Organized labour holds its annual march in Toronto today under the shadow of recession and globalization. Together, the twin forces have stripped working people of jobs and benefits – some of which may never come back.
“Throughout the media we hear reports of green shoots: the markets are up; banks are back to record profits; GDP is growing again, if only by one-tenth of 1 per cent,” says Wayne Samuelson, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. “Some headlines have even triumphantly proclaimed that the recession is over. But over for who? Perhaps it is over in the stock markets and for those on Bay Street, but in the labour market and for those on Main Street, this recession is far from over.”
On the upside for labour, however, the recession has had the effect of bringing the unions together against a common foe.
The labour movement in Ontario has been divided since the days of Bob Rae’s NDP government, with its “social contract.” From Rae through Mike Harris’ Conservatives to the Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals today, some unions have sought to accommodate the government of the day while others have remained implacably opposed.
At times, the bitter internal debate has surfaced in public, such as at the 2007 OFL convention, where the Canadian Auto Woerkers (CAW) were denounced by other unions for signing a “sweetheart” deal with Magna Corp.
Now, however, the unions appear to be pulling together. The CAW, for instance, is poised to rejoin the OFL after a decade-long absence. In recent years, public sector unions representing nurses and teachers have also joined the OFL.
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Anyone who has seen “Inglourious Basterds” knows the appropriate Hollyweird method of dealing with large groups of enemies gathered together…
On a more serious note, I have to wonder… at what point does the power and influence of unions, particularly public sector unions, get checked? All of our labour legislation seems geared toward empowering unions and emasculating management. Is that fair and balanced?