective agreement.” There can be no such thing as long as there exists a market for workers, where human beings are treated as things and as means for purposes over which they have little control. To claim otherwise is to bullshit workers–and workers deserve much better than this.
The Rhetoric of NUPGE: Fair Wages
- From August 30, 2024 (https://nupge.ca/2024/labour-day-honouring-the-past-shaping-the-future/):
Yet, 152 years later, workers in so many fields — from community services to education to administration to health care — in Canada, are still fighting for decent hours of work, fair wages, and equitable working conditions.
2. From April 22, 2024 (https://nupge.ca/2024/budget-2024-analysis/):
Budget 2024 Analysis
We will need to see more coordination and investment to address recruitment and retention, particularly through fair wages—something we are glad to see recognized in the budget.
3. From January 3, 2024 (https://nupge.ca/2024/nupge-urges-action-on-wealth-disparities/):
NUPGE urges decisive action to address growing wealth disparities
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is calling for fair wages across the board, and for tax fairness to help invest in the vital public services and public health care all Canadians rely on.
4. From February 3, 2022 (https://archives.nupge.ca/content/public-services-crucial-climate-action):
“Investing in expanding high-quality public services will be a key part of climate change adaptation. This requires investing in the workers who deliver these critical services, including ensuring fair wages and working conditions as well as the resources they need to do their jobs.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
5. From October 18, 2021 (https://archives.nupge.ca/content/child-care-worker-and-early-childhood-educator-appreciation-day-2021):
“Showing ECEs and child care workers the appreciation and support they deserve is more than a one-day event — it must be core to this system-building project. This includes fair wages and benefits, implementing strategies for training, recruitment, and retention, and giving workers the resources they need to do their jobs.” — Larry Brown, NUPGE President
6. From September, 2021 (no url since I use Chrome pdf extension, which opens the document into a pdf format for downloading):
Submission to the Consultation on Just Transition
The workers who were recognized as essential during the crisis must be seen as essential going forward, especially as the effects of climate change worsen. These workers must be supported and compensated accordingly. This includes fair wages and benefits, the appropriate resources and equipment to do their jobs, and the protection of their rights at work.
7. From August 7, 2014 (https://mfl.ca/nupge-mgeu-fair-is-fair-rally-at-the-legislature/):
NUPGE/MGEU Fair is Fair Rally at the Legislature
Brother Yussuf has shared with us what is possible when unions enable workers to earn fair wages and benefits; and prepare for a financially sound retirement. …
It’s that combination of privately owned assets and assets that we all own through common-ownership that makes up the basis of a good quality of life for all Canadians. The underpinning for those two elements is fair wages, the sort you get through a union contract, and also contributions to common-wealth through our taxation system.
8. From July 8, 2014 (https://archives.nupge.ca/content/nupge-sends-solidarity-uk-public-sector-workers-strike-better-wages-and-against-government):
“We urge the government to come to the table in good faith, clearly understanding the role public service workers play in strengthening our society and our economy, to negotiate fair wages and working conditions.” — James Clancy, NUPGE National President.
9. From April 29, 2011 (https://archives.nupge.ca/content/supreme-court-canada-turns-its-back-farm-workers):
Supreme Court of Canada turns its back on farm workers
“The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has turned its back on one of the most vulnerable groups of workers in Canada by ruling that farm workers are not entitled to the same workplace rights as almost all other Canadian workers”, said James Clancy, president of the 340,000-member National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). “Farm workers in Ontario are one of the lowest paid group of workers in the country and often face deplorable working conditions. How the Supreme Court could deny them access to effective collective bargaining in order to achieve fair wages and working conditions is beyond me.”
10. From April 15, 2008 (https://archives.nupge.ca/content/dignity-denied-long-term-care-and-canada):
Dignity Denied: Long-term care and Canada [James Clancy, president of NUPGE]
The negative impact of diminished funding, corporate greed, lower standards, and weak regulation is also felt by the thousands of women and men who work in Canada’s nursing home sector. These workers are too often undervalued, underpaid, and overstressed. They are injured at work more often than any other occupational sector. In far too many cases, the industry amasses lucrative returns for investors by denying fair wages for the back-breaking work performed by front-line workers.
Conclusion
NUPGE uses the cliche “fair wages” or its equivalent, likely to “sell” certain collective-bargaining proposals to union members as well as to criticize the employer’s intransigence if it refuses to meet the bargaining team’s target wage. Nowhere does NUPGE specify what it means by “fair wages” or how fair wages can be fair in the context of the domination of the class power of employers.
The Abolitionary 