ALF V1

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

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

The city of Edmonton is honouring the 100th anniversary of a local union with it's very own dedicated week of recognition.

Mayor Stephen Mandel and numerous councillors were on hand at City Hall 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 AFL 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 ALF'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 senior's tea, BBQ buffet dinner and a salute to the labour tribute.

For more information, visit www.afl.org.

Edmonton Sun, Mon Jun 11 2012
Byline: Tanara McLean

AFL vows to continue fight for rights as attacks on workers continue

The City of Edmonton today paid tribute to contributions union members have made to the city and province with a ceremony at City Hall.

"If one would look back a hundred years, one would be just appalled at the condition you worked in and the environment people worked in," said His Worship Mayor Stephen Mandel as he proclaimed this week to be "Alberta Federation of Labour Centennial Celebration Week" in Edmonton. He paid tribute to the "tremendous efforts and sacrifices" made by members of the labour movement to create the "rights and freedoms that are so important today, things we take for granted."

President Gil McGowan said the AFL was delighted that the City of Edmonton had agreed to honour the contribution of workers by making the proclamation as the federation, which represents 145,000 workers, celebrates its centennial.

"It's important for us to remember the contributions that workers and unions have made to this province in the last 100 years – and the obstacles they overcame and the attacks they endured. 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 said.

"Unions have been instrumental in creating a strong working class and middle class, where people get a fair wage for their hard work and are able to provide homes for their families and give their children a good education."

However, McGowan stressed the work of unions was 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.

"If the Harper government continues down this path, all workers will be worse off, our communities will be worse off as their economies shrink in line with falling wages, and local businesses will be worse off as people stop spending. The only winners will be Harper's big-business backers," said McGowan.

"The Harper government is hell-bent on attacking unions in the same way he is going after charities and environmental groups. Anyone who speaks up, anyone who argues against Tory ideology, has become a target. They will be met with vigorous resistance. We've been here for 100 years – and we're not going away now, when people need us."

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CONTACT: Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888

Photo: AFL president Gil McGowan, left, receives a framed proclamation and congratulations from His Worship Mayor Stephen Mandel at Edmonton City Hall on Monday, June 11

Workers who have helped build this province now under attack, says AFL

A century of contributions by working Albertans will be honoured by the Mayor of Edmonton in a special ceremony on Monday, June 11.

Mayor Stephen Mandel will proclaim the week of June 11-17 to be "Alberta Federation of Labour Centennial Celebration Week" in Edmonton.

"The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) is delighted that the City of Edmonton has agreed to honour the contribution of workers by making this proclamation," says Gil McGowan, president of the federation, which represents 145,000 workers.

"The AFL was created in 1912 by workers and farmers who saw the need for an organization that would protect their common interests and make their communities stronger. It's important, 100 years later, to remember the role unions played in building this province – and that Alberta was at the forefront of the national struggle for workers' rights," he says.

"That 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."

The proclamation is one of many events being held around the province this year to celebrate the AFL centennial.

The highlight will be a full day of activities at Fort Edmonton Park on Saturday, June 16, which is expected to draw a crowd of thousands.

TIME: 1:30 p.m., Monday, June 11.

LOCATION: Foyer of Edmonton City Hall. The proclamation will be made in front of a labour-history display celebrating the contributions workers have made to life in Alberta.

ATTENDING: Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, AFL president Gil McGowan and union members.

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For more information:

Media Contact: Gil McGowan, President @ 780-218-9888 (cell) or 780-483-3021 (office)

Centennial of Alberta Federation of Labour marked with great day at Fort Edmonton Park

Finding a fun event for the whole family just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and Alberta unions.

The AFL is celebrating its centennial, and the highlight of a year of events around the province will be a full day of activities for all Albertans to enjoy at Fort Edmonton Park on June 16.

"We've spent 100 years building a better life for working Albertans and building a better province. We figured it's time to party – that's why we have planned the Party of the Century at the park," says Gil McGowan, president of the AFL, which represents 145,000 workers.

Fort Edmonton Park offers visitors experience a taste of life in Alberta between 1846 and 1929, with costumed interpreters telling stories, answering questions and bringing history alive. Visitors can also take a ride on steam train or visit the Midway for rides, games and more fun.

To mark the centennial of the AFL, a number of extra activities are also planned, including a series of concerts by award-winning singers and musicians, as well as lots of activities for kids. All of these activities are included in the cost of admission to the park. The AFL and the City of Edmonton are making 4,000 park admission tickets available to members and invited guests at a reduced price of only $5. These are available by contacting the AFL at 1-800-661-3995 or at [email protected].

Musical performers include:

• Maria Dunn, a storyteller through song who has been nominated for Juno and Canadian Folk Music Awards. She'll perform a special show called Troublemakers, which documents the history of working people in Alberta from 1900 to 1950, depicting the resilience and hope that carried them through experiences of immigration, internment, exploitation and the Great Depression;

• Souljah Fyah, a Juno-nominated Edmonton reggae band that has been honoured with a Western Canada Music Award, Canadian Reggae Music Awards and Reggae Music Achievement Awards;

• Audio/Rocketry, an acoustic, folk/punk group that has been described as "combining a DIY punk ethos and a love for roots music";

• The Rault Brothers Band, led by Lionel Rault, who has been one of Alberta's favourite folk-roots musicians for 30 years and has shared the stage with performers including John Hiatt, Taj Mahal, J.J. Cale, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, the Staple Singers and more.

• Terry Morrison, whose music spans the range from jazzy folk to country. She has toured extensively throughout Canada and the U.S. and has performed at many Canadian folk fests including Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto's Mariposa Festival, Vancouver Island Music Fest, Frostbite in the Yukon and both the North and South Country Fairs of Alberta; and

• Notre Dame des Bananes: Often called "Edmonton's most dangerous choir," the Notre Dame des Bananes has brought together trade unionists, social activists, socialists and social democrats since it was formed in 1979. Since then, it has been delighting crowds with songs (many written by choir members) of protest, social justice and trade struggles, victories, heroes and villains.

Events for children include:

• Face painters;

• Balloon makers;

• Pony races;

• Plinko game;

• Sack races; and

• Crafts.

"Albertans have always worked hard, but we know how to have a good time, too," says McGowan. "I can't imagine a better way for families to learn about what we have achieved and have a great time than attending our Party of the Century!"

TIME: 10:30 a.m. – midnight, Saturday, June 16

LOCATION: Fort Edmonton Park

EVENT: Party of the Century! AFL celebrates centennial with full day of events for the whole family to enjoy.

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CONTACT: Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888

A century of fighting for workers' rights is explored in a display that opening today at Edmonton City Hall.

"The labour movement has been a vital player in shaping the city of Edmonton and the province of Alberta. This display will show some of the important work done by unions," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which celebrates its centennial this year.

"The AFL was created in 1912 by workers and farmers who saw the need for an organization that would protect their common interests and make their communities stronger. It's important, 100 years later, to remember the role unions played in building this city and this province – and that Alberta was at the forefront of the national struggle for workers' rights," he says.

"That 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."

The display at opens today (Friday, June 1) and runs until June 12. It includes a display of 12 separate panels, each focusing on a separate theme in Alberta labour history.

It is one of a number of displays being staged around the province in conjunction with the centennial of the AFL, which today represents 145,000 workers. The site of other displays include the Royal Alberta Museum, Fort McMurray Library, Hinton Municipal Library, the Provincial Archives, the Aviation Hall of Fame (Wetaskiwin), the Wetaskiwin & District Heritage Museum, the Canmore Museum & Geoscience Centre, the Red Deer Museum & Archives, the Olds Library, the Glenbow Institute, the Crowsnest Museum, the Galt Museum, the Medicine Hat Esplanade, the Medalta Museum in Medicine Hat (Clayworks Society) and the Bonnyville & District Museum.

The displays are part of a year-long, province-wide celebration of the AFL centennial. Juno-nominated folksinger Maria Dunn is part way through an extensive concert tour of the province, singing songs about labour and Alberta. A labour history conference is being organized by the Alberta Labour History Institute from June 13-15.

The highlight of the celebrations will be a Celebration in the Park on June 16, when thousands are expected to attend Fort Edmonton Park for a full day of events for adults and children. The day's events will also include an AFL convention.

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CONTACT: Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888

High resolution photos from the display available for download:

Photo 1: Navvies lay railway track in southern Alberta during the First World War. Photo courtesy of the Alberta Labour History Institute.

Photo 2: A woman works at the Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat in the 1950s. Photo courtesy of Medalta History Clay District.

Photo 3: Jo-Ann Kolmes, a member of the Alberta Labour History Insitute, sets up the labour-history display running at Edmonton City Hall from June 1-12, 2012.

Photo 4:  Winston Gereluk, of the Alberta Federation of Labour, sets up the labour-history display running at Edmonton City Hall from June 1-12, 2012.

Photo 5: The labour-history display at Edmonton City Hall is a big hit with visitors. The display runs June1-12, 2012.

A century of fighting for workers' rights is explored in a display that opened this week at Bonnyville & District Museum (click here for a sample display).

"The labour movement has been a vital player in shaping the province of Alberta and this display will show some of the important work done by unions," says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), which celebrates its centennial this year.

"The AFL was created in 1912 by workers and farmers who saw the need for an organization that would protect their common interests and make their communities stronger. It's important, 100 years later, to remember the role unions played in building this province – and that Alberta was at the forefront of the national struggle for workers' rights," he says.

"That 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."

The display at the Bonnyville & District Museum at 4401 - 54th Avenue, Bonnyville, opened this week and runs until the end of August. It includes a display of 12 separate panels, each focusing on a separate theme in Alberta labour history.

It is one of a number of displays being staged around the province in conjunction with the centennial of the AFL, which today represents 145,000 workers. The site of other displays include the Royal Alberta Museum, Ft. McMurray Library, Hinton Municipal Library, the Provincial Archives, the Aviation Hall of Fame (Wetaskiwin), the Wetaskiwin & District Heritage Museum, the Canmore Museum & Geoscience Centre, the Red Deer Museum & Archives, the Olds Library, the Glenbow Institute, the Crowsnest Museum, the Galt Museum, the Medicine Hat Esplanade and the Medalta Museum in Medicine Hat (Clayworks Society).

The museum and library displays are part of a year-long, province-wide celebration of the AFL centennial. Juno-nominated folksinger Maria Dunn is part way through an extensive concert tour of the province, singing songs about labour and Alberta.

The highlight of the celebrations will be a Celebration in the Park on June 16, when thousands are expected to attend Fort Edmonton Park for a full day of events for adults and children.

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CONTACT:

• Gil McGowan, AFL president, 780-218-9888.

• Kirsti Tamblyn, Ground Zero Productions at 780-420-1400 [email protected]

The history of Alberta's labour movement will be commemorated in song on Saturday at the Red Deer Public Library.

Singer/songwriter Maria Dunn will be joined by Shannon Johnson on violin and vocals, and Sharmila Mathur on sitar and percussion. Their Piece by Piece provincial concert tour is in celebration of the Alberta Federation of Labour's centennial.

Video and live performance, story and song, will be combined at the 7:30 p.m. event to tell the history of the immigrant women who worked in an Edmonton's garment plant that was later moved to Haiti.

The concert in the library's Snell Auditorium is organized by the Alberta Federation of Labour, in conjunction with a local committee working with the Red Deer and District Labour Council on plans to commemorate the AFL's 100th anniversary.

The local group is fundraising to mount a stainless steel installation on the outer wall of the Alberta Trades and Labour Society building in downtown Red Deer.

Donations for this project are welcome. Otherwise, tickets to the concert are $10 by calling 403-391-4242.

Red Deer Advocate, Sun May 6 2012

Exploited workers, unfair wages, picket-line bravery and basic employee mistreatment were all-too common in yesterday's workplace. Today, these are often thought of as issues of a past and less-civilized time. However, this is not always the case.

The Heritage Museum is displaying a new exhibit in honour of the Alberta Federation of Labour's centennial anniversary from April 24, until the end of June, tracing the federation's history. Museum president and CEO Sylvia Larson is proud to host the exhibit. "There are stories that need to be told," said Larson. "The employment situation needed to be straightened out, so the Federation of Labour was necessary." The exhibit describes several of these stories and they are interesting tales indeed.

In 1995, Calgary's hospital laundry workers walked into a cafeteria and were met with devastating news. They were about to be fired. Just two days earlier, the workers had already been forced to accept rather sizeable pay cuts in a desperate bid to salvage their jobs, for a total of 28 per cent in wage cuts over two years. It would be of no avail. In the cafeteria that day, they were delivered the brutal truth in a cold and matter-of-fact manner.

There would be no severance packages even for those workers whom had dedicated themselves to the job for more than a decade. The stunned workers would receive nothing more than a cruel good-bye on their way out the door.

The newly formed Calgary Health Authority decided to force the old workers out, replacing them with Edmonton contractors who were more than willing to do the work for less money. They expected no ramifications for their unjust actions, after all the 90's were wrought with government cut-backs and job loss. They were sadly mistaken. The perceived 'pushovers' decided to push back – and hard.

The 120 workers at two hospital laundries, which included many immigrant women and single mothers, became unlikely heroes during a time when the Klein government commanded a five per cent rollback from most of its employees, sending many Albertans into a state of panic.

The day after the devastating news, 60 Canadian Union of Public Employees, (CUPE) laundry workers from the Foothills hospital took to the street in a wildcat strike.

The following day, 60 members of the Alberta Union of Public Employees, (AUPE) from Calgary General Hospital joined them in the illegal strike.

No one could have expected that the normally docile group's newfound outrage would set into motion the eruption of a subdued Alberta labour movement and be an inspiration to public sector workers across the country.

Wetaskiwin Times, Fri May 4 2012