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
Tag: trade unions
Exaggeration of the Militancy and Radical Nature of Quebec Union Struggles, or: The Ideology of Freedom and Equity (Equality)
Introduction I thought it useful to look at what I consider an exaggeration of the historical importance of the recent massive strikes in Quebec, and I why I consider it an exaggeration. I first look at John Clarke's article on of the alleged historical importance of the massive strikes, and then I consider the ideology … Continue reading Exaggeration of the Militancy and Radical Nature of Quebec Union Struggles, or: The Ideology of Freedom and Equity (Equality)
The Ontario Federation of Labour’s Workers-First Agenda: A Critique: Part Two
Introduction The first part of this series focused on a critique of the phrase "good jobs and decent work" expressed in the Ontario Federation of Labour's campaign titled "Building the Fight for a Workers-First Agenda" (https://ofl.ca/event/activist-assembly-2022/). This post will focus on a critique of the phrases "high quality affordable housing" and "health care." I draw … Continue reading The Ontario Federation of Labour’s Workers-First Agenda: A Critique: Part Two
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
A Lack of Crticial Analysis of the Failure of the Union Movement to Generate a General Strike Against a Conservative Government
John Clarke, a radical here in Toronto, provides a general negative characterization of the union movement that opposed the reactionary effort by the Ontario Conservative government of not only legislating workers back to work even before they went on strike but also trying to use the nonwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and … Continue reading A Lack of Crticial Analysis of the Failure of the Union Movement to Generate a General Strike Against a Conservative Government
The CUPE Education Workers Strike: A Lesson on the Nature of the Public Sector
Introduction Premier Doug Ford's use of the notwithstanding clause to prevent a union legal challgenge to legislation forcing education workers back to work despite the workers not even going out on strike yet should give the left pause for thought. Is not Ford's government part of the public sector? And yet the social-democratic or social … Continue reading The CUPE Education Workers Strike: A Lesson on the Nature of the Public Sector
The Ontario Federation of Labour’s Workers-First Agenda: A Critique: Part One
Introduction The so-called radical left here in Toronto rarely engages in any detailed criticism of unions or groups of unions. Quite to the contrary. They either make vague assertions about "the trade-union elite" or the "trade-union bureaucracy" (union bureaucrats or business unions), or they remain silent when faced with the persistent rhetoric that unions. It … Continue reading The Ontario Federation of Labour’s Workers-First Agenda: A Critique: Part One
The Rate of Exploitation of Workers at Magna International Inc., One of the Largest Private Employers in Toronto, Part Three, Updated, 2020
Introduction In two others posts I presented the twenty largest employers in Toronto according to level of employment (see A Short List of the Largest Employers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and the twenty largest employers in Canada according to profit (see A Short List of the Largest Private Employers in Canada, According to Profit). I … Continue reading The Rate of Exploitation of Workers at Magna International Inc., One of the Largest Private Employers in Toronto, Part Three, Updated, 2020
Management Rights Clause in a Collective Agreement in France: Progressive Discipline Is Better Than Arbitrary Discipline–But It Is Still Oppressive
Introduction Discipline permeates our world--family. school and work. In an earlier post, in the context of schools, I have already explored, briefly, the difference between intrinsic or internal discipline and external discipline (see Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Ten: Intrinsic or Internal Discipline Versus Extrinsic … Continue reading Management Rights Clause in a Collective Agreement in France: Progressive Discipline Is Better Than Arbitrary Discipline–But It Is Still Oppressive
Fair Contracts or Collective Agreements: The Ideological Rhetoric of Canadian Unions, Part Four: The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) (The Second Largest Union in Canada)
Since in this blog I have often referred to particular union reps referring to collective agreements as fair in some way, I thought it would be useful to provide further examples of this rhetoric to substantiate the view that unions function as ideologues for the continued existence of employers--even if the unions are independent of … Continue reading Fair Contracts or Collective Agreements: The Ideological Rhetoric of Canadian Unions, Part Four: The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) (The Second Largest Union in Canada)
The Abolitionary 