Another Example of the Ideology of Union Leaders that Needs to Be Criticized: The Case of Marvin Alfred, President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, Toronto

There was a threat of a transit strike in Toronto as of June 7, 2024, but a tentative agreement (called a framework agreement) was established near midnight on June 6. There will be a vote on June 20 to see if the members of the union will ratify (agree to) the proposed collective agreement. In … Continue reading Another Example of the Ideology of Union Leaders that Needs to Be Criticized: The Case of Marvin Alfred, President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, Toronto →

The Rhetoric of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council Concerning Exploitation and Oppression

The Socialist Project recently posted an article by Toronto & York Region Labour Council (T&YRLC) on their defense of the right to strike and the right to protest (civil liberties): Protecting the Right to Protest and Picket LABOUR • April 22, 2024 • Toronto and York Region Labour Council In Toronto and York Region, we are witnessing an … Continue reading The Rhetoric of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council Concerning Exploitation and Oppression →

Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU): A Message of Hope or an Ideological Message?

The following link refers to the 2023 end-of-year and 2024 beginning year messagefrom, among others, J.P. Hornick, president of the Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU) https://opseu.org/?fbclid=IwAR1bt-U4H3GRhStElusvLT2tGMBWnYDCbFic5mqWZFHjvi5a47Z1gdshwIA . In the video, they refer to the creation of seven new equity seats for the executive board. The seven are: Seven Equity Board Members: to represent seven … Continue reading Ontario Public Services Employees Union (OPSEU): A Message of Hope or an Ideological Message? →

Another Example of the Exaggeration of the Radical Nature of the Canadian Labour Movement

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted the following on Facebook: Encouraging indications of increasing working class resistance and some vital particular struggles are included in this but the flames of discontent still need to be vigorously fanned. From CBC. In 2023, employees across Canada walked off the job … Continue reading Another Example of the Exaggeration of the Radical Nature of the Canadian Labour Movement →

Radical Leftists Should Not Exaggerate the Degree of Class Consciousness and Organization

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following on Facebook: A common front of public sector unions in Quebec are engaged in a strike of historic proportions [my emphasis]. Anyone with a smattering of knowledge of the class struggle history of Quebec will appreciate the possibilities of … Continue reading Radical Leftists Should Not Exaggerate the Degree of Class Consciousness and Organization →

The UPS Strike That Was Not To Be

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following on Facebook: John Clarke We are seeing huge attacks on working class living standards and a rising mood of militancy arising from this. In this context, union structures wedded to rituals of class compromise are an impediment. When, inevitably, … Continue reading The UPS Strike That Was Not To Be →

Unions that Uncritically Support Pro-Employer Representatives

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted the following on Facebook: John Clarke · Never has a sow's ear looked less like a silk purse. https://www.commondreams.org/news/unions-endorse-biden-2024?fbclid=IwAR3AOlDUvdSg5tuU-IAiIFQdg9TNn0KZvRvtsZK-MPjn0Uehkr1kntuYYgs I wonder what the attitude of the so-called radical left is concerning the support of Biden for president.

Company Town: A Critical Review of a Documentary on the Closing of the Oshawa Plant by General Motors (GM), Part Two: Jerry Dias, President of Unifor National

Introduction The documentary (https://gem.cbc.ca/media/cbc-docs-pov/s04e05?cmp=sch-company%20town) presents the situation in Oshawa, Ontario, where General Motors (GM) decided to close its plant. GM had operated in Oshawa for around a century. On November 16, 2018, GM announced that it was closing the plant, throwing around 2,500 direct workers out of work and affecting thousands more indirectly (through the … Continue reading Company Town: A Critical Review of a Documentary on the Closing of the Oshawa Plant by General Motors (GM), Part Two: Jerry Dias, President of Unifor National →

Company Town: A Critical Review of a Documentary on the Closing of the Oshawa Plant by General Motors (GM), Part One: Colin James, President of Unifor Local 222

Fair Contracts, Decent Work and Other Social-democratic or Social-reformist Clichés: The Case of the Amazon Labour Union

Introduction The relatively recent organizing of Amazon workers into the Amazon Labour Union (ALU) is presented by the social-democratic or reformist left as an astounding success. Certainly, the organization of Amazon workers into a formal union is noteworthy because of, on the one hand, the increasing importance of such "gig" workers in a society dominated … Continue reading Fair Contracts, Decent Work and Other Social-democratic or Social-reformist Clichés: The Case of the Amazon Labour Union →