Here's a nice video of Jim Stanford's presentation to the AFL. On Guard for the Economy reminds us all of basic economic lessons that tend to get overlooked, including the value unions add to society.
Here is some useful information on this issue. Will add to it as more material comes in.
Jim Stanford has reviewed Private Member Bill C-525 it and finds that it does more than eliminate card check in the federal sector. It also changes how votes would occur. Jim notes that cards representing 45% of a bargaining unit will be required to trigger a vote; union would have to win a majority of all members in the bargaining unit (not ballots cast); and a decertification vote can be triggered by 45% signatures, the UNION must receive support from the majority of the bargaining unit.
Leftnews.org has more information on Bill C-525. It explains the impact the Bill will have on card-check certification and provides research on why card check has proven to be the preferred method of certifying and de-certifying.
Here's a speech from the president of Merrit Canada calling for restrictions on unionized shops and unions in general. He uses the term 'opportunity to work' and tries to differentiate between that and RTW.
Here's the Conservative Party's PDF document pertaining to the convention coming up in Calgary later in June, 2013. Of particular interest:
Page 14: disclosure of how union dues are spent and ability of union members to opt out of paying for certain activities;
Page 67: Dues checkoff
Page 68: Right To Work
Page 71: Anti-union laundry list
Page 73: Collection of dues for union business only
Page 80: Transparency of union finances
Page 81: Use of union dues
Page 86: Right To Work and financial transparency
Page 91: Attack on RAND
This link will take you to a debate (broadcast on BNN) between Canadian Auto Workers economist Jim Stanford and the Labour Watch spokesperson position on Right to Work.
In response to the intensifying attack on labour (now we're looking at a private members's bill to eliminate the card check system for federal public unions) here is another piece to put in your arsenal.
Michael Lynk's Labour Law and the New Equality provides background on the Rand Formula, identifying it as part of a collection of equalizing institutions (progressive taxation, labour and employmments standards, and public education, healthcare and infrastructure). He also places the attack on labour in the context of Paul Krugman's Great Divergence (erosion of the middle class) and the Second Gilded Age.
Each year approximately 400 Mexican men, migrant labourers under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), work on farms in Manitoba. Workers spend up to eight months in Canada, returning year after year for the agricultural season. These labourers perform physically strenuous work on vegetable farms and in greenhouses—jobs that most Canadians prefer not to do.
A new report from CCPA-Manitoba draws on a research project undertaken by The Migrant Worker’s Solidarity Network (MWSN), a group that interacts with and advocates for these workers. Migrant Voices: Stories of Agricultural Migrant Workers in Manitoba combines the voices of the men with whom the MWSN interacts with background information about the SAWP—and explains how globalization and free trade agreements end up producing a two-tiered labour force in Canada.
Read more in the full report.
The Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights has a new e-bulletin with some interesting updates. Given the interest lately in temporary foreign workers and their impact on Canada's labout market, Ken Georgetti's update, Migrant workers account for most new jobs: CLC is particularly relevant.
On the same topic, there was some great news coming out of Manitoba yesterday regarding the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. Thanks to years of hard work by UFCW, The Migrant Workers Solidarity Network, and the Manitoba Federation of Labour - supported by research by the CCPA MB., the Province of Manitoba announced effective immediately, it will giving Manitoba's SAWP workers access to universal healthcare. This Winnipeg Free Press story give some details. The full CCPA Mb. report (Migrant Voices) that was released yesterday (and that was part of the push for this policy change) is available on this website, along with a WorkLife summary from the Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues.
For those who track and compare how migrant workers are treated across the country, this Migrant Workers Report Card was prepared by The Canadian Council for Refugees. It was compiled before yesterday's announcement from Manitoba (see above) about granting healthcare to SAWP workers.
The Migrant Worker’s Solidarity Network (MWSN), a group that interacts with and advocates for these workers, undertook a research project which informed the report Migrant Voices: Stories of Agricultural Migrant Workers in Manitoba. This report combines the voices of the men with whom the MWSN interacts, with background information about the SAWP and a review of literature from across Canada concerning migrant workers. Migrant Voices explains how globalization and free trade agreements end up producing a two-tiered labour force in Canada and how these migrant workers fare in that system. It also gives us a comprehensive overview of the Mexican/Canadian agreement and federal and provincial regulatory frameworks that underpin the SAWP.
The CCPA Monitor is the only place I know that one can go to for accurate and honest reporting on the state of the world. I would hate like hell to ever be without The CCPA Monitor; it would be like losing my sight and my hearing. I heartily recommend it to anybody who gives a damn about the condition of the world.
— Farley Mowat