“Right to Work Province.”
From the comments;
It’s going to get even better. My mom’s position is represented by SGEU. She’s a nice person who doesn’t want to go on strike, but they’ve been working without a contract for 2 years.
But here’s the kicker: she told me flat out today that their union leadership has been holding on so that they can go on strike at the same time as all the other public-sector unions…eg at SaskPower, SaskEnergy, etc…that have their contracts coming up. Plus, with the STF job action on Friday, it’s shaping up to be a nasty year of deliberate, planned extortion of the public purse.
Maybe I read through the comments a little fast,and the article,but how come nobody is mentiong the unions favorite word,comrade??
Nuff said.
RTW might be too big of a step. I’d start with allowing union members to decide if their union dues should go to political parties…
Your starting point would depend on intra-union democracy, ie members would actually need to get out and vote, which they don’t even do now to elect (or defeat) union leaders.
I’d suggest that the words “you will have a choice” whether or not to belong to a union would be quite palatable to the general public and to dissatisfied union members when legislation is proposed. This could be logically presented not as anti-union but instead pro-worker because it doesn’t remove, but in a sense enhances the ability to have unions that are truly supported by their members.
Who could argue against that?
‘Here’s the funny thing about ‘working without a contract’: Does it mean you don’t get paid?’
Good points Gen Lee Wright!
Poor little babies don’t have a contract so they have been out on their own for two years! They have been in Limbo! Unions never helped anyone beyond the paycheck stage of life. From personal experience, I know how nasty unions can be to people who do not agree with them. I have never been a union member but I have worked as an auxiliary for the gument a few times. Two of my stints were short lived as they did not like my ‘confrontational’ ways.
I can only imagine how ‘trapped’ union members with debt and mortgages governing their paychecks must feel when they are confronted with fanatical demands that they know are wrong for all involved. It would be a case of ‘thyself do brainwash to survive’. I know that that is what I would be forced to do – I was always lucky when I suffered the consequences of my big mouth because I could just walk away and get another job. I never allowed myself to go into debt or to live paycheck to paycheck.
jema54…you are the eptimone of anti-union.You can support yourself without the overlords.You are an example of those who can support themselves!
… and this is why organized labor in public or state-monopoly should be banned.
I am an HSAS member. Not by choice, it’s mandatory. Doesn’t it seem a little silly for the government to make it mandatory for most if not all public employees to belong to a union, which they in turn need to negotiate with? I personally would like someone to explain this to me. I would rather not be part of a union and be paid what I would as a private employee contracted to the Health Region – it would likely be more than the present wage being negotiated. But since there is a law that forbids “Private” I have but little choice if I choose to work in the field I would like to.
My opinion is that if I am mandated to be in the union, and the government is offering other unions (ie nurses, doctors, CUPE) upward of 11-12% increases; there is no reason not to expect the same. The government is setting itself up for this. I personnally would be fine with the 7.5% over 3 years that they originally offered, but in light of what they’ve negotiated recently with these other unions it doesn’t make sense. Do away with public sector unions and see who sticks around; alot of unnecessary positions would be cut to make room/$ for the necessary ones
Glasnost,
I am not opposed to RTW legislation but gradual transitions work better than abrupt changes. “Choice” is a nice soundbite but workers would naturally wonder about negative effects and you can be damn sure the union would immediately have an apocalyptic answer to that question.
Legislating a rule that allows union members opt in or opt out of union dues going to political organizations would not cause the same level of anxiety but does reduce organized labor’s ability to buy anti-government PR campaigns and fund pro-union politicians.
Ignore italics, it was only supposed to be on the word legislation
I’ll pay Alberta wages when I pay Alberta taxes.
“I support getting rid of public unions, but I can’t support Right to Work laws applied to the public sector. They represent interference in the private contract between employer and union.”
By the sounds of it, there is no contract and the public is the “employer”…
Speaking of teaching unions, I teach at a post secondary college in Alberta as a contractor, but still have to pay union dues.
I don’t get any protection or representation from the union because I’m a contractor, but still have to pay dues.
The reasoning is “I’m paying for the privilege to teach there” and “the union allowing me to do so”.
Wrong, they can’t find anyone to teach my course within their ranks and have to call me in.
Good thing I can write the dues off at tax time.
However I did get a free pen from it.
Time to revoke mandatory membership in unions and/or the payment of dues.
Right to work should trump a union demand that you be a member and pay them a tithe for access to your job.
Do you like unions? For years I hauled to the west. At the docks in Van. I unhocked my trailer and two union drivers came over. One to drive the truck one to put on the air lines. Move trailer 20 feet and have some one else unload it. But this gave two men a high paying job. Don|t you just love them union boys?
@RE: sorry, I meant private sector not public sector. Woops.
Puiblic Unions should have no right to strike. Period. Most employee’s even agree.
The fact is if we only had mass public transit. No one would be able to work. How green is that?