Tracy MacMaster is a member of the Ontario Public Service Employee Union (OPSEU). They are out on strike. I have outlined some of the reasons for the strike in another post. Recently, MacMaster posted the following on her Facebook page: What do we want t? A fair contract! If we don't get it, SHUT IT … Continue reading The Dogma Of Some Trade-Union Activists: The Cliche of a Fair Contract”
Tag: Strikes
Mark Hancock, President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE): A Consistent Social Democrat or Social Reformer as Witnessed by His Stance During the Air Canada Flight Attendants’ Strike
Introduction Kiri Vadivelu, a member of Socialist Action, posted the following on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/reel/2156080044871135): For long time, Liberals and their counterparts betrayed Canadian workers coast to coast under the disguise of democracy. Mark Hancock, National President of CUPE showed everyone how to confront political and legal thuggery in the true Canadian way. Enough … Continue reading Mark Hancock, President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE): A Consistent Social Democrat or Social Reformer as Witnessed by His Stance During the Air Canada Flight Attendants’ Strike
Identity Politics, Personal Pronouns, the Exploitation of the Working Class and the Union Cliche of Fair Contract
I had a debate, of sorts, with a so-called Marxist here in Toronto. I referred to J.P. Hornick, leader of the Ontario Public Employee??? Services??? Union (OPSEU): Over the years we have turned the LCBO [Liquor Control Board of Ontario] from a majority casual workforce, over 85% in 2017, to one where we now have … Continue reading Identity Politics, Personal Pronouns, the Exploitation of the Working Class and the Union Cliche of Fair Contract
Fair Wages as a Socialist Goal? The Limitations of the Organization Socialist Action
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 … Continue reading Fair Wages as a Socialist Goal? The Limitations of the Organization Socialist Action
Health and Safety of Striking Canada Post Workers and the Canadian Labour Minister’s Interference in the Collective-Bargaining Process
It has been announced that Labour minister unveils steps to end Canada Post strike by trying to have the Canadian Industrial Relations Board decide whether striking postal workers should be forced back to work. The union's response: The union has denounced the move, calling it an “assault” on its bargaining rights. Now, as anyone who … Continue reading Health and Safety of Striking Canada Post Workers and the Canadian Labour Minister’s Interference in the Collective-Bargaining Process
The Rhetoric of Union Reps: The So-called Good Job and Fair Wages of Liquor Store Workers
Introduction Workers working for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) are now on strike. There seem to be three issues from the point of view of the union (Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local (OPSEU): job security (since Conserative Premier Doug Ford plans to privatize liquor sales by permitting such sales in local grocery … Continue reading The Rhetoric of Union Reps: The So-called Good Job and Fair Wages of Liquor Store Workers
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
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
The Need to Push Beyond Social Democratic or Social Reformist Limits
John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), posted the following recently on Facebook: John Clarke A strike wave of major proportions is developing in Canada. Tellingly, we are seeing workers reject deals and press for more in some instances. The present period is marked by an employer/state drive to ensure … Continue reading The Need to Push Beyond Social Democratic or Social Reformist Limits
The Case of the Possible General Strike of Ontario Unionized Workers: Critique of Conservative Radicalism or Radical Conservatism
Introduction The recent wildcat strike by 55,000 Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members, represented by the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU, who work in schools in Ontario, Canada, was stimulated by the Conservative Ford government's Bill 28, which not only legislated workers back to work, but also used the notwithstanding clause of … Continue reading The Case of the Possible General Strike of Ontario Unionized Workers: Critique of Conservative Radicalism or Radical Conservatism
The Abolitionary 