CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:

DIRECT ACTION AND CUPW WINNIPEG LOCAL 856:

Great new interview on Black Mask Radio with two Winnipeg posties about the direct action tactics they have used in their struggle with Canada Post's "test scheme for speedup" here in Winnipeg. Go to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog to access the file. Also keep up to date with the struggle at The Workers Struggle With The Modern Post blog.

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:
WINNIPEG WILDCAT AT CANADA POST:


After weeks of frustration and gradually building tension workers at several Winnipeg Canada Post depots walked out today. The precipitating cause is a new mail sorting and delivery system, actually a wild management scheme that pushed the concept of speedup to the point of disastrous confusion in terms of service and heights of injury on the part of the workers. At the Wilkes depot one worker was disciplined for refusing the new system and sorting his mail in the traditional fashion. The other workers walked out in solidarity with him. On the radio today management a spokesman gave his version of the dispute, basically totally ignoring both the complaints of the workers and the chaos in mail delivery (or non-delivery) that the scheme has caused. His line was "change is always difficult, and some people have a problem with change". I kid you not ! That is the sort of psychobabble that they teach in schools of management in lieu of actually having any useful skill to impart to order givers.

Here's how the strike was reported by the Financial Post.

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Canada Post face wildcat strike in Winnipeg

Don Healy/Postmedia News
In implementing its modernized methods of sorting and delivering mail, part of the corporation’s transformation project, Canada Post has been facing resistance from employees in Winnipeg, the first city to operate under the new “two-bundle” system.
Tim Shufelt, Financial Post · Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010

Dozens of letter carriers walked off the job in Winnipeg on Monday in protest over a new mail delivery method they call unsafe.

In implementing its modernized methods of sorting and delivering mail, part of the corporation’s transformation project, Canada Post has been facing resistance from employees in Winnipeg, the first city to operate under the new “two-bundle” system.

When one worker refused to follow the new rules, he was cited for insubordination and immediately suspended. Dozens of other carriers from the mail depot — 76 in total — then walked out in solidarity.

About 15% of the city’s routes were affected, said Jon Hamilton, a spokesman for Canada Post.

The new system requires the employee to carry a second bundle of mail on their forearm. But that method obscures the feet from view, causing falls and injuries, and results in back and neck pain, said Bob Tyre, head of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ Winnipeg local.

“Our letter carriers tell us it’s absolutely and completely unsafe,” Mr. Tyre said, noting that after just a month in use, the two-bundle system is much hated among employees. “The number of injuries have skyrocketed since then.”

Mr. Hamilton said the delivery process is currently subject to arbitration.

“There are other avenues where the union could address their concerns, make their views known without hurting or impacting service to Canadians and the businesses that depend on us,” he said.

And he insisted that Canada Post needs to evolve to improve efficiency and to reflect the changing behaviours of Canadians when it comes to mail. In the last four years alone, mail volume fell by more than 11% in Canada, he said.

“We need to make changes in order to maintain the service that Canadians depend on and also be able to secure the future for employees in terms of their pensions and job security and their wages,” he said. “This isn’t just a change for change’s sake.”

But Denis Lemelin, CUPW’s national president, said the union and the corporation have a responsibility to ensure the safety of letter carriers.

“We’re telling the employer they have to stop this new method and maybe sit with the union and find a new way to address the issue,” he said, noting that complaints are also starting to come in from employees in other parts of the country, as Canada Post rolls out the new system to Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and, eventually, the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, in Winnipeg, it’s unclear how long the mail disruption might continue.

Mr. Tyre said his colleagues will not abide the two-bundle system any longer. “They’re pretty irate. I don’t know what they’re going to do tomorrow.”
..

Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/news/Canada+Post+face+wildcat+strike+Winnipeg/3868455/story.html#ixzz164pPLlfj

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Here's how the walkout was reported by the CBC.
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Canada Post employees walk out

About 40 Canada Post employees walked off the job Monday to show solidarity with a worker who was suspended for flouting the new mail-sorting methods. (CBC)
Dozens of Canada Post employees in Winnipeg walked off the job Monday to protest a change in the mail-sorting procedure.

Canada Post's website says the corporation is undergoing a "postal transformation," and Winnipeg is the first location rolling out new sorting equipment and delivery methods before they're implemented across the country.

The new, automated way results in postal carriers having to carry three bags along their routes. Under the old sorting method, done by hand, carriers ended up with two bundles because the sorters were able to combine flyers with mail destined for each place of delivery.

A man sorting the mail the old way on Monday at the Wilkes Avenue facility was suspended, according to Bob Tyre, head of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers' Winnipeg local.

That prompted 40 other employees at the facility to walk out in solidarity.

"They [Canada Post] suspended him on the spot. And the other carriers decided that that was the line in the sand and they left, too," Tyre said.

About 60 carriers at the downtown sorting plant then left their jobs for similar reasons, but only walked out for about a half-hour, said Tyre.

He noted seven carriers at the Transcona plant were also threatened with suspension for sorting mail the old way.

Workplace injuries
Tyre said the new procedure is causing an increase in workplace injuries and slowing down mail delivery.

Carrying the three bags "makes walking treacherous [and is] hard on their necks and their backs," he said, adding "there's been a skyrocketing increase in injuries.

'They've gotten nowhere with Canada Post, so they just decided that they can't work that way and they went home.'
—Bob Tyre, Canadian Union of Postal Workers"And [the carriers] have tried to, and the union has as well, talk to Canada Post about the delivery method, how it's causing injuries, and it's not safe and it slows the delivery down on the streets, so they're all working overtime. They've been working that way now for about six weeks.

"And they've gotten nowhere with Canada Post, so they just decided that they can't work that way and they went home."

Canada Post spokesman John Hamilton said the corporation is still working out the bugs on the new sorting equipment and hopes employees will adapt to the change.

"The simple fact is that this is a big change, not everybody likes change, and there are going to be some issues from time to time," he said.

He would not discuss whether any disciplinary action would be taken against the workers who walked out.

Last week, Winnipeg Liberal MP Anita Neville said she has been inundated with complaints from people in her Winnipeg South Centre riding because mail has been arriving late or not at all.

One seniors residence with 183 units had no mail for three days, she said.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/11/22/mb-canada-post-dispute-winnipeg.html#ixzz1652xUEUm

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Two local blogs here in Winnipeg are following these events closely. One is the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog, the local organ of Winnipeg's IWW. The other has been featured here before. The Workers' Struggle With The Modern Post is a blog set up by members of CUPW here in Winnipeg, and it has been reporting the problems with Canada Post's weird little experiment for the past month. This blog is the best source for up to the minute news about what is happening with the post and the struggle that Winnipeg posties are fighting. Unfiltered through the mass media of course.



The Workers' Struggle blog has received numerous expressions of support from both other postal workers across the country and members of the general public. Even internationally. Feel free to send them your greetings of solidarity. Winnipeg is a "test case" for a management scheme backed by a government that would be more than happy to see the public postal system destroyed entirely.If the Winnipeg posties lose than postal workers across the country lose, and in the end the general public loses as well.

Here's a report on the job actions today from the Workers' Struggle blog. Make sure to check in there tomorrow as the struggle continues.
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Monday, November 22, 2010

Here is a more detailed look at today's actions
After weeks of struggling to work under the employers' new delivery model, Winnipeg letter carriers have reached the breaking point. The multiple bundle delivery method imposed by the boss has resulted in many members sustaining injuries and has made the work dangerous and unsafe.

Over assessed routes and the refusal to provide proper time values for all of the work performed has resulted in many carriers being forced to work overtime to complete delivery. So far, the employer has refused to take any concrete measures to resolve the concerns of the membership.

This morning at the South West Depot, wave 1 letter carriers decided that the safest way to perform their work was to sort the sequenced mail into their cases and deliver with 1 bundle on the street. Members were ordered by the boss to cease the sequenced mail sortation and when 1 temporary letter carrier refused to comply, he was advised that he was being suspended. Other members in the depot left the work floor in support of the disciplined worker and refused to work as dictated by the boss. After a brief coffee meeting in the parking lot, the members then went home.

The second wave for South West reported for work and learned of the earlier events and made the decision to support one another, refuse the dangerous work method and go home for the day.

Meanwhile, in the other corner of the city, wave 1 letter carriers in the Transcona depot also made the decision to sort their sequenced mail into their cases. The employer did not prevent them from doing so and those workers then left and commenced their delivery. When wave 2 reported for duty, they attempted to sort in their sequenced mail and were advised by the employer that they could not do so and would face a 5 day suspension if they disobeyed. These members then invoked their right to refuse the unsafe work method and are still in the office. The employer has not issued any further instructions or orders to them. Our stewards are working with those members in the article 33 process.

Will the employer escalate the situation and respond with heavy handed discipline or will they realize that its time to put the health and safety of workers ahead of the unworkable new delivery model?

It's time for all us to stand up and demand a safe workplace and a 1 bundle delivery method.

An Injury to One is An Injury to All.

Solidarity,

CANADIAN LABOUR- WINNIPEG:

THE WINNIPEG WOBBLY ISSUE #4:







Our local branch of the syndicalist Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union here in Winnipeg is as active as ever. Speaking of May Day (see last post) the IWW has brought out a special May Day edition of the Winnipeg Wobbly. Check it out, especially for the announcements of events here in this burg surrounding the month long May Works (May Day on steroids ????). Here's the announcement from the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog.

WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA
Winnipeg Wobbly #4: May Day Special
Check out the new special May Day edition of our newsletter, the Winnipeg Wobbly!

Included in this edition:

**May Day: The REAL Labour Day
**Party Politics don't Work
**The Belgrade 6 are free!
**Report Back from Winnipeg Israeli Apartheid Week
**Selected Events from the MayWorks Festival



Click Here For The Winnipeg Wobbly Vol. 1 Issue 4

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-PORTUGAL:

SOLIDARITY WITH THE 'LISBON 11':

The following appeal for solidarity with Portuguese anarchists facing charges from a demonstration three years ago (and you thought the Canadian courts moved slowly ) came to Molly's attention via the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog.

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International Call for Solidarity: Support the 11 of Lisbon!

On the 25th of April of 2007, an anti-authoritarian demonstration against fascism and capitalism took place in downtown Lisbon, protesting against the growing influence of fascist groups in Portugal and the attempt to rehabilitate the figure of the former dictator, António de Oliveira Salazar. Several books about Salazar came out back then and a Museum was to be opened in Santa Comba Dão, the place where the dictator was born. A television contest, designed to boost nationalistic and chauvinistic attitudes among the Portuguese people, actually managed to elect Salazar as “the greatest Portuguese of all times”. Besides that, PNR, an ultra right-wing party, involved with nazi skinhead groups, started to show signs of great activity, with a large-scale campaign to increase xenophobia and several street demonstrations, one of which taking place, provocatively, in a known immigrants' quarter downtown Lisbon.

As a response to the growth of reactionary forces and attitudes in Portuguese society, anarchists organized a big demonstration on the day of the celebration of the Carnation Revolution, the 25th of April, when the fascist dictatorship was overthrown. The demonstration gathered over 500 people, crossed downtown Lisbon, always being closely followed by the police, and halted in Largo de Camões, where most people left. From there, a second demonstration started and, when the demonstrators were descending Rua do Carmo, the riot police closed the street exits, trapped them, and then charged violently. Several people were injured, some of them badly, and 11 of the demonstrators were arrested and now stand for trial, for alleged civil disobedience, verbal abuses, and assault on police officers, risking sentences from six months to five years of imprisonment.

We ask for the international support and solidarity of all sections and friend of AIT-IWA to spread the news of what's happening, specially among Portuguese communities in their area, and send protest letters, faxes and emails to local Portuguese Embassies, Consulates and interests, performing, if possible, actions in front of them, specially on the days of the Court hearings, but not limited to them. We also appeal to the sending of protest letters, faxes and emails to the Court where the hearings are taking place.


A model protest letter to be sent:
(it's both in English and Portuguese)

Vimos por meio da presente carta protestar contra a ida a julgamento dos 11 detidos aquando da realização da manifestação anti-autoritária contra o fascismo e o capitalismo, em 25 de Abril de 2007.

Denunciamos o comportamento claramente ofensivo e discriminatório demonstrado pela polícia no decorrer dos acontecimentos, assim como a brutalidade com que a mesma reagiu à manifestação, carregando indiscriminadamente sobre os manifestantes e demais transeuntes presentes na Rua do Carmo, numa acção cujo objectivo manifesto não foi a dispersão da manifestação, mas antes o espancamento do maior número de pessoas possível, posto que todas as saídas da rua foram cortadas pela polícia de forma a não deixar aos manifestantes fuga possível.

Afigura-se-nos que as pessoas detidas o foram de forma aleatória e arbitrária, e que a sua ida a tribunal não serve outro propósito que não seja o de mascarar e ilibar a violência policial, culpando os manifestantes pelo sucedido. Consequentemente, exigimos o encerramento deste processo e a absolvição de todos os arguidos.

Com os melhores cumprimentos,
…

English translation of the letter:

We hereby send you the following letter to protest against the trial of the 11 persons arrested during the anti-authoritarian demonstration against fascism and capitalism, which took place on the 25th of April 2007.

We denounce the clearly offensive and discriminatory behavior displayed by the police during the events and its brutal response to the demonstration, charging indiscriminately on demonstrators and bystanders at Rua do Carmo, in an action clearly intended, not to disband the demonstration, but to beat up as many people as possible, for all the street exits were cut off by the police in order to trap the demonstrators and let them no way to escape.

For us, it seems that the persons arrested during the events were picked randomly and arbitrarily among the demonstrators, and that the charges pressed against them serve no other purpose than to whitewash the police violence, blaming the demonstrators for what happened. Consequently, we demand the closure of this process and the acquittal of all defendants.

Best Regards,
...

Court address:
1º Juízo Criminal
Av. D. João II, nº 1.08.01 - Bloco B
1990-097 Lisboa
Portugal

Email: lisboa.jcr1@tribunais.org.pt
Phone: (+351) 213 505 500
Fax: (+351) 211 545 164

Process Number:
42/07.5PALSB (please mention it on the letters, faxes and emails you send to the Court)

A list of Portuguese Embassies worldwide:
http://www.mne.gov.pt/mne/en/ministerio/organizacoes/embaixadas/

Portuguese Consulates abroad:
http://www.mne.gov.pt/mne/en/infocidadao/pestrangeiro/consulados/


Days of the next Court hearings:
- 20 of April
- 29 of April
- 19 of May

________________________________________

Associação Internacional dos Trabalhadores

Secção Portuguesa
Apartado 50029
1701-001 Lisboa
PORTUGAL

Tel. +351 963 216 840
E-mail: aitport@yahoo.com
http://www.ait-sp.blogspot.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/ait-sp/

CANADIAN LABOUR-WINNIPEG:

CNIB STRIKERS/LOCKED OUT WORKERS SUPPORTED BY CLIENTS:

The CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) strike/lockout began yesterday March 15 here in Winnipeg. I have to admit that there is one thing that has always puzzled me about labour law here in Canada. Quite frankly I can't see any advantage to employers being the first to "draw their guns" and declare a lockout on the eve of an impending strike. If anything they should wait until labour "makes the first move" in terms of public support. Labour is certainly always happy to declare that they are locked out as opposed to being on strike, and to me the advantages of this are obvious. Could somebody more familiar with the law enlighten me ?

In any case the union, Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, has certainly been quick off the bat in garnering public support for their positions. Here, from their website, is a story about how clients of the CNIB have rallied behind the workers that serve them. Rather inspiring actually as management has been rather treacherous to clients in the past while workers have defended them.

Please refer to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog as well as the Local website for further coverage of this strike.

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Clients who use CNIB Services outraged
Will support striking CNIB staff on picket line.
UFCW Local 832 members working at Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB) will have the support of the people they help in Manitoba on the picket line at 1080 Portage Avenue.

Many of the clients that receive assistance from the staff at CNIB are ready to show their support and walk with them in hopes the remaining issue of paid sick leave can be resolved.

“I think it’s appalling that this strike is taking place. The support workers and everyone on strike have been very good to us, and they were there for us when CNIB closed down our specialty store in 2007. So we want them to know they have our support and hopefully the CNIB will put an end to this strike quickly,” said Eric Mackinder who is a client at the CNIB and the Winnipeg Chapter President for the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians.

The members at CNIB have already agreed to the company’s proposal of a wage freeze in the first year and their proposal of 2.5 per cent in the second year. The unionized staff at CNIB is paid generally $5 less per hour less than other non-profit organizations in the province. The remaining issues are over the reductions to the paid sick leave and long term disability the members have had since their first collective agreement. Both of which the company has stated at the bargaining table are not being abused.

CANADIAN LABOUR-WINNIPEG:

CNIB WORKERS SET TO STRIKE ON MONDAY:

Nineteen employees of the Canadian national Institute for the Blind (CNIB), represented by Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), are set to strike this coming Monday, March 15. Contract negotiations have been dragging on for almost a year, and management has proved intransigent despite offers of concessions from the union. Here's the story from the CBC. Many thanks to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog who alerted Molly to this development and plan to be following the situation as it develops.

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CNIB workers prepare to picket
Workers at Winnipeg's Canadian National Institute for the Blind are preparing to walk off the job on Monday.

Union members on Thursday voted down the CNIB's final contract offer, after negotiating with management for close to a year.

The union is willing to accept a wage freeze in the first year of a new deal but not the proposed reductions to paid sick leave and long-term disability, said United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 832 president Robert Ziegler.

'The company has taken a hard line on a non-issue.'—Robert Ziegler, union president
"The membership is outraged that after spending nearly a year at the bargaining table and being understanding on monetary issues that the company would force a reduction in their health and wellness benefits when it has never been a problem," Ziegler said.

The 19 union members who work at the CNIB perform various duties assisting people living in the province who have visual impairment.

Contract negotiations started in April 2009 and in July 2009, a government-appointed conciliator was brought on to try helping the two sides reach a deal.

"The company has taken a hard line on a non-issue and unfortunately they are demonstrating to the people in the province who need these services that they would rather force our members on a picket line instead of helping them," said Ziegler.

There are no plans to continue negotiations as the company stated this was their final offer, he added.

However, the union is willing to meet with the company over the weekend prior to the Monday morning picket, if they are willing to move off this issue, Ziegler said.

There's been no comment from the CNIB.

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Here is a posting from the website of Local 832 from which much of the article above was derived. Keep tuned to the union's website for further news.

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CNIB members in Manitoba set to strike on Monday
Company pushes members to the streets over non-issue.
UFCW Local 832 members working at the Winnipeg Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) at 1080 Portage voted down the company’s final offer on March 11.

“The membership is outraged that after spending nearly a year at the bargaining table and being understanding on monetary issues that the company would force a reduction in their health and wellness benefits when it has never been a problem” said UFCW Local 832 President Robert Ziegler.

Negotiations started in April 2009 and have been assisted through a government appointed conciliation officer since July 2009 with all the items being agreed upon, including a wage freeze in the first year but the members refuse to budge on CNIB’s stance to change its paid sick leave.

“Our members have been very understanding to the financial constraints that CNIB is currently under. They are long standing employees have been with the company for many years. They have agreed to take a wage freeze and a small increase in the second year of the contract. The only outstanding item is the company’s stance to reducing its sick time pay, which the company admitted during negotiations hasn’t been abused,” said Ziegler.

The 19 members working at the CNIB perform various duties assisting people living in the province who have visual impairment.

“The company has taken a hard line on a non-issue and unfortunately they are demonstrating to the people in the province who need these services that they would rather force our members on a picket line instead of helping them,” said Ziegler.

Currently, members who have five years of service or more are entitled to 15 weeks of 100 per cent paid sick leave should they need it. The company wants to reduce it to 10 days at 100 per cent then whatever days that member has not used to-date under its “sick time cushion” 100 per cent of a potential 10 days but the remaining time will be at 67 percent. Currently, if a member does not use their sick leave it’s not carried over or can be cashed out. The company also proposed a reduction to the long term disability from 67 per cent to 60 per cent of their eligible earnings.

There are no plans to continue negotiations as the company stated this was their final offer. The union is willing to meet with the company over the weekend prior to the Monday morning picket, if they are willing to move off this issue.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-SERBIA:

TRIAL OF THE 'BELGRADE 6' BEGINS:

Molly has reported on this case before last year (see here, here and here ). The basics are that 6 activists in the Serbian Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative, the Serbian section of the anarcho-syndicalist international, the AIT, were arrested last fall and charged with firebombing the Greek embassy. As active anarchosyndicalists the comrades, of course, disagree with such tactics of individual vandalism, preferring the open class struggle. The suspicion is that the Serbian government latched on to them because they were the easiest "open targets"(given that the Serbian police force is probably a nest of incompetance to the degree that they couldn't "investigate" tying their own shoes), and they had to prove that they were "doing something".

As we speak here in Winnipeg Manitoba the preliminaries of the trial are already over and done with several time zones over, but the trial will continue. Here's a report from the local Winnipeg Wobbly Blog about this case.

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Six Serbian anarcho-syndicalists are due in court today:‏
Six Serbian anarcho-syndicalists are due in court today charged with international terrorism in what Belgrade academics have condemned as a political trial.

Tadej Kurepa, Ivan Vulović, Sanja Dojkić, Ratibor Trivunac, Ivan Savic and Nikola Mitrovic, were detained on September 4th after a Molotov cocktail broke a window at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade.

Originally arrested for "causing general public danger," an allegation often associated with low-level vandalism, the activists' charges were upped to international terrorism following public comments by Serbian President Boris Tadic that he intended to crack down on "left-wing terrorism.

"The six face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the latest charges - more than double the sentence handed down for the burning to the ground of the US Embassy in 2008 in which one man was killed.

Academics at Belgrade University have condemned the trial, writing in an open letter: "We fear that this was an arbitrary interpretation of the Criminal Code and a case of its use for political purposes.

"Just in the year 2009 we have witnessed the escalation of violence and numerous threats of violence made by fascist groups. All of this was met with a mild reaction from the state prosecution and the police.

"To name just one example: in the days leading up to the Belgrade Gay Pride Parade (set for September 20th and called off due to security fears) threats of physically liquidating the gay population were called just 'polemics' by a representative of the state."

All of the six detainees are activists in or associates of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative (ASI), the Serbian section of the International Workers' Association (IWA). The ASI is part of a growing, independent union movement in Serbia and supporters say this is a political trial aimed at derailing that growth.

The attack itself has been claimed by a group called Crni Ilja, who said it was in solidarity with a Greek anarchist on hunger strike. No members of that group have as yet been positively identified.

The Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative has declared that they knew nothing of the attack or the group that carried it out. Ratibor Trivunac has repeatedly stated that throwing molotov cocktails is not a method of struggle used by the group.

A spokesperson for the Solidarity Federation, British section of the International Workers Association, said: "We unreservedly condemn the trial as a political attempt by the rulers of Serbia to silence an effective radical movement. Members of SF and other IWA sections are going to Belgrade for the trial to show support for our imprisoned comrades."

Source: http://libcom.org/news/controversial-terror-trial-belgrade-anarchists-begins-17022010

Of Course

CANADIAN LABOUR-WINNIPEG:

THE WINNIPEG WOBBLY ISSUE NUMBER 3:

yes the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) still exists here in Winnipeg Manitoba. Here's the announcement of the third edition of their new newsletter from the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog.

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Winnipeg Wobbly Newsletter #3:
Check out the newest edition of our newsletter, the Winnipeg Wobbly! Included in this edition:

**Maple Leafs Labour Abuses in Brandon
**Book Review: Pubs, Pulpits & Prairie Fires
**IWW/NSG ‘Holidarity Forever’ Mixer a Major Success (Of course-Molly was there )
**Rebel Workers’ Guide Part 3: Principles for Organizers
**Committee Report: News from the General Defense Committee

Click Here For The Winnipeg Wobbly Vol. 1 Issue 3

CANADIAN LABOUR-WINNIPEG:

A WOBBLY OFFER:

As many Winnipegers know nurses at St. Boniface Hospital have voted in favour of strike action though no definitive date has been set. The Winnipeg Wobbly Blog has an article on this, and, just like in the Manitoba Hydro strike, they are opening up their blog to comments from the workers affected. Here's the story and the offer.

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St. Boniface nurses vote to strike and the 'Wobbly Offer':
This is something we will be following in the up coming weeks.

CBC News - Manitoba - St. Boniface nurses vote to strike

Nurses at Winnipeg's St. Boniface General Hospital have voted 78 per cent in favour of strike action but have not set a strike deadline.

A little more than a third of the 1,400 nurses who work at the hospital voted Monday.

The president of the Local 5 of the Manitoba Nurses Union, Debbie Mintz, said Monday night there is no plan to strike just yet.

"Our intention is to return to the table to negotiate in February and for the rest of the dates that are scheduled, with an empowerment by the nurses at St. Boniface to get a final contract that does not include the rollbacks," Mintz said.

Mintz said the hospital wants concessions on overtime and the awarding of positions on the basis of seniority.

She said the contract has for 35 years awarded positions on the basis of seniority provided nurses meet qualifications.

"We certainly know that 78 per cent of the nurses that turned up here tonight are adamant that the final contract should not have rollbacks in [it]," she said.

The nurses have been without a contract since the end of last September.
Read more:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/02/02/nurses-strike.html#ixzz0eUzCjSdu

::::THE WOBBLY OFFER:::

We would also like to send out a call to all members of the Manitoba Nurses Union: We want to here from you! This blog is a blog for, by, and about workers, so we want to hear your experiences at work, your feelings on the strike vote, gripes with the unions and the bosses, anything coming up. This is your soap box! Drop us an email at: winnipegiww@hotmail.com .

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-GERMANY:

MORE ON HELP FOR THE FAU:

It has been five days since Molly last reported on the court order prohibiting the anarcho-syndicalist FAU from acting as the union for workers at the New Babylon Cinema. Since that time a couple of ways to support these workers have become available. First of all there is the following letter in German that the FAU would like you to fax to the court hearing the case. The fax number is +49(0)30 90188-518.

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Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren vom Landgericht Berlin,Deutschland stellt sich selbst gern als Musterland der Demokratie dar.Aber diese Demokratie scheint nicht für die gewerkschaftlichen Rechteder ArbeiterInnen zu gelten. Ihnen wird durch Verbote die Freiheit zurBildung von Gewerkschaften beschnitten.

So haben Sie der FAU Berlin verboten, sich selbst "Gewerkschaft" und"Basisgewerkschaft" zu nennen! Und das ohne diese Gewerkschafter undGewerkschafterinnen anzuhören! Dies bedeutet faktisch ein Verbot dieserGewerkschaft. Dieses Verbot der eigenständigen Organisierung vonArbeitern und Arbeiterinnen ist ein Skandal!

Damit treten Sie nicht nur deren Rechte mit Füßen, sondern verstoßenauch gegen die ILO-Konventionen und die Menschenrechte.

Wir werden die Öffentlichkeit über diesen skandalösen Vorfall inKenntnis setzen und fordern Sie auf, dieses Verbot rückgängig zu machenund die FAU Berlin nicht weiter mit Strafe zu bedrohen, wenn sie sichöffentlich als Gewerkschaft für die Interessen und Belange ihrerMitglieder einsetzt.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

[name]

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THE LETTER:

The Winnipeg Wobbly Blog also has an article of the situation of the FAU with more information. The letter, In English, that you can send to the New Babylon Cimema management by clicking here follows. There are also support Facebook pages here and here. All information courtesy of the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog.

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I am writing to protest about Kino Babylon's continued harrassment of workers organizing through FAU. Each person has the right to organize to defend their self-interests and employers have no right to interfere with this process. The moves made by Kino Babylon's management and their cohorts in ver.di can only be seen to constitute such unjustified interference.

I understand that the Kino has tried to cut the workers themselves out of the collective bargaining process. This is another attack on their right to organize themselves.

We support the workers' aspirations to earn decent wages and have an influence on their working conditions. And we support the actions of FAU taken so far in this campaign.

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.

LOCAL NEWS-WINNIPEG:

WINNIPEG WOBBLY NEWSLETTER #2:

It's out and about...the latest edition of 'The Winnipeg Wobbly', the newsletter of our local IWW group. Here, from the eponymous Winnipeg Wobbly blog is the announcement and how you can download it for your reading pleasure.

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Winnipeg Wobbly Newsletter #2:
Check out the newest edition of our newsletter, the Winnipeg Wobbly! Included in this edition:

**Lockout at Pine Falls
**Winnipeg's "Strategic Partners”: Water, War and Disaster Profiteers
**Rebel Workers’ Guide Part 2: Organizing your workplace - getting started With Workplace Mapping
**Committee Report: Report from the Winnipeg GMB Literature Department

Click here for the Winnipeg Wobbly volume 1 issue 2!

BLOGGING:

MEANWHILE ELSEWHERE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE...:

I figured I'd alert my dearly devoted fan(s?) to other neat new developments out there in Blogland. First of all Larry Gambone who has been writing great common sense anarchism for several decades now is busy moving his writings that were stored on the recently deceased Geocities site (cue funeral music) over to other places. Check out the process at the Porkupine Blog. Also Larry's recent collection of aphorisms. 'Rules to Rebel By' perhaps ?

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Also (cue drum roll please), here in Winnipeg, the throbbing, pulsating centre of the universe (whatyamean 'world class', we go for 'galactic class'), the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog has been running a series on 'Labour's November Martyrs'. Long before one section of our rulers sent young men to kill others in 1914 and the 'other side' did ditto, all over a dispute about who exactly gets to beat black and brown people over the back with a stick, November 11 was remembered in labour circles as the execution date of the Haymarket Martyrs. These were four innocent anarchist labour activists who were framed and killed on November 11 during the struggle for the 8 hour day. Their remembrance led to what is now known as 'Mayday'. Many others laid down their lives during this sad month as well. Read all about at the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog.

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Finally, last but not least, the good folks down Ontario way at the Common Cause/Linchpin site have a new feature on their website (cue marching band music). Linchpin News is an online Twitter based newsfeed bringing the news of the class struggle fresh daily to your inbox. This one actually has great potential. There are other anarchist news sites, some of them with more sense than others, but none of them are Canadian. We need this up here in the frozen north. Another thing that I see about this new bouncing baby boy is that it extends its area of interest outside of the "anarchist movement" (with all its virtues and vices) and reports on the 'class struggle' (in the widest sense), not only when it has the big black 'A' tag on it. In the end anarchism will probably always remain the creed of a small minority, but the most important thing is whether a majority of the people begin to act in a libertarian way in practical actions to solve their problems. Check it out either at Twitter (follow it there) or at the Linchpin website. Tell 'em Molly sent you.

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Finally a word from out sponsor (cue Mr. Clean Commercial music). Nominations for the annual Canadian Blog Awards are now closed, and, like last year, it seems that Molly has been nominated in the category of "Best Political Blog". Voting will begin on November 29. Last year Molly made it into the top 5 finalists, but (weep, wail, moan, whimper) came in last of the five. This year I hope to do better. So here's the deal. When voting opens go over to the Blog Awards site and vote for Molly. You'd better do this or.... I'm going to give you the longest, most boring political lecture that has ever been given in human history. I mean it. Think I can't do it ? Just watch me. When I get going they could put that miserable sneaky prison maker Fidel, along with his slimy little brother Raoul and throw in that cheap Mussolini imitation the megalomaniac Chavez and when all three of the miserable old Stalinist coots had keeled over with massive pulmonary edema Molly would just be getting her second wind.

Wanna avoid a fate worse than death or Sarah Palin as President ? Vote for Molly. There's no other choice. Why settle for the best when you can get the bestest best.

CANADIAN LABOUR-OTTAWA:

SOLIDARITY WITH MUSEUM WORKERS IN OTTAWA:

Molly has mentioned the ongoing strike of workers at the Canadian museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum, both in Ottawa, previously. There is a very good appeal for solidarity with these workers over at another friendly Winnipeg ( the absolute centre of the universe, let alone the 'heart of the continent') site, the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog, and Molly urges her readers to drop on over, read it and respond to the appeal. The union for the workers involved is the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Here, however, is another story from the PSAC website, of how management of the museums are attempting to censor free speech ie unspecified "content" be removed from the PSAC strike support blog. It's an interesting campaign on the part of management as the use of lawyers as weapon should resemble more the intelligent use of a surgical scalpel rather than a shotgun aimed blindly. Whether you agree with the demands of the union or not you should be alert to such attempts to "Americanize" our legal system (as if it isn't weighted enough in favour of the ruling class already) and use it as a weapon of intimidation. Here's the story.

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Union vows to fight online censorship:
Ottawa – The Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation is attempting to censor photos and comments posted to a Facebook page set up to support the 420 workers who are currently on strike at the Museum of Civilization and War Museum.

In a letter on October 28, lawyers acting on behalf of the corporation demanded that content that they deemed to be defamatory be removed from the Facebook group, “Fairness and Justice for Museum Workers”. They did not specify what they considered to be offensive and the Public Service Alliance of Canada has determined that none of the content on the page is objectionable.

The union, which represents the striking workers, has vowed to fight any attempts to remove content from the Facebook group or to curtail the workers' freedom of expression.

The museum workers are now entering their seventh week on the picket line. Employees at the two museums have been on strike since September 21, 2009. The 420 workers voted 92 per cent in favour of a strike at the end of August and talks first hit a standstill on September 18.

Negotiations resumed briefly on October 7, but broke off after the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation refused to agree to protections against the contracting out of the workers' jobs.

“CMCC's attempts at censorship are acts of desperation,” said Maria Fitzpatrick, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for the National Capital Region. “We are appalled that a Crown Corporation is spending taxpayers' money to attempt to intimidate workers into silence, rather than getting back to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair settlement.”

For more information or to book interviews:Ariel Troster, PSAC Communications, 613-292-8363 (cell)

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Before Molly signs out for the night here's another notice about this strike, also from the PSAC website. Tomorrow the workers involved will be taking their case to Parliament Hill in a demonstration for their rights. If you live in the Ottawa area consider showing up in solidarity.

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After six weeks on the picket line, museum workers take their message to the Hill:

– After more than six weeks on the picket line, 420 striking workers from the Canadian Museum of Civilization and War Museum will be taking their message to Parliament Hill tomorrow at noon.

They are asking the Canadian government to tell the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation to return to the bargaining table and grant them a fair contract. Their key demands are job security, protections against the subcontracting of their jobs and an end to perpetual contract status. The workers are seeking the same terms and conditions as other employees doing the same work at other federally-funded museums and cultural institutions.

Employees at the two museums have been on strike since September 21, 2009. The 420 workers voted 92 per cent in favour of a strike at the end of August and talks first hit a standstill on September 18. Negotiations resumed briefly on October 7, but broke off after the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation refused to agree to protections against the contracting out of the workers' jobs.

The workers have been picketing daily in front of the office of James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Now they will take their message to all Members of Parliament, hoping for a fair end to their labour dispute as soon as possible.

WHAT:

Demonstration by striking museum workers and supporters, with words of support from:
Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Québécois
Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party
Richard Nadeau, Bloc MP for Gatineau
Paul Dewar, NDP MP for Ottawa Centre

( Well, I don't know about the presence of all the politicos selling their own trade marked brands of smelly running shoes, but until we anarchists eventually can offer a realistic alternative I can see the point of the union is giving place to the snake oil salesmen. Til that great millennium... )
WHERE:

Parliament Hill
WHEN:

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 12:00 p.m.
For more information or to book interviews:Ariel Troster, PSAC Communications 613-292-8363 (cell)

CANADIAN LABOUR-OTTAWA:

THE OTTAWA PANHANDLERS' UNION:

The following is originally from the Ottawa IWW. It comes Molly's way via our local Winnipeg Wobbly Blog. Down Ottawa way, in response to the usual legal harassment, people have formed the 'Ottawa Panhandlers' Union', and the local branch of the IWW is supporting their efforts.

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Please donate to the legal defense of the Ottawa Panhandlers Union:‏

The IWW’s General Defense Committee Local 6 is calling on all GDC and IWW members to pass the hat at meetings and in their community to help us raise CDN $1,500 (US$1,300) to pay for the legal defense of Fellow Worker Andrew Nellis, an organizer of the Ottawa Panhandlers Union. We want to reach this target by November 30.

FW Nellis won the immediate court battle when the City of Ottawa prosecutors dropped the charges against him. They decided to do so when faced with his lawyer’s groundwork for a constitutional challenge to the city’s removal of shelter from the homeless in one of Canada’s coldest cities. FW Nellis had tried to cut a padlocked gate on a fence that was put up to prevent the homeless from sleeping under a downtown underpass as part of May Day 2008 organizing.

To date, Local 6 has raised one-fifth of the funds needed to pay Andrew’s legal bills, so we have about CDN $1,200 to go. Andrew cannot work and is fighting the city for access to disability funding, so he cannot pay these bills on his own. So that is where our funding appeal for donations of all sizes (from $5 to $20 or more) comes in to support his outstanding organizing work and to settle accounts with the lawyer so that he, too, can engage in future defense work.

Please donate now through www.paypal.com by sending your personal gift to gdc6@ottawaiww.org or visit our web page http://ottawaiww.org/?page_id=254 to donate using the Paypal button.

Alternately, please send cheques or money orders in any currency directed to “General Defense Committee”, at PO Box 52003, 298 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1S0.

All donations that exceed our target will be used to establish a dedicated defense fund for the Ottawa Panhandlers’ Union, which is on the frontline of defending the poor and working class in Ottawa and facing weekly police harassment and intimidation for doing it.
In defense of our class,
Peter Moore
Secretary-Treasurer
General Defense Committee Local 6
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
http://ottawaiww.org/?page_id=254

CANADIAN LABOUR-MANITOBA:
NO STRIKE PAY FOR HYDRO WORKERS:
Sometimes while I am driving around during the day, listening to the radio, I hear something that gives me reason to doubt my hearing. This was definitely the case the other day when I heard that the local members of the IBEW who are on strike against Manitoba Hydro were not receiving any strike pay. I had to see if this was real, and indeed it is. See the following report from the CBC. Apparently a decision was made some 25 years ago that it was unlikely that this union local would ever be involved in strike action, and so there were no assessments towards any future strike fund. To say this was short sighted is a great understatement. Every union can expect to be in a strike position at least sometime in the future. The friendliness, or lack thereof, of any government in power, temporarily, is no guarantee against such a situation. Neither is a temporary accommodation by management, allowed by huge profits, such as was the situation with Hydro. From a management point of view huge profits are an irresistible temptation to overspend (this is also the situation of Hydro), and when push comes to shove the employees are expected to take the hit. There is, of course, another lesson to be learned, that workers should keep a closer eye of their unions and always revisit old decisions that may not be appropriate for newer times. It's a hard lesson to learn, that the benefit of unions is directly proportional to the care and control that ordinary members exercise over them. Let things slide, and unfortunate things can happen...just as they have here. Here's the report.
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Hydro strikers not being paid:
Nearly 3,000 unionized workers at Manitoba Hydro are walking the picket lines without strike pay.





Lauris Kleven, business manager with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), said workers knew going into the strike that they wouldn't be getting any money.





It was a decision the union made years ago, thinking they would never be in this position, he said.





"I think the people 25 years ago figured, 'Ah we won't worry about 25 years from now. Maybe not a wise decision, but there's nothing we can do about it now," he said.





Having no income will be financially difficult, but it's a case of short-term pain for long-term gain, workers hope.





"I am willing to do what it takes to get this resolved," said Debbie McNab, a lab technician with Hydro. "We have to stick together. Solidarity. You know, the whole bit."





'I am willing to do what it takes to get this resolved. We have to stick together. Solidarity. You know, the whole bit.'—Debbie McNab, Hydro lab technician





Johann Schreiner, who has worked for Hydro for 28 years as a technician, said he backs the union 100 per cent.





The financial obstacle, however, prompted him to take out a line of credit from his bank.





"It's going to hurt. It always does," he said. "The fact we are out here right now — nobody wins."





Another worker who commutes from outside of the city to take his turn on the picket line told CBC News he might have to go to a closer location because the cost of gas is going to have an impact on his wallet.





Groups of placard-carrying IBEW members have been striking in front of various Hydro facilities since Friday evening.





Nearly 3,000 electrical workers, truck drivers, transmission technicians, clerical and customer service employees walked off the job after conciliation talks between management and the union broke down.





The workers gave the corporation a 48-hour strike notice last Wednesday after rejecting the latest contract offer. They are seeking higher salaries and a shorter contract term.





It is the first strike to hit Hydro in the utility's 48-year history.





The union has a scheduled meeting with management at 1:30 p.m. Monday. The hope is that a new contract offer will be put on the table, said Kleven.





Two other unions in strike position
Another 1,600 workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), as well as 300 more who belong to the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), are also in negotiations with Hydro.





Members in both unions have already endorsed strike action.





Contracts between Hydro and all three unions have expired.





There are reports that representatives with CUPE and CEP met with Hydro management Monday morning but there has been no information released about those negotiations.
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Meanwhile, over at the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog supporters of the Hydro workers are helping to build solidarity. Here's a recent post from there, reprinting picketing instructions from the IBEW website, promoting the Solidarity With Manitoba Hydro Workers Facebook site and offering the Wobbly Blog as a forum for strikers who may have something to say. The Wobbly Blog has also published an interesting item on the ins and outs of strike solidarity. Drop on over for a look.
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Local: Manitoba Hydro on Strike: Instructions for Picketers and a callout from our Brothers and Sisters on the line:
From the IBEW site, here's some instructions for those going to picket:
Instructions to Picketers
1. Report to the picket captain at the start of your shift. They will be identified by red arm bands located on their left arms.
2. Picket signs or aprons must be worn at all times. These will be available through your picket captains .
3. Patrol your assigned work area.
4. Keep track of those who cross the picket lines and inform your picket captain.
5. Don’t engage in debate or arguments with those whom choose to cross the picket line. SCABS or strike breakers should be told how you feel.
6. Do not obstruct the general public.
7. Refer all media requests to the Local Union Office at 1-866-356-2034.
8. Keep the picket lines neat and please do not litter.
9. We expect nothing less than to have peaceful picket lines and for members to obey all applicable laws.
10. Picket captains have the authority to remove anybody causing a disturbance by fighting, uttering threats, being drunk, etc. If necessary the picket captain will contact local authorities to have the individual removed from the picket line or have charges laid. Illegal activities will not be tolerated by Manitoba Hydro or IBEW Local 2034.
11. Retired workers may be contacted by Manitoba Hydro to perform our work. If they show up to cross the picket line they shall be treated as any other SCAB.
12. In some larger locations port-a-potties will be provided.
Remember:
The purpose of the picket line is to:
1) convey to the public that you are on strike.
2) to restrict Manitoba Hydro’s business.





You have a legal right to picket and inform the public. The public has the right to cross or not to cross your picket line. Do not worry about inconveniences that are created by your picket actions, they are legitimate.

THE WOBBLY OFFER
We would also like to send out a call to all strikers on the line: We want to here from you! This blog is a blog for you, lets hear your experiences on the line. Drop us an email at: winnipegiww@hotmail.com.




Also remember to join the Solidarity with Manitoba Hydro workers! Facebook group.
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In other news on the Hydro strike the two other unions that were in a strike position with Hydro management, CUPE and the CEP Union, have reportedly settled. Here's the report from the CBC. One can only imagine the resentment that this is likely to cause amongst Hydro workers, especially as the wage increase offered to CUPE and the CEP seems higher than that offered to the IBEW. The length of the contract, four years, however, is the same as that which the IBEW find unacceptable. This settlement is not yet a done deal as members of both the CEP and CUPE still have to vote on its ratification. As was said before on this blog, this is outstanding proof of the fact that strike action should have been coordinated amongst the three unions. did somebody say, "divide and conquer"?
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Hydro strikes deal with 2 unions:
Manitoba Hydro has settled labour contracts with two out of three unions.





Hydro spokesman Glenn Schneider said Tuesday the Crown corporation has reached agreements with workers from the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union (CEP) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).





CEP represents Hydro's gas utility employees, while CUPE represents Hydro's office and support workers.





The deal, which is retroactive to Jan.1, 2009, means more than 1,500 Hydro employees will receive pay and benefit increases of 9.6 per cent over four years.





However, almost 3,000 striking workers from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are still walking the picket line awaiting Hydro management's response to a proposal sent about 24 hours ago.





Schneider said the deals with CEP and CUPE are good news — and the corporation is optimistic the IBEW strike will soon conclude.





"We're delighted we're able to arrive at a settlement … and we're hopeful we can arrive at a settlement with IBEW," Schneider said.





Electrical workers, truck drivers, transmission technicians, and clerical and customer service employees in the IBEW walked off the job Friday night after rejecting the utility's latest contract offer. They are seeking higher salaries and a shorter contract term.





In a statement Tuesday, CEP local 681 said ratification meetings will be held in Brandon Wednesday night and in Winnipeg on Thursday. The union is recommending the contract be accepted.





CUPE is currently contacting members about when to hold a ratification vote.