Alex P

The UK's Failing Democracy The Carnegie Foundation's Life in the UK report shows the weakness of UK democracy, and the suffering caused as a result .

72% do not feel that they can influence decisions affecting the UK.

Why? Because our political and economic institutions have been captured by the wealthy.

And our democracy is failing as a result.
graceblakeley.substack.com/p/the-uks-fa...

As I was saying.

Gil now planning for a general strike in Alberta to fight the government’s use of notwithstanding clause.

I’d expect the Canadian labor movement to push back hard at governmens that override fundamental Charter protected freedom of association.

www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Opinion: How Canada Post workers can still win, even without the public’s backing The federal government’s planned cuts aren’t a deal-breaker for many Canadians, even if job losses result. But there is a way forward for the union

Canada Post workers may not end up with widespread public support for their strike (which is a genuine shame), but they can still win the battle. Here's how.

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Workers’ Political Consciousness in Demobilized Class Societies: Redistribution, Recognition and Representation | Section on Marxist Sociology A sole focus on right-wing ideology captures only a narrow part of working-class consciousness. Most workers—including many right-wing voters—are politically demobilized and distant from all politics,...

Today's Marxist Sociology Blog post is a banger from @lwestheuser.bsky.social & Linda Beck based on their Critical Sociology article. It examines how workers think about class & class politics. Against ideas that they are irrelevant or "lost to the right" 1/
marxistsociology.org/2025/10/work...

Return to Sender

An impressive analysis of the broader context surrounding the current contract dispute at Canada Post. The author puts workers at the center of the story, showing of how changes in the structure of work at the post office concretely affect workers’ lives.

maisonneuve.org/article/2025...

If a company doesn’t comply with labour standards after being given repeated opportunities:

- prosecute and imprison the directors/owners;

- ban them from being directors in a business in the future.

We are way to soft on wage thieves in Canada.

www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Liberal government frees Canada Post to end home delivery, close some post offices | CBC News With Canada Post on track to lose $1.5 billion in 2025 and contract discussions between the union and the corporation stalled, the federal government is embarking on a modernization plan it says will ...

The government is reducing service standards and Canada Post’s biggest advantage: its nationwide network.

This plan is about cutting back the postal service instead of investing to give it new revenue tools through things like postal banking. It’s shameful.

Postal union launches nationwide strike after Ottawa gives Canada Post the OK to end home delivery CUPW leadership is "outraged" after Canada's public works minister cited "unsustainable" losses to justify the Crown corporation's restructuring.

Postal workers now on lawful strike after federal government intervenes to hand Canada Post much of what it was looking for, including an end to home delivery and closure of many post offices.

Big layoffs seem certain.

Not what for negotiations?

www.thestar.com/business/pos...

The disappearance of America’s leadership class at a time like this means that the rest of us have to be leaders. We can no longer wait to be led by those with the power and authority to lead. You must lead, I must lead, all of us must lead. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.

Some 300 unionists took part in the rally outside the main post office in Vancouver, called to protest increasing strikebreaking actions of Canada Post since the union began rotating strikes. October 3, 1987. Pacific Tribune Photograph Collection, Simon Fraser University Library. MSC160-1513_15

In 1987 CUPW STTP Canadian Union of Postal Workers began rotating strikes to protest privatization of the post office. The government responded with strikebreaking actions including barbed wire around facilities. Cafeterias and cots were set up inside to accommodate scabs.

Leo Gerard, former United Steelworkers international head from Sudbury, Ont., dead at 78 | CBC News Leo Gerard, a well-known labour activist from Sudbury, Ont., has died at age 78. Gerard was international president of the United Steelworkers until his retirement in 2019.

Sorry to hear of the passing of Leo Gerard, former head of the Canadian and International Steelworkers' Union.

I had the pleasure of meeting Leo several times. He was one of the smartest and toughest, but also kind people in the labour relations world.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Trade Unions and Citizenship at Work: Why Union Experimentation Matters | 2025 Sefton-Williams Memorial Lecture (Hybrid Event) Register Now for our 2025 Sefton-Williams Memorial Lecture, Trade Unions and Citizenship at Work: Why Union Experimentation Matters, delivered by Professor Gregor Murray. We will also present the Seft...

Attention, all labour relations nerds
www.cirhr.utoronto.ca/events/SWLec...

Remember: If we allow ourselves to fall into fatalism, or wallow in disappointment, or become resigned to what is rather than what should be, we will lose the long game.

The greatest enemy of positive social change is cynicism about what can be changed.

Great show!

More pay, but less union democracy The Air Canada strike won important gains but sacrificed workers’ rights to reject the deal.

What do you think of the article “More pay, but less union democracy: A complicated strike victory at Air Canada” by David Camfield”?

tempestmag.org/2025/08/more...

Good article. One point not mentioned is that the Canada Labour Code, unlike labour legislation in other Canadian jurisdictions, doesn't require a ratification vote at all. This is what allows CUPE to say that a rejection of the proposed deal means all terms are settled except wages.

More pay, but less union democracy The Air Canada strike won important gains but sacrificed workers’ rights to reject the deal.

More Pay but Less Democracy:
“To get the TA, union officials also agreed to sacrifice workers’ right to reject the whole deal and fight for more. Canadian socialist David Camfield explains the unusual circumstances of this struggle—& the unusual deal that ended it.”

tempestmag.org/2025/08/more...

@jamesbrad.bsky.social @thelawofwork.bsky.social

More Pay But Less Union Democracy--A Complicated Victory--David Camfield

tempestmag.org/2025/08/more...

The last paragraph is awesome:

Future of Canada’s labour movement | Watch News Videos Online Watch Future of Canada’s labour movement Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca

For Labour Day, I was invited on @globalnews.ca to talk more broadly about the future of Canada’s labour movement, and particularly how government intervention in strikes factors into that:
globalnews.ca/video/113765...

Building fascism, Step 5:

Eliminate effective independent unions, one of the only institutions capable of resisting oligarchs and fascists.

Humans are so stupid. Adopt policies that produce vast inequality, resentment, anger.

Result: authoritarianism, war.

Announce inequality is bad & fuels authoritarianism, war.

Adopt policies that promote wealth distribution, voice.

Turn against these policies.

Produce inequality, etc

Repeat.

Working on research that traces historical cycles:

Wars, fascism lead politicians to recognize crucial importance of democracy at work, collective bargaining to fight inequality, alienation.

Then politicians forgot historical lessons & pursue market liberalization til inequality, fascism returns.

This is why the IWW never agreed to create a contract where they gave up their right to strike (for any amount of time).

Not to get all academically, but we teach & learn in labor relations/labor law classes that the Canadian labour relations System is result of a complex balancing of many factors over decades.

Pull on a string & the System responds, sometimes in unanticipated ways.

1/6 🧵

Opinion: Ottawa’s Air Canada strike debacle shows it failed to learn from history By ordering flight attendants back to work, the government may be stoking further labour unrest

Hot off the pixels at ⁦‪@theglobeandmail.com‬⁩ : my op-ed on the history of the right to strike in Canada, and the current Liberal government’s failure to learn the lessons of that history:
#CanLab

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

Air Canada flight attendants to defy back-to-work order, remain on strike: union | CBC News Air Canada flight attendants will defy the back-to-work order and remain on strike after the federal government ordered binding arbitration to end the work stoppage, the Canadian Union of Public Emplo...

When politicians allow the system to be rigged in favour of employers, workers have no choice but to resist. Unions can’t be expected to bow to unjust laws — and the way the Liberals have abused section 107 is clearly unjust.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

#canlab #cdnpoli