American Labour Union's Move Irks CAW

I really don't understand why an American labour movement would be allowed in Canada? I must be missing something here.

---
If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

I don't like the idea of a US local setting up shop here in Canada but if they want to establish a Canadian local and they don't try to steal another unions collective agreement and they are unionizing a non-union company then I think the workers benefit.Perhaps Buzz should send some organizers down to the US to try and organize some of their non-union auto manufacturing companies, see how the our US counterparts respond to that.
It seems like Unions have forgotten what their original ideals were, they don't try to organize much anymore, they just try to protect what they have. Because of this they have lost a lot of power, the President of the US even called the Teachers Union a terrorist organization. Was there a massive outcry and a multitude of demonstrations by Union members accross the US? No!

I am a union member in Alberta. Almost all the unions in Alberta belong to the Alberta Building Trades Association. A number of the big oil companies belong to the Association as well as construction outfits like Halliburton, Brown & Root, Fluor etc. Syncrude is about a third of the way through the UE1 expansion in the Tarsands. They are going to be 2 to 4 billion dollars overbudget, because they don't bother to budget realistically. The Building Trades have been negotiating a new contract for more than a year now and the companies have finally made an offer. Not withstanding that, Syncrude asks for special discounts to finish their project or they say all future work will be non-union as well as all regular maintenance work. To my way of thinking we should call a strike at Syncrude until they realize that they are not dictating terms to the unions. It remains to be seen what will happen.
They claim they are spending so much money but when you look at the deals King Ralph has made it is clear that the people of Alberta are paying the oil companies to build and operate the plants. But that is not good enough for the executives at Syncrude, they have to justify bigger bonuses so they try and steal the bread off of the workers plates.

My point is that now is the time for all unions to stand together. Now is the time for the unions to unionize every non-union worker in Canada that wants to belong to a union. Then the unions would have the clout that they need to ensure that workers are not relegated back to serf status.

Help us all--union imperialism.

Well I would not say Imperialism but the working guy needs to have some representation to go with the taxation and I did not want to exclude any of my brothers and sisters.

People have lost sight of what Unions are. Or rather.. of what they COULD BE. But then again, people also vote for the Alliance, the "Liberals" (both BC provincial and feds). So why should we be surprised that they don't know what Unions are for. Ex: BC Provincial Libs tore up Union Contracts and when they went on strike to protest, Campbell enacted a legistlated "Cooling Off Period", which made strikes pretty ineffective.

Anti-Unionism is so horrible, yet it IS true that some unions have lost sight of their values.

-KY

---
Kory Yamashita

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Let's not forget that the CAW used to be the UAW at one time.

Unions have a place, but some become too political, and lose sight of the reason they were created in the first place, to give the workers some rights.

Having never belonged to one, I do not know the internal workings, but from the outside it looks like some unions look after the top and forget about the average worker.





---
"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

Yes, the CAW used to be an offshoot of the American union, until they created their own documents and declared independence. In fact, the CAW Local 200 is currently extremely active in promoting and protecting Canadian sovereignty--not always at the top levels, but among the levels of the workers. They publish a free magazine called Scoop that goes out to all workers and addresses exactly the topics we speak about here--and use their union halls to build the same movement we are trying to. <p> So, it's very interesting that the American union is trying to organize in Canada now. <P> I would remind everyone that Richard Harding of the CAW has posted an excellent article on all of these issues to this site, which explains the work the CAW has been doing. See <a href="http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php?story=2003120121335957">Labour and Sovereignty</a> <p> And yes it's true, unions can stray from their original purpose. One big problem is that business agents often do what their name sounds like--speak for big business rather than workers. <p> But I've lived in Alberta too long and seen too many bosses pushing negative conditions for workers to believe that we can always negotiate good conditions for workers without unions. It's a simple fact--collective bargaining can protect worker's rights better than individual bargaining can, something we really need in this era of giant corporations trying to cut their bottom line. Unions may not be perfect but then what's the alternative? <p>---<br>Now call it extreme if you like, but I propose we hit it hard, and we hit it fast, with a major, and I mean major, leaflet campaign.--Rimmer, Red Dwarf <br />

I agree, even though I have never belonged to a union, workers need protection from corporate greed.

Without a union, the workers have no voice, and are under the thumb of the company. If the company says "you are fired", then you have only the courts to turn to. If you belong to a union, you have other options that may work in your favour.

Things were a lot different before we had unions. We just need the unions to stay the course and not become corrupted.





---
"Arrogance in Politics is unacceptable"
Jim Callaghan
Minden, Ontario
705-286-1860
www.misterc.ca

The CAW separated from the UAW because the UAW did not recognize, at it`s Detroit head office, the uniqueness of Canada and its different labour, cultural, and societal practices. But after the split, there was one remaining workshop in Canada that chose to remain with the UAW, and it was a shop in Wallaceburg, Ontario. And yes, the CAW has lost their true vision. In the beginning, under BOB WHITE, who fought not only for the 'smaller' shops but Canadian sovereignty, the CAW could be counted on to fight for us all. Now, under the influence of a BUZZ, the CAW only fights for the higher paying auto sector, while sacrificing the smaller units. I know, I`m a welder at John Deere in Welland, a CAW unit. I was also a lumber grader at Green Forest lumber in Fort Erie, also a CAW unit, which closed up when MacMillan Bloedel bought us, then when the American giant Weyerhaeuser bought us, and closed it down.

---
Dave Ruston