2015 #PrenticeBlamesWomen
On International Women’s Day, the Premier of Alberta is framing his election campaign around an attack on women’s hard-earned equality gains
Edmonton – The Alberta Federation of Labour is marking International Women’s Day by standing up for women’s jobs and equality gains in the public sector.
The majority of Alberta’s public sector workers – those who work in health care, education, in cities and towns, seniors’ care – are women.
“The Prentice PCs are gearing up for a multi-million-dollar election campaign that targets women’s modest wage gains in the public sector,” Alberta Federation of Labour Secretary Treasurer Siobhan Vipond said. “When Jim Prentice talks about health care, education, and public service workers, he is talking about women. When Jim Prentice blames public sector workers for his government’s appalling record of tax and royalty giveaways, what he is really doing is blaming Alberta women—who earn just 63 per cent of what men earn—for his government’s reckless tax and royalty giveaways.”
An AFL analysis of public sector wage settlements in Alberta, released for International Women’s Day, showed public sector wage settlements between 2011-2014 delivered a modest 8.8 per cent of cumulative increases. The majority of the workers covered by these collective agreements were women.
By contrast, Alberta’s oil and gas sector workers saw a 17 per cent increase in their average weekly earnings between 2011-2014. Construction workers saw a 14 per cent gain. Managers of companies also saw a 17 per cent gain, while those in finance saw a 13 per cent increase in their annual earnings.
Vipond says Alberta women benefit from a wage advantage in the unionized public sector. But economy-wide, Alberta is the most unequal province in Canada. “When Alberta women look in the mirror, they see the highest levels of inequality in Canada,” Vipond said.
“The unions that represent women in the public sector have delivered pay equity, modest but reliable pensions, and health and safety protections,” Vipond said. “When we struggle for dignity and fairness in the workplace, women are the beneficiaries.”
Fifty-five per cent of Alberta’s overall unionized workforce, in both the public and private sectors, are women.
The Alberta Federation of Labour advocates that:
- Alberta remains the only jurisdiction in Canada without a voice for women in government. Alberta should establish a free-standing Status of Women ministry.
- Alberta has among the lowest number of child care spots and the highest child care fees in Canada. Public early childhood education and child care must be a priority if Alberta is to achieve better wage equality and educational outcomes for children
-30-
MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.4351 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
2015 Public-sector unions roll out provincial campaign to oppose cuts at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Better Way Alberta press conference scheduled for 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Edmonton – Because the government has scheduled a press conference at 1 p.m., and many reporters cannot make it to our press conference, we will host a second press conference at 2 p.m.
What: Better Way Alberta press conference and launch
When: 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. March 5
Where: United Nurses of Alberta offices, 6th Floor, 11150 Jasper Ave. Edmonton
Who: Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan
United Nurses of Alberta president Heather Smith
Health Sciences Association of Alberta president Elisabeth Ballermann
Canadian Union of Public Employees (Alberta Division) president Marle Roberts
-30-
MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.4351 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
2015 Prentice blames Albertans. Unions launch campaign aimed at unmasking the real culprits: the Tories themselves
Better Way Alberta campaign offers Albertans solutions to government’s budget woes
Edmonton – A coalition of major public-sector unions is launching a $500,000 province-wide campaign aimed at saving public services from deep cuts, and encouraging the provincial government to address its budget woes by fixing the province’s broken revenue system.
The Better Way Alberta campaign, which presents evidence that the government’s budget woes are caused by systemic problems in taxes and royalties, will be launched at an event today at the United Nurses of Alberta offices (Sixth Floor, 11150 Jasper Avenue), featuring the presidents of the Alberta Federation of Labour, United Nurses of Alberta, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Alberta Division).
“Premier Jim Prentice has said that Alberta’s budget is sinking, but if that’s true, it’s because his party has spent decades blowing holes in the revenue system that’s supposed to pay for the services on which Albertans rely,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “Instead of dealing with the problem, the premier has proposed a reckless nine-per-cent budget cut across the board. That will cause pain to everyday Albertans, put people out of work, and possibly deepen the economic turmoil the province is facing. There is a Better Way.”
What: Better Way Alberta press conference and launch
When: 1 p.m. March 5 (TODAY)
Where: United Nurses of Alberta offices, 6th Floor, 11150 Jasper Ave. Edmonton
Who: Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan
United Nurses of Alberta president Heather Smith
Health Sciences Association of Alberta president Elisabeth Ballermann
Canadian Union of Public Employees (Alberta Division) president Marle Roberts
-30-
MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.4351 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
2015 Prentice blames Albertans. Unions respond with campaign unmasking the true culprit: the PC government itself
Instead of cutting services, we need to end sweetheart deals for corporations and the wealthy, says Better Way Alberta campaign
Edmonton – In response to comments from Premier Jim Prentice blaming Albertans for the province’s budget woes, a coalition of major unions is launching a $500,000 province-wide campaign aimed at saving public services from deep cuts by urging the provincial government to fix its broken revenue system.
“Who created the current budget mess? It’s time for Premier Prentice and the Tories to look in the mirror,” says Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan.
“We’re not facing a budget crunch because of anything individual Albertans did. The real problem is that successive PC governments have blown holes in the revenue base we need to fund education, health care and other services that Albertans rely on.
“The premier wants to impose a reckless nine-per-cent budget cut. Cuts of that magnitude will devastate public services that are already stretched to the breaking point…and they won’t address the root causes. The real solution is to reverse years and years of irresponsible tax and royalty giveaways to profitable corporations and the wealthy.”
The Better Way Alberta campaign’s home is www.betterwayalberta.ca. On the site, Albertans can explore the various ways in which the provincial government has destroyed the revenue system, and given away billions of dollars to big corporations and to very wealthy individuals.
“The premier is trying to blame the looming deficit on nurses, teachers, janitors, secretaries—the people who work hard every day for the citizens of the province—when the problem was really caused by irresponsible tax and royalty giveaways.” McGowan said. “He’s trying to spin a tale that the province isn’t frugal enough, when the truth is that Alberta is in the middle of the pack when it comes to how much it spends on public services. We spend a little more per person than Nova Scotia, and a little less than New Brunswick.”
The province-wide campaign will consist of a central website and petition; a radio and online advertising campaign; a direct-mail campaign to every household in Alberta; and a door-to-door campaign in which canvassers will have face-to-face conversations with Albertans about the Better Way Alberta campaign. The coalition is also considering townhall meetings and rallies.
“Poll after poll shows that Albertans understand there is a better way to approach revenues,” McGowan said. “They’re willing to look at how this province pays for services. But successive premiers have done nothing but cut. To his credit, Premier Prentice has said he’s willing to talk about revenues and ‘put everything on the table.’ But if he’s serious about that, why has he ruled out increasing royalties and taxes on corporations and the wealthy? It sounds like the more of the same from an un-reformed Tory: perks for their friends and pain for everyone else.”
According to the government’s own numbers, Alberta could increase the amount it gets from taxes by $11.6 billion a year and still have the lowest taxes in Canada. Most of that $11.6 billion that is going uncollected by Alberta’s inequitable tax code is being left in the pockets of the province’s richest individuals and most profitable corporations.
“If we’re all in this together, as Premier Prentice says, why should corporations and the wealthy get a free pass?” McGowan said. “And why should ordinary Albertans pay for the mistakes of politicians again?”
If the Prentice government imposes a nine per cent cut, Alberta will end up spending less on public services than much poorer provinces, even as its population continues to boom. Albertans will have to deal with larger class sizes, more over-crowded hospitals and even longer waits for new infrastructure. Economists also agree that government cuts will likely tip the whole economy into recession.
“Oil prices go up and down. Albertans know that, and their government should know that by now,” McGowan said. “But every time there’s a slight downturn, government takes aim at public servants, rather than planning for the long term, budgeting better, and fixing the holes in the province’s revenue system.”
-30-
MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.4351 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
Province Pulls Plug on P3s
Government makes the right call in building 19 new schools without for-profit partners
Edmonton — Nineteen new schools in Alberta will be built through traditional financing models.
Although the schools had been previously been announced last year as Private-Public-Partnership (P3) ventures, the government did not receive any competitive bids.
"Rather than funneling taxpayer money into corporate pockets, the Hancock Government had the courage to abandon the P3 model," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "This is encouraging. It's a good decision for Albertans, and I hope they continue to move away from the P3 model."
Alberta Infrastructure Minister Wayne Drysdale left the door open for the use of the P3 scheme in the future, suggesting that while it hadn't made sense in this instance, they would return to it. The Alberta Federation of Labour encourages the government to abandon the P3 model permanently.
"Schools need to be built in the way that is best for students," McGowan said. "When a private corporation is involved, their motivation is to make profit, and decisions about how the school is built will reflect that. P3s are not just more expensive, they're worse for Alberta's kids."
MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour, 780.218.4351 (cell)
or via email - [email protected]
Election forum puts Temporary Foreign Worker program in the spotlight
AFL to help inform voters about differences between candidates stance on controversial guest-worker program
FORT MCURRAY–Fort McMurray-Athabasca voters will examine the Temporary Foreign Worker program at a forum on Monday, June 16.
At an event organized by the Alberta Federation of Labour, residents of Fort McMurray-Athabasca are invited to share their experiences with how the Temporary Foreign Worker Program has affected the economy and the job market in the region. AFL president Gil McGowan will discuss the TFWP as an election issue. All candidates in the upcoming by-election have been invited to attend and are encouraged to come share their thoughts on the controversial program and Fort McMurray-Athabasca's labour challenges.
"The oil sands are ground zero for the use and abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker program," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "It's here that workers, their families, and the community are seeing the biggest impact. It's workers here who have been let go to make room for lower-paid guest workers, and it's here that safety standards are being undermined. So voters here should know what the people who want to represent them in Ottawa plan to do about this program."
The event will be held at the Fort McMurray Legion (9317 Huggard Street) at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 16. The event will be an opportunity for voters to learn more about the problems with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and to ask questions about what can be done.
"The resignation of the sitting MP has given voters here a unique opportunity to send a message to Ottawa that this program needs to be shut down," McGowan said. "By holding this forum, we're trying to educate voters about what can be done on this issue. This by-election can be a referendum on the Temporary Foreign Worker program."
Over the past decade, the Temporary Foreign Worker program has ballooned, going from fewer than 200,000 when the Conservatives took power in 2006, to more than 350,000 today. Most of the growth of the program has been in the oil sector and in low-wage jobs. Alberta has the highest per-capita use of the Temporary Foreign Worker program, with more than 85,000 working in the province.
“Fort McMurray is the beating heart of Alberta’s economy, so what happens here affects the entire province — and the entire country,” McGowan said. “If the workers here send a clear message that this program is not in the best interests of Fort McMurray-Athabasca, then the power brokers in Ottawa will have to admit the program is not in the best interests of Canada.”
-30-
MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.218.4351 (cell)
or via e-mail [email protected]
OR*cep445:lmr*cope#458
G:\Communications\NEWS\AFL\2014\2014-22_Election Forum Puts Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Spotlight_2014June16.docx
Oil price gap a handy excuse for strapped governments
According to experts inside Alberta Energy, it's much more profitable to refine more of our oil before we ship it.
Both the Alberta and federal governments are now pointing to the “oil price differential” as the culprit that has forced them to revamp budget projections and talk darkly about the need for cuts to programs, services and public employees.
But is this really true? Or is it just a complicated but convenient excuse that draws attention away from deeper problems?
A 2011 Alberta government research document recently released to the Alberta Federation of Labour after a lengthy tussle with the Freedom of Information gatekeepers suggests that it is a convenient excuse.
“The premier is telling only half the story,” says AFL president Gil McGowan.
The oil price differential is not something people think about, even in Alberta. It’s the kind of numbers game that only experts in the field usually pay attention to.
To put it simply, the oil price differential is the gap between the price Alberta producers get for the heavy oil that comes from the oilsands and the benchmark price for West Texas Intermediate, which is a lighter oil. Right now the U.S. has access to lots of lighter oil, so our unrefined oil is less desirable and fetches less per barrel.
According to the Alberta government, Alberta heavy oil producers are getting $30 a barrel less than the benchmark priceAlberta heavy oil producers are getting $30 a barrel less than the benchmark price. And this is the main reason, says Premier Alison Redford, the provincial treasury has a $6 billion shortfall to deal with. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is using the same excuse for reduced federal revenues.
So, you might ask why don’t we refine more of our oil before we ship it south or ship it anywhere for that matter? Wouldn’t that make more economic sense?
According to the experts inside Alberta Energy who wrote the research paper that was stamped “secret” and never publicly released, it certainly does make more economic sense for a key sector of the oilsands industry, especially when there is a large price differential.
“Stand alone mining is sensitive to changing light-heavy differentials while integrated mining is much less responsive. Despite the fact that adding upgrading capacity makes less sense in today’s market (in 2011 oil was selling at $100 per barrel) our sensitivity analysis suggests an integrated upgrader serves as a hedge against volatility of light-heavy differentials,” they wrote.
In other words, in today’s market where the oil price has slipped and the differential is greater, the oilsands players who mine and refine oil are much more profitable than those who simply mine and ship it south. And profitability means more money for both the overall economy and the provincial and federal treasuries.
“We think the premier and the government should be shouting this from the rooftops,” says McGowan. “It’s the upside of the price differential and we should be taking advantage of it.”
Instead, only 57 per cent of oilsands production is upgraded, and that percentage is expected to slide dramatically in the next few years.
McGowan has long been advocating for more refineries in Alberta. So did former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed, the godfather of oilsands development, right up until he died last September.
Not only would more refineries create more value for the resource in Canada, they would provide good jobs for thousands of workers. And wouldn’t refined oil be less of an environmental threat in all those pipelines that are currently being thwarted because they will carry diluted bitumen from the oilsands?
“Government can’t force industry to build upgraders. But it can make the most of an opportunity through good policy, regulation, incentives, even equity partnerships,” says McGowan. “That’s what Lougheed did with the petrochemical industry and it worked.”
It’s not as though oil price volatility is a sudden turn of events. The price of oil has been volatile ever since someone first discovered it seeping from the ground and realized it might be useful for lighting lamps.
Governments could face up to the volatility and minimize the risks. Instead they seem to be betting that no one will notice the truth differential — the widening gap between reality and political propaganda.
The Toronto Star, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013
Byline: Gillian Steward, Calgary writer and journalist
November 2012: Help us defeat Bill C-377, TFW program under the microscope, AFL and UFCW lead the charge for food safety
Temporary Foreign Worker program under the microscope
The Alberta Federation of Labour will be paying close attention to the Federal review of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that was announced on November 8, 2012.-
The program will be reviewed due to criticism over the approval of a deceitful application that allowed a northeast B.C. coal project to hire 200 Chinese nationals for jobs that could have been filled locally. The AFL has concerns that the review will be used as a smokescreen to hide deeper problems, and called for meaningful participation from labour activists and from the public at large.
If they want to find the source of the problems with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the Harper Conservatives just need to look in the mirror," AFL president Gil McGowan said. "They created this monster by removing any checks and balances from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and by rubberstamping every application."
For more information see Nov 9 AFL release and backgrounder.
AFL and UFCW lead the charge for food safety
- The Alberta Federation of Labour and United Food and Commercial Workers are calling on Premier Alison Redford to stand up for the province's beef industry by conducting an independent public inquiry.
In a public letter sent to the Premier on Thursday, October 18, AFL president Gil McGowan and UFCW Local 401 president Doug O'Halloran explained the reasons a public inquiry into the causes of the E.Coli outbreak at the Lakeside plant in Brooks would be in the best interest of consumers, the cattle industry and of Albertans.
Read the whole story: Oct 18 AFL Release
Urgent Action
Help us defeat Bill C-377
- The Alberta Federation of Labour is calling on all of our affiliates and members to help quash the anti-union Bill C-377.
This private-members bill is not about transparency; it is an effort on the part of the Harper Government to undermine the ability of unions to act as an effective voice for working people. The bill is designed to increase costs to unions and divert resources from collective bargaining and servicing towards accounting and bureaucracy.
"This is a political bill. In the same way that they have cut funding to environmental groups and women's groups, they are trying to weaken and muzzle a strong progressive voice," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. "We have an obligation to act together to protect the labour movement, and in doing so, protect broader civil society."
To join the fight, contact your Member of Parliament: CLICK HERE
Download the AFL Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance on Bill C-377: CLICK HERE
Events
November 23-25: Parkland Institute's 16th Annual Fall Conference: Petro, Power and Politics
November 24: International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women
December 4: AFL Open House
December 7: Deadline to register for 2013 AFL/CLC Winter School
Did you know ...
- In 2010, 74 per cent of employers with workers under the TFW Program were found to be in violation of the Alberta Labour Code.
- There are currently more than 60,000 Temporary Foreign Workers in Alberta, giving the province the biggest TFW population in Canada as a proportion of the labour force.
- More than 50,000 additional TFW applications from Alberta employers were approved in 2011.
- Between 2002 and 2008, the number of TFWs present in Canada rose by 148 per cent, from 101,259 to 251,235.
AFL stands in solidarity with Idle No More
Union leaders oppose bill that targets indigenous rights
Edmonton - The Alberta Federation of Labour is urging Canadians to be Idle No More in opposing Bill C-45.
On the morning of Friday, Dec. 21, union representatives marched with First Nations leaders and Albertans from all walks of life in Edmonton at an “Idle No More” rally against the Harper Government, which has pushed through a wide-ranging bill that undermines First Nations’ treaty rights.
“Environmentalists, unions, churches, charities, women's groups, and now First Nations - all have been affected by systematic dismantling of anyone who stands opposed to a right-wing agenda,” AFL president Gil McGowan said. “It is time to draw a line. It is time, in fact, for us all to be Idle No More.”
Bill C-45 brings changes to the Indian Act that will fast-track the process for aboriginals to surrender their reserve lands by lowering the threshold of community consent needed to hand over territory.
“The Alberta labour movement stands in solidarity with the struggles given voice by Idle No More. In our province, we extend the offer of solidarity and support to those who are speaking out for a better life, better health care, better education, better housing, and an end to racism and inequality.”
Similar rallies have been organized all over Canada, including a main mass rally in Ottawa. Idle No More has involved round-dances in shopping malls in Saskatchewan and Edmonton, roadblocks on Northern Alberta highways, and a high-profile hunger strike on Parliament Hill. Its pictures, and messages have gone viral on social media, including thousands of messages on twitter with the hashtag #idlenomore.
“Canadians are frustrated with a lack of consultation,” McGowan said. “And it’s inspiring to see so many people voicing their solidarity with a grassroots movement that brings together people from all walks of life. Over the past five years, the Harper government has voiced platitudes about First Nations, while cutting funding, abandoning claim negotiations, ignoring a crisis of missing and murdered aboriginal women, and undermining the environmental laws that protect the land and water resources that vital to many Indigenous communities. Canadians are saying that they will not allow their government to remain idle about these issues. ”
-30-
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780-218-9888 (cell)
Olav Rokne, AFL Communications Director at 780-289-6528 (cell) or via email [email protected].