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Air Canada Flight Attendants blocked from striking as Federal gov't forces move to CIRB
Air Canada flight attendants say they’re still striking
From the outside and my customer experience with Air Canada I suspect that there is no love lost between the on line employees and their management team. I agree with the Star commentator when she says that the Minister's bullying attempt likely caused a larger No vote.
I hope they strike now and I hope the NDP vigorously opposes any back to work legislation which Raitt may introduce in the House.
It's on CBC right now. CUPE lawyers are saying the CIRB has no legal power to prevent a strike.
In related news:
Canada Post workers are taking the Harper government to court in a case that could test the Conservatives' aggressive stance on the rights of unionized labour.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is challenging the constitutionality of the law which forced its members back to work in June.
Close to 50,000 Canada Post workers were locked out by the Crown corporation in June after 12 days of rotating strikes by the union.
The majority Conservatives had cited the fragile economy when they decided to go ahead with a back-to-work bill, a move they've repeated in other labour disputes since.
But the union says such laws take away workers' rights.
"This back-to-work legislation was unjust," union president Denis Lemelin told a news conference Wednesday. "It was the democratic rights of workers that were attacked.
"There is a fundamental principle here -- the freedom of association."
Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20111012/canada-post-lawsuit-federal-government-lawsuit-111012/#ixzz1aaokR1j6
The labour lawyer on CBC just now said essentially that the gov't is f*cking things up even worse by interfering in labour disputes. And, this is interesting - she said there is no provision in the Labour Code for the Gov't to use "fragile economy" as an excuse to order employees back to work.
She is absolutely right. Imposed collective agreements lead to years and years of bitterness and that is even worse for the long term health of a company.
It is a stretch to far to say that the economy will be harmed to the extent that it would cause an immediate and serious danger to the health or safety of the public. I believe that is what their pathetic health of the "fragile" economy argument is supposed to imply. I would be extremely surprised if the CUPE lawyers have it wrong. The federal process has a very complicated and slow set of steps and hoops required before the parties can strike or lock out. CUPE has done them all and likely there are no more hoops left in the labour boards arsenal until they meet to determine the merits of the governments referral.
Unionist set out a good precis in the thread about Premiers interfering in labour disputes.
I'm glad the unions are fighting back. I still hold the hope a General Strike may be somewhere down the road - it's the only way to get Harper to back off a bit.
Paul Moist is giving the union's perspective on P&P in a minute!
ETA:
Good interview with Paul Moist - he clearly is frustrated with Lisa Raitt and the Harper government for their anti-union activity.
Closing for length.