Government Threatens Back-to-work Legislation

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/09/19/air-canada-flight-attendants.html

Long story short, the Canadian government, which is now headed by a Conservative majority is threatening Air Canada flight attendants that if they go on strike... the government will immediately introduce back-to-work legislation (for non-Canadians tropers, this basically makes the strike illegal).

There was a 90%+ vote yes for striking.

So is Harper's goal to make unions illegal or something?

Yep, that's what he was elected for. I think Canada will lose enthuasiam for the Haroer Cinversatives when they see what Conservative rule really means.

Dear god, if the Tories win in Ontario...

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.

Gawd, Hudak might as well be "let there be no tax" man.

It's just that, I suddenly realise how little power unions have in this country. It's fascinating how demonised they can get when all they do is try to fight for better pay for their members. Everyone is trying to struggle themselves down to the bottom.

Electricians make 30 an hour? They should make 20 because an engineer barely makes 35! Instead of the more rational reasoning of, shouldn't the engineer make more?

The anti union stuff is really disgusting. I half expect someone to post about their hate of the unions here soon.

Is there a big anti-union push in canada right now? I know its big in Republican-controlled states right now.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry

I wouldn't say the unions are weak. Dear god, the unions in the TDSB are gross.

Not really, it's just Conservatives doing what they want to.

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.

Well the teachers' union is big and powerful, but they've steadily increased qualifications to become a teacher, so they actually are in effect causing what we want to happen as well.

And no, there's no big anti-union movement in Canada. The conservatives just seem to pretend there is to justify their actions as democratic. Of course tory voters will just rationalise and agree with it anyway.

edited 19th Sep '11 6:14:17 PM by breadloaf

I'm from a Union family, but at this point I'm kind of sick of the whole thing.

I see so many unions who start out honest, and turn into this ugly ass greedy organization that asks way more than they are worth. What I want to know is why longshoremen make 35 an hour.

Won't see much sympathy from me until they find a way to unionize Security Guards.

I had a really bad experience with a union when I had my job as a manager at a grocery store years ago, the cashiers wanted to go on strike because the company wasn't making as much money, so they decided to give their health benefits a little ding.

You're a fucking cashier, not a rocket scientist. Be glad you have benefits that are good!

edited 19th Sep '11 6:16:36 PM by Barkey

I think it's just gone about the wrong way. If they just pegged their salaries to the income of the company (pay ranges (better performers get better pay), minimum pay (if you pay more than min wage), increasing pay with increasing profits (so if the company does better, so does your pay... instead of nothing happening and if the company does worse your pay goes down as previously agreed) ), then you don't have to argue anything all the time.

The companies would never agree to that in a thousand years when so much of the government is out to murder unions completely.

Your government

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.

The problem is people will never reach compromise.

Unions are needed, but they do grow corrupt over time, but they don't have to be, just like governments.

No, I don't think you understand. Corruption... doesn't really happen here.

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.

Union become corrupt when they protecting their member more than protecting all workers, Union should be mandatory, non mandatory Union either to weak in the face of management or protecting older union member again other workers.

@Erock: no, it's now Harper's government.

edited 19th Sep '11 8:30:38 PM by joeyjojo

hashtagsarestupid

^ Haha! Indeed.

Well people talk about how Air Canada receives tax dollars but that's pretty messed up as is. They get protectionist legislation is what. Now they even get anti-union legislation. How much are we going to coddle corporations like this?

Think of it this way. They have the law protecting their business, and receive tax dollars to fund that business. Anti-union/back to work regulation sounds more like "My server, my rules. You don't like it, get the fuck off our dole." Really, subsidizing a business and then placing anti-union regulations does not equate to coddling them, it's basically setting the guidelines for if you want to be propped up by a government than by a successful business model.

"Allah may guide their bullets, but Jesus helps those who aim down the sights."

except that's bullshit. Unions have a right to strike, it's basically their only tool in making sure they're treated fairly. If I know the government's just going to break any strike that comes up I can give the union a terrible deal and wait for them to strike.

Is using "Julian Assange is a Hillary butt plug" an acceptable signature quote?

What if the Union is being treated fairly, and is striking because they are getting greedy? There's no real defense mechanism for the company besides hiring scabs and trying to starve them out.

I'm not saying that's the case, but what if flight attendants are making a decent wage and have good benefits, but are striking in an effort to get further wage increases? They have the legal right to strike, but not the moral highground.

I usually don't go out of my way to ever support the corporation itself, but when Unions get involved I'm always suspicious of both sides equally.

The problem is you cant really determine whether thats the case without looking hard at the evidence. Instead people on the right just assume "UNIONS ARE GREEDY JOB KILLERZ"

Same can be said with all your talk of "CORPORATIONS ARE ALL EVIL OPRESSERS THAT WANT TO DESTROY US ALLL!

So,the left has its own problems as well but they will always deny it and throw back the Right has no reason to say anything as usual.

The problem is, theres a lot more documented evidence for Corporations taking advantage of every loophole in the law they can if it means better productivity without hiring anyone new.

But if you wanna believe in the Golden mean fallacy, be my guest.

edited 20th Sep '11 7:37:14 AM by Midgetsnowman

But there is proof that left to its own devices, the coperations really do oppress us all.

Dutch Lesbian

^

Not in every case.

While Corporations are more likely to be at fault in a strike situation, it is not by any stretch uncommon for Unions to be taking a mile when given an inch themselves.

Both sides are out to be completely unreasonable towards one-another, more often than not.

Maybe, but equating them in my mind is trying to use the Overton window without checking hard facts first.

That, and frankly, given I live in a town with very few union jobs, I've seen firsthand how little the average business gives a shit about employee rights when one worker is essentially expendable.

To be fair, rightly or wrongly, I don't think the general public is really all that pro-union either. The Metrobus strike in St. John's sure left an impression about unions.

Let's face it, unions are essentially collusion. Instead of competing for the approval of their employers they collaborate collectively. This can be used for good OR evil, though even in the former's case they raise the question of what ends justify such means. As someone who sees any benefit from such collusion as ill-gotten, I'll avoid joining any union if I can help it.

EDITED IN: Also...

And what of the customers at such places, you gonna let them off the hook?

If employees need more protection, it should be through regulation. If they rely on unions to protect them, they're shit outta luck if they don't happen to be in a position to join a union, or if their union is corrupt in a way not beneficial to them, etc...

edited 20th Sep '11 7:46:00 AM by HiddenFacedMatt

"The Daily Show has to be right 100% of the time; FOX News only has to be right once." - Jon Stewart