THIS IS A FIRST

**Advanced Poster** Joined: 29 Sep 2006 Posts: 529

Posted 2010-Jul-23
The Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) is pleased to have welcomed the Minister of Labour, Lisa Raitt, and members of her staff at the TWU Head Office in Burnaby, B.C. on July 13, 2010.

The Minister was accompanied by Hélène Gosselin, Deputy Minister of Labour, Douglas Smith, Chief of Staff and Jocelyne Turner, Press Secretary.

The Minister discussed several issues of concern and commended the Union on all the hard work that has gone into preparing for this year’s collective agreement bargaining with Telus.

The TWU has sent a notice to bargain and will be meeting with Telus on Monday, July 26, 2010.

We will keep members abreast of all developments as they become available
This from the twu hotline

Were the Progressive Conservative members invited or did they just happen to be in the neighborhood??
This is most anti-union political party in Canada and they are commending the twu on their hard work. Makes one want to gag. Besides that the twu is PLEASED that they came!!
What a bunch of yokels!! What a way to show no political savvy!

Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:26 am Post subject:

**Advanced Poster** Joined: 29 Sep 2006 Posts: 529

Please give examples of anything the Harper Conservatives did to support or strengthen the trade union movement. How about anything Harper did or said that was pro union when he was head of that labour friendly think tank The Canadian Taxpayers association.
Well at least they're not shooting us (yet).

Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 5:24 pm Post subject:

It's what they HAVEN'T done that's more telling.

If they wanted to catch up to the first world on labour rights issues they'd have abolished mandatory union membership, removed card certification, and provided provisions for unionized employees to decertify in a practical way. Not to mention forcing unions to make their finances accountable to their membership...

Our current rules for unionization look more like a 3rd world mafia organization.

**Advanced Poster** Joined: 29 Sep 2006 Posts: 529

You are right up the alley of a "right to work" state. You'all know what that is? You must have done your homework. To all the "Civilized World" as you like to call it, it is just another word for "Right to Starve". Look it up and then come back here with an intelligent response. Only those that have never travelled this great world have such a narrow vision as you. Not to be disrespectful, you are among many who just don't have any critical thinking happening.

Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:47 pm Post subject:

Even in the states you idolize so much, the non-right-to-work states, they don't have as heavy handed union tactics as in our most conservative provinces. They don't force you to pay union dues that don't go directly towards collective bargaining, something we do all the time here (what percentage of your union dues are used for collective bargaining? I bet it's tiny in comparison to the dues you pay. (for that matter, in Canada you aren't even allowed to find out!))

Canada's labour laws are so pro-union that they are in contravention of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the UN declaration of human rights. and yet the union lackeys decry how they aren't enough... They won't be happy until every man, woman, and child is paying union dues, and even then they'll fight it out over which union everyone should be part of.

Unions are worse than the mob, at least everyone KNOWS what the mob stands for, unions hide behind a mask of legitimacy that they have done nothing to earn.

**Advanced Poster** Joined: 29 Sep 2006 Posts: 529

That diatribe you have sent out isn't even worth a response. Why wouldn't one with your views move to Mexico (great climate, the odd earthquake and maybe a few Mexican Union organizers get shot or fired but on the whole) sounds like it may be just the place for you. There is very few protections for workers at all. That must sound even better and don't forget the cheap beer and accommodations. The Philippines, Cambodia,India, Korea, etc...must be your wish list...hooray for civic pride.

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:15 pm Post subject:

And what exactly has any union done for you in the past 25 years?
they threaten, intimidate, harass and bully, not to mention steal thousands of dollars of our hard earned money. For what? The protections that the law already provides?
I simply want the basic human right of freedom of association, in it's truest form where I am never forced to "associate" with a criminal organization like a union. (and if you don't believe they are criminal organizations look at the activities during any strike, sure they always claim it's not union sanctioned, but an awful lot of illegal activity always happens in their name!)

I shouldn't have to flee to another country to escape union persecution. How dare you suggest I leave my homeland just to escape organizations like that?

**Experienced Poster** Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 171

Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 12:55 pm Post subject:

Right to association is the problem. Any job which requires either union membership, or union dues violates both documents.

Th Canadian Charter of rights and freedoms includes a clause on freedom of association, the supreme court of Canada ruled in it's decision about construction workers in Quebec that mandatory union membership violates this clause due to it violating the implied right to non-association included in that same section.
The UN declaration of human rights is more direct, it explicitly states the right to non-association as part of it's section on right to association. This has been upheld in regards to mandatory union membership in Europe if I recall, (I believe NC had some information on this one a while back and may be able to provide more detail here. Sorry, I'm a bit busy right now and don't have time to dig back through his posts to find it, but I know it's there somewhere.)
The relevant sections of the Charter of rights and freedoms is available on the government of Canada website, and both it and the UN declaration of human rights are available in considerable detail on wikipedia.

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 1:54 pm Post subject:

I too am working too dmn hard right now but will sound in here.

Sorry Mimi, Canada is the last country in the world (not positive about 3rd world) that forces union dues from workers.

1) - We are the only country with Rand style forced dues. Many *had* it but their respective Human Rights codes and the UN Charter denies union's the right to forced dues.

2) - In Canada, if you do not pay your union dues you can be fired from your job.

3) - Some jurisdictions in Canada (BC for example) are the only places on earth where, if your union kicks you out for being in "bad standing" they can demand that you be fired from your job.

4) - There is no requirment for Canadian unions to report what happens to their money, how they spend it, or what the executive salaries are.

5) - This is the big one - Canada is the only country in the world who has citizens that do not have the "Freedom to *not* associate". All other countries acknowlegde that the "Freedom to Associate" has an assumed "Freedom to NOT Associate".

Canada is a signer to the European Charter of Rights an Freedoms, but does not recognize the rights they have signed to be bound by.

Basically, The Supreme Court found that while there was an "Negative right to not associate" (Advance Cutting and Coring) the labour unions in Quebec were so corrupt and so powerful that is was "a justifiable denial of that right" to force construction workers in Quebec to be in a union. You cannot work non-union in construction in Quebec.

I must agree with green1 that Canada's government trails all others when it comes to "Human Rights" versus "Union Rights". Unions Rights trump all and I dont like that.
_________________
Find - Desiderata - read it

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 2:02 pm Post subject:

Advance Cutting and Coring

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

European Convention on Human Rights
_________________
Find - Desiderata - read it

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 7:54 pm Post subject:

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Note specifically Article 20 section 2. (Canada by virtue of being a member of the UN has agreed to be bound by this declaration)

*** edited by NC - Made the Link text "Dark Blue" ***

**Experienced Poster** Joined: 03 Sep 2005 Posts: 349

Wimpole, where have you gone? Question

**Advanced Poster** Joined: 29 Sep 2006 Posts: 529

Just in the bathroom upchucking my cookies after digesting all this anti-union bile.
If your type have their way Canada will become a workers paradise just like the sweat shops of Mexico and s.e Asia.
The only group that fights for workers rights are Unions and those unions that have the power to have workers lose their jobs are the most powerful. I.E. The Doctors Union, The Lawyers Union. etc.
Trade unions don't usually have that kind of clout.
In Solidarity