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The Alberta Federation of Labour today applauded the union at Lakeside for reaching a tentative agreement with Lakeside Packers in Brooks, but pledged to continue to pressure the government for first contract arbitration laws.

"The fact that Tyson Foods and Lakeside management actually agreed to terms with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) 401 demonstrates how much public support the workers at Lakeside had won," says AFL President Gil McGowan. "If this settlement is ratified, it will be a giant first step toward justice for the Lakeside workers and it will also provide some much-needed assurance of dependability for Alberta's cattle industry."

"But we have to put all of this in perspective," says McGowan. "The really frustrating thing is that this is a strike that didn't have to happen in the first place. All the picket line clashes, all the tension, all the economic damage could have been avoided if Alberta had first contract arbitration like other provinces."

"So, while we're all relieved that a settlement is in sight," says McGowan, "this whole situation has highlighted the fact that we have a real problem with labour laws in this province. By allowing employers to simply refuse to bargain with duly and democratically elected unions, our laws actually provoke the kind of confrontation that we've seen in Lakeside."

McGowan warns that future crises are inevitable without government action. "The sad truth is that under our labour laws there are no real consequences for companies who bargain in bad faith, says McGowan. "So if something is not done to change the law, we're going to see more Lakesides in the future. It's not a question of 'if,' it's a question of 'when'."

McGowan insists that Albertans cannot let the provincial government off the hook on their promise to look at first contract arbitration laws for Alberta and promises that labour intends to keep the pressure on the government. "This issue can not simply be allowed to disappear until we are in the middle of the next labour relations crisis," says McGowan.

McGowan suggests that for today, however, the UFCW and the labour movement can take the time recognize they have won an historic victory. "UFCW and the Lakeside workers have made a breakthrough today that paves the way for a better future for them and their families," concluded McGowan. "If ever there was a group of people who need the kind of protection that a union contract can bring, this is it. They stood up to one of the U.S.'s biggest corporate heavyweights, and they got them to agree to a contract. My hat is off to them."

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For more information contact:

Gil McGowan, AFL President at 780.915-4599 (cell) or 780.483-3021 (wk)

EDMONTON-In the aftermath of the rejection of a tentative agreement by Telus workers, the AFL sent a letter to Telus CEO Darren Entwistle urging the company to return quickly to the bargaining table. While the vote was a setback, the AFL says, the parties need to use it to make one last push for an agreement.

"The closeness of the result tells us the two parties are not very far apart," writes AFL President Gil McGowan in his letter to Entwistle. "I strongly believe that one more honest attempt to find a deal will result in an agreement that would garner majority support from TWU members."

"It is time to put egos aside," says McGowan. "Set aside the personal acrimony from this dispute and know that an agreement is in sight. It is time to get it done."

McGowan indicates that attempting to "punish" TWU members for voting no will only prolong and deepen the crisis at Telus. "Saying that the time for talking is over is exactly the wrong message to send right now."

McGowan also renewed the promise from the labour movement to support the TWU members on the picket line. We need to respect the choice of the members. Our job in the labour movement is to continue to offer whatever support we can to help them through this lock out and to help them get a fair deal."

"Alberta's labour movement continues to stand with TWU," McGowan concludes.

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For more information contact:

Gil McGowan, AFL President at 780.915-4599 (cell) or 780.483-3021 (wk)

Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour, October 28, 2005

Hello and welcome.

As many of you know, my name is Gil McGowan, and I'm president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

I'd like to begin this afternoon by thanking all of you for taking the time to attend this reception.

I know we have a jammed packed agenda and every spare minute is precious; so we appreciate you making the effort to squeeze us in.

I'd particularly like to welcome all the delegates from the government and business communities.

Some people joke that we come here first for the food and the scenery and only second for the discussion.

But for me, there simply aren't enough opportunities for dialog between our two solitudes.

I sincerely believe that by meeting like this and getting to know each other face-to-face we can more effectively make strides towards that elusive goal of workplace harmony.

Of course, harmony is not the word that many would use to describe what's going on in Alberta today.

And that's why I've arranged to have this talk this afternoon.

In many ways, what we're seeing around the province right now is a story of stark contrasts.

On one hand, here in Alberta in 2005, we have it all.

Our economy is literally floating on a sea of oil dollars. Demand for what we produce is strong and getting stronger. Profits are up, unemployment is down and our provincial treasury is bursting at the seams. It's hard to imagine how our economic prospects could be brighter.

During times like these, Albertans should be comfortable and confident. We should be looking to the future with hope. We should be dreaming big. We should building schools and hospitals. We should not only be maintaining the social programs we have, we should be enhancing them.

Many around us are indeed living the Alberta dream. But for many others, it's a different story.

Instead of comfort and confidence we get picket lines. And instead of enhancing the programs we have, we get 12-year-olds at work and Premier's Klein's Third Way for private health care.

That's the face of the other Alberta; and it's the face that many of our members are struggling to deal with today.

Military metaphors are often over-used by leaders & but it's hard for those of us in the labour community not to describe what's been happening over the last six months as a war.

It's a war with many fronts.

Telus. CBC. Lakeside. Finning. Casino Calgary.

Never before in Alberta history have so many workers, from so many different unions and so many different sectors of the economy been on the picket line at the same time.

It would be one thing if all these strikes were simply about wages; about workers trying to get a bigger piece of Alberta's expanding economic pie.

But they're not. Each one of these labour disputes are about much more fundamental issues.

In the case of both Telus and Finning, for example, it's about contracting out and job security.

In both cases we have companies that are hugely successful. Telus dominates the telecommunications market in western Canada. And Finning is the leading supplier of heavy equipment to Alberta's booming oil industry. These are companies that measure their profits, not in millions, not in tens of millions, but in hundreds of millions.

And yet, despite their market dominance and despite their profits, many of the people working at these companies feel insecure.

And they feel insecure with good reason: Telus has laid off thousands and they've been dipping their toe in pool of foreign outsourcing. And Finning has already contracted out or spun off whole divisions at the expense of hundreds of jobs.

So the fight at Finning and Telus and the CBC has not been about nickels and dimes: it has been about fighting for careers rather than contracts; and about stopping the disappearance of stable, family-sustaining jobs.

The strike at Lakeside Packers in Brooks and Casino Calgary are also about bedrock issues of fairness.

Just last weekend I spoke with a women on the Casino Calgary picket line who has worked as a dealer at the Casino for 25 years. When she started in 1980, she made $7.00 and hour. Today, 25 years later, she makes $7.80 and hour. 80 cents in 25 years.

To make matters worse, while I was standing there, the casino owner's son pulled up in his Hummer and sneered at the picketers.

It was one of those moments of clarity. Here, on one hand was a group of struggling minimum wage workers, and there, on the other hand, was some driving a vehicle that costs more than any of the workers could make in ten years.

It's a similar situation in Brooks.

You've already heard from the Lakeside workers themselves last night, so I won't belabour the point. But I'll say this.

This is a strike about the most basic issues. It's about right most Albertans take for granted: like the right to go to the bathroom when you need to; like the right to see a doctor when you're injured; like the right to actually get paid for all the time you work.

To illustrate how bad things are there, I'll tell you two quick stories.

First, one of the strikers told me about an incident when one of the beef carcasses, weighing hundreds of pounds, fell off the assembly line on top of a worker. The managers rushed in quickly: but not to help the injured worker. They were there to pick up the meat.

The second, story I'll tell you is about a practice that sounds like it comes right out of some south Asian sweat shop. It's called gang time and it happens every day at Lakeside. Basically what happens is that Lakeside stops paying people when they stop slaughtering cattle.

The only problem is that it's an assembly line operation, so it takes some time for the last animal to make it's way from the killing floor to the end of the line. And for all that time, as much as an hour at the end of each shift, the workers along the line are not getting paid.

Lakeside's parent company Tyson Foods has been brought up on charges and convicted of this practice in the states. But it's also happening here.

This is why some of the workers talk about how working at Lakeside is like slavery. Many of them have come from desperate war-torn countries & they come to Canada full of hope and this is how they are greeted.

Now, I don't want to paint all of Alberta business with the same brush. The truth is that the vast majority of employers in the province are good employers and the vast majority of business people in the province are people of good conscience.

But, in the spirit of openness, I have to tell you, when we in the labour movement look at what's going on, we come away feeling deeply troubled.

We're fighting for job security during strong economic times when insecurity should be the last thing on our minds.

And we're fighting battles for basic fairness and respect that most people thought were won a generation ago.

As president of the AFL, I'm often asked: what's going on? And why is all of this happening now.

In nutshell, I think it's a problem of limits, or more precisely, the lack of limits.

Think of it this way. Ours is an individualistic society, where we are generally free to choose how we live our lives and that's a good thing.

But even in this free society we have limits, we have boundaries.

Some of them are legally codified: you can't steal, you can't speed, you can't break into your neighbour's house and help your self to his new plasma TV. But some of our boundaries are strictly social. For example, it may not be illegal to make a pass at your best friend's wife, but generally speaking, we know it's something we shouldn't do.

In the same vein, here in Alberta - when it comes to the way employers deal with their workers - I would make the argument that there is a problem with limits. Specifically, I think there is a problem with both the codified rules and the less formal cultural and social limits that put boundaries on what is acceptable and what isn't.

On the legal side, we have a weak labour code that makes it hard for unions to organize and bargain and which fails to give our labour board the powers that other provincial labour boards have to promote fair bargaining and discourage unfair practices.

We also have a weak employment standards system that sometimes sounds good on paper but is not backed up with an effective enforcement mechanism.

These weak laws open the door for some businesses to behave badly, and, as we seen, some of them do exactly that.

On the social side, we also have a business culture that too often says "anything goes."

We all know that some companies are behaving badly. But too often our leaders in other business and government circles turn the other way.

As someone once said to on the picket line in Brooks: It's like someone is getting beaten up in the alley and instead of helping, people close the blinds and turn up the stereo."

That's what happens when you don't have appropriate limits. In the broader society, when limits break down, we end up with people behaving badly; maybe not everybody, but some people.

In the same way, without appropriate limits in the business world, some businesses cross over the line of what's acceptable.

In nutshell, that's what I think explains the explosion of labour unrest in the province this year. It's a story of weak limits. And it's a story about corporations behaving badly.

The thing about weak limits is that they are really in no ones best interests. Our members don't want to be on the picket line. It's costly, it's disruptive and, especially when it comes to things like the situation in Brooks, it gives the entire Alberta business community a black eye.

So I have a modest proposal. I would like to see the labour movement and the responsible majority of the business community work together at promoting a package of more appropriate labour standards.

We're not asking for the moon.

On the legal side, what we need is first contract arbitration, so that employers can't simply ignore the democratically expressed will of their employees.

Dozens of strikes were avoided in other provinces last year because of first contract arbitration. If we had it here, there would be no strike at Brooks. The time for first contract arbitration in Alberta has come.

We also think that the Labour Board needs some of the powers that were stripped from it in 1988. In particular, we think they need the big stick of automatic certification. Charges of bad faith bargaining mean nothing if there is no effective deterrent.

When it comes to employment standards, we could go on all day. But at the very least, we need a more aggressive approach to enforcement. Giving employment standards officers the power to issue tickets, as opposed to always having to go through the courts would be an important first step.

On the social side, we'd like to see is leadership from government and the business community & we need to identify standards of what's acceptable and what's not.

We talk about promoting best practices - that's great - but I think we should also be talking about identifying and actively discouraging worst practices.

So, when some corporation behaves badly - when something dark slithers out from under a rock - we don't want them to be greeted by silence. Instead we want them to be greeted by the law, and the full blown and actively expressed disapproval of not only the labour movment and civil society, but also the Alberta corporate community.

Finally, on the subject of contracting out and job security, which is at the heart of so many of our disputes, we'd like to see some movement from the business community.

Providing employees with decent working conditions and some measure of job security should not be seen as a straight jacket that undermines profit, but as a cost of doing business.

To conclude, I'd just like to remind you of what we all know. We are living through a period of great prosperity. We can make the argument that Alberta today is one of the most prosperous jurisdictions, not just in Canada, but the entire world.

But, and here's the really important point: the only real way that most ordinary Albertans share in the Alberta Advantage is through their jobs and the wages they earn. If those wages are stagnant or declining, if those jobs are insecure, then those people are not sharing in the Alberta Advantage.

And the implications are serious; if our companies in Alberta can't provide some measure of security; if careers are really being replaced by contracts, if job security has become a quaint notion from the past, then where does that leave us?

Without being too melodramatic, I think that what's at stake is nothing less that the future of our middle class.

If even here in Alberta the Wealthy people don't have security, can't take mortgages, can't save for kids education, then we really have a problem.

It's not enough to think, some one else will provide the good jobs; if we all think that the next guy is doing it, one day we'll wake up and wonder where the middle class went.

The fact that so many people are not being treated better, the fact that we're allowing some corporations to behave badly even during a time of unprecedented prosperity, is a black mark on Alberta.

I think we can do better. Given prosperity, I know we can do better. Maybe, by working together, we can get the ball rolling.

EDMONTON - The President of the Alberta Federation of Labour, Gil McGowan, today released the following statement regarding the car accident last night that killed two striking Lakeside workers, and injured four others:

"On behalf of the labour movement in Alberta, I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the two workers killed last night. At this moment of shock and grieving, we wish to say to everyone in Brooks, and in particular to those closest to the two killed workers, that you are not alone in your suffering. We are all in shock at the tragedy that occurred last night. Please know, in this moment of your suffering that the labour movement continues to stand with you - on your picket line and in your moment of grieving.

This accident affects the whole community of Brooks, but it also affects workers across the province. I can say with confidence that the members of the AFL are willing to assist you in any way possible to help you through this difficult time.

Our thoughts are with you today."

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For more information contact:

Gil McGowan, AFL President at 780.915-4599 (cell)

In a major demonstration of union solidarity, the Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) is ensuring that no work normally done by striking International Association of Machinists (IAM) members will be performed at the Suncor oil sands site in Fort McMurray for the duration of the IAM labour dispute with Finning.

"This is a huge demonstration of solidarity," says AFL President Gil McGowan. "It sends a clear message to Finning that working people and unions are solidly behind the striking members of IAM Lodge 99. It also shows that labour can take effective action over and above normal picket line support."

Over 1000 IAM members in Alberta and the Northwest Territories went on strike against Finning on October 20, 2005. The union says that the major issue is job protection from contracting-out. IAM Lodge 99 has already lost hundreds of members due to contracting-out, and the union is demanding job protection for its members.

"I believe that Finning should reconsider their bargaining position in this dispute," says McGowan. "The public are very sympathetic to workers fighting for job security these days, and a long, drawn dispute could have a major impact on the company's ability to meet their customers' needs."

"Finally, I would like to commend CEP Local 707," says McGowan. "I know they had to negotiate this deal under tense circumstances. To put the interests of other workers and unions ahead of your own is really the highest ethical action any union can take."

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For more information contact:

Gil McGowan, AFL President at 780.915-4599 (cell) or 780.483-3021 (wk)

The Alberta Federation of Labour responded to an Alberta Labour Relations Board (LRB) decision handed down today banning two high-ranking managers from the picket line, any strike-related activity and from any future negotiations. The AFL says the "unprecedented" decision highlights the outrageous behaviour of Tyson's managers at Lakeside, and should prompt the government to step in.

"Lakeside's Manager of Human Resources has been banned by the LRB from negotiating with the union or even having any contact with the union," says AFL President Gil McGowan. "This speaks volumes about Tyson's approach to bargaining. Rather than trying to get a deal, one of their lead negotiators is running the union leader off the road."

"This decision is unprecedented. The LRB never bans employer representatives from strike activity," notes McGowan. "The actions of these two men were so outrageous that the LRB felt it had to ban them. This is a huge statement."

The LRB ruled that Andrew Crocker, head of security for the plant, and Carey Kopp, Human Resources Manager, "deliberately pursued a vehicle driven by Doug O'Halloran & putting the lives of O'Halloran and other drivers on the road in danger." (page 2 of decision) It ordered both Kopp and Crocker to desist from any contact with strikers or union officials, to not be within 200 metres of the picket line, or to engage in any dispute-related misconduct. It also banned both men from being present during any negotiations. The LRB decision is available on-line at http://www.alrb.gov.ab.ca/decisions.html.

"How can we expect the union to sit down at a table with people who, directly or indirectly, just tried to injure the union president?" asks McGowan. "There is no hope of good faith bargaining from Tyson given this incident."

McGowan renewed the AFL's call for the government to step in to resolve the strike. "How much more evidence do they need that Tyson is not interested in negotiating a resolution? This company has no intention of signing a collective agreement. The government needs to intervene to protect the democratic rights of these workers."

"What does it take for workers to be protected in this province? Do we need to see more illegal acts?" wonders McGowan.

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For more information call:

Gil McGowan, AFL President at 780.915-4599 (cell) or 780.483-3021 (wk)

EDMONTON-The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) responded today to reports that four officials from Lakeside Packers - including the plant's former CEO, Garnet Altwasser, and the current farm operations manager, Patrick Gummeson -  have been charged in relation to an incident where UFCW President Doug O'Halloran's truck was brutally forced off the road by three other vehicles.

O'Halloran was hospitalized and is now at home recovering from injuries sustained in the crash.

"You expect to see this kind of vigilante action only in movies like Mississippi Burning," says AFL President Gil McGowan. "This proves that Tyson thinks it can do whatever it wants."

"This is just the latest in a long string of arrogant and outrageous actions by this employer," observes McGowan. "We've heard stories of intimidation, threats and bullying. And now, apparently, they're willing to put someone's life at risk."

McGowan puts a large portion of the blame for this incident at the feet of the government. "It has done nothing to try to resolve this dispute, despite repeated calls from the union, community leaders and the AFL."

"Alberta's labour laws create an environment where employers think they can get away with any action in the name of busting a union - because Alberta's labour law does nothing to stop them," notes McGowan. "The Lakeside strike is living proof that Alberta needs first contract arbitration."

First Contract Arbitration, common in other provinces, sets up a process of binding arbitration in cases where a group of workers are attempting to get their first contract with an employer and there is a stalemate.

"The hardest collective agreement to get is the first one. This is because many employers decide to bust the union rather than negotiate fairly. First Contract Arbitration is a way to prevent virulently anti-union employers from thwarting the democratic rights and wishes of its workers. It also gives both sides an incentive to bargain in good faith because they know the government or the labour relations board will step in if they don't. Here in Alberta, without first contract arbitration, there is none of that positive incentive - and we're seeing the results."

In light of the charges, McGowan renewed his call for the Premier and the Human Resources minister to step in to resolve this dispute. "We need action from Ralph Klein to bring this strike to a swift end - before anyone else gets hurt. And we need first contract arbitration to make sure it never happens again."

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For more information call:
Gil McGowan, AFL President   at (780) 915-4599

In a letter faxed to Human Resources and Employment Minster Mike Cardinal today, the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) has proposed a fast and fair way to resolve the dispute at Lakeside Packers in Brooks, Alberta.

"We have provided the Minister with a blueprint for a fast, fair settlement of the dispute," says AFL President Gil McGowan. "Our proposal is simple. The Minister has in his hands the settlement suggested by impartial Disputes Inquiry Board Chair John Moreau. He has the last offer by the employer, Tyson Foods, Ltd of Arkansas. Now he need only appoint an arbitrator to conduct a final-offer selection and create a binding collective agreement."

In final-offer selection, the arbitrator simply picks the most fair and reasonable of the two opposing positions on each outstanding issue and writes that position into a new collective agreement.

"If the government is willing to act on our suggestion, this dispute could be fairly and peacefully resolved in a matter of days," says McGowan. "The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401, has already indicated that it is willing to abide by this resolution process. The alternative is an increasingly bitter dispute with a company which has already shown that it is willing to provoke violence on the picket lines by trying to bus strikebreakers through picketers."

McGowan has experienced the picket-line tensions at Lakeside personally. He and the entire Executive Council of the Alberta Federation of Labour have moved their quarterly meeting to Brooks for this week.

"Other provinces have banned the use of strikebreakers specifically to put an end to violent confrontations on picket lines," concludes McGowan. "In the absence of that, and in the best interests of both the Alberta beef producers and packing house workers for a quick, fair settlement, I urge Mr. Cardinal to act immediately."

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For more information contact:

Gil McGowan, AFL President at 780.915-4599 (cell)

Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour, October 11, 2005

Good afternoon. Welcome to Alberta and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.

I'm here today as a spokesperson for the Alberta Federation of Labour is Alberta. The AFL is Alberta's largest labour organization, representing over 115,000 workers and their families.

As it stands now, only about 10 per cent of our members work under federal jurisdiction. But in many ways the Federal Code sets a bar for provincial codes - so our interest in this review is not narrow.

Before I get into the substance of my remarks, I want to begin by commending you on the extensive and exhaustive process that's been established for this review.

You've taken the broad view. You have allowed for a wide ranging discussion on the role of employment standards in the 21st century. You have reached out to stakeholder groups and formally included them in the process. You haven't rushed. You have taken the time to conduct a truly rigorous and thorough review. And you are in the process of conducting public hearings across this province and across the country.

The federal process stands in marked contrast to what's happening here in Albert. As you probably know, our provincial government just completed a review of our employment standards code - and it could not have been more different from what you're doing.

Instead of the broad view, our review was narrow and careful stage-managed. Instead of consulting with all stakeholders, our government only met with business. Instead of public hearings, we got a hastily thrown-together on-line questionnaire.

Frankly, in comparison to the federal review, our review comes across looking like an amateurish, one-sided, ham-handed embarrassment.

So thank you for taking the time to do your review the right way. You won't hear this said in Calgary often: but at least when it comes to these kinds of reviews, the Alberta government could learn a thing or two from the federal government.

On the subject of expectations and stereotypes, there are a lot of unfair stereotypes about Albertans. We don't all drive pick-up trucks with gun racks in the back; we don't all have pump-jacks in our back yards - and we're not all cut from the same monolithic political cloth.

However, there is one stereotype that unfortunately holds true. We do have some of the worst labour laws in the country.

As a labour activist and president of the AFL, I have seen the effects of poorly written, lop-sided and rarely enforced labour laws first hand. And it's not a pretty sight.

Just in past six months, the Alberta government watered down its Employment Standards Code to allow 12 year olds to work in restaurants; they've signed permits allowing people with disabilities to be paid less than the minimum wage; and they refused to enforce their own rules when it found the a midway company at the Edmonton Klondike Days exhibition violated the Code repeatedly.

The Alberta Employment Standards Code is full of holes; it offers too little protection for workers, and rests on an almost non-existent enforcement regime; and it is widely ignored, even mocked, by employers.

Why am I spending so much time talking about the Alberta Code? Well, because in several important respects, the federal code is not much better.

Take the issue of compliance, for example. According to recent audits, of which I'm sure you are familiar, only 25% of employers under the federal jurisdiction are in compliance with the provisions of Part III. One in four. Here in Alberta, similar audits have never been done - but the results would probably be similar, if not worse.

My question is this: what is the point of having legislated protections if the majority of employers ignore them? And, what is the point of amending and updating those protections if there is no enforcement?

From our perspective, laws and regulations mean nothing if they are not reflected in the day-to-day of real Canadian workers, in real Canadian workplaces.

In order to change this dismal situation, I think it's important to understand how we got here.

To put it simply, over the past 25 years, I think that governments in Canada, at both the provincial and federal levels, have been seduced by the pro-business crowd; they have forgotten why we have labour laws; and they have lost sight the role government needs to play in the labour market.

During the 80s and 90s the employment standards agenda largely became the business agenda. Deregulation replaced rules. Self-regulation and voluntary compliance replaced enforcement. And "flexibility" replaced worker protection as the main policy goal.

But in all these changes we've lost our way.

Labour standards are more than just words on a dusty page. They are an expression of our values - about what we will and won't accept and how we think our fellow citizens should be treated in the workplace.

Labour standards are also a recognition of the inherent power imbalance exists between employers and workers. The employment relationship is not a contract between two equal parties. For reasons of law and basic economics, most of the power rests with the employer.

That's why we have employment standards: to protect the weaker party in the contract, to ensure that the power imbalance cannot be misused to exploitative extremes.

We as a community have a right to express our moral disapproval on certain actions. For example, we have decided that child labour is not appropriate, and so have outlawed it. We have decided people deserve a day of rest each week. We have decided certain days should be days off for everyone.

Labour standards legislation is the vehicle through which the will of the public expresses itself. It is our way to ensuring that workplaces meet the moral and ethical expectations of the community around them.

I have seen nothing in the past 20 years that makes me think that workers are any less in need of protection than they were in previous generations. In fact, I think the opposite is true, with the rise of more precarious and contingent forms of work, I think, in many areas, there is more potential for abuse than in the past.

This review provides an opportunity to turn things around. It provides the federal government with a chance to find its way again and restore its commitment to protecting Canadians in the workplace and upholding our values as a community.

Today, I want to urge the federal government to become a leader in the area of labour standards. You can and should set an example for provinces like Alberta by showing them that you can protect workers without undermining economic prosperity.

While Alberta permits 12-year olds to work, you should prohibit it. While Alberta refuses to offer compassionate leave or family responsibility leave, you should provide it. While Alberta continues to let its minimum wage drag near the bottom of the pack, you should step forward boldly with a strategy for a Living Wage.

And, most importantly, while Alberta continues to run away from enforcing its own laws, you should step up and send the message that the rules must be taken seriously.

If you take strong steps to revitalize federal labour standards, I strongly believe you will quickly be copied. Other provinces will be watching, and when they find out that you can shore up labour standards without negatively affecting business, they will join in.

I have no doubt there will be some initial outcry from employer lobby groups when you try to toughen rules and bolster enforcement. But you need to ask for proof of hardship.

When Alberta recently increased its minimum wage by $1.10 an hour, many employer groups were saying this was too much. The end result? The economy barely felt it. A significant number of workers received a raise and no employer laid off staff, no employer significantly increased prices. The system absorbed it.

When you raise the bar for everyone equally, no competitive disadvantage is created. What happens - miraculously - is that the new requirements quickly become the new norm. I believe this is what will happen with improved labour standards.

Don't be afraid of pro-rated benefits for part time workers. Don't be afraid of allowing workers to refuse overtime. Don't be afraid of increased vacation entitlements. These are practical ideas that reflect Canadian values. Be a leader. Be the example that everyone else looks at.

The federal government has the ability to reinvigorate employment standards. And if they do, millions of Canadians will thank them for it.

Thank you for your time.

EDMONTON-The AFL today reacted to Tyson Food's rejection of the Disputes Inquiry Board (DIB) recommendations to resolve the Lakeside Foods dispute by calling on the Minister to use the full authority he possesses as the Human Resources Minister to find a resolution to this dispute.

"Right now, most people think there are only two options to resolve this dispute � accept the DIB or suffer a prolonged strike," says AFL President Gil McGowan. "There is a third option. The Minister can take a leadership role and use his powers to pressure Tyson to find a settlement."

The AFL sent a letter to the Minister this morning asking for a meeting and urging him to take a more active role in the dispute.

"If a long strike hits Lakeside, it has the potential to send our beef producers reeling," says McGowan. "After BSE, the industry is just getting back on its feet, and it is still very fragile. Disruption to Alberta's largest beef processing plant could do irreparable harm to ranchers and farmers still struggling under mountains of debt and facing rapidly rising energy costs."

"The Minister needs to step in," observes McGowan. "Tyson is unmoving. They are sending a clear signal that they have no intention of trying to find a resolution. This is unacceptable."

"In other provinces, the government has the ability to impose a first collective agreement if either party is being intransigent," notes McGowan. "Legislation allowing this in Alberta would go a long way to preventing situations such as Lakeside. But in the meantime, the least the Minister can do is step into the dispute and help find a solution."

In July, on the verge of a strike, the Minister appointed a one-person DIB to try to find an acceptable compromise at the packing plant. The Report was given to the parties last week. The union, UFCW 401, voted in favour of the recommendations. Yesterday, Tyson indicated it considers the recommendations "too generous", and has rejected them. The union is in a legal position to go on strike with 72 hours notice.

"The Minister can sit on his hands and watch Brooks blow up in the next couple of weeks, or he can take a leadership role and find a way to settle this dispute. His choice," McGowan concludes.

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For more information contact:

Gil McGowan, AFL President at 780.915-4599 (cell)