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 →

Various Forms of Intimidation to Quash Opposition to the Genocide in Palestine

In Spring Magazine (https://springmag.ca/not-in-my-name-halifax-jews-and-allies-rally-for-a-ceasefire), part of what Judy Haiven writes reads: Before I start with the presentation for this wonderful rally, in front of Halifax’s historic Public Gardens today, I want to expose the campaign to shut down civil voices here in Halifax and beyond. The chief librarian at Halifax Public Libraries disallowed Dr. Rylan Higgins, a professor of … Continue reading Various Forms of Intimidation to Quash Opposition to the Genocide in Palestine →

Protesting Against Employers Who Provide Arms to Israel

The following is found on the Socialist Project's website ( https://socialistproject.ca/2023/11/workers-block-access-to-toronto-weapons-maker-l3harris/). I only include the beginning so that the reader can decide whether to continue reading it. If such efforts were linked systematically across a city, province/state/department, nation and world, what would be the impact on Israel's policies when compared to the perhaps millions of … Continue reading Protesting Against Employers Who Provide Arms to Israel →

The Idealization of International Law by the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Left: The Case of the Genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli Government, Part One

Introduction Various organizations have referred to what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank as a breach of international law. This reference to international law without any further qualification assumes that, because it is the law, nations should comply with the law. Such compliance has as its counterpart the assumption in a society dominated … Continue reading The Idealization of International Law by the Social-Democratic or Social-Reformist Left: The Case of the Genocide of the Palestinians by the Israeli Government, Part One →

Workers’ Actions Against Israel Generally More Important Politically than Street Activism, but Street Activism that Disrupts Daily Life May Reinforce Workers’ Actions

Recently, Barcelona workers from Spain, in conjunction with coordination with some NGOs, refused to export military equipment destined to Israel: Barcelona dock workers refuse to deal with weapons ships heading to Israel "The Barcelona port's decision to refuse handling weaponry headed to Israel follows a similar move by Belgian transport unions last week." The Barcelona port stevedores' … Continue reading Workers’ Actions Against Israel Generally More Important Politically than Street Activism, but Street Activism that Disrupts Daily Life May Reinforce Workers’ Actions →

An Example of a Likely More Effective Way of Challenging the Genocidal Actions of Israel Against Palestinians

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted the following on Facebook (for some reason the photo did not show. I am including a link to a related story): Challenging the shipping of weapons to Israel in Sydney, Australia. https://bnn.network/watch-now/sydney-protest-against-israeli-shipping-line-a-powerful-display-of-solidarity-with-palestine/

Skepticism About the Efficacy of the Protests Against the Israeli Genocide Against the Palestinians

John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), wrote the following recently: It's fantastic to see vast Palestine solidarity actions in the major cities but pay close attention to the numbers taking to the streets in smaller centres. This is a powerful indication of the depth and potential of the movement … Continue reading Skepticism About the Efficacy of the Protests Against the Israeli Genocide Against the Palestinians →

Management Rights Clauses in Collective Agreements: Air Canada and Unifor Local 2002

Introduction At the beginning of writing this blog, I wrote up some posts that focused on the management-rights clause of collective agreements between a union and an employer in order to demonstrate the limitations of collective bargaining and collective agreements. I then integrated the issue of management rights into an anlaysis of the rate of … Continue reading Management Rights Clauses in Collective Agreements: Air Canada and Unifor Local 2002 →

Inadequate Characterization of Union Resistance to the Genocide Occurring in the West Bank and Gaza

mHerman Rosenfeld, self-defined Marxist here in Toronto, recently wrote an article in the social-democratic journal Canadian Dimension (see https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/canadian-labour-palestine-and-gaza  ) titled "How is the Canadian labour movement responding to Israel’s attacks on Gaza? Unions have largely lined up in support of Palestinians." The article has some good points, such as pointing out that the Canadian Union of … Continue reading Inadequate Characterization of Union Resistance to the Genocide Occurring in the West Bank and Gaza →