New Union in Canada: Convention Labour Day weekend Toronto

[blake 3:17]

This is a big deal. There are reasons to be cynical, but other reasons to be very optimistic.

This is the most positive step in Canadian labour in 15 years? 30?

Link to the convention site: http://www.newunionconvention.ca/

Link to the proposed constitution: http://www.newunionconvention.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/UniforConstitutionJune2013.pdf

[Art Vandelay]

As a fellow Canadian, but not one who has been following labor struggles over the past 15-30 years, can you fill me in on what exactly about this, makes it a 'big deal?'

[Brotto Rühle]

Is this relevant? considering the monopoly on workers by unions such as CLAC, LiUNA, etc. Is huge.

[Popular Front of Judea]

Could you tell us what we are looking at? Also it be good to know whether this has any relevance to those of us who have the misfortune to live south of the border.


This is a big deal. There are reasons to be cynical, but other reasons to be very optimistic.

This is the most positive step in Canadian labour in 15 years? 30?

Link to the convention site: http://www.newunionconvention.ca/

Link to the proposed constitution: http://www.newunionconvention.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/UniforConstitutionJune2013.pdf

[Popular Front of Judea]

It would be great if they could actually live up to this:


We will be a union for workers, a union for the unemployed, a union for women, a union for new Canadians, a union for young workers and the precariously employed – a union for everyone.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Reading the preamble to the constitution was pretty disappointing; more concerned with "hard won gains of the past" than with class struggle. In fact the word "class" only appears twice, once in the section on dues. Neither the "ruling class" nor capitalists exist at all. This is particularly evident in the section on solidarity, which seems to imply the working class is menaced primarily by a lack of friendship, and workplace harassment. Both are certainly real, but . . . c'mon. One Big Yellow Union.
I don't want to be a total shithead about this, and, honestly, I'll probably end up working with militants from this union. I'm just sad insofar as it seems like this could be off to a much better start. I'm not demanding the IWW preamble (or, at least, I don't expect it), but this like, still far to the right of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. *shrug*

[blake 3:17]

Reading the preamble to the constitution was pretty disappointing; more concerned with "hard won gains of the past" than with class struggle. In fact the word "class" only appears twice, once in the section on dues. Neither the "ruling class" nor capitalists exist at all. This is particularly evident in the section on solidarity, which seems to imply the working class is menaced primarily by a lack of friendship, and workplace harassment. Both are certainly real, but . . . c'mon. One Big Yellow Union.
I don't want to be a total shithead about this, and, honestly, I'll probably end up working with militants from this union. I'm just sad insofar as it seems like this could be off to a much better start. I'm not demanding the IWW preamble (or, at least, I don't expect it), but this like, still far to the right of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. *shrug*

It's not coming out of any working class militancy or working class offensive.

It's entirely defensive for now.

The opening up for members who aren't part of regular collective bargaining units is the single most interesting thing. We'll see how that goes. I'm joining.

I've only heard from a few perspectives, all very Toronto and mostly CAW and some CUPE observers. Mixed messages and interpretations. There are possibilities here.

[Popular Front of Judea]

So it's not just the mailboxes that are red? :grin:


still far to the right of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

[blake 3:17]

So it's not just the mailboxes that are red? :grin:

CUPW has been the most militant kick ass Red union in the country. There's been odd discussions here when people refer to 'going postal' -- which is about total alienation at work and going crazy in the US.

Here in Canada, the Postal Workers carried out the most militant actions against the State, won the first protections for same sex couples, refuse to cross picket lines legal or not. And that's from top to bottom.

A number of their presidents have worked with both the CP (the Candian CP is much further to the left than the CP USA) and Trotskyist and anarchist groups. We've also done secondary picketing for them when they were tied up in legal jams. One of the best actions was locking the managers of a sorting plant out! Folks still went to work, but got it done in half the time and went home.

Latest scare was that some had met with someone from the PFLP in Brazil. Right wing media went nuts over that. fuck em

[blake 3:17]

Just back a bit on track, the larger partner of this merger is the CAW, which for a number of years was the effective left leadership of the Canadian union movement. It was formed in the early 80s as a break away from the UAW on a no concessions platform and was the leading advocate of social unionism. They were the only of the private sectors unions to publicly and politically challenge Bob Rae's Social Contract and were the momentum behind the Ontario Days of Action against the Harris government. They were also the union which ran the very interesting bus drivers strike in Vancouver where drivers continued to run their routes, and pick people off and drop them off, but didn't collect fares.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

It's not coming out of any working class militancy or working class offensive.

It's entirely defensive for now.

The opening up for members who aren't part of regular collective bargaining units is the single most interesting thing. We'll see how that goes. I'm joining.

I've only heard from a few perspectives, all very Toronto and mostly CAW and some CUPE observers. Mixed messages and interpretations. There are possibilities here.

Point.

If it seems like a decent place to meet people, I might join for social reasons.

[blake 3:17]

From the Unifor site:

Historic convention to create largest private-sector union gets underway this weekend
August 27, 2013News, Unifor Convention
PDF Format

August 27, 2013

(TORONTO) – The founding convention to create a new union — Unifor — uniting more than 300,000 members from two of Canada’s largest unions will be held Aug. 31st and Sept. 1st at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

More than 2,500 elected leaders from the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) — from every province and territory and nearly every sector of the economy — will gather for the two-day event, before leading Toronto’s Labour Day Parade under their new banner on Sept. 2

It will be the largest gathering of a single labour union in decades. Unifor has generated considerable interest for its commitment to open the doors of unionism and take a new approach.

Policy and discussion papers will call on the new union to expand organizing efforts into traditionally non-unionized sectors of the economy, build a strong community-based presence through Community Chapters, and advocate at all political levels for issues that affect all working people.

Elections will take place on Saturday, Aug. 31st at 2 pm, and the new president will make a keynote address at 3:15 pm.

Other highlights of the convention include guest speeches from Canadian pollster and pundit, Allan Gregg, Canadian author and social activist Naomi Klein, actor and comedian Mary Walsh and a performance by Canadian pop singer Lorraine Segato.

Members of the media are welcome to register on level 800 of the Convention Centre to attend any part of the convention.

More information, including a copy of the full agenda, can be found at: http://www.newunionconvention.ca/webcast-schedule/

The convention will be livestreamed at www.newunionconvention.ca.

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For more information, contact: Shannon Devine, CAW Communications Director, (416) 416-302-1699, [email protected] or Michelle Walsh, CEP Communications Director, (613) 858-9144, [email protected]

[blake 3:17]

Convention happening now -- being webcast http://newunionconvention.ca/