CANADIAN LABOUR EDMONTON:

HOSPITAL WORKERS WILDCAT IN EDMONTON:

Sometimes some people such as bosses need a little wake-up call before they move at all. Such seemed to be the case recently in Edmonton hospitals where contract negotiations have been stalled for almost a year. Here's a little item from the Libcom board about what happened.

E*E*E*E*E*E*E*E*E*E*
Hospital workers across Edmonton walk out on wildcat strike
Hundreds of support workers at the Royal Alexandra and University of Alberta hospitals in Canada walked out this morning in a dispute over pay and conditions.

So far dozens of surgeries have been cancelled as diagnostic imaging clerks, cleaners and technicians downed tools at at least 12 different sites at 7 AM.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees stated that they believed workers at Mayerthorpe, Radway, Peace River and Claresholm were also either taking or considering taking similar action.
One worker told the Edmonton Journal:

“They are constantly adding more duties to our work, without an increase in pay… We’re fed up with our conditions, our pay. Cost of living is going up, but my pay is not.”

Workers are still providing life and limb cover for emergencies, and blamed their employer for provoking staff in negotiations around working conditions.

The employer has applied for a Labour Relations Board order to force strikers back to work. The Board is due to meet later today.

*************

This situation is quite widespread. God knows how many bargaining (?) units across the world are held to no strike regulations as Alberta hospital workers are courtesy of the previous Klein government. In such situations the wildcat strike is an important weapon, alerting both management and more conservative union officials that there is a limit to how much people can take. This limit was reached and exceeded in the case of Alberta health care workers, and their wildcat put the union and the employer into binding arbitration. Here's the result of the wildcat from the CBC.

Hospital workers are forbidden to strike in Alberta. According to the Globe and Mail this strike was brief as hospital administrators were in a big hurry to get to the bargaining table for binding arbitration. Here's a great example of what can be done by workers who are (technically) forbidden to strike. All that essential services designations do is make it illegal for a union to strike. Wildcat strikes can be used despite prohibitions. Yes, there is a risk of course, but creative tactics outside the union/employer frame can be chosen so as to minimize risk.

**************
Edmonton hospital workers end wildcat strike
Royal Alexandra, University of Alberta hospitals were hit by wildcat strike
CBC News

A one-day walkout by health support workers in Edmonton has ended and AUPE has agreed to send the contract dispute with Alberta Health Services to binding arbitration, health officials announced late Thursday afternoon.

"Staff involved in the wildcat strike should be back at work within two hours," said Chris Mazurkewich, chief operating officer and executive vice-president with Alberta Health Services.

The agreement between AUPE and AHS guarantees that workers will not be disciplined or face legal action for walking off the job on Thursday.

In a news release, AUPE President Guy Smith called on workers to return to work immediately to "ensure they are protected."

Hundreds of service workers at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital started their strike at 7 a.m. Thursday. They were followed by about 40 workers at the University of Alberta Hospital and others at the Northeast Community Health Centre.

Managers soon started performing duties like meal delivery, portering and room cleaning.

The job action forced the Royal Alexandra Hospital to cancel about 68 procedures. Mazurkewich says those procedures will be rescheduled immediately.

AHS officials scheduled a hearing with the Labour Relations Board on Thursday afternoon to force employees back to work. But an agreement to start binding arbitration was reached with AHS as the hearing began.

Negotiations are set to start next week.

Contract expired last spring
The walkout caught union leaders by surprise, pre-empting a series of rotating information pickets scheduled for Thursday around the province.

About 22,000 General Support Services employees have been negotiating with Alberta Health Services after their contract expired last spring.

General Support Services employees manage health records, prepare meals, manage finances, maintain facilities, assist in therapy, sterilize surgical tools, assist pharmacists and provide security.

In January, the workers' bargaining unit rejected a mediator's contract recommendations by an overwhelming 95 per cent, prompting Alberta Health Services to come back to the bargaining table, said the union.

The two sides met last week to resume negotiations.

"We were very hopeful a fair agreement could be reached with AHS last week, what we got was nothing short of insulting," Smith said in a press release.

"AHS's final position was even less than what was recommended in the rejected mediator's report."

AUPE walked away from mediated negotiations last week, after AHS tabled an offer of a two-per-cent lump sum payment for 2011, a two-per-cent increase for 2012 and a cost of living increase for 2013, said Joanna Pawlyshyn, vice-president, Royal Alexandra Hospital.

The negotiations are the first for the service workers since the amalgamation of the province's health regions in 2009.

AUPE is Alberta's largest union, with almost half of its 80,000 members working in health care.

CANADIAN LABOUR ALBERTA:

ALBERTA FEDERATION OF LABOUR CAMPAIGNS FOR SAFER WORKPLACES:



The Alberta Federation of Labour has announced a new plan and campaign for safer workplaces in that province.
Alberta, of course, has never been at the pinnacle of such things, but the AFL is hoping that the province can do better. Here's the story from the AFL website.

◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙◙
New union campaign says Alberta can – and must – do better on workplace safety:

AFL unveils 10-point plan to stop return to boom-style carnage
Friday, 05 November 2010 Edmonton

- The Alberta Federation of Labour today releases a 10-point plan for immediate action (click here for full text of plan) to improve workplace safety in the province.

"The government has taken some steps in the right direction to improve health and safety at work, but Alberta can - and must - do better," says Gil McGowan, president of the AFL, which represents 140,000 workers. "As the economy picks up, especially in the oil patch and construction sectors, the government needs to take immediate action to improve health and safety. If simple changes aren't made today, Alberta will return to the highest number of workplace fatalities in Canada. Only last month, three workers died in workplace accidents in three days. These are the kinds of tragedies that Alberta must prevent," he says.

"The recession gave us a short reprieve. Now is our chance to lead the country, instead of consistently being the most dangerous place in Canada to be a worker," continues McGowan.

Representatives of the Ironworkers and Electrical Workers' construction unions joined McGowan for the release of the 10-point plan. The AFL also presented 2,500 signed postcards to the office of Employment Minister Thomas Lukaszuk, calling for health and safety improvements.

"Most of these ideas are not radical - they are policies that work very well in most other provinces," he says. "The minister begins a three-day Work Safe Alberta Minister's Forum on Monday. This is the perfect opportunity to adopt these simple but effective policies."

The AFL 10-point plan for occupational health and safety includes:

•More occupational health and safety (OH&S) inspectors performing more inspections.
•Empowering inspectors to issue on-site administrative fines and stop-work/stop-use orders, addressing health and safety issues before they become an injury or fatality.
•More resources for Crown Prosecutors to pursue charges.
•Reform at the WCB: ending bonuses for employees who deny claims and restoring employer premiums to reasonable levels.
•Including farm workers in health and safety and employment standards legislation
•Working-alone legislation: Alberta is in a minority of provinces without special protections for those working alone, especially at night.
•Protection for workers who blow the whistle on unsafe worksites, equipment, or practices.
•Posting employer safety records online: the government's current practice leaves out 85 per cent of injuries. Reforming this system includes posting stop-work/stop-use orders, actual injuries or deaths on a job site, and inspection reports.
•Giving Certificates of Recognition only to safe workplaces.
•Mandatory joint health and safety committees for workers and employers.
- 30 -

Media Contact:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour @ 780-218-9888 (cell)

ENVIRONMENT:

STOP THE TARSANDS PIPELINE:

The following story and petition comes originally from the Friends of the Earth via the Care2 site. I have to admit that I am somewhat uneasy about this item. It is all well and good to be against a pipeline that is intimately tied to bringing oil from the Alberta tarsands to its major market, the USA. Still, it's a simple fact that of the USA continues with its present economic system that they plainly need such oil, as in necessity. This sort of project will go ahead because there is no alternative for the USA in the way it presently operates. I don't think that such projects can be realistically opposed unless a lot of other things are opposed simultaneously. Be that as it may here's the article and appeal.

TSTSTSTSTSTSTSTS
Public Comment Needed To Prevent New Oil Pipeline
posted by: Beth Buczynski


Canada, and more specifically the province of Alberta, is ground zero for tar sands extraction.

As North America’s number one source of foreign oil, the tar sands produce the world's most harmful type of oil for the atmosphere, emitting high volumes of greenhouse gases during development, which contribute to global warming.

To access these underground stores, Big Oil companies must strip mine huge tracts of forest, causing cancer hot spots in indigenous communities living downstream from the toxic byproducts.

As if these characteristics weren't horrifying enough, these same companies are now pressuring the Obama administration to allow construction of a pipeline that would pump oil from the Canadian tar sands to refineries in the Gulf Coast that supply our country's gasoline.

Known as the "Keystone XL," oil companies are counting on this massive pipeline to make the expansion of tar sands operations profitable profitable, but they've failed to take into account (at least publicly) the "extra-large" effects this will have on environment, wildlife, and human health.

Consider these points from DirtyOilSands.org:

Oil sands production harms human health in at least two ways: when extracted, and when processed and refined from bitumen into gasoline. As described above extraction pollutes water resources. Communities downstream, in some cases hundreds of kilometers downstream, have been impacted: directly, with elevated cancer rates; and indirectly, with their subsistence economy endangered by polluted fisheries.

The spread of refineries processing tar sands oil is a problem because the synthetic heavy crude produced from tar sands is laden with more toxins than conventional oil. Communities adjacent to tar sands oil refineries face increased carbon dioxide emissions, and increased exposure to heavy metals, and sulfurs.

The communities along the Keystone XL pipeline's proposed path, would face increased risk of spills, and, at the pipeline's end, the health of people living near Texas refineries would suffer, as tar sands oil spews higher levels of dangerous pollutants into the air when processed.

Thankfully, President Obama has the power to halt this plan because Big Oil needs his permission, in the form of a presidential permit, to begin construction.

On April 9, the State Department released a draft analysis of the project, called an Environmental Impact Statement, which kicked off a 45-day public comment period.

Submitting official comments is a key opportunity for members of the public to pressure the Obama administration to reject this pipeline. The State Department is required by law to listen to your concerns and take them into account before making a final determination as to whether this project is in the public interest.

Click here to make your voice heard. Urge the Obama administration to reject new pipelines for the world's dirtiest oil.

TSTSTSTSTSTSTSTS

THE LETTER:

Please go to the link above to send the following letter to the Obama Administration.

TSTSTSTSTSTSTSTS
I am writing to submit my concerns about the impacts the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would have on the climate and communities -- and to urge you to deny a permit for this pipeline.

Tar sands oil is dirtier than conventional oil, causing three times more greenhouse gas emissions than regular gasoline. The 900,000 barrels of dirty oil that would be pumped through this pipeline every day would add 38 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere annually, which is equal to adding six million new cars to the road. Your draft environmental impact statement ignores how this pipeline would make global warming worse, a serious oversight that must be amended.

CANADIAN LABOUR-ALBERTA:

END THE HARVEST OF DEATH:

It has been only 14 months since the workplace death of Kevan Chandler in Alberta, but in that short time there have been 13 other farm worker deaths in that province. Across the country there have been 59 such deaths. This carnage must stop. Here's a story and appeal from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) who are campaigning to have Alberta apply the simple minimum protection that other workers enjoy to farm workers in that province.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL
Premier Stelmach: End the Harvest of Death!
Premier Ed Stelmach: 14 months and
13 deaths later and still no action
It’s been 14 months since Justice Peter Barley told Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach that farm workers in Alberta should be granted the same health and safety rights as everyone else.

Despite asking Justice Barley for his advice, the Premier doesn’t want to hear it, and farm workers are paying the price.

After being asked by the Premier to investigate the workplace death of farm worker Kevan Chandler, Justice Barley found that farm workers must be included in Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to prevent future workplace injuries and deaths.

To date, Premier Stelmach has ignored that advice, and since then 13 more people have been killed on Alberta farms in work-related accidents.

Since Kevan Chandler died at work on Father’s Day nearly four years ago, an additional 59 people have been killed in agriculture-related accidents.

As the leader of a majority government, Premier Stelmach is the “decider”. He has the power to save lives with stroke of a pen by granting basic health and safety rights to farm workers – they’re the same rights that most of us already have.

Tell Premier Stelmach to do the right thing by ending the deadly discrimination against Alberta farm workers.

Click here to tell Premier Stelmach: End the Harvest of Death!

CLCLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Please go to this link from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start to send the following message in support of Alberta farmworkers to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Dear Premier Stelmach:

I am writing to you to express my displeasure over your government’s inaction in providing farm workers in Alberta coverage under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.A. 2000 CH.0-2.

In the Public Fatality Inquiry into the death of farm worker Kevan Chandler, Judge Peter Barley recommended that farm workers be covered under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Mr. Premier the death of one farm worker is one too many, yet Alberta has averaged nineteen farm worker deaths per year since 1997. I urge you and your government to take a proactive role in preventing further industry deaths and join the national consensus by immediately implementing the recommendation of Judge Barley and give Occupational Health and Safety coverage to the farm workers of Alberta.

CANADIAN LABOUR- ALBERTA:

THE HARD LIFE IN THE FIELDS OF ALBERTA:

Canada plays host to an increasing number of foreign temporary workers, and their lot is not an easy one. Unless they have the good fortune to be represented by a union they pretty much fall outside of the normal legal protections that Canadian workers enjoy. Here's a story from Alberta about just how grasping their employers can be. From a press release by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union...

ALALALALALALALALALAL
Alberta stats confirm frontline evidence of foreign worker abuse

Workplace violation statistics released as UFCW Canada delegation and allies gather for national conference on challenges faced by immigrants and foreign workers

March 18, 2010 — The violation of the workplace rights of many Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) in Alberta “reinforces what we’ve reported for years now,” says Wayne Hanley, the National President of UFCW Canada. “Except for locations where those workers have a union, TFWs in Alberta and across Canada are regular targets for exploitation and workplace abuse.”

UFCW Canada is Canada’s largest private sector union, and represents thousands of TFWs under collective agreements. These agreements protect these TFWs against workplace violations, require health and safety information in the workers’ language, and provide a legal pathway for these workers to permanent Canadian residency.

“So the story for UFCW Canada members who are Temporary Foreign Workers is positive. But outside the union, TFWs are treated by thousands of employers like disposable commodities, with no respect for their safety or other workplace rights. The latest stats from Alberta back that up.”

The UFCW Canada president’s remarks come in the wake of newly released Alberta Ministry of Labour inspection statistics that show that of the 407 Alberta TFW workplaces inspected this year, 74% of those employers had violated the Employment Standards Act regarding pay rates and record keeping. The data was released by the Alberta NDP, which obtained the records under a Freedom of Information application. ( In other words the Alberta government had to be squeezed to provide the information- Molly )

“We agree with the Alberta NDP and the Alberta Federation of Labour that the federal government’s TFW program needs to be revised to fully respect the human and labour rights of these vulnerable workers. That should also include the right to build a permanent life in Canada for these workers and their families. And that goes across this country — not just Alberta,” said Hanley.

“Unless you’re unionized, the treatment of Temporary Foreign Workers continues to be a national disgrace,” says Naveen Mehta, Director of Human Rights, Equity and Diversity, UFCW Canada.

Mehta is also one of a 25 UFCW Canada delegates from across the country who are attending the 12th Annual Metropolis Conference on Immigration and Diversity being held in Montreal. UFCW Canada is presenting and participating as one of the country’s leading advocates, in the community and on the front lines, for migrant workers in Canada.

“The federal government has to stop turning a blind eye to what happens to these workers once they get to Canada,” says Mehta. “Canada was built on generations of immigrants. That is a proud legacy that is being cast aside by federal migrant worker programs that treat these workers like inputs and not people. We are here with our allies to change that.”

CANADIAN LABOUR- ALBERTA:

ALBERTA NURSES CONSIDER OPTIONS IN FACE OF ROLL BACKS:

There was once a bumper sticker current in Alberta that read (more or less) 'Oh Lord Grant Us another Boom And We Promise Not To Bugger It Away Again'. Well...this sticker was current before the most recent boom, and, of course, it was buggered away once again. In a last ditch effort the Alberta government tried to apply higher royalty rates on the oil industry just as the financial crisis was breaking. To say the least this didn't lead to increased government revenue, though how much was because of royalty rates and how much was because of the economic downturn may be a matter of eternal dispute. The hike in rates didn't work, and now Alberta has gone from flush to bust, and they have to live with the deficits that other provinces in Canada have had to endure for decades. In an attempt to recover financial probity the Conservative government of Alberta resorts to the usual mechanism of all conservative governments ie "make the working class pay". One recent victim of this strategy is the nurses of Alberta. Here's a story from the Edmonton Sun about what the Alberta government wants and what the nurses of Alberta think of it.

ALALALALALALALALALAL

Nurses reeling from proposed rollbacks
By SHAWN LOGAN and FRANK LANDRY QMI Agency
Alberta nurses say morale has flat-lined after a tough opening salvo in contract negotiations with the province’s health board.

United Nurses Association president Heather Smith said while union negotiators had anticipated some rollbacks as talks began Monday, there was no way to anticipate the magnitude of proposed cuts that she said marks the most significant contract surgery she has seen in 25 years.

“This is an out of the blue punch in the gut,” she said Tuesday. “For whatever reason, Alberta Health Services wanted to be provocative and some would say insulting.”

The union, which represents 24,000 registered nurses, will see its contract expire at the end of March.

Smith said AHS has proposed rollbacks in all but 10 of 44 negotiating areas including: reducing time off between shifts from 15.5 to 10 hours, elimination of the requirement to have a nurse in charge of every unit, allowing casual workers to be terminated without cause, as well as trimming RRSPS, vision care, and long-term service retention payments.

Smith said it’s too early to consider the possibility of strike action with a second round of talks scheduled to begin March 17, but she noted miffed nurses will be mulling their options.

“If Alberta Health Services isn’t prepared to negotiate an agreement, the membership will have to decide what it’s prepared to do,” she said.

Ken Hughes, chairman of the Alberta Health Services board, refused to comment on the negotiations but told an Edmonton Chamber of Commerce luncheon that AHS will follow a number of “guiding principles” in talks. ( The dog speaks to its master- Molly )

The UNA has asked for a two-year deal with a 4% raise in each year while AHS’s four-year proposal calls for two years of no pay increases followed by two more cost of living raises.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

MORE ON THE CLAC:

Want to learn more about the pseudo-union, the CLAC, that has often been mentioned here at Molly's Blog. Go directly to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog for more news on this threat to workers' rights, including other things that Molly hasn't published here- especially their history in Alberta. Tell 'em Molly sent you.

ANARCHIST MUSIC:

JOEY ONLY TOUR DATES:

The ever-irrepressible anarchist troubadour Joey Only and his Outlaw Band will be touring BC and Alberta in the next few weeks. Here's the schedule from Joey.

@&@&@&@&@&@&

JOEY ONLY BAND - shows in east BC and Alberta this week!!‏
(OUR NELSON GIG WAS MOVED FROM SATURDAY TO FRIDAY THE 20TH!!

PLEASE COME STILL)

----------------------------------------------------------------

JOEY ONLY OUTLAW BAND – NOVEMBER 2009 – IN THE KOOTENAYS, BANFF AND SOUTHERN ALBERTA!

We’re taking the hot new line-up out on the road for one of our routine foray’s into Alberta. The Outlaw Band has never looked or sounded better, if there was a time to come party with us,you’re entering it. We’ve just finished tracking for a wicked new record Corwin Fox is producing called TRANSGRESSION TRAIL…now we’re taking all these new songs out to the public for the first time. Hopefully we’ll be ripping it up with bands like the Toques and Steve Coffey and the Lokels.

November 20: ROYAL HOTEL: NELSON BC: Joey Only Outlaw Band live with the Toques! November 24-25: ROSE AND CROWN: BANFF AB: Joey Only Outlaw Band,two shows in two nights!

November 26: AUDITORIUM HOTEL: NANTON AB: steak night at the ole Hotel!

November 27: PALOMINO SMOKE HOUSE: CALGARY AB: happy hour with the Outlaws, 5pm-9pm.

November 28: THE IRONWOOD: CALGARY AB: live all night with Steve Coffey and the Lokels. December 1: WORLD AIDS AWARENESS DAY – SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY:VANCOUVER BC: Outlaw Band rocking the fundraiser at the student pub.

December 31: WELLS COMMUNITY HALL: WELLS BC: Outlaw Band rocking the Cariboo’s favorite community hall right into 2010!

CANADIAN LABOUR-NEW BRUNSWICK:

FIGHTING THE CLAC IN NEW BRUNSWICK:

The CLAC (Christian Labour Association of Canada) is a right wing union founded in 1952. See this Wikipedia article for more information. In the years since its foundation it has been accused, usually rightly, of being a "bosses' union". Employers are more than happy to sign up with the CLAC in order to avoid having to deal with a serious union. Down New Brunswick way, however, there is a new twist to the story. Traditionally strongest in the West, especially Alberta (no surprise there), the CLAC has undertaken to supply construction labour for the Canaport Liquid Natural Gas facility, labour imported from western Canada. This labour will, of course, be quite docile, and, also of course, paid less than standard rates. Seems that the CLAC is acting like a fast food franchise these days, serving the bosses wherever they may be, even at the other end of the country. Workers in New Brunswick aren't taking this lieing down. Here from the St. John Telegraph Journal is the story of how local workers slowed down the buses taking the CLAC-provided employees to the work site.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL
Protesters slow down vehicles:

MARY-ELLEN SAUNDERS TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

SAINT JOHN - School buses were delayed and traffic slowed on Black River Road Wednesday morning as protesters waited for buses carrying out-of-province workers to pass on their way to Canaport LNG, police say.

Sgt. Pat Bonner, with the Saint John Police Force, said about 200 protesters were on Black River Road and about 75 on Red Head dike at about 6:30 a.m. He said they were not blocking traffic but they were slowing it down.

Bonner said police were present and assisted vehicles in getting through the picketers. He said there were no incidents and no arrests.

Ron Oldfield, first vice-president of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, said he attended the protests as an observer and did not see buses take workers to the job site on Wednesday.

He said protesters staged a peaceful demonstration to send a message to out-of-province workers: "If you really want to work here, get in line like everybody else and take your turn."

The outside workers are employed by Integral Energy, an Alberta-based electrical and instrumentation company contracted by SNC-Lavalin to work on a third holding tank at Canaport LNG. Some of the Integral Energy workers are members of the Christian Labour Association of Canada, or the CLAC.

Oldfield said local tradespeople believe SNC-Lavalin and the CLAC are in this together and have decided to circumvent the local work force. He said the New Brunswick Federation of Labour does not consider the CLAC a union and does not want it to be certified in the province because they fear wages will be driven down.

"They (protesters) are standing on the street while people from other areas of the country are going to work and they are upset, and rightfully so," Oldfield said.

The union leader said the protest slowed traffic but he believes the public supports the demonstrations and understands their need to stand up for their right to go to work in their own back yard.

Mayor Ivan Court said he hopes the union leaders and the companies responsible for construction at Canaport LNG will come together and work things out.

"We have people that go to work everyday for an honest day's wage, and you don't have to bring people in to cause problems by undermining union labour," Court said. "If that is happening, someone is going to have to step to the plate and make sure there is harmony in the workplace."

Dominique Morval, spokeswoman for SNC-Lavalin, would not answer questions about how the company has been affected by the protests and what her Montreal-based company is doing to put an end do the demonstrations.

"Work continued today on site and our primary focus remains the completion of the construction of the Canaport LNG Terminal," Morval wrote in an email.

Integral Energy declined comment.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Here's more from the Telegraph Journal about how local labour in New Brunswick feels about the CLAC

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL
Protest: Union leaders blame Ontario-based organization for recent labour upheaval:
MARY-ELLEN SAUNDERSTELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

SAINT JOHN - Local union officials say they want to prevent the Christian Labour Association of Canada, also known as the CLAC, from receiving certification in New Brunswick.

Ron Oldfield, first vice president of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, is lobbying provincial politicians to ban the Christian Labour Association of Canada from becoming a local trade union.

The CLAC was the organization that recently arranged for a number of out-of-province tradespeople to come to Saint John for work - a move that prompted local workers to demonstrate boisterously outside the hotel where they were staying.

Local union officials say they are concerned the CLAC wants to become a certified union and drive wages down. They are encouraging provincial politicians to change the text in the Industrial Labour Act in a way that would deny the CLAC's certification if it applied.

"We think they will try to be recognized as a union here"¦we are trying to be proactive," said Ron Oldfield, first vice-president of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour. "We are going to expose CLAC for what they are. They don't negotiate in the best interests of employees. We don't want to see the practices they use in Alberta used here."

The CLAC was brought into the national spotlight recently when protests waged for over a week in front of Hotel Courtenay Bay.

Tradespeople were protesting the hiring of out-of-province workers at Canaport LNG while many local workers are unemployed. Waving signs that read "Go home CLAC," the protesters were also sending a message that they do not welcome the organization or its members in Saint John.

The outside workers are employed with Integral Energy, an Alberta-based electrical and instrumentation company contracted by SNC-Lavalin to work on a third tank at Canaport LNG. Some of the Integral Energy workers are members of the CLAC.

Protests in the city attracted hundreds during the week of Sept. 14 to 17 and appeared to be over when Integral Energy workers left Hotel Courtenay Bay on Sept. 17.

But smaller protests emerged on Friday and continued throughout the weekend.

On Friday, a protest of about 40 people was held at the corner of Union and St. Patrick streets.

Sgt. Pat Bonner, with the Saint John Police Force, said between 50 and 60 protesters waited by the Petro-Canada station on Bayside Drive on Saturday at 6:30 a.m for buses carrying Integral Energy employees to drive by on their way to the work site at Canaport LNG. Bonner said the buses decided to go a different direction that day, avoiding the protesters.

Bonner said there were a couple of protesters on the access road to Canaport LNG on Sunday at 5:30 a.m.

He said there were no arrests made as a result of the weekend protests.

Oldfield said he believes the out-of-province work at Canaport LNG is being driven by the CLAC's attempt to get their foot in the door. He is in the process of getting information together to make a bid to the provincial government to stop any situation, including the certification of the CLAC, which he believes would lead to standards and employee wages being dropped.

Andrew Dawson, Atlantic Canadian representative for the building and construction trades, said workers in Saint John have dealt with the CLAC when working in other provinces and are fearful the association will emerge in their home province.

He said he is confident the CLAC would be denied certification if it applied in New Brunswick. He said an assurance of this from the provincial government would put workers at ease.

Alex Pannu, a CLAC spokesman, said the association is not planning to apply for certification in New Brunswick in the near future.

"We have had requests from our members to come and operate there and we certainly think about that," Pannu said. "We're open to moving there"¦but we don't have any immediate plans."

Pannu said the CLAC has competitive collective agreements and he wonders why labour unions would want to prevent his association from working in the province.

"Is their model is so weak that they can't compete," Pannu said. "Why is competition good for everybody else but not labour unions?"

A record from the Labour Relations Board in Nova Scotia revealed that the CLAC applied for certification in the province in 2000 and was denied. The documents show the CLAC was not found to be a labour union as defined in the province's Trade Union Act because it did not follow established trade union practices.

Dawson said he believes the CLAC would fail for the same reason if it attempted to get certified in New Brunswick.

The provincial government, he said, has staked its claim to fame on self-sufficiency, which depends on the success of the energy hub. But the energy hub won't happen if Saint John gets a reputation as an unfriendly place to do business, he argued.

"We have a situation of labour unrest. Saint John is getting a bad name for itself and we recognize that is because of the fact that this threat of CLAC and lowering wages is out there and has created this discontent," Dawson said. "They haven't done anything illegal but they have created a fear amongst the working public."

Dawson said if the government tightened the Industrial Labour Act to ensure the CLAC could not become a union in New Brunswick, workers could stop worrying and get back to building business.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Real unions have been battling the CLAC for some time now, especially in Alberta. For more information about the CLAC, and the threat it means to workers' conditions see 'The Truth About CLAC', a website sponsored by a number of Alberta labour groups. The syndicalist IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) has also been battling the CLAC for years. See this article from the website of the Edmonton IWW for even more info on the CLAC and the opposition to it.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

ALBERTA SAFEWAY STRIKE ENDS-WITH DEFEAT:

According to the following article from the Edmonton Sun the strike against Safeway in Edmonton has ended after only six days. After rejecting a proposed contract agreed to by their union, the UFCW, by over 70% the workers saw that their strike was going to be a futile gesture as the Alberta Labour Relations Board ruled that vehicles were not to be impeded from entering and exiting Safeway premises, essentially guaranteeing that the scabs that the company had hired would be able to continue "business as usual". No doubt the UFCW staff were busy lecturing the people involved about just how unrealistic their demands were as well.

Whatever the reasons the workers involved, after only six days of a strike marked by some militancy in trying to blockade vehicles voted to accept the contract that they had originally rejected. The strike was, of course, not supported by any attempt on the part of the union nor the general labour movement to build any solidarity amongst other unionists, let alone the general public. What does this say, besides the generally pessimistic conclusion that one should accept the "wisdom" of union staffers ? It first of all says that people who go on strike are deluding themselves if they believe that all they have to do is rely on their union. First and foremost a strike is won or lost by the people who are actually involved, not some bureaucracy that they are presumably represented by.

Second of all it says that, especially in a conservative jurisdiction like Alberta that you might as well "go for the whole hog from the start". The courts and government boards will generally be on the "other side", especially when they are staffed with political appointees from parties that represent business. Rather than picketing and depending upon "traditional" union tactics the people involved should have moved to occupy the distribution centre and the Lucerne plant. Even if the end result would have been the same it would have 1)gained a little more respect from management and 2)led to at least a few days of free ice cream for the occupiers of the one plant. So, as people go back to work they should not just ponder whether the UFCW is the right union for them, but also what they could have done differently, both at the plants and amongst the general public. This is the third, and perhaps most important point. It is not entirely the fault of an union bureaucracy who are dragged into a strike that they didn't want in the first place that no great effort was made to reach out to the general public during the, brief, duration of this strike. To a large degree strikes today, even in the private sector, are won or lost just as much by public perception and support (or lack thereof) as they are by industrial action. Most unions today find this a rather alien concept, and it is up to the ordinary union member to educate their "leaders", not the other way around.

Anyways, here's the story from the Edmonton Sun.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL

Safeway workers end six-day strike:
By SUN MEDIA
Safeway workers at the company's Edmonton distribution centre returned to work after voting to end the six-day strike yesterday afternoon.

"We have received notification from the UFCW that the membership has voted in favour of the contract offer, so we do have a ratification, which means the strike is officially over," said Safeway spokesman Betty Kellsey.

"We are really pleased with the outcome of the vote."

Around 3 p.m., the workers voted in favour of the contract put forward to them Aug. 26.

Safeway got word after 5 p.m.

About 360 unionized employees from the distribution centre, frozen food warehouse and Lucerne ice-cream plant went on strike Monday.

The strike came after more than 70% of workers rejected the company's offer to increase their pay by about 14% over three years. (Welllllll, not exactly-Molly )

The company had hired about 200 replacement workers to continue operations. They will now be let go, Kellsey said.

At least seven Safeway tractor-trailers and some non-union management staff were blocked from entering the distribution centre and Lucerne ice-cream plant on Monday.

The Alberta Labour Relations Board later ruled picketers must allow vehicles in and out of Safeway's buildings near 143 Street and Yellowhead Trail.

CANADIAN LABOUR-EDMONTON:

LABOUR DAY STRIKE/LOCKOUT BEGINS TODAY AT SAFEWAY WAREHOUSE AND ICECREAM PLANT:

Labour Day wasn't , and not because it is a statutory holiday, for 350 workers employed by Safeway in their Edmonton distribution centre and their ice cream plant. The workers are represented by Local 401 of the UFCW. The interesting thing about the story that follows is that the union brass had come to an agreement on a contract with management, but this proposal was rejected by over 70% of the members. The union brass were then obliged to call a strike they didn't want, Management, in turn, declared a lockout and has begun to hire scabs. Stay tuned to this situation.

Here's the story from the pages of the Edmonton Journal.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCLCL
Labour Day showdown at Safeway
Warehouse workers reject deal agreed to by their union

By Andrea Sands, Edmonton Journal

September 7, 2009

A union leader is expecting chaos to mark Labour Day today as Canada Safeway workers hit the picket lines in west Edmonton in a combined strike and lockout.

The fact that members rejected a deal that was recommended by the union's leaders is indicative of the high level of frustration, said Doug O'Halloran, local president of the United Food and Commercial Workers.

"I think it just shows that the members are upset with their treatment and it's a hard place to work," O'Halloran said Sunday.

A labour expert said the members' decision to strike is rare.

"This is relatively unusual because, most often, the members accept the leaders' recommendations," said labour expert Yonatan Reshef, a business professor at the University of Alberta.

"The economic situation in Alberta right now is not great at all. It's always intriguing as to why union members would go against the leaders, but right now, given the economic situation, it's even more so."

About 350 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 who work at Safeway's Edmonton distribution warehouse, Lucerne ice-cream plant and frozen food warehouse have been without a contract since December 2008.

On Aug. 26, Canada Safeway and union negotiators reached a deal, which the union then recommended to members.

However, in a surprise move, more than 70 per cent of the 350 workers went against their union's advice and voted to reject the deal.

"I've never had it happen before," said O'Halloran. "We have a lot of strikes and we don't go to the membership unless we think we've got every last nickel. When we go there, we go for the right reasons."

Union leaders will support the members' decision to reject the contract, he said.

"The company has served lockout notice and we have served strike notice. Our position will be that we're locked out and there's nothing that goes in and out of the warehouses. We'll see how it plays out," O'Halloran said.

"I think it's going to be a bunch of confusion and chaos. That's usually what happens the first day of a strikelockout when you have 300 people involved."

Safeway is expected to have security workers at the warehouse and ice-cream plant.

The company has been advertising for employees to fill temporary warehouse jobs at $18.41 per hour.

"That disappoints me," O'Halloran said. "I would have thought that we go on strike, and if people don't want to cross the picket line, then the plant doesn't operate. Not only are they advertising right away, but it looks like they're going to try to operate the plant, which will make the members more upset."

The $18.41-an-hour wage being offered to temporary workers will also anger union members, because it is too high, he added.

Part-time employees normally earn between $14 and $18 an hour, and full-time staff earn up to $20 an hour, O'Halloran said.

"If you work part-time and then full-time, it would take you about three or four years to get to the top rate."

Despite the members' anger, O'Halloran said he expects the strike will be a peaceful one "as long as the company doesn't hire a bunch of goon security guards."

Workers were planning to begin picketing at 6 a.m. today outside the distribution centre and ice-cream plant along Yellowhead Trail, between St. Albert Trail and 149th Street.

"I hope cool heads prevail on all sides and we can get a settlement and everybody can get back to work," O'Halloran said.

CANADIAN POLITICS/AMERICAN POLITICS:

TAR SANDS OPPONENTS APPEAL RULING:

As the supply of conventional oil declines energy companies are increasingly looking not just to unconventional areas for drilling (such as the Arctic Ocean) but also to unconventional sources such as the Alberta Tar/Oil Sands. Petroleum extraction from bituminous deposits is such areas is controversial for many different reasons-its effect on the local ecology being the primary question. In recent years the American government has looked at the Alberta Tar Sands as a potentially significant (there may be more oil in this area than under Saudi Arabia) and, above all "strategically safe" (given a couple of weeks the US Marines could probably walk to the area in question) source of petroleum. Reliance on this source, however, has met with considerable opposition, not just within Alberta but also within the USA itself. The simple fact is that petroleum extraction from areas such as the Tar Sands is inevitably the dirtiest way to get oil, both in its effect on the local ecosystem and in terms of its contribution to carbon dioxide emissions. The greatest barrier to the tar sands development is that there simply is not enough water available to meet the needs of even a fraction of the proposed (let alone the potential) development. This, of course, raises the question of whether some substantial water engineering projects- such as diverting much of the flow of the Mackenzie River south- may not be part of the hidden agenda of the oil companies and governments.

The opposition in the USA is now appealing the recent Presidential Permit for a pipeline to the USA from the Tar Sands. Here's the story from the Act Up in Saskatchewan website.

CPCPCPCPCPCPCP
International Coalition Appeals Tar Sands Pipeline Permit:
Contributed by Jim Elliott
On August 20th, an international coalition of environmental and aboriginal organizations have vowed to challenge a permit given to a pipeline to bring the dirtiest oil on earth from the Tar Sands in Alberta to the United States.

“The State Department has rubber-stamped a project that will mean more air, water and global warming pollution, particularly in the communities near refineries that will process this dirty oil,” said Earthjustice attorney Sarah Burt. “The project’s environmental review fails to show how construction of the Alberta Clipper is in the national interest. We will go to court to make sure that all the impacts of this pipeline are considered.”

The groups involved in the challenge are Earthjustice, the Indigenous Environmental Network, the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Sierra Club of the United States. They pointed out in their statements today that this decision to allow the pipeline contradicts President Obama’s promise to cut global warming pollution and America’s addiction to oil while investing in a clean energy future.

The intended plan is to allow Enbridge, a Canadian company, to build the Alberta Clipper pipeline across northern Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin and the Southern Lights pipeline to carry hazardous liquids back into Canada.

The continued support of the Tar Sands development in Alberta is creating an environmental catastrophe, with toxic tailings ponds so large they can be seen from space and plans to strip away the forests and peat lands in an area the size of Florida. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions from Tar Sands production are three times that of conventional crude oil and it contains 11 times more sulfur and nickel, six times more nitrogen and five times more lead than conventional oil. These toxins are released into the U.S. air and water when the crude oil is processed into fuels by refineries. So, in addition to the toxic mess and damage inflicted on Alberta and Saskatchewan, this proposal will expand the number of point sources for increased pollution.

“The tar sands pipeline connects U.S. refiners and consumers with the dirtiest, most carbon-intensive crude oil on earth,” said Kevin Reuther, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy’s legal director. “Tar sands crude is causing massive environmental degradation in Canada and results in significantly more greenhouse gas emissions. This is the absolute wrong step to take if we want to create a greener energy future.”

It is said that building this pipeline to the United States would be in the national interest of the United States. If fact, these pipelines would hurt the United States. By having this pipeline cross the border, it will entrench the United States to depend on this dirty oil for as long as it flows. It will also obligate Canada to continue to provide oil in the same proportion as it now provides for the forseeable future even when the Tar Sands are depleted.

“Importing dirty tar sands oil is not in our national interest,” said Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope. “At a time when concern is growing about the national security threat posed by global warming, it doesn’t make sense to open our gates to one of the dirtiest fuels on earth. This pipeline will lock America into a dirty energy infrastructure for years to come. This is exactly the kind of project the State Department should be protecting us from.”

Many of the same groups involved in this court challenge are also appealing the U. S. Forest Service permission to allow the pipeline to cross parts of the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota. In addition, a group of tribal members have apparently gathered enough signatures on a petition to hold a referendum on the Leech Lake tribal council’s agreement to allow the line through tribal land.

"We are saddened by the news that the Presidential Permit was signed today,” said Marty Cobenais of the Indigenous Environmental Network, a Bemidji, Mn.-based non-profit. “The voices and rights of the Leech Lake Band members are not being listened to by the Obama Administration. According to the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Constitution they are allowed to hold a referendum vote and allow the members to decide to accept the agreement with Enbridge or not. Nearly 700 signatures were obtained. If they vote against the agreement, the pipeline route would have to go around the boundaries of the Leech Lake Reservation, which would require a new Environmental Impact Study, plus other permits including a new Presidential Permit.

“This project is being approved without all the federal regulations completed. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is still waiting to receive a completed application from Enbridge Energy and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to begin their approval process for allotment lands affected by these pipelines.”

ANARCHIST MUSIC:

JOEY ONLY AND THE REMAINS TOUR BEGINS:

The tour of Joey Only along with The Re-mains has begun way out in the Dreaming West )to borrow a REHism). Catch them if you can if you live in BC or Alberta.

JoeyOnly & Re-Mains (tour starts Thursday in Vancouver):‏
-GREAT AUSTRALIAN BAND TO PLAY THE RAILWAY CLUB

-FULL TOUR AHEAD!

-------------------------

SUMMER WHOOP-UP with THE RE-MAINS and JOEY ONLY

Switching out winter for summer, the Re-Mains cross the ocean from Australia to join forces with Joey Only on a rogue country rock journey through British Columbia and Alberta. Don’t miss your chance to see these rebel rousers from down under perform with western Canada’s favorite musical outlaw activist.

*June 4th: The Railway Club, Vancouver, BC

*June 6th: The Solstice Café, Victoria, BC

*June 10th: The Queens, Nanaimo, BC

*June 11th: Pizzaricos, Prince George, BC

*June 12th: The Alpenhorn, Smithers, BC

*June 13th: The Zoo, Fort St. John, BC

*June 14th: Sawridge Conference Centre, Jasper, AB

*June 15th: Creative Campus Workshop, Hinton AB

*June 16th: The Palomino, Calgary, AB

*June 17th: Bulldog Pub North, Fernie, BC

*June 18th: Auditorium Hotel, Nanton, AB

*June 20th: Flying Steam Shovel, Rossland, BC

…THE RE-MAINS

http://www.sonicbids.com/theremainshttp://www.myspace.com/countryrockandroll Lyrically driven by the same muse that nearly killed Ulysses,the Re-Mains fearless country rock and roll crusade is a banjo-edged blur of boot-stompin' grandeur and epic adventure. With the blessing of Barry Tashian, of the original Boston Remains that toured with the Beatles, the Australian Re-Mains have endured countless line-up changes and become Australia's hardest working country rock and rollers, touring relentlessly for the last seven years. From major festivals (Splendor inthe Grass, East Coast Blues and Roots, Tamworth Country Music etc.) to every outback roadhouse and inner city dive, The Re-Mains have made their mark.

3 albums and 2 EPs in, 4 stars from Rolling Stone and a 'best country rock band in Australia' tag from the Melbourne Age under their belts, last year the Re-Mains took the show to Canada. In 4 months they played 64 shows from Vancouver to Toronto and back again, taking in NXNE and playing to 15,000 at the Big Valley Jamboree on the way. They've been shot at, hunted by crocs in the Northern Territory, maimed by a rogue steer outside Tennant Creek, lost on the prairie in Manitoba(worse than crocs any day-Molly), and found again in Nimbin. With new album 'Inland Sea' now released, they return to Canada for another marathon. Watch for them on tour from June to August with Dr Joey Only, The Secretaries, Mayor Matt Allen and whatever bears they pick up along the way.

--------------------

…JOEY ONLY

www.joeyonly.com

www.myspace.com/xjoeyonlyx

Nobody owns Joey Only. He plays by his own rules and works for everything he has. At just 30 years old he's traveled Canada relentlessly as a musician since 1996, playing 500 shows of his own songs since 2001. Prolific as both a songwriter and musical and social activist, Joey Only’s biography reads like a list of immeasurable feats. This year he is recording his next album “Transgression Trail” with producer Corwin Fox, set for release in January 2010. Taking to the road in 2009 with Australia's best alt-country band The Re-Mains, Joey will again visit towns all over BC and Alberta. In July Joey Only will be playing bass for Arizona's amazing world music band Traveler (www.myspace.com/travelerworldmusic ) when they come to Canada.

Joey plays a mean solo show but also has a seven piece band called Joey Only Outlaw Band. He’s a regular contributor to BC Musician Magazine and has hosted Sound Resistance on Vancouver's Co-op Radio Station CFRO 102.7FM since 2003. Best known as a songwriter and guitarist Joey also moonlights as a studio musician capable of playing pedal steel guitar, percussion, upright or electric bass, harmonica and all manner of vocal arrangements. He’s played with or been billed alongside such greats as Anne Feeney, Geoff Berner, Washboard Hank, Lance Loree, Po'Girl, Leslie Alexander, Kinnie Starr, and CR Avery. Joey Only has climbed over 70 mountains, is an experienced wilderness guide, has chased tornadoes, been struck by lightning, nearly died of TB, had vocal surgery, smashed his face, been lost in the barrens, and incarcerated. He was publicly deemed a terrorist by Victoria BC police(Gos, I'd like to hear this story-Molly), has been an activist for over 10 years, hitchhiked 30,000 km, released four albums, failed out of University, and fought a mother bear. Joey is pro-cannabis advocate, a downtown eastside Vancouver healthcare worker, and still thinks the Leafs will win the Cup any day now(Well--nobody's perfect. It's obviously going to be the 'Winnipeg Jets'-Molly in joke). Promotions403.618.2504Joelle@modmaypromotions.comwww.modmaypromotions.com

For Press Opportunities with THE RE-MAINS and JOEY ONLY please contact

ModMay Promotions

-- !FACEBOOK IS THE CIA!

www.myspace.com/xjoeyonlyx

www.JOEYONLY.com

ANARCHIST MUSIC:

THE RE-MAINS AND JOEY ONLY ON TOUR THIS JUNE:

For those of you privileged to live in BC or Alberta they'll be an early summer treat as anarchist musician Joey Only tours the provinces with the Australian alt-country band 'The Re-Mains'. Sorta like down under goes up the mountain BC wise. Here's the promo.

MMMMMMMMMM

The Re-Mains (Aus) & Joey Only - JUNE TOUR:‏
- --------------------

!!!THE RE-MAINS - THE RE-MAINS - THE RE-MAINS - THE RE-MAINS!!!

---------------------

AUSTRALIA'S ASS KICKING ALT-COUNTRY ALL-STARS RETURN TO CANADA June tour with Joey Only through British Columbia & Alberta

(www.myspace.com/countryrockandroll)

(http://www.re-mains.com/)

(www.myspace.com/xjoeyonlyx)

(http://www.joeyonly.com/)

---------------------

Be sure to catch this boot-stomping bad-ass tour when Australia's best alt-country band traverses Canada all summer long. The Re-Mains are no stranger to touring across continents, not only did they tour Canada in 2008 they relentlessly play all over Australia. Joining them this June is British Columbian road warrior Joey Only and his gang of radical outlaws.

Be sure to check the Re-mains website as they play Canada from June 1st to August 23rd. Biography and press release of the Re-Mains are below show listings.

---------------------

JUNE TOUR - ALL DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE - LOOKING TO BOOK MORE

---------------------

-JUNE4: VANCOUVER BC - THE RAILWAY CLUB:

579 Dunsmuir, 9:30PM,

$8,

with Joey Only Outlaw Band and guests

http://www.therailwayclub.com/

-JUNE5: VICTORIA BC - THE SOLSTICE CAFE:

529 Pandora, 7:30PM,

$8,

with Joey Only and guests

http://www.solsticecafe.ca/

-JUNE6: ESQUIMALT BC - ALL AGES HOUSE SHOW:

1376 Esquimalt, Time to be announced,

$5-20,

all beer sales are benefit for annual Victoria Anarchist Bookfair.

http://www.victoriaanarchistbookfair.ca/

-JUNE10: NANAIMO BC - THE QUEENS:

34 VICTORIA CRES, 10PM

http://www.thequeens.ca/

-JUNE11: PRINCE GEORGE BC - TBA:

-JUNE12: SMITHERS BC - THE ALPENHORN

1261 Main Street,

$10,

10PM, dancing till the morning

http://www.alpenhornbistro.com/

-JUNE13: FORT ST.JAMES BC - THE ZOO

283 Fort Avenue, 10PM,

baddest ass bar in the north

-JUNE16: CALGARY AB - THE PALOMINO SMOKE HOUSE

109 7 Avenue SW,

9:30PM

http://www.thepalomino.ca/

-JUNE17: FERNIE BC - TBA

- show almost booked promoted by the PLAYERS PARADE

-JUNE18: NANTON AB - THE AUDITORIUM HOTEL

2011 20 Ave, 9:30,

free,

Thursday

$6.50 steak sandwich night!

-JUNE19: NELSON BC - TBA

http://www.mountainthunderpresents.com/

-JUNE20: ROSSLAND BC - TBA

promoted by the Toques

...more shows to be added, check http://www.joeyonly.com/ on June 1st

-----------------------------------------------------------------

BIOGRAPHY AND PRESS RELEASE FOR CROSS CANADA TOUR

AUSTRALIA'S ALT-COUNTRY BAND: THE RE-MAINS:

Lyrically driven by the same muse that nearly killed Ullysees, the Re-Mains fearless country rock and roll crusade is a banjo-edged blur of boot-stompin' grandeur and epic adventure. With the blessing of Barry Tashian, of the original Boston Remains that toured with the Beatles, the same guy who recorded with Gram Parsons, the Australian Re-Mains have endured countless line-up changes to continue to write and record enduring songs.

Australia's hardest working country rock and rollers have toured the country relentlessly for seven years. From major festivals (Splendour in the Grass, five years at East Coast Blues and Roots, Tamworth Country Music etc) to every outback roadhouse and inner city dive, The Re-Mains have played everywhere. With three albums and two EPs, four stars from Rolling Stone and a 'best country rock band in Australia' tag from the Melbourne Age under their belts, last year they took the show to Canada.

In four months they played 64 shows from Vancouver to Toronto and back again, taking in NXNE and playing to 15,000 at the Big Valley Jamboree on the way. They've been shot at and hunted by crocs in the Northern Territory, maimed by a rogue steer outside Tennant Creek. Lost on the prairie in Manitoba. And found again in Nimbin. With a new album 'Inland Sea', this year they return to Canada for another 3 month marathon.

Look out for them on tour, June-August with Dr Joey Only, The Secretaries, Mayor Matt Allen and whatever bears they pick up on the way.

--

Mick Daley - The Re-Mains

Ph 0428 314 881EPK

- www.sonicbids.com/theremains

www.myspace.com/countryrockandrollwww.re-mains.com

--

(www.myspace.com/xjoeyonlyx)

(http://www.joeyonly.com/)

---

SOUND RESISTANCE RADIO & PRODUCTIONS

(www.myspace.com/soundresistance)

---