Labour

Dear Friends in Labour,

 I work with individuals who live with mental health and addiction disabilities. This morning I spent several hours getting bail for client who was arrested for threatening the security officers in a government office. This  client was trying to get  his drivers license renewed. He lives with disabilities that result in short-term memory loss, difficulty in maintaining his cognitive focus and serious difficulties maintaining his emotional equilibrium. As a result when he thought the staff were treating him disrespectfully  he became agitated and noisy. This led to a confrontation with the security guards.

Since many Rabblers live in community housing, why has there been no outrage expressed here over the spending abuses recently discovered at TCHC??  Just curious.

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We work hard, but too often we don't get paid.

In December 2010, the Workers' Action Centre recorded our experiences looking for work. Go to www.workersactioncentre.org to listen to the reality workers in Ontario face every day.

We are offered work for less than minimum wage, we don't get overtime pay, we are charged fees to get work, we are told we have to be self-employed to get a job.

This is wage theft.

TAKE ACTION

I am at my wits end and can't seem to track down any useful information. Although I found a thread on this site that was years old that seemed somewhat helpful. Please help!

I am working for a company. I was "Hired" as a "contractor". I responded to a help wanted ad, was trained to follow their policies and to do the job that they had created and was given a title at this company. After a few months I was invited to be hired as an employee and moved from working at home to working in the office. My job essentially didn't change at all, I just did it in an office they owned instead of from my house. Then after a month or two, they decided that they were closing the office and that I had to go back to working as a "contractor" (ie from home with no rights).

by Ajamu Nangwaya

http://blacklistednews.com/One-Day-After-Securing-A-Huge-Deal-With-China...

Boeing just laid off 1000 workers in Southern California, according to the Orange County Register.

The move comes just a day after Boeing agreed to a $19 billion deal with China to produce 200 airplanes for the country.

The layoffs affect workers in the company's Long Beach, Anaheim, and Huntington Beach facilities. The bulk of the layoffs will occur in Long Beach, where 900 will lose their jobs.

The company has been consistently cutting jobs in Long Beach. It had 20,000 employees there in 1990 and now only has 7,000, according to the Long Beach Press Telegram.

Talks with Alberta Government Stalled, Government Employees Being Undervalued

http://www.aupe.org/news/talks-with-alberta-government-stalled-government-employees-being-undervalued/

EDMONTON - AUPE's General Service Bargaining Committee (GSBC) met with the employer Jan. 13,14, 17 and 18 in Edmonton to continue negotiations for a fair collective agreement for approximately 22,000 direct employees of the Alberta government.

Following 23 days of bargaining, the union and employer have reached an impasse, leaving the GSBC to determine any further talks at this point would simply be idle and unproductive.

 I try to be interested in everything. (If you don't take an interest, it may come back to bite you in the ass!)

 I'm currently wondering if Feminism, Unions, & the Left in general can survive the towering current of ignorance flowing through all aspects of our lives these days.

 The near total lack of interesting thoughtful media really distresses me. The pandering of news media to the lowest common denominator & the change to 'Opinion Journalism' in the U.S. is frightening!

 O.K.... In my day to day life, I spend a lot of time with my adult daughter, & my Mom. My hubby passed away 6 years ago this month. My Mom is handicapped & 96 years old.

Solidarity with posties!

Has anyone ever wondered about this? There are labour laws that forbid children working in Canada, U.S., Europe etc. yet somehow these labour laws don't seem to apply to children who work as actors?

Does anyone know how Hollywood, TV etc. get around labour laws that forbid children from working?