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Unions are key to fighting inequity for all workers

The people who have been occupying financial districts in Canadian and American cities are motivated by anger over the glaring economic unfairness that exists in our society. The labour movement welcomes what these young people camping outdoors in tents are saying -- because we have said the very same thing for many years.

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trade unions labour inequity inequality economic inequality CLC canadian labour congress

What would Canada look like without unions?

Happy Labour Day! Photo: cr3/Flickr
Politically, unions have provided a balance to the power of money. This is something that the moneyed powerful cannot stand.

Related rabble.ca story:

On Labour Day, think about unions as an equalizing force
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unions trade unions labour day labour CLC
in his own words

Why NUPGE is at odds with the Canadian Labour Congress

As you may know, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is currently in a dispute with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) over the fundamental issue of raiding (when one union tries to take members away from another union).

Raiding is destructive to solidarity, doesn't advance the interests of workers and wastes precious resources that should be used to service members and organize non-union workers. Unfortunately, some CLC affiliated unions continue to raid other CLC affiliates. NUPGE has never subscribed to the position that some other CLC affiliates have taken: "if you are raided, then you should just raid back."

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unions union raiding trade unions teamsters NUPGE National Union of Public and General Employees CLC canadian labour congress

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The House of Labour belongs to all trade members

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Dave Coles, rabble.ca

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NUPGE-CLC rift shows House of Labour is a house divided

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David Climenhaga
Karl Nerenberg

Hill Dispatches: Lower migrant pay and tougher EI rules - pushing down wages

By Karl Nerenberg
| May 17, 2012

The government's plans for Canadian workers, for Employment Insurance (EI) and for the tens of thousands of migrant workers who come here annually are murky and unclear.

Commenting on changes in EI announced, but not specified, in the Budget Omnibus Bill the Minister of Finance says "any job is a good job."

The Minister of Human Resources has a somewhat different story. She says that unemployed Canadians will only be required to take jobs for which they are qualified and in their own regions.

The Minister of Finance goes to Committee and, with a contemptuous pout, tells his collegaues that we'll all know what the EI rules are when the regulations are published. That will only be after Parliament passes the Budget Bill.

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Canadian Union of Public Employees
CUPE mourns the loss of Sister Nancy Riche
October 3, 2011 |
It is with great sadness that we advise that Sister Nancy Riche passed away on the weekend after a short illness. Sister Riche was a role model for all trade unionists, particularly Sisters.
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cupe Nancy Riche NDP CLC NUPGE
rabble staff

'We Are One': Images from a cross-border labour solidarity rally

By rabble staff
| April 4, 2011

On Saturday, April 2, a "We Are One" rally was jointly organized by the B.C. Federation of Labour and the Washington and Oregon arms of the AFL-CIO and its labour councils. Held on the U.S. side of the international Peace Arch border crossing, at our count more than two thousand rallied in solidarity with workers in Wisconsin. 

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B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union
BCGEU and NUPGE continue membership in the CLC
January 13, 2011 |
An agreement has been reached where the National Union of Public and General Employees, of which the BCGEU is a member, will continue to participate in the Canadian Labour Congress.
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BCGEU NUPGE labour CLC
National Union of Public and General Employees
National Union of Public and General Employees suspends participation in activities of the Canadian Labour Congress
December 2, 2010 |
NUPGE and its components are committed to continuing their participation in provincial Federations of Labour and community Labour Councils across the country.
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NUPGE CLC

CLC supports Bill C-50 but says EI needs reform

President of the Canadian Labour Congress, Ken Georgetti, speaks before attending a House of Commons committee hearing presentation on Bill C-50 that would amend the Employment Insurance Act.

The Bill's provisions are purported to extend benefits to long-tenured workers and help stabilize the local economies of many hard-hit communities. But Georgetti says that much more remains to be done. Only half of all unemployed workers qualify for EI, and the average weekly benefit is only about $50 a day before taxes, Georgetti says. Tens of thousands of unemployed workers have exhausted their benefits and will end up on provincial social assistance.

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employment insurance EI CLC canadian labour congress Georgetti C-50
column

Banning asbestos exports: The value of tilting at windmills

It's easy to get demoralized these days with so much going wrong around the world. So it is incredibly encouraging to see a campaign for justice and workers' health and safety prevail against supposedly insurmountable odds.

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environment Stephen Harper Quebec activism Michael Ignatieff labour issues CLC asbestos labour movement health and safety

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Ignatieff and asbestos

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With the federal Liberals now semi-officially supporting the banning of Canadian asbestos exports, a political debate that has been suppressed for over 20 years is truly beginning.

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Canada should call for a complete ban on asbestos right now

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There is an intense battle going on in Canada and internationally over the continuing export of Canadian asbestos to developing countries. But most Canadians remain largely unaware of the battle and the high stakes involved.
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