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EDMONTON - High-profile strikes erupted across Alberta in the summer of 1986 as the oil boom went bust, often pitting workers against police in what many saw as a fight for their lives.

That level of activism and political pressure hasn't been seen since in a province where the workforce unionization rate has dropped to about 22 per cent from 29 per cent a quarter-century ago — at both times, Canada's lowest.

There were picket lines outside Suncor in Fort McMurray, at Zeidler Forest Products operations in Edmonton and Slave Lake, and at Red Deer's Fletcher's Fine Foods facility.

But the dispute that galvanized the country was Edmonton's 6 1/2-month walkout by 1,080 employees at Gainers, the city's last old-style meat packing plant. It was a bitter fight over wage rollbacks and pension protection.

For days, crowds of chanting union supporters blocked the 66th Street gates, hurling rocks and paint bombs, and smashing bus windows to stop convoys of replacement workers owner Peter Pocklington hired to keep his business running.

"I remember an older gentleman taking a two-by-four to one of the scabs back then, knocked him right off his motorcycle," says Louis Tancsics, who had been in export shipping at Gainers for about a year before the strike started.

"Guys had wrenches, guys were throwing sidewalk blocks. Man oh man, they broke the (bus) windshield even with screens welded on front ... (passengers) were screaming for their lives."

The 78-year-old brick slaughterhouse on the north side of Yellowhead Trail was owned by Swift's until Pocklington bought it and transferred operations from the antiquated Gainers plant beside the Mill Creek Ravine in 1981.

They handled thousands of hogs and cattle a day. The animals were herded to the top floor, killed, gutted, boned and turned into processed or fresh meat on the way down to the ground level.

When the collective agreement expired in 1986, Pocklington insisted he couldn't afford to match raises provided at competing firms.

He arguing that with Alberta hog prices set too high by a marketing board, he needed to cut costs.

The company ran ads seeking replacement workers. Feeling Pocklington was actually making a profit, members of United Food and Commercial Workers local 280P walked out June 1.

The battle lines were set.

"Most of us thought we would be out for a couple of months until we worked out an agreement, but then (Pocklington) locked us out and brought in scabs, and we knew our jobs were in jeopardy," says then-shipper Dan Fitzgerald.

"We were hoping to cause enough commotion that they wouldn't want to try to get in. When the first bus came in, (pickets) tried to tip it over."

The Alberta labour movement rallied around what was for them a match made in heaven — $12-an-hour employees in a dirty, dangerous industry against a wealthy, outspoken businessman.

One striker showed up at events dressed as a pig wearing a top hat, tuxedo and a sash labelled "Peter Pocklington" to drive the point home.

Pocklington rejects any insinuation he was the bad guy, calling the dispute a "tragedy" created by provincial rules allowing a marketing board to set hog prices rather than let the market decide.

That charge was repeatedly denied by the board, which has said the cost of Alberta hogs at the time was the lowest in North America.

The former Oilers owner says he hired people to keep the plant running while the union fought on despite his company's financial challenges.

They might as well make me the villain, he says.

"They're afraid to take on the government. They said 'you can pay a hockey player a million dollars, why can't you give us a raise?,' " says Pocklington, now living in California.

"Unfortunately, greed overcame better judgment. I have nothing but good feelings for the workers. They were good people. They were just misled by the union."

Bob Claney was the police superintendent in charge of the tense situation.

He commanded 375 uniformed officers at the height of the action, about one-third of the entire Edmonton force, which at one point was so stretched top brass considered calling in the army for backup.

Claney repeatedly walked through the crowd at the head of a police line, pointing out individuals to arrest.

While several union supporters complained they were hurt when grabbed by police, sometimes blocks from the action, Claney says he was required to enforce court orders allowing replacement workers access to the site.

"People believe what we were doing by following that court order was anti-labour. I certainly was tagged with an anti-labour label, which was far from the truth," Claney says.

"So many of the members that were working with me ... had relatives, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, cousins that were working in Gainers. We wanted to make sure we did it in the least violent way."

He says he often singled out older people so they would be removed from any danger. He had pickets arrested for breaching civil court orders, rather than criminal charges, to ensure they didn't receive a criminal record.

"People were striking because their union encouraged them to do so. They felt they were doing the right thing. The unlawful acts that took place were minor. It was essentially civil disobedience."

Gainers quickly won injunctions restricting the number and location of protesters around the property, for the most part ending the big confrontations that created national headlines.

But that didn't end the fight.

Union supporters followed delivery trucks so they could pressure retailers to buy from competing firms.

Some people used needles to make holes in the plastic wrap on Gainers meat at grocery stores so the product would dry out and become unusable, Fitzgerald says.

This was part of a boycott, featuring 5,000 blue-and-white lawn signs handed out in Edmonton alone, that made Gainers such an unpopular brand the company switched to the old Swift's logo after the strike ended.

One survey indicated fewer than one-quarter of local residents were buying Gainers meat, down from three-quarters of respondents who used the products before the strike.

"It was the most effective boycott I have ever witnessed. It spread right across the country," says retired Alberta Federation of Labour president Dave Werlin, who helped rally his colleagues to the cause.

"It was one of those things where you don't have to buy a particular manufacturer's meat. You had many choices. My old mother and father in Saskatchewan, they never did buy it again."

At the same time, the strike became part of a larger campaign to make Alberta's labour laws friendlier to unions through such changes as banning replacement workers.

Werlin warned 6,000 demonstrators at the June 12 opening of the legislature session, the largest rally there since the Depression, that "violence and terrorism" would continue in Alberta if new laws were not brought in.

Later that day, 500 protesters marched from that peaceful event to the plant, where 44 people were arrested after the windows, headlights and radiator were smashed on a farm truck trying to deliver a load of hogs.

The strike dragged on, through mediation and an unsuccessful dispute resolution proposal, until a contract was reached after meetings with then-premier Don Getty in December.

The new collective agreement included a two-year wage freeze followed by a small raise. Strikers were hired back ahead of the replacement workers and pension benefits remained intact.

In 1988, the Alberta government announced $61 million in loans and loan guarantees for Gainers, partly to help build a packing plant in Picture Butte that was never constructed.

Getty has always denied Pocklington's claim that he made a deal to provide financial assistance and fair market pricing for hogs to settle this economic black eye.

For his part, Pocklington says he would handle things differently today.

"I would just have shut the plant down. It didn't work. The government knew it, the union had to know," he says.

"Permanently lock the door. Use it for real estate. It just caused a lot of pain and destroyed a lot of wealth."

But Tancsics, now working in distribution at a bakery, is proud of his role in a strike that he's still asked about.

"It just showed how people then, they came together for a cause ... It's a matter of earning your livelihood and standing up to someone who wanted to make money off other people's backs."

Edmonton Journal, Mon Jun 13 2011
Byline: Gordon Kent

Alberta is implementing stricter guidelines for its Certificate of Recognition (COR) system aimed at boosting scrutiny of COR-holding companies that experience workplace deaths and serious injuries.

"Losing a COR is bad for business," Thomas Lukaszuk, the province's employment and immigration minister, said in a June 2 statement announcing the changes that take effect July 1. "However, Albertans have the right to work in safe and healthy conditions. We're putting employers on notice: after July 1, we'll be launching reviews as soon after a workplace incident as possible," Lukaszuk added.

Under the province's Partnerships in Injury Reduction (PIR) program, a company can earn a certificate by developing a health and safety management system and meeting established standards. COR-holding firms are eligible for rebates of up to 20 per cent on their Workers' Compensation Board premiums and are able to bid on contracts where a COR is a prerequisite.

Following a stakeholder review of PIR beginning in 2009, and some criticism of the program from Alberta's auditor general in 2010, the government is changing the criteria around the program's employer review process, which is used when deciding if a company's COR should be revoked.

As of July 1, the following may lead to a formal review of an employer's COR: a fatality or serious injury/incident; two or more stop-work orders within 12 months; and, ongoing Alberta oh&s officer activity that indicates possible health and safety issues.

Such things could have triggered an employer review in the past, but the criteria is now better defined, says Barrie Harrison, an Alberta Employment and Immigration (AEI) spokesman.

Also under the new rules, a certified company that is charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act will see its PIR rebate withheld, pending the outcome of the charges. The same is true for COR holders whose certificates are under review.

A formal employer review is not necessarily automatic under the new criteria, Harrison says. AEI staff will first informally assess certified companies and determine if, "based on the circumstances of what has gone on, an employer review will be triggered."

For instance, AEI information notes that a formal review leading to possible COR revocation will not occur when fatalities are related to non-occupational medical conditions, such as a heart attack. A review also won't be spurred by occupational diseases linked to the actions of an employer prior to its achievement of a COR or by non-occupational motor vehicle deaths.

Certified companies that do receive a formal review will be required to develop and implement action plans focused on making improvements to the workplace, AEI notes. If a COR holder finds itself in trouble again within two years, it must arrange for and pass an external audit. Failure to create a satisfactory action plan or to score at least 80 per cent on the audit will result in COR cancellation.

Only four businesses have lost CORs since 2004

Over the past seven years, just four companies have lost their certificates due to failed audits ordered following the employer review process.

Harrison says the labour minister has no expectations as to whether this number will jump significantly under the new criteria. "It's really a situation in which time will tell," he says, adding that Lukaszuk is more concerned about the quality of CORs rather than the quantity.

Gary Wagar, executive director of the Alberta Construction Safety Association, doesn't foresee a notable increase in the number of construction employers being decertified. What will likely rise is the number of COR holders having to draft action plans and the number whose PIR rebates are delayed, he adds.

Certified construction employers "are good companies and they do everything they can to provide a healthy and safe work site," says Wagar, whose association is one of 13 certifying partners that jointly issue CORs with the government.

Meanwhile, the Alberta Federation of Labour offered a mixed reaction to the new criteria. "While the stricter guidelines... are a step in the right direction, they are not enough to reduce workplace deaths and injuries," president Gil McGowan argues in a release.

Canadian OH&S News, Mon Jun 13 2011

Concerns have arisen around changes to seniors care in Grande Prairie with the relocation of residents from the QEII's Mackenzie Place to the new Points West Living complex in the city's west end.

By December, 116 long-term care residents will be transferred from Mackenzie Place to the privately-owned Points West Living facility, as well as the new Grande Prairie Care Centre, set to open at the end of this year.

Since opening in May to serve seniors as well as mental health, dementia and palliative care patients, Points West has taken in 51 residents from Mackenzie Place.

Paula Anderson is a Grande Prairie resident and vice-president of the provincial lobbying group, Friends of Medicare. She said a close friend's husband suffers from dementia, and is among the Mackenzie Place residents who have already been moved.

Anderson spoke of her concerns to media at a Friends of Medicare appearance at the QEII Thursday.

"With patients in this situation, moving them is an upheaval in their lives, and we know that a lot of the people who have been transferred and moved from one facility to another don't do well – it can shorten life expectancy," she said.

"What I'm hearing is that there's a lot of minimum wage people being hired over at Points West. What kind of training do they bring to it compared to trained nursing staff that are very well versed in dementia patients and long-term care patients?"

"We're seeing a disturbing trend across the province of moving patients out of public long-term care facilities and into private centres," added Friends of Medicare director David Eggen of Edmonton.

"In the midst of doing that, we fear that we are losing economic efficiency for our health care."

Mary Dahr works as a technologist in the QEII's microbiology lab, and has seen concern among the Mackenzie Place staff over the transition.

"They're not only concerned for their livelihood, but they're concerned for the patients there," she said. "The families of the patients at Mackenzie Place were told that 90% of the caregivers from Mackenzie Place would be at the new facility, and that in fact is not happening."

But the province's health provider states that the move is an improvement to seniors care in Grande Prairie.

"Alberta Health Services are working to increase choices for seniors and others across the province," said Deb Guerette of AHS communications in Grande Prairie, adding that Points West Living has already taken in 32 local seniors who were previously without long-term care.

"In Grande Prairie, when the two new facilities open, there will be 91 new spaces for supportive living and continuing care residents that we have not had before. It also creates a much more modern and homelike environment for residents."

Guerette admits that Mackenzie Place staff will lose their jobs with the transition, but said that the new facilities will offer opportunity for them.

"Staff have the option of seeking a new position within AHS, or with working with one of the facility partners," she said.

"We have hired qualified staff from Grande Prairie, including staff from Mackenzie Place, and continue to look for more staff including from Mackenzie Place," said Doug Mills, manager of company that runs Points West, Connecting Care. "They are at similar wages and their seniority was recognized."

Friends of Medicare members expressed concern Thursday that the privately-run Points West Living will not uphold the same standards as the hospital's long-term care centre, but Alberta Health is assuring the public that services will not degenerate and that the fees Mackenzie Place resident's families pay will not increase.

"The private partners operate under the same standards and have for some 50 years in Alberta," Guerette said. "Whether the provider is public or voluntary or private they're all required to comply with the same standards."

Alberta Daily Herald Tribune, Sat Jun 10 2011
Byline: Eric Plummer

It's the 10th anniversary of the Bush tax cut for millionaires, and some millionaires say enough is enough. They've bought enough boats, added enough wings to their mansions and put enough of their extra millions in the bank. It's time to "Tax me" they say.

A new video from the Patriotic Millionaires, the group of software designers, movie makers, financial gurus and entrepreneurs, urges Republican House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other lawmakers to end the Bush tax cuts and raise their taxes.

Ten years ago you made a mistake. You decided our country needed less money, and millionaires like me needed more...Less money for roads to transport our products, for high speed Internet to build our technology companies, or science research, education, for universities, and research to spark our innovation... Rich people are not the cause of a robust economy they're the result of a robust economy...Fix the mistake you made. Tax me, because my country, our country, means more than my money.

On a conference call with reporters yesterday, several of the millionaires featured in the video told reporters what they did with those extra millions. Dennis Mehiel, CEO of U.S. Corrugated, Inc. said his extras didn't create any jobs–in the United States.

I got a bigger boat than I used to have. The problem is it was built in Italy.

Paul Egerman said the Bush tax cuts put a more than $10 million in his big piggy bank and he kept most of it and it's more than likely the rest of the nation's nearly 400,000 millionaires did the same with their personal windfalls. The tax cuts didn't create jobs and just added to the deficit.

One way to solve our [deficit] problem right now is to increase the revenues. One way is to eliminate the ridiculous Bush tax cuts on wealthy people like me.... If our country is really broke, then we can't afford to give tax cuts to people like me

afl-cio now blog, Wed June 7 2011

People such as Premier Ed Stelmach and Education Minister Dave Hancock want Albertans to believe that these are tough times.

They want us to believe that the recession has left them with no choice but to trim budgets and cut funding, even for vital services like education.

But ordinary Albertans know in their hearts and their guts that there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

They see mega projects ramping up, they see glitzy office towers rising, they see the economy springing back to life -and they wonder: Why?

Why, amid such plenty, should we be laying off teachers and other education workers?

Why should we be under-funding our universities, colleges and technical schools?

Why should we be cutting services for the needy and the disabled?

The truth is: There is no good reason.

Facts are sometimes inconvenient for politicians. They get in the way of the stories they tell voters and tell themselves.

But when we're talking about our schools and our hospitals, about services for our kids, our grandparents and the most vulnerable members of our society, then we can't afford to ignore the facts.

What do the facts tell us? They tell us that Alberta is one of the most prosperous jurisdictions, not only in Canada, but in the entire world.

They tell us that we have no public debt and that we have billions tucked away for rainy days in the Sustainability Fund.

They tell us that, on a per-person basis, our provincial economy is 75 per cent larger than the Canadian average; that corporate profits in the province have increased by more than 400 per cent over the past decade; and that tens of billions of dollars in investment continue to pour into the oilsands each year.

These are not tough times. We are a province that can think big and dream big. We are certainly a province that can afford to provide adequate, stable long-term funding for core services, including education.

There is another part of the government story that doesn't stand up to scrutiny. That's the part where they say we have a spending problem -that costs are out of control for public services. But, once again, the facts tell a different story.

The truth is that Alberta's per-person spending on public services is bang on the national average.

The truth is that overall spending on public services has barely kept up with our province's robust population growth.

The truth is that, as a share of our province's overall economic pie, spending on public services has actually gone down over the last 20 years -and not just by a little bit.

All of this raises the question: If we can afford our services (which, clearly, we can) and if spending is under control (which, clearly, it is) why, then, is the Stelmach government still recording deficits?

This is the real question Albertans need to be asking themselves and their politicians, especially during the Tory leadership race and in the run-up to the next election.

The answer is clear. The reason our cupboard is bare is because our provincial government has decided to make it bare.

Successive governments in Alberta have deliberately stopped collecting a reasonable and responsible share of our province's economic pie to fund the public services that Albertans need. Years and years of ill-conceived tax and royalty cuts have left us with an inadequate and unreliable revenue base.

Alberta is like a rich guy with a big hole in his pocket. He keeps shoving the money in, but his pockets are always empty at the end of the month. The answer is not for the rich guy to sell his house, or tell his kids they're going to live on Kraft dinner. The answer is to fix the hole.

The good news is that thoughtful members of our provincial community are starting to wake up and speak out.

Former premier Peter Lougheed understands the problem and is calling for revenue reform. So are members of the premier's own advisory panel on economic strategy and academics from think-tanks including the Parkland Institute and the Canada West Foundation.

Politicians don't like to talk about taxes. And our current crop of leaders have been successfully bullied by the oil industry away from any talk about fair royalties.

But for the sake of our kids, our communities and our future, this is a discussion we have to have.

We need to demand that our politicians stop preaching austerity when it is clearly unwarranted.

And we need to call on leaders to deal with the real problem, which is Alberta's broken system for revenue generation.

Gil McGowan is president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, which represents 145,000 unionized workers in the province. This article is adapted from the speech he gave at the launch of the Join Together Alberta campaign.

Edmonton Journal, Thurs Jun 9 2011
Byline: Gil McGowan

Now that the state budget has received a stamp of approval from the Joint Finance Committee, the war of words is heating up once again.

This time in the form of rallies across the state.

We are Wisconsin, made up of union members, teachers, nurses, even a former representative is making some noise.

"Change some of those most dramatic and drastic cuts to some of the most important programs in the state of Wisconsin," says former state Representative Jim Soletski.

They're fighting against spending cuts to school districts, local governments and public services.

"Yeah, there's going to be a lot of tough days ahead," says Republican state Representative John Nygren of Marinette.

Rep. Nygren, who sits on the Joint Finance Committee, points to the ballooning budget deficit, saying that dollar amount speaks for itself.

"When we were elected into office into leadership this time around, we had a $3.6 billion budget deficit that we needed to fix, so tough choices had to be made," says Rep. Nygren.

It's an argument not everyone at the Green Bay rally is buying.

"They can say that all they want but you know there comes a time when you need to educate kids," says Jonah Lenss, a volunteer with We Are Wisconsin.

"Cutting from Medicaid, cutting from Badger Care, Senior Care, how is that helping those people that need it?" asks Suzanne Haines, a nurse.

Rep. Nygren argues hundreds of changes were made to the budget. Some to education, and Senior Care. He's convinced after the budget passes, better days are ahead.

"The only way for us to get out of it, is to make those tough decisions without raising taxes, that's what we did," says Rep. Nygren.

wbay.com, Wed Jun 7 2011

Day six of the Walkerville tent city protest has seen overwhelming support from Wisconsin workers, students and community members. Over the course of the week, thousands of Wisconsinites have gathered on the cement blocks lining the Capitol Square in order to call attention to Gov. Walker and his legislative allies' destructive budget proposals -- proposals which will cripple Wisconsin's schools, health care system and communities.

Many have said that they are surrounding the Capitol to bear witness to their elected officials' decisions and to let their Representatives know that the people of Wisconsin are preparing to take back their government back this summer.

"Walkerville is a way to focus the spotlight on Gov. Walker and Sen. Alberta Darling's budget that will devastate higher education, public education and Wisconsin as we know it," explained Michael Rosen, President of AFT Local 212, and professor at the Milwaukee Area Technical College. Rosen traveled to Walkerville on Wednesday to spend the night.

About 150 tents have sprung up around the Capitol since Saturday June 4, when Walkerville tent city was erected.

Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, brought her son, Nicholas to Walkerville. "We are here to tell Scott Walker that his attack on Wisconsin's unions, middle class, and communities will not stand. The people are coming together here in Walkerville to fight for a just budget and for an economy that works for all."

Each day in Walkerville has had a theme, complete with educational programs to inform citizens on the budget and how it will impact their everyday life. Public services, health care, education and higher education have all been a theme of the day. Many local musicians have taken to the stage on State Street to show their support for the protestors and entertain the family-friendly crowd.

"As Wisconsinites, we cannot standby in silence while our friends, family and neighbors suffer at the hand of Governor Walker's bad choices for our state," explained Dian Palmer, President of SEIU Health Care Wisconsin and a public health nurse from Milwaukee who has been spending multiple nights in Walkerville. "I am here because what I have heard from Governor Walker does not represent the Wisconsin that I believe in or that my fellow Wisconsinites believe in. And I am here to bear witness and ensure that our leaders do right by education, healthcare and programs for senior citizens."

On Health Care Day, nurses and home care patients took on a mock Scott Walker in the fight for quality health care in a play boxing match. Candice Owley, President of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, took to the ring in order to ensure quality care for all of Wisconsin. Read more about the boxing match here.

On Public Services Day, state and county employees held a mock town-hall listening session with characters of Gov. Walker, David Koch, Sen. Glen Grothman and Sara Palin. On Sunday, Wisconsin teachers held a citizen speak-out on why funding for public education is essential to quality education for our children.

Last Monday, fire fighters, farmers and cops lead a march of thousands to call for a fair and just budget. Read more about it here. For video of the march click here.

As the winds blew in last night Walkerville residence took refuge by patronizing local businesses as they waited out the storm. After the storm, Walkerville citizens returned to their tents, tucked-in for the night and continued to raise awareness of Gov. Walker's bad budget choices. Walkerville survived the storm, but can Wisconsin survive Walker's dangerous budget proposals?

AFL-CIO, Thurs Jun 9 2011

Egyptian workers take to the streets, defying the controversial anti-strike law, as they call for better working conditions but the police use force to cut out their voice

Late afternoon on Wednesday, after a day of renewed labour protests, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's interim government released a statement announcing their decision to begin applying the anti-strike law criminalising any form of action that disrupts work and production. Soon after, snatch-vans belonging to the notorious Central Security Forces (CSF), police forces and plain-clothed police officers descended on Maglis El-Shaab Street where protesters had gathered in front of the Cabinet offices, arresting at least seven tenant farmers and using force to disperse others.

Workers from several economic sectors went on strike Wednesday after weeks of relative calm. Some gathered in front of the Cabinet offices while others filled surrounding streets and buildings. Employees of Nasr Car Company along with tenant farmers, graduates of Al-Azhar University and staff members from the ministry of state for antiquities (MSA) gathered to make their demands known, arguing that now is the time for action not idleness.

Nasr Car Company employees called on the company's management to rehabilitate workers forced to take early retirement. Next to the Nasr Car protesters sat top graduates of Al-Azhar University. The graduates had already constructed a tent and were huddled beneath the shade of a tree, hoping to avoid the unforgiving sun as they began their first day of a collective hunger strike. This move was inspired by Ahmed Hussein, a graduate who graduated at the top of his class in philosophy, who began his hunger strike days ago. By noon on Wednesday, Hussein had reached a critical state and was taken to hospital.

The recent graduates, who had already been protesting for two weeks according to their spokesperson, Mohammed Magdy, were demanding employment within the university.

A street over, tenant farmers were protesting against the government, whom they blame for depriving them of land. Angry farmers demanded that all other dispossessed farmers join their strike.

Further down Kasr El-Eini Street stood employees of the newly formed MSA – the ministry of culture had previously overseen Egypt's antiquities. Staff members who had worked for the government anywhere from five to thirty years were demanding permanent contracts and decent working conditions. They also sought the removal of Zahi Hawass, minister of state for antiquities, and of Safwat El-Nahhas, president of the Central Agency for Organisation and Management and chairperson of the Complaints Committee for the High Council of Wages, whom they blame for the lack of government action.

Waleed Sami, speaking on behalf of the protesting MSA staff, announced that starting today employees would begin an open-ended strike, spanning the length of Egypt from Alexandria to Aswan. He also added that on 15 June, they would begin an open-ended sit-in in front of the Egyptian Museum. The strikers are debating when to close down all tourist sites in Egypt, which they will soon announce. Security staff from the Pyramid site in Giza, however, announced that starting 15 June, the iconic pyramid complex would be shut down.

Ahramonline.beta, Wed Jun 8 2011

Devon Whitman of the AFL-CIO Field Department reports on a huge victory for domestic workers at the International Labor Organization (ILO) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Last night, following a week of intense negotiations, governments, employers and workers from across the globe reached agreement on the 19 articles which will make up the first international convention on domestic work at the 100th annual conference of the International Labor Organization (ILO). While the final vote of the ILO's general body will take place on June 16, the victory last night marked a major achievement on the road to winning a strong international convention setting out the rights of domestic workers the world over.

An ILO "convention" sets an international labor standard. Governments must ratify the convention for it to become the law in that nation.

Juana Flores, of Mujeres Unidas y Activas (Women United and Active) of San Francisco, said:

So many women throughout the world have never been recognized for their labor. With this convention the world is recognizing, for the first time, that domestic workers are workers like any other and deserve the same treatment. I feel incredibly proud to have been able to represent the domestic workers of the United States in this process.

The agreed upon convention opens with the recognition of the following inalienable rights of domestic workers, which include:

•Freedom of association and collective bargaining.

•Elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor.

•Effective abolition of child labor.

•Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

The proposed convention also provides protections for migrant domestic workers, including the obligation that national laws and regulations require that such workers receive a written job offer or contract of employment that is enforceable in the country in which the work is performed stipulating specific terms and conditions of employment.

It also requires that countries take measures toward ensuring that domestic workers enjoy equal treatment with workers generally in relation to working hours, overtime compensation and rest periods and minimum wage protections.

When the agreement on the convention was reached, the South African delegation of domestic workers led domestic workers from across the globe in a song:

My mother was a kitchen girl, my father was a garden boy, that's why I'm a trade unionist, that's why I'm a trade unionist!

afl-cio now blog, Wed Jun 8 2011

As postal workers walked picket lines in the Edmonton and Calgary areas today (Wednesday), Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) president Gil McGowan said Albertans should support the fight for a better postal service and safe working conditions.

“Alberta communities deserve a good public postal service, one that meets their needs, but Canada Post seems intent on cutting services and lowering standards,” says McGowan, president of the AFL, which represents 145,000 workers.

“The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has made great proposals to take Canada Post profits and invest them in better service, but these have been rejected by the employer. CUPW has also proposed ways to increase profits, such as offering banking services like post offices in many countries around the world, but these ideas have also been dismissed,” says McGowan.

“In this dispute, it is the union that is fighting for a better Canada Post, while management appears to be interested only in cutting services and slashing pay and benefits to boost the bottom line. Canada Post has made $1.7 billion in profit in 15 years, thanks in large part to the efforts and efficiency postal workers. Those profits should be invested in improving services and working conditions.”

McGowan also defended the postal workers’ bid to improve workplace safety. “Independent research has shown that postal workers endure disabling injuries at 3.5 times the average rate for other workers. New workplace methods introduced by Canada Post are making the situation even worse. Albertans understand that workers should be protected and that employers have a responsibility to make workplaces safe.”

The AFL president also said Albertans believe in fairness and that Canada Post proposals to create a two-tiered wage and benefits package that punishes newly hired workers is unacceptable.

“CUPW is fighting for young workers today and for the workers of the future. It is also fighting for the future of all our communities. It has the full support of the members of the AFL.”

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CONTACT: 

Gil McGowan, AFL president, will be on the picket lines in Calgary and Edmonton today. For information, call him at780-218-9888.