ALF V1

The Alberta Federation of Labour is celebrating the work of unions in the province in its centennial anniversary.

President of the AFL Gil McGowan says labour laws and work conditions have improved dramatically in the past 100 years however he has some reservations.

"We are concerned that there're are forces out there, both political and ideological forces that want to tip the playing field more dramatically in favour of employers at the expense of working people.

McGowan says over the last 100 years unions worked to established minimum wage, the 8-hour work day, vacations and pensions.

The AFL is celebrating its centennial down at Fort Edmonton Park Saturday. Festivities go until 11:30pm.

iNews880AM, Sat Jun 16 2012

Thousands of union supporters to gather for Centennial celebration

• More than 3,000 supporters of the labour movement will converge on Fort Edmonton Park tomorrow (Saturday, June 16) to celebrate 100 years of union victories in Alberta. "Much of what makes this province a great place to work, to live and to raise our families has been brought to us by union members," says Gil McGowan, president of the AFL, which celebrates its centennial this year. For more about the day, click here. Click here to see the lineup of events.

Harper government launches attacks on workers' wages

• A number of federal government initiatives revealed the Harper government has embarked on a campaign to drive down wages in Canada. These include new rules that would make it easier for employers to hire temporary foreign workers and to pay them 15 per cent less than the prevailing wage rate in the area. For more information ... The federal Tories will also change Employment Insurance rules to force Canadians to accept low-wage jobs - for more information ...

Alberta government's low-wage agenda continues

• The federal Tory government is not alone in its low-wage policies. Despite announcing a raise in the province's minimum wage, the Alberta government kept its rate as the second lowest in Canada, despite the wealth in the province and the high cost of living here. To make matters worse, in a blatant case of spin-doctoring, the Alberta Tories tried to make the small raise look better than it really was. For more information ...

AFL president praises Mulcair for igniting oil-sands debate

• While right-wing media went into attack mode against federal NDP Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair after he talked about the dangers posed to the Canadian economy by an overheated oil-sands industry, the AFL came to his defence. AFL president Gil McGowan said Mulcair should be thanked for igniting a long-overdue debate about the appropriate pace of development in the oil sands. "The oil sands are crucially important to the economy. That's why we can't afford to get it wrong. And we are getting it wrong," says McGowan. The wild-west pace of development in the oil sands is driving up the Canadian dollar, creating a labour shortage, driving up costs for business, and creating an unbalanced economy. Government failure to capture appropriate royalties makes the situation worse. For more information ...

Urgent Action

$5 tickets for Party of the Century still available!- After 100 years of fighting for workers' rights, tomorrow (Saturday, June 16) we party, party, party! Thanks to generosity of our affiliated unions and the City of Edmonton, there are still some tickets available at the greatly reduced price of only $5. That's right – only $5 per person for a while day of fun at Fort Edmonton Park, from the parade in the morning, musical performances by award-winning singers and musicians throughout the day, kids' games, crafts and the AFL's undelegated convention. Tickets are available at the park. Free shuttle buses are also available.

Events

June 21: National Aboriginal Day

July 1: Canada Day

July 2: International Day of Co-operatives

July 10: World Population Day

July 18: Nelson Mandela International Day

August 6-10: AFL Kids' Camp

August 6: Civic Day

August 8: International Day of the World's Indigenous People

August 11: International Youth Day

Did you know ...

Top 10 Ways a Wild West pace of oil-sands development hurts Alberta workers, families and the economy.

1. The Three Stooges problem: When everybody rushes to get through a door at the same time, they all get stuck. That's what's happening with the oil sands.
2. Cost escalation: A recent report showed oil-sands construction projects went over budget by an average of 100 per cent, but most of that increase was not due to rising wages, but to the rising cost of steel and productivity losses.
3.  Temporary foreign workers: New rules allowing employers to pay TFWs 15 per cent less than the prevailing wage in the area will drive down wages for all workers. Relying too heavily on TFWs will mean we are squandering the opportunity to train a whole generation of skilled Canadian tradespeople.
4. Remaking labour relations: Non-union employers are exploiting the oil-sands situation to push for changes to rules governing labour that include repealing the Fair Wages Act, changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program, changes to Employment Insurance and using back-to-work legislation to undermine collective bargaining.
5. Shipping good jobs down the pipeline: We upgrade only 60 per cent of our raw bitumen in Alberta, but that level is set to fall to less than 50 per cent in the next few years. This means that the good, value-added upgrading jobs are being shipped down the pipeline to other jurisdictions, instead of being kept here.
6. Manufacturing jobs take yet another beating: Cost escalation means more manufacturing for the oil sands will be "off-shored," meaning more good jobs lost in Alberta. Imperial Oil has already tried it at its Kearl Lake project and several big construction firms have already been approached by manufacturing outfits in Mexico.
7. Albertans are being fleeced on royalties: Royalties are paid after energy companies pay their costs. So if costs are going up, it means that royalties will go down.
8. The Wild Wes stampede to the oil sands hurts other sectors of the economy: The high Canadian dollar hurts Alberta manufacturers, as well as those in Ontario and Quebec. According to Alberta Finance's Monthly Economic Review, we lost 18,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector in the last year.
9. We are an international embarrassment: If we allow the Wild West pace of development to continue, we will continue to be an international laughingstock on our environmental commitments. The only way to get serious about climate change, environmental monitoring, and enforcement is to appropriately pace development.
10. We are failing the rest of the country: There are only three ways ordinary Canadians get their share of our collectively owned resource wealth jobs, wages and royalties. But as a result of the current model for development, increasing numbers of the short-term jobs are going to guest workers and more and more of the long-term jobs are going down the pipeline. Wages are being suppressed and royalties are being given away – all because the government doesn't want to take a leadership role in managing the pace of development.

Back in late May, Alberta announced that it would be increasing the minimum wage in September, with the general minimum wage rising from $9.40 an hour to $9.75. The minimum wage for servers of hooch will stay at $9.05.

I'd didn't blog about this increase, in part because I just quickly skimmed the government press release. One of the sentences that I should have read more carefully was this one:

"After taxes, Alberta's new general minimum wage of $9.75 per hour will rank second in Canada."

Like I imagine most people did, I read the "rank second in Canada" part, when "huh" and moved on. Yet, I just read an email from the Alberta Federation of Labour that caused me to go back through and read the "after taxes" part.

It does appear to be true that, after taxes, Alberta has the second highest minimum wage. But, before taxes, Alberta has the second lowest minimum wage.

I'm not sure which interpretation is preferable. In either case, these workers end up earning poverty-level wages and will struggle to house and feed themselves and their families. You can view a profile of minimum-wage earners here. They are not all teenagers, as we are often led to believe.

What annoys me is the crass spin-doctoring. Attempting to frame the second lowest minimum wage as the second highest is clearly an attempt to make a bad news story look like good news. When governments do this, they lose credibility. This constant fudging of the truth to protect politicians from justifiable flak was one of the reason I left government.

On a related note, Public Interest Alberta has released some StatCan data suggesting that 25% of Alberta workers (about 419,000 people) earn less than $15 an hour. Relatively few of these workers are teenagers, with more than half being over aged 25 and 60% being women.

In February, Vibrant Calgary released a report on poverty in Alberta which suggests at least 300,000 Albertans lived in poverty in 2009, including 73,000 children (up 40% over 2008). Last November, Public Interest Alberta, the Edmonton Social Planning Council and the Alberta College of Social Workers released similar numbers.

So is a 35-cent minimum-wage increase really all that much good news?

Labour Employment in Alberta

Bob Barnetson

Crowds to celebrate union achievements and prepare for coming battles

More than 3,000 supporters of the labour movement will converge on Fort Edmonton Park tomorrow (Saturday, June 16) to celebrate 100 years of union victories in Alberta.

"Much of what makes this province a great place to work, to live and to raise our families has been brought to us by union members," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which represents 145,000 workers and is celebrating its centennial this year.

"Working conditions were appalling in Alberta 100 years ago. They only improved when workers formed unions and fought to make things better. Unions have led the fight for fair wages, safe workplaces and an end to discrimination on the basis of race, creed, gender and orientation," he says.

However, the work of unions is not finished, with workers' rights under attack across the country. "The struggle continues as we see moves to drive down wages under the federal government's Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, to restrict Employment Insurance (EI) payments to laid-off workers and to keep people in the workplace until the age of 67 under proposed changes to Old Age Security (OAS) rules," he said.

Events at the park tomorrow, being dubbed the Party of the Century, include:

• 11:30 a.m.: Parade led by bagpiper;

• 12:30 p.m.: Celebration opens. AFL president Gil McGowan will speak to the crowd about 100 years of union struggles and victories, the challenges that lie ahead for the labour movement – and why unions are still a vital force in defending working families from attack;

• 1:30 p.m.: Concert Juno-nominated folksinger Maria Dunn; and

• 2:30-4:30 p.m.: AFL Centennial Convention.

• 4:30-11:30 p.m.: Continuous live entertainment

Festivities continue throughout the day, with lots of activities for families to enjoy, including kids' games, face-painting, pony races, sack races and crafts. A stellar lineup of musical performances is scheduled during the day, with concerts from artists including Souljah Fyah, Audio/Rocketry, the Rault Brothers Band, Terry Morrison and Notres Dames des Bananes.

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For more information:

• Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour (780) 218-9888

The City of Edmonton is honouring the 100th anniversary of a local union with its very own dedicated week of recognition.

Mayor Stephen Mandel and numerous councillors were on hand at city hall on Monday to declare June 11 to 17 Alberta Federation of Labour Centennial Celebration Week.

"It's to recognize that it's the 100th anniversary, and the contributions they've made to the city and to the workers in the province," said Mandel.

The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) was first formed by workers and farmers in 1912.

Today, the AFL represents 145,000 workers across the province, comprised of 29 unions from the public and private sector.

"We're very proud of what our organization has been able to accomplish over the last 100 years," said ALF President Gill McGowan.

"Many of the battles that were started by my predecessors that many years ago have been won, frankly."

Initial AFL objectives included ending child labour, setting a minimum wage, establishing occupational health and safety regulations, and hammering out a standard 40-hour work week.

McGowan said that while workers are better off as a result of AFL's work over the past century, both the current federal and provincial governments threaten worker rights.

"The (Stephen) Harper government has used back to work legislation not once, not twice, but five times just in the last year alone. And now they're considering legislation that is going to make it much more difficult for unions to do the job that they need to do on behalf of working people," he said.

McGowan also points to election platform policies from Premier Alison Redford and the Alberta Progressive Conservatives that aim to close "frivolous lawsuit loopholes," and give union members the ability to opt-out of union dues that "fund activities unrelated to collective bargaining and grievance administration."

Other policy points include laws that make it mandatory for the AFL to provide annual financial statements for members to show "how dues were spent in the previous year."

"As we come together today to celebrate 100 years, we also have to remind ourselves that there are battles that still need to be fought in order to protect the right of workers to join together in unions and bargain collectively," said McGowan.

The week of celebration includes a large gathering at Fort Edmonton Park June 16 that includes games for kids, a seniors tea, BBQ buffet dinner and a salute to labour tribute.

Edmonton Sun, Tues June 14 2012

CALGARY — Fraud charges against a Calgary woman who headed a group for foreign workers have the Alberta Federation of Labour calling on the government to scrap the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

"There is a clear and obvious lack of oversight of the TFW program that can lead to appalling abuse of workers," AFL president Gil McGowan said Tuesday.

"The TFW program isn't working for foreign workers, it isn't working for Alberta workers and it isn't working for employers. It's time to admit the program is a failure and replace it with real immigration."

McGowan pointed out that Auditor-General Sheila Fraser panned the program in her 2009 report, saying there has been no systematic follow-up to ensure employers are complying with the terms under which the Labour Mobility Opinion application was approved, such as wages to be paid and accommodations to be provided.

Red Deer Advocate, Wed Jun 13 2012

The Alberta Federation of Labour celebrates 100 years

Sat, Jun 16 - AFL Celebration in the Park
Fort Edmonton Park, $5

On June 14 in 1912 the Alberta Federation of Labour held its founding convention. One hundred years later the City of Edmonton marked the contribution of the AFL to the community by proclaiming the week "Alberta Federation of Labour Centennial Celebration Week." As part of a year-long celebration of labour history, President of the AFL Gil McGowan and Mayor Mandel took the opportunity to speak publicly about not only the historical role of unions, but the importance of the labour movement in the political context of 2012.

"If we think back 100 years we would be appalled by the environment in which we worked and the strides. It's a great credit to the commitment to the members who worked so hard for so many years to achieve the rights and freedoms we have today, things we take for granted," said Mandel in delivering the proclamation.

When the AFL first came together, miners and tradespeople in southern Alberta campaigned first against child labour and an improvement in the coal mines which were some of the most deadly in the world. But Mandel also looked to today's reality in the need for labour movements.
"Many in Alberta are working very hard to make ends meet and so we have to work hard to make progress for those Albertans," he said.

Currently, the AFL represents over 145 000 workers today and campaigns for improved working conditions for groups such as temporary foreign workers. Made up of 29 unions across the province, the AFL has won historical campaigns against provincial right-to-work legislation and participated in the coalition against private health care reforms in the mid-90s.

"It is important to celebrate 100 years of contributions," said Amarjeet Sohi, city councillor for Ward 12. "The more we celebrate the more we understand the role unions play in our lives."
Before becoming a councillor Sohi was a bus driver and president of the Amalgamated Transit Union. Celebrating the AFL this week means more to him than history, marking the contributions that labour groups make to the community. "It enhances community spirit and well being so it's important to recognize those contributions," says Sohi. "I see the value they bring not just to the work site but to the community in the form of better wages and in turn people's quality of life, which helps the economy. So it's a cycle and the role labour plays in our lives is part of that interconnection."

Vue Weekly,Wedn, June 13, 2012

Byline: Samantha Power

Melissa Holman, 40, a pianist turned entrepreneur, has said on the website of the Temporary Foreign Workers Association of Canada that she was moved to help newcomers after a chance encounter with a nanny who dreamed of a better life in Canada. She later became head of an agency that places caregivers around the world and then founded the TFWA, a support organization for foreigners.

On the organization's website, Ms. Holman says immigrants are sometimes unwitting targets of those looking to profit from Canada's booming trade in international workers.

"Unfortunately, some lawyers, immigration consultants and agencies have the tendency to hold monetary power over immigrants," she wrote.

Calgary police said on Tuesday that the alleged victim, a 55-year-old woman from Japan who is in Canada on a student visa, was told she couldn't work in Canada and persuaded that she had to hand over the deeds to two homes and $410,000, otherwise she could be deported or her assets seized.

"Most immigrants don't come with this amount of wealth, but this wealth was accumulated through ... a lifetime of working and inheritance," Staff Sergeant Geoff Gawlinski said. "This person obviously felt threatened by what was told to her by the accused, and felt motivated to turn over all of her lifelong assets to stay in Canada."

Ms. Holman, who remains president of the association, cancelled a scheduled press conference on Tuesday and her lawyer did not return a request for comment. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Co-workers said Ms. Holman has helped thousands of people since the organization was founded two years ago and that the case is based on a misunderstanding or vendetta.

"She's an amazing person," said a colleague who asked not to be identified. "There are two sides to every story. Eventually it will come out."

Police and those who work with immigrants say the charges shine a light on the problems of trusting newcomers who are unfamiliar with Canadian laws. In this case, police said the alleged victim's assets had in fact never been in any danger of being seized.

The alleged victim in Calgary did not respond to a request for an interview, but police said she was referred to Ms. Holman's association to assist with a visa matter. Police contend that over a two-week period last summer, the alleged victim agreed to sign over two homes – one where she resided, the second an investment rental property – and provide banking information. By September, friends reported the situation to police.

After consultations with a special prosecutor, charges were laid last week. Police disclosed the case publicly on Tuesday.

Ms. Holman faces five counts of fraud over $5,000 and five counts of theft over $5,000.

She is expected to appear in court on Aug. 21. Investigators have recovered $90,000 and restored ownership of both residences to the alleged victim.

Brandon St. Jean, director of Immigrant Services Calgary, a registered charity with a 35-year track record, said newcomers who bring significant assets to Canada are the perfect "recipe for unscrupulous folks."

He urges new Canadians and temporary foreign workers to research organizations before they turn to them for advice.

"When things like this happen, it just creates so much distrust around the program and the system as a whole," Mr. St. Jean said. "It creates distrust on the end of new Canadians, but it also creates distrust on those of us who have been born and raised in Canada around the whole issue of immigration."

The Alberta Federation of Labour, which has long complained about abuse in the temporary foreign worker program, said the fraud charges demonstrate that the system should be scrapped.

Ottawa counted 300,000 temporary foreign workers across the country as of Dec. 1, 2011, and of those, more than 58,000 were in Alberta, making it the third most popular destination behind Ontario and British Columbia.

Globe and Mail, Tues Jun 12 2012
Byline: Dawn Walton

"We hear story after story from temporary foreign workers who have been denied the wages that they were promised," said Gil McGowan with the AFL.

"Wages deducted from their cheques illegally, who have had their travel documents seized by brokers and employers."

Calgary police have charged Holman with five counts of fraud over $5,000, as well as five counts of theft over $5,000.

They say the situation a rare case but McGowan says its cases like these that show why Ottawa should scrap the program.

He acknowledges the need for foreign workers but suggests they should be implemented through a real immigration program.

"As opposed to this phony immigration program which basically treats workers as disposable post-it notes to be used and thrown away once we're done with them," McGowan said.

"That's not the Canadian way. It flies in the face of Canadian values."

McGowan warns Canada's reputation is at stake.

"This program is giving us an incredibly big black eye, one that I think we're not going to be able to recover from."

Police say through civil action, the victim has been able to get back ownership of her two properties and about $90,000 cash, but $300,000 is still unaccounted for.

The accused is out on bail with conditions, including not being able to make bank deposits, withdrawals or transfers from the TFWA's accounts.

Holman's next court appearance is in August.

Edmonton CTV, Tues Jun 12, 2012

Lack of oversight will lead to more abuse of vulnerable workers, says AFL

News that the former head of a group that acts as a broker for temporary foreign workers has been charged with fraud valued at more than $2 million has led to renewed calls to scrap the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program.

"There is a clear and obvious lack of oversight of the TFW program that can lead to appalling abuse of workers," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which represents 145,000 workers.

"The TFW program isn't working for foreign workers, it isn't working for Alberta workers and it isn't working for employers. It's time to admit the program is a failure and replace it with real immigration," he says.

Calgary police today revealed that the former head of the Temporary Foreign Workers Association of Canada has been charged with defrauding a newcomer to Canada.

Police said they believe the Calgary woman was president of the non-profit association when she allegedly defrauded a woman of more than $2 million in property and cash.

Melissa Holman, 40, faces five counts of fraud over $5,000 and five counts of theft over $5,000.

Auditor-General Sheila Fraser panned the TFW program in her 2009 report stating "there has been no systematic follow-up ... to verify that employers are complying with the terms and conditions under which the LMO (Labour Mobility Opinion) application was approved, such as wages to be paid and accommodations to be provided."

McGowan said this lack of oversight will get far worse with the Accelerated Labour Market Opinion (ALMO) process proposed by the Harper government.

"The federal government admits that fewer than 20 per cent of successful ALMOs will be subject to a compliance review. We can only imagine the widespread abuse workers will endure when bad employers know they have little chance of getting caught," says McGowan.

"These workers were vulnerable before and reports of abuse are widespread. It's only going to get worse. As working conditions for TFWs deteriorate, it makes conditions for all workers worse. It's the same with wages. The Tories will allow TFWs to be paid 15 per cent less than the prevailing regional wage, meaning there will be immediate pressure on Canadians to work for less or risk losing their jobs," he says.

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For more information call: Gil McGowan, President @ 780-218-9888 (cell)