Larry Hubich's Blog

Net Benefit

2012-01-17T23:38:00.001-06:00

"Rio Tinto and Caterpillar Electro Motive are newly minted Canadian corporate citizens who have locked their workers out to freeze and starve. These corporate muggers were allowed into Canada and encouraged in their anti Canadianism by the Harper Junta. It's going to be a cold winter and a hot summer in Canada..."

Labour leaders call on premiers to unite & defend healthcare

2012-01-16T13:44:00.002-06:00

The open letter below was written to Canada's Premiers from the Presidents of Provincial and Territorial Federations of Labour:

An open letter to Canada's Premiers:

Labour leaders call on Premiers to unite & defend healthcare

The future of Canada’s healthcare system is at a critical stage.

As leaders of the provincial and territorial Federations of Labour, we are calling on the country’s premiers, who are meeting in Victoria, to put forward a united front and stand up for Canada’s universal healthcare system and the millions of Canadians who depend on it.

In December, the Harper government sent a clear message that it intends to abrogate its responsibility to defend national healthcare standards and universality. It plans to walk away from its responsibility to lead the negotiations to develop a new Health Accord. The current Accord ends in 2014.

Instead, the federal government has laid out a take-it-or-leave-it funding formula that will see Ottawa contributing a lot less to healthcare by 2017, tying increases in funding to economic growth.

This is an attempt by the Harper Government to hijack the real debate. The real debate should be how we tackle and bring about meaningful and positive change. The real debate must be how we build and enhance our public healthcare system. The current Health Accord has shown us that with stable long-term funding and common goals and targets, we can deliver better healthcare.

Our most valued social program – something that unites all Canadians – deserves a plan that tackles growing disparities in health outcomes and growing gaps in access to care.

While Canadians need to see stable funding for healthcare, there are also the issues of accountability, national standards and targets, equality of access and quality. How will these issues be addressed if the federal government washes its hands of its responsibility?

As provincial labour leaders representing workers from coast to coast, we appeal to you as premiers and provincial leaders. This is not just about dollars and cents it’s about values – values that Canadians have embraced for half a century.

Values that include a publically-funded and administered healthcare system where all Canadians have access to the same quality healthcare regardless of income and no matter where they live in our country.

It’s about a Canada where families with loved ones battling diseases that threaten their lives are not also forced to contend with poverty and inadequate care.

The next generation of Canadians deserves a high-quality healthcare system, not one starved for funds. Our children need to know that their right to decent healthcare is based on their rights as citizens and not the limits on their credit cards.

As Premiers, you are well positioned to stand up for all Canadians. As premiers, you are the frontline for all of us in the fight for adequate and sustainable funding that protects our healthcare system.

Some of you have come to the conclusion that the Flaherty plan will erode our universal healthcare system and values. We agree.

In fact, we believe the federal Conservative plan of further corporate tax cuts, on the one hand, and reduced funding for healthcare, on the other, will simply further reward the 1 Percent and punish the 99 Percent.

As premiers, you are discussing the very values that Canadians embrace: equality, fairness, access for all regardless of income.

Those who came before us created a healthcare system based on the solidarity of Canadians with each other. It is our collective duty to ensure its survival for generations to come. Unfortunately, what the federal government is proposing does not meet this test.

Now is not the time to be looking for a better deal for any individual province or territory. Now is the time to be united.

We ask you to reject the federal proposal, to reject a framework that leaves Canadians out of the discussion and to embrace the values upon which our nation and our healthcare system were built.

We are calling on you, as Premiers, to send a message not only to the Harper government and the Canadian public, but to the tens of thousands of workers who provide care to Canadians every day that you will defend healthcare.

At the end of your meeting, Canadians will ask a simple question: did their leaders take up the challenge to stand up for the health and the wellbeing of all Canadians or did they allow the federal government to erode the social foundation of our country? The choice, and responsibility, is yours.

Canadians are counting on you to make the right decision.

Respectfully,

The Presidents of the Provincial and Territorial Federations of Labour:

Jim Sinclair, British Columbia
Don Austin, Yukon
MaryLou Cherwaty, NWT and Nunavut
Gil McGowan, Alberta
Larry Hubich, Saskatchewan
Kevin Rebeck, Manitoba
Sid Ryan, Ontario
Michel Boudreau, New Brunswick
Carl Pursey, PEI
Rick Clarke, Nova Scotia
Lana Payne, Newfoundland and Labrador

Click to download a PDF version of the letter and accompanying news release

SFL awaits Court decision in Charter Challenge case against Bills 5 & 6

2012-01-02T20:11:00.000-06:00

During November of 2011 the SFL et al, along with 3 intervenor unions were in court to argue that the Saskatchewan provincial government’s (2007 - 2008) labour legislation (Bills 5 & 6) violates the Charter rights of working people.

The SFL team argued 3 main points:

1. People have the right to form unions of their own choosing for the purpose of bargaining collectively with their employers:

Free from employer and government interference;
Consistent with international human rights as defined by the United Nations;
Consistent with the freedom of association provisions of the Charter; and
Consistent with the freedom of expression provisions of the Charter.

2. The provincial government should ensure a level playing field for working people with major corporations by defending working people’s ability to have a voice in the workplace.

3. The government should re-balance its legislation and enable unions to defend the rights of working people from attacks that have tipped the scales in favour of rich corporations and CEOs.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of association.

It is extremely important that we continue to take our case against the provincial government forward and to defend the charter rights of working people in our province.

Inside Job, Narrated by Matt Damon (Full Length HD)

2011-12-22T05:15:00.000-06:00

Inside Job, Narrated by Matt Damon (Full Length HD) on Vimeo.

"'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China"

Together, we can do it

2011-11-23T04:55:00.001-06:00

In October, TCU Place in Saskatoon played host to the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour’s 56th annual convention. This year’s convention was another overwhelming success with 500 to 600 delegates in attendance. Convention delegates were treated to a number of presentations by a variety of accomplished speakers, some of whom you can read about inside the new edition of the Labour Reporter.

The theme of this year’s convention was “We Can Do It,” the iconic motto of Rosie the Riveter. Rosie’s famous words were a fitting theme for working people as we headed into a provincial election.

We have now seen the re-election of a government responsible for legislation that has significantly limited the rights of working people. It will be increasingly important to keep in mind that “we can do it.”

With a government in power that has passed legislation to strip working people of their Charter rights, political commentators that make no effort to hide an agenda against working people, and provincial and federal governments that care more about corporate tax cuts than protecting the pensions of people across the nation, it is more important than ever that we maintain our commitment to defending the rights of working people.

It is because of the diligent efforts of generations of working people that we enjoy the quality of life that we do in Saskatchewan today.

It is because of dedicated and compassionate people like you that we have pensions and comparatively good labour standards. It is because of people like you that we have Medicare and public services and Crown corporations that are still the envy of the continent, in spite of the current government’s recent attempts to undermine them. It is because of people like you that we had workplace safety standards enshrined in legislation in the first place and that we still have a Trade Union Act, even though our government has attempted to water it down and undercut our rights.

The truth is that people across this province should be extremely thankful for the hard work and dedication that working people show every day.

No amount of opposition from any government, political commentator, or interest group is going to stop us from conducting our most important work: defending the rights of working people.

In solidarity,
Larry Hubich, SFL President

Download full issue of SFL Labour Reporter here in pdf.

SFL Summer Camp - Best Place on Earth

2011-11-11T07:18:00.001-06:00

Court date rapidly approaching

2011-10-31T15:06:00.000-06:00

All legal arguments have now been filed in the unprecedented case against the Sask. Party governments' anti-worker, anti-democratic, unconstitutional labour laws.

As reported earlier in this blog, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and 25 additional plaintiffs (SFL et al) plus 3 intervenor unions filed their legal arguments in the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench related to the Charter Challenge by the SFL et al against the Sask. Party government's Bills 5 & 6. Legislation which the Wall government introduced and passed in late 2007 and early 2008.

The plaintiffs (SFL et al) and 3 supporting intervenor unions (CUPE, SEIU-West, and SUN) have now also filled their reply arguments.

You can download and read all of the arguments and backgrounder material on the case from the SFL Website at: http://www.sfl.sk.ca/our-campaigns/labour-legislation

In what is arguably the largest lawsuit ever filed by working men and women against a sitting government in Saskatchewan (and quite possibly Canadian) history, the Federation and unions in the province have prepared hundreds of pages of legal argument and tendered thousands of pages of evidence.

In addition to the Charter Challenge, the SFL and the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union (SGEU) won a case in March 2009 wherein the Sask. Party government was found guilty of violating Saskatchewan workers international human rights by the United Nations International Labour Organization .

The ILO requested that the Sask. Party government take action to repair the offending legislation in consultation with representatives of the labour movement. The government has steadfastly refused to comply with the ILO ruling and refuses to meet with the labour movement to discuss the matter.

This historic Charter Challenge case will be heard in the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench from November 14 - 25th, 2011.

Vote to Protect the things that make Saskatchewan great.

2011-10-24T23:02:00.001-06:00

Naomi Klein: Protesters Are Seeking Change in the Streets Because It Won’t Come From the Ballot Box - Democracy Now!

2011-10-14T21:13:00.000-06:00

Chris Hedges tells it like it is

2011-10-10T09:34:00.002-06:00

SFL Labour Issues Campaign

2011-10-05T02:10:00.001-06:00

Click here to visit site

Regina's Secret

2011-09-27T20:20:00.002-06:00

Know the issues, act on the facts.

2011-09-23T14:28:00.003-06:00

In the October edition of the Labour Reporter you’ll find details about some of the things that we’ve been up to over the summer. You’ll have a chance to read about the recent SFL Summer Camp, the progress of Station 20 West, and the recent memorial for Nick Schaack. You’ll also find details about important issues including water, greenhouse gases, and other things to think about prior to the provincial election.

As the next provincial election swiftly approaches, it is extremely important for those of us that live and work in Saskatchewan to consider the issues that are important to us, and important to our families. An election is an important opportunity to discuss ideas and to make decisions about what we want our province’s future to look like.

There are some that say that in Saskatchewan unaccountable, unelected CEOs and their corporations should decide how our province is managed. Those same individuals believe that environmental standards aren’t as important as corporate profits, that regulations protecting working people’s safety aren’t as important as dividends for shareholders, and that the widening gap between the rich and everyone else isn’t as important as the bottom line.

There is another way, and it’s a proud part of our history in Saskatchewan. Instead of handing the keys to the province over to corporations, we can insist that our government keep our province in our own hands! We can insist that we decide what happens with our potash, our water, our conservation lands, and the rest of our beautiful province. The coming election is an opportunity for us to elect members of government that represent our shared values: cooperation, public ownership, and practical local solutions to complicated problems.

In order to help inform people about just some of the issues facing the people of Saskatchewan today, the SFL has ramped up our Labour Issues Campaign. Our sixth Labour Issues booklet, which deals with issues of the environment and the economy, is now available. In the coming days it will be increasingly important to order Labour Issues booklets, to send members to training sessions, or to order presentations. On November 7th let’s demand, with one clear voice, a government that puts the interests of Saskatchewan people first!
Download the October 2011 SFL Labour Reporter here.

Federation of Labour files legal argument in massive law suit against Sask. Party government

2011-09-15T21:40:00.002-06:00

Over the summer months, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour and 25 additional plaintiffs (SFL et al) filed their legal argument in the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench related to the Charter Challenge by the SFL et al against the Sask. Party government's unconstitutional anti-worker and anti-union legislation. Legislation which the Wall government introduced and passed in late 2007 and early 2008.

In what is arguably the largest lawsuit ever filed by working men and women against a sitting government in Saskatchewan (and quite possibly Canadian) history, the SFL filed its 230-page legal argument and tendered thousands of pages of evidence.

In support of the SFL et al's case, three additional intervenor unions filed thousands more pages of argument and evidence. The arguments of the intervenor unions re-inforced that the ill-conceived Bill 5 and Bill 6 violate workers constitutional rights as outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The intervenor unions are: Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE); Service Employees International Union - West (SEIU-West); and the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN)

In addition to the Charter Challenge, the SFL and the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union (SGEU) won a case in March 2009 wherein the Sask. Party government was found guilty of violating Saskatchewan workers international human rights by the United Nations International Labour Organization .

The ILO requested that the Sask. Party government take action to repair the offending legislation in consultation with representatives of the labour movement. The government has steadfastly refused to comply with the ILO ruling and refuses to meet with the labour movement to discuss the matter.

This historic Charter Challenge case will be heard in the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench from November 14 - 25th, 2011.

Download PDF's of the unions' legal arguments below:

1. SFL et al argument
2. CUPE argument
3. SEIU-West argument
4. SUN argument

What happens, when no one's there.... to pick up the phone?

2011-09-12T13:28:00.001-06:00

We have a choice - SFL Issues Campaign

2011-09-12T11:12:00.001-06:00

Check out the newest SFL Labour Issues Campaign Booklet on the economy and the environment. (pdf): We have a choice

Saskatchewan People Set to Celebrate Labour Day - 2011

2011-09-05T09:52:00.000-06:00

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saskatchewan People Set to Celebrate Labour Day

On Monday, September 5th, people across Saskatchewan, of many backgrounds and traditions, spanning several generations, and representing a variety of occupations and professions, will gather together to celebrate Labour Day. Originally a day to commemorate the struggle of working people to reduce the workday to eight hours, Labour Day is an important opportunity not only to celebrate, but also to renew commitments to improving people’s quality of life.

“Labour Day is an extremely important day,” said Larry Hubich, President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, “not only for the women and men that work in Saskatchewan and across the country, but for all people who now benefit from the efforts of working people. Working people from Saskatchewan have been instrumental in creating many of the things in our society that all people hold dear today: Medicare, pensions, quality education, and laws regarding health and safety, just to name a few.”

First observed as a Canadian national holiday in 1894, Labour Day is now observed in a number of countries across the globe every year. Celebrations typically include barbeques, picnics, and parades, complete with singing, storytelling, and speeches from community leaders.

“As important as it is to celebrate what we have achieved as working people and as a society, it is also important to view Labour Day as an opportunity to renew our commitment to improving the quality of life for the people of the province. We believe that it is always possible to improve upon what we’ve already achieved in our province, and Labour Day is an opportunity to recommit to making those improvements. As the economic gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow, it will be increasingly important for us to strive to improve upon the things that make Saskatchewan a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”

- 30 -

The SFL represents over 98,000 unionized workers across the province in 37 affiliated unions.

Olbermann: Keith's Special Comment: The Four Great Hypocrisies of the Debt Deal

2011-08-03T08:21:00.001-06:00

Who gave the G20 commander his commands? - The Real News

2011-07-07T13:10:00.001-06:00

Join Us For the Unveiling of a Headstone In Memory of Nick Schaack

2011-06-29T16:06:00.000-06:00

Join Us For the Unveiling of a Headstone In Memory of Nick Schaack

What: Unveiling of a commemorative headstone for Nick Schaack, who died as a result of his participation in the Regina Riot, July 1st, 1935, struggling for economic security on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan and all Canadians.

When: Friday, July 1st, 2011 at 11:00am.

Where: We will meet at the Regina Cemetery (the corner of 4th Avenue and Broad Street) for the unveiling ceremony and then travel to the office of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (2330 2nd Avenue, Regina) for a FREE BBQ!

Who: Everyone is welcome!

Air Canada Workers Make a Deal Under the Gun - The Real News

2011-06-17T23:23:00.002-06:00

CAW President Ken Lewenza on Back to Work Legislation

2011-06-16T12:59:00.001-06:00

Courageous Page - This is what democracy looks like!

2011-06-04T08:15:00.001-06:00

Wall government continues to embarrass Saskatchewan on the world stage

2011-05-26T17:19:00.000-06:00

The posting below is reproduced directly from the ITUC website. The Wall government's record on labour and worker rights continues to be a global embarrassment.

Restrictions of Labour Rights in Canada

25 May 2011: A new report by the ITUC on core labour standards in Canada, published to coincide with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) review of its trade policies, finds some significant workers’ rights restrictions.

Despite the fact that federal law grants workers in both public and private sectors the right to join and form trade unions, many restrictions of trade union rights exist due to the legal regimes in force in several Canadian provinces. Furthermore provincial governments frequently use back-to-work legislation to unilaterally end strikes by their employees.

The report also finds that, although the laws of Canada prohibit discrimination, women still face a considerable pay gap and the labour market is segregated on gender lines.

Canada has only ratified five of the eight ILO international core labour standards.

To read the full report

TREK: Documentary film of the On To Ottawa Trek and the Regina Riot

2011-05-24T15:48:00.000-06:00

Vote for "The Sheepdogs" for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine

2011-05-23T09:39:00.002-06:00

http://www.rollingstone.com/choosethecover

Stand Up for our Human Rights - SFL Labour Reporter

2011-04-26T15:46:00.003-06:00

The following is the lead article from the May 2011 issue of the SFL Labour Reporter - the issue is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights, in Saskatchewan, Canada and abroad.

You can download the complete issue here...

Stand up for our human rights

The provincial government’s attempts to roll back human rights are steadily mounting.

Among the first official acts of the current government, upon taking office in 2007, was to strip working people across the province of their freedom to associate and to express themselves as union members.

The “essential services” legislation has robbed tens of thousands of Saskatchewan people of their right to assemble, to raise awareness of their concerns, and to strike.

The Trade Union Act was simultaneously weakened, making it much more difficult for people to band together and to negotiate collectively with their employers.

Last year, the International Labour Organization ruled that these laws violate workers’ freedoms under international law, but the government refuses to comply with the United Nations ruling.

Inside you will read about the government’s attempt to amend the Marriage Act, to legalize discrimination against same-sex couples.

The unanimous Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decision on the duty of marriage commissioners to marry same-sex, inter-racial and inter-faith couples in our province is a human rights victory for Saskatchewan citizens.

Now the government has introduced Bill 160, which if made law, will seriously weaken the Human Rights Code.

I invite you to read selections from a very important address given by Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

He sounds the alarm on several aspects of Bill 160, including the abolishment of our human rights tribunal and changes that will make complaints much more likely to be dismissed by the chief commissioner.

Governments are supposed to promote human rights, not lessen them. As you’ll see on p. 7, the Harper government has an equally offensive record on human rights. I encourage you all to vote for human rights and for open and transparent government on election day.

And I look forward to seeing you all at Movement for May Day on May 1 (p.8), where together we’ll tell our elected officials it’s time to respect our human rights!

In Solidarity,
Larry Hubich

Stephen Harper is an Evil Astronaut - ShitHarperDid.com

2011-04-21T07:52:00.002-06:00

ShitHarperDid.com

Noam Chomsky on the State-Corporate Complex: A Threat to Freedom and Survival

2011-04-16T11:30:00.002-06:00

Hey, Mr. Wall ............ Pay Attention!

2011-04-14T13:44:00.001-06:00

Sask. Party Premier, Brad Wall

Since being elected in November 2007 the Brad Wall Sask Party government has been busy stripping away workers rights, and bringing in legislation that attacks democratic institutions and undermines the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

I suggest to you, that Mr. Wall has been following disgraced past B.C. Premier, Gordon Campbell's playbook chapter and verse.

Yesterday, the courts once again ruled that the actions of the Campbell government violate Canada's constitution.

The following is reproduced from the NUPGE web site:

BC Supreme Court rules legislation removing teachers' bargaining rights unconstitutional

“We now have four years of consistent jurisprudence that recognizes the constituional obligation of governments to respect the collective bargaining process and refrain from enacting legislation that strips away the Charter rights of their employees.” James Clancy

(14 April 2011) – In a landmark decision handed down yesterday, the BC Supreme Court ruled that laws which take away collective bargaining rights from teachers unconstitutional and in breach of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Bill 27, the Public Education Flexibility and Choice Act, prohibited the inclusion of certain items in teacher collective agreements, including staffing, class size and composition limits.

Bill 28, the Education Services Collective Agreement Act, amalgamated school districts and local bargaining units, imposing one collective agreement on teachers in the newly amalgamated districts who had previously been covered by two or three local agreements.

Madam Justice Griffin declared that Bills 27 and 28 were a substantial interference in bargaining rights and infringed on freedom of association guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. continue reading here......

Having Their Cake and Eating It Too: Stanford - CCPA

2011-04-13T08:10:00.001-06:00

CAW Economist Jim Stanford exposes the Big Conservative/Corporate Lie. The truth and the facts are that corporate tax cuts do not stimulate the economy and do not generate jobs and investment.

Corporate tax cuts economically ineffective

National Office News Release

April 13, 2011

OTTAWA—The Conservatives’ proposed 3-point reduction in corporate tax rates would cost the public purse $6 billion per year, yet only stimulate about $600 million of new business investment annually, says a study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

The study, by economist Jim Stanford, examines historical data on business investment and cash flow from 1961 through 2010. Using econometric techniques, the study finds no evidence in the historical data that lower taxes have directly stimulated more investment. Moreover, the indirect impact of tax cuts on investment (experienced through corporate cash flow) has become much weaker over time.

“Business fixed capital spending has declined notably as a share of GDP and as a share of corporate cash flow since the early 1980s—despite repeated tax cuts that have reduced the combined federal-provincial corporate tax rate from 50% to just 29.5% in 2010,” says Stanford.

After adjusting for other determinants of investment spending, incremental cash flow has elicited only small amounts of business investment in recent years: about 10 cents in new investment for each dollar in extra cash flow.

“Given this statistical evidence, the federal government would have a far more powerful impact on both public and private investment by investing directly in public infrastructure, rather than providing additional tax reductions for businesses,” Stanford says.

If the federal government spent $6 billion on public infrastructure instead of corporate tax cuts, the total increase in investment would be more than ten times as great as the increase in private investment from tax cuts alone. This includes the new public investment itself ($6 billion), as well as an additional $520 million in private business investment that would be stimulated through the positive spin-off effects of the resulting economic growth.

According to the study, Canadian corporations have received $745 billion in excess, uninvested after-tax cash flow since 2001: cash flow that was not reinvested in real capital projects in Canada. This excess corporate saving reduces expenditure and purchasing power in the Canadian economy. A lack of business investment spending was the major source of Canada’s recent downturn, and the sluggish rebound in business spending is a key reason why Canada’s recovery from the recession has been uncertain, sluggish, and incomplete.

“Corporate Canada has been consistently receiving far more after-tax cash flow than it is reinvesting in Canadian capital spending—to the tune of $745 billion since 2001,” Stanford says. “Supplementing that cash flow through further tax cuts is like pushing on a string. Those tax savings would only add to the large sums of uninvested cash flow Canadian businesses already possess.”

–30–

For more information contact Kerri-Anne Finn, CCPA Senior Communications Officer, at 613-563-1341 x306.

Download the full report and analysis here.....

We get 30 cents back - People for Corporate Tax Cuts, Canada

2011-04-12T10:38:00.001-06:00

People for Corporate Tax Cuts - Canada

Global financial crisis/recovery: What does it mean for Saskatchewan?

2011-04-11T17:25:00.000-06:00

Global financial crisis/recovery: What does it mean for Saskatchewan?
- by Dr. Simon Enoch, Director of the Saskatchewan office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

These remarks were delivered to the Saskatchewan CED and Co-operatives Conference, April 8, 2011, Mount Royal Collegiate, Saskatoon by Dr Simon Enoch.

"This is a somewhat difficult topic to tackle because as far as the global recession is concerned, Saskatchewan has weathered it rather well. If anything, our main problem may be the management of our current prosperity and resource wealth, all of which is certainly tied to the rapidity and the resilience of a global economic recovery.

Given there are so many unknowns on this issue, I will be forced to speculate based on current trends and the likelihood of potential scenarios emerging in the future. So I am certainly not offering predictions here, but rather identifying possible challenges that may arise given the uncertainty of the current global economic situation.

First off, we should ask the question of whether we are in recovery, or perhaps, recovery for whom? It is no secret that corporate profitability has reached record levels recently, so the corporate sector is certainly “recovering.” The problem is that they are reluctant to invest, sitting on piles of cash in the billions – if not trillions – of dollars awaiting the return of profitable investment opportunities." continue reading here.....

Moving Medicare Forward

2011-04-08T07:41:00.000-06:00

He said What?

2011-04-07T00:09:00.003-06:00

“Our financial and business risk outweighs our legal obligation.”

- Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco, April 6, 2011
(Executive Committee, Regina City Council)

Ummm, Pat, wrong answer! The United Steelworkers (USW) union has won a landmark legal decision forcing an insolvent corporation to honour pension obligations to employees.

Double standard rampant in Saskatchewan

2011-04-04T23:20:00.002-06:00

Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan

Stephen Harper is working hard - People for Corporate Tax Cuts Canada

2011-04-03T20:21:00.000-06:00

People for Corporate Tax Cuts Canada

Why is a senior media personality threatening a 21 year old university student?

2011-03-31T10:23:00.000-06:00

On March 28, 2011, the following tweet appeared on the Twitter account of a local Saskatchewan talk show host. My question is: Why is a senior media personality publicly threatening the newly elected president of the University of Regina Students Union?

Where's the Funding: Rural Health Care

2011-03-30T09:50:00.000-06:00

Health Care is an important issue for everyone in Saskatchewan.

Our taxes are meant to provide everyone with REAL access to doctors, home care, hospitals and long term care services so that we can get the right level of care at the right time.

So why are people who live in Rural Saskatchewan being asked to pay an additional tax to get the same access that people in Urban areas receive?

The excuses from government are un-ending.

But there is no real plan in order to save our health care and keep it in good shape for our children.

It’s time to tell your MLA and the Health Minister of Saskatchewan that you won’t accept a two-tiered health plan.

Help put a stop to the under-funding of health care in this province.

Add your voice by sending an email now.

What is this Man's Position on Coalitions, Really?

2011-03-28T13:14:00.001-06:00

Harper’s Hitlist: Power, Process and the Assault on Democracy - Dobbin

2011-03-28T09:59:00.000-06:00

The following is reproduced from the Council of Canadians website:

Stephen Harper’s Assault on Democracy

Author and Rabble.ca columnist Murray Dobbin details the harm Prime Minister Stephen Harper is doing to the political and social fabric of Canada in a new, hard-hitting essay commissioned by the Council of Canadians titled Harper’s Hitlist: Power, Process and the Assault on Democracy.

As Dobbin explains in the opening paragraphs of the essay, “This study is intended to examine the most serious violations of democracy committed by the prime minister and his government. Some are clearly more serious than others. But taken as a whole they add up to a dangerous undermining of our democratic traditions, institutions and precedents – and politics. These violations are not accidental, they are not incidental, and they are not oversights or simply the sign of an impatient government or ‘decisive’ leadership. They are a fundamental part of Harper’s iron-fisted determination to remake Canada, whether Canadians like it or not.”

Harper’s Hitlist: Power, Process and the Assault on Democracy

Download report here 1 MB or in sections below:

- Part 1 - Stephen Harper’s Assault on Democracy

- Part 2 - Two Prorogations in Less Than a Year

- Part 3 - Thwarting Democracy

- Part 4 - Controlling Critics

- Part 5 - Manipulating and Muzzling the Media

- Part 6 - A Personal Agenda

- Part 7 - Failing to Protect Canadian Citizens

- Part 8 - Harper Attacks Rights

- Part 9 - Political Advocacy Under Fire

- Part 10 - Conclusion

POLL: Environics, on behalf of the Council of Canadians, polled people about their feelings about proportional representation in February. Here are the results:

- 61% of Canadians support moving to a system of proportional representation in Parliament

- 36% said they were more supportive of proportional representation as a result of Prime Minister Harper’s recent prorogations

(These results represent the findings of a telephone survey conducted among a national random sample of 1,001 adults comprising 501 males and 500 females 18 years of age and older, living in Canada. The margin of error for a sample of this size is +/- 3.10%, 19 times out of 20.)

How to Raise Your $500 - People for Corporate Tax Cuts Canada

2011-03-26T21:58:00.001-06:00

The "Other Saskatchewan" - CCPA

2011-03-24T12:08:00.000-06:00

Reproduced below is a 2011 Saskatchewan Budget Response by Dr. Simon Enoch, CCPA Saskatchewan:

The “Other Saskatchewan”

A Budget Response by CCPA Saskatchewan

by Simon Enoch

March 24, 2011

If yesterday’s budget was designed to give something to everyone in order to win over voters for the upcoming election, then it is clear where the poorest and most vulnerable in our province rank in the minds of Sask Party electoral strategists.

Despite an obvious and acute housing crisis, this budget offered a paltry $1.7 million for two new affordable housing initiatives while the immediate need for new housing in the province is approximately 3000 units. For those who cannot wait for the construction of new housing, no relief was forthcoming to prevent the regular rent increases that seem to have become the norm in our province.

Despite ranking dead last among the provinces in child-care space, the budget offered to fund the creation of only 500 new child-care spaces when the need is closer to 5000. Currently, Saskatchewan has licensed child-care spots for only 9.1 per cent of children between the ages of zero and five, compared to the 20.3 per cent national average. While we applaud the government for committing to the creation of these new spaces, our province desperately needs a much more aggressive and long-term policy to address our child-care needs.

Despite the desperate need to replace the only psychiatric hospital in the province, this budget offered absolutely nothing for those suffering from mental illness.

In contrast, business owners will reap almost $80 million in tax savings due to the reduction of the small business tax while off-sale beer vendors will enjoy a $5.1 million discount. While the government has made much of it’s low-income tax reduction policy, a tax cut on nothing is still nothing. If we were to measure what constituencies this government covets by the amount of largesse given to them in yesterday’s budget, it is obvious where the poorest in our province rank.

Finance Minister Ken Krawetz stressed that this budget represented the “New Saskatchewan” and that we are no longer “next year country” but “this year country.” Perhaps a better metaphor for the province could be borrowed from the famous American political commentator Michael Harrington; “The Other Saskatchewan.” The “Other Saskatchewan” has not shared in the prosperity that the Sask Party is so quick to claim credit for. The “Other Saskatchewan” includes people who cannot afford spiraling rent increases, food and fuel prices, utility bills and other basic necessities. The “Other Saskatchewan” is experiencing increased homelessness, growing social assistance caseloads, lack of access to quality childcare, increasing unemployment among aboriginal peoples and a woefully inadequate minimum wage.

Finance Minister Ken Krawetz also made repeated mention of the “Saskatchewan Advantage” – obviously borrowing from the oft-used “Alberta Advantage.” Let’s hope that the Sask Party is not intent on also borrowing Alberta’s record of wanton neglect for the poorest in that province as well; the “Other Saskatchewan” simply cannot afford it.

The EXACT same thing is happening in Canada - Tax Cuts for Corporations and the Rich

2011-03-22T01:46:00.001-06:00

Canada's Colour Coded Labour Market

2011-03-21T13:11:00.002-06:00

Open letter to Premier Brad Wall - CPP Improvements

2011-03-18T14:17:00.002-06:00

Today I sent the following "open letter" to Saskatchewan Premier, Brad Wall respecting proposed improvements to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). It is self explanatory: (PDF version here)

March 18, 2011

Honourable Brad Wall
Premier of Saskatchewan
Room 226
Legislative Building
Regina, SK
S4S 0B3

Open letter to Premier Brad Wall from SFL President, Larry Hubich

Dear Mr. Wall:

RE: Meeting regarding Canada Pension Plan improvements, etc.

Attached hereto are letters from me to you dated September 20, 2010 and November 29, 2010 respecting a meeting that we agreed to convene during a discussion we had at the Richardson farm in August 2010 while attending the meeting and events of the Council of the Federation in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

During our encounter and discussion, you committed to me, in person, that we would meet for the purposes of discussing proposals by the labour movement for improvements to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). In fact, your exact words to me were, “I agree, we should meet to discuss that (CPP), and other things.”

I am disappointed that you have not fulfilled your commitment to me or even demonstrated the common courtesy of a response to my follow-up letters. In fact, my office has not even received an acknowledgement of receipt of the correspondence.

I know you don’t treat representatives from business this way, but I am concerned that your government deliberately marginalizes and outright ignores the voices of organizations that you view to have different priorities than your own. What other organizations and/or groups do you dismiss out of hand?

Recently, I received copies of an e-mail exchange between you and a citizen writing to you concerned about expansion of the uranium industry set against a backdrop of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed that your reply was dated (Tuesday) March 8, 2011, in response to the citizen’s original e-mail of Saturday, March 5, 2011. A three-day turnaround from the Premier is remarkable. Here I have been waiting patiently for you to live up to a personal commitment you made more than 7 months ago.

Now, Mr. Premier, we are not asking for special treatment, or special consideration – but we would appreciate the Federation of Labour being given the same courtesy as, say, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, or other business lobby groups. After all, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour represents approximately 100,000 taxpaying citizens in our wonderful province. Surely their thoughts, opinions and ideas are of interest to the Premier of the Province.

It’s alarming and inappropriate for you to suggest that you have had no time to hear personally from the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour in the nearly 4 years that you have been Premier.

Awaiting contact from you regarding the commitment you made, but have yet to fulfill.

Yours truly,

Larry Hubich, President
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour

cc: SFL Executive Council
enc.

UPDATE: Today (March 22) I finally received a reply from the Premier. You can view it here. He has confirmed that he is reneging on the commitment to meet that he made to me in August of 2010. Guess I should have bought one of them fancy $1,000 per year "Elite party memberships" instead of taking him at his word.

Naomi Klein and Rachel Maddow: Michigan, Disaster Capitalism and Corporate Greed

2011-03-16T07:50:00.000-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

River of Unity - Partnership of CUPE and the MNS

2011-03-15T09:37:00.001-06:00

Labour Rights Human Rights - What's happening in Saskatchewan

2011-03-11T13:09:00.002-06:00

Check out the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour's newest edition of the booklet:

Labour Rights, Human Rights - What's happening in Saskatchewan?

(Click on the image to download a copy)

Potash Corp's new numbers - Erin Weir Progressive Economics Forum

2011-03-11T07:43:00.001-06:00

Potash Corp’s Fuzzy Math

by Erin Weir

March 10th, 2011

In a couple of recent posts, I threw down the gauntlet for PotashCorp to disclose how much corporate income tax and Crown royalties it paid to the Government of Saskatchewan.

As Bruce Johnstone reports, it has finally done so:

"While PotashCorp paid $77 million in resource surcharges in 2010, it also paid $82 million in corporate income taxes and $70 million in Crown royalties. In total, PotashCorp paid about $230 million in royalties and taxes to the province in 2010."

So, I was correct in suggesting that it paid less corporate income tax to Saskatchewan than to Trinidad ($82 million versus $113 million). PotashCorp paid Trinidadian tax on a manufacturing facility, not for extracting the island’s natural resources.

That is the fundamental difference between corporate income taxes and resource royalties. All industries are subject to corporate tax. Royalties are separate fees for the extraction of publicly-owned natural resources.

It is inappropriate to add up PotashCorp’s puny corporate tax payment and puny royalty payments to produce a seemingly respectable total. It is appropriate to combine the resource surcharge with Crown royalties for total resource royalties of $147 million in 2010.

That year, the company sold $2.8 billion of Saskatchewan potash. (It sold $3 billion in total, but 8% of its potash production was from New Brunswick.)

The surcharge is set at 3% of potash sales and Crown royalties range from 2.1% to 4.5% of potash produced from Crown lands. The $147-million total amounts to 5% of $2.8 billion – a nickel for every dollar of potash sold.

PotashCorp’s fourth-quarter reports compare royalties to potash gross margin, upon which the Potash Production Tax (that it did not pay in 2010) is based. The company generated a gross margin of $1.6 billion from Saskatchewan potash in 2010 ($1.8 billion minus New Brunswick). So, it paid a whopping nine cents per dollar of potash gross margin.

PotashCorp is now trying to argue that the appropriate base of comparison is neither sales nor gross margin but earnings: “If you just take a look at our net earnings after tax, yes, it was $1.8 billion (in 2010),” [CFO Wayne] Brownlee said. “But from Saskatchewan, it was $1 billion.”

Of course, earnings are money left over after royalties have been paid, so they cannot be the base from which royalties are paid. Earnings are also net of corporate income tax and other charges that apply after royalty calculations.

But then Brownlee goes even further off the deep end:

"Based on potash prices of $550 US per tonne and 14 million tonnes per year of production, PotashCorp projects it would pay about $1.75 billion annually to the province, including about $500 million in corporate income tax and about $750 million in potash production tax."

The story does not specify whether he means tonnes of KCl or K2O, but we have to assume KCl because that is PotashCorp’s usual metric. To put these projections in perspective, PotashCorp produced 7.4 million tonnes in Saskatchewan and received an average price of $316 per tonne in 2010.

So, if PotashCorp sells twice as much potash at nearly double the price, it will pay substantial royalties and taxes. I hope so.

I am by no means pessimistic about the potash industry’s future. But given that PotashCorp has kept prices high by limiting supply, projections based on doubling both prices and supply should be taken with a grain of salt (or some other salt-like mineral.)

PotashCorp’s disclosure of Saskatchewan-specific royalty and tax figures advances the debate. However, it does not change the conclusion that royalties are far too low.

Which of these men?

2011-03-10T14:34:00.001-06:00

- stripped workers rights

- assaulted collective bargaining

- froze minimum wage

- refuses to meet with workers organizations

- is in the pocket of the CEOs

Send the banksters to jail - Michael Moore

2011-03-10T10:58:00.000-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

International Women's Day - Bread & Roses remake by Queen Cee

2011-03-07T22:59:00.001-06:00

Attack on the middle class - same game as the Sask Party plan for workers

2011-03-05T12:08:00.001-06:00

PotashCorp’s Annual Report: The Fine Print

2011-02-26T09:52:00.002-06:00

The following article by Erin Weir is reproduced from the Progressive Economics Forum:

PotashCorp’s Annual Report: The Fine Print

by Erin Weir
February 26th, 2011

The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan posted its 2010 annual report yesterday. It’s always worth taking a closer look at documents released on a Friday afternoon.

Those interested in public revenues should see pages 109, 110 and 111. Note 19’s breakdown of “Provincial Mining and Other Taxes” confirms something that I had suspected.

PotashCorp paid zero Potash Production Tax in 2010. In other words, the company is swimming in writeoffs and had no taxable profits according to Saskatchewan’s profit-tax formula.

The company’s entire $77-million royalty payment in 2010 was the provincial resource surcharge, set at 3% of sales. (Of course, 3% of potash sales is closer to 5% of potash gross margin).

Thank goodness Saskatchewan kept the resource surcharge when it eliminated its corporate capital tax. Otherwise, PotashCorp’s 2010 royalty payment would have been a big goose egg (and not of the golden variety).

Note 21 breaks down corporate income tax by country. While the report does not distinguish between federal and provincial income tax, the 30% “federal and provincial statutory income tax rate” clearly comprises the 18% federal rate plus the 12% Saskatchewan rate.

So, we can infer that PotashCorp’s 2010 Canadian income tax expense of $333 million comprises about $200 million to Ottawa and $133 million to provincial governments. Because the company also operates in other provinces, Saskatchewan is probably getting less than $133 million.

Meanwhile, PotashCorp is paying $113 million of corporate income tax in Trinidad, where it has a nitrogen facility. In the previous year, 2009, it actually paid more corporate tax to Trinidad than to all levels of Canadian government!

Congratulations, Trinidad, for collecting a decent amount of revenue from PotashCorp. Canada’s federal and provincial authorities need to pull up their socks.

Mandy: People for Corporate Tax Cuts

2011-01-28T10:03:00.005-06:00

www.peopleforcorporatetaxcuts.ca

Poll: Do you think cutting corporate taxes will help improve the Canadian economy?

2011-01-27T10:29:00.003-06:00

CBC Poll

Poll: Do you think cutting corporate taxes will help improve the Canadian economy?

VOTE NOW!

RMR: Rick's Rant - Attack Ads

2011-01-26T15:30:00.002-06:00

When is the last time you got an 843% wage increase?

2011-01-24T16:53:00.000-06:00

That's right folks. You are reading it correctly. An 843% wage increase.

That's exactly what the highest paid corporate executive in Saskatchewan gave himself over an 8 year span. An examination of the Executive Compensation reports from the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan show that President and Chief Executive Officer, William J. Doyle's compensation package is, in a word, astonishing.

For the 3 year period covering 1999, 2000, and 2001 Mr. Doyle received a grand total of $4,411,556 in executive compensation, or an average of about $1.5 million per year.

For the 3 year period covering 2007, 2008, and 2009 Mr. Doyle received a grand total of $37,174,358 in executive compensation, or an average of about $12.4 million per year.

That's the equivalent of an increase of more than 100% per year, each year, for 8 years.

(click images for larger view)

Foundations: A fair deal for SIAST instructors and professional services staff

2011-01-21T20:47:00.001-06:00

www.ifyoulovesaskatchewan.ca

Word on the Street – To Kill a Union

2011-01-18T17:44:00.005-06:00

See more at: www.OperationMaple.com

Minimum wage increases have a "positive" impact on business

2011-01-12T22:21:00.003-06:00

On January 12, 2011 the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour forwarded a supplementary submission to the Saskatchewan Minimum Wage Board. The Board had asked the Federation to respond to 2 questions in follow-up to a brief that the SFL had submitted at the end of 2010.

The supplementary submission makes a compelling argument for increasing the minimum wage, and for ensuring that a system is in place to guarantee that minimum wage earners do not lose ground to inflation (indexing).

Below are some interesting facts about Saskatchewan's current minimum wage.

Minimum Wage Facts

Roughly 31,000 Saskatchewan people are paid the province’s lowest permissible wage.
Nearly 40% of low-wage earners in Saskatchewan are between the ages of 25 and 55.
78% of low-wage earners in Saskatchewan work in permanent jobs.
60% of minimum wage workers are women.
Increases to the minimum wage are often followed by an increase in employment rates.
Viewpoints Research found in December 2010 that 71.9% of Saskatchewan people want to see the minimum wage raised.

You can read the full (12 page) submission by downloading a copy here....

Do you recognize this "conservative" agenda?

2011-01-06T07:05:00.000-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis

2011-01-04T00:26:00.000-06:00

Greedy CEOs earn more in one day than most people earn in a year

2011-01-03T12:29:00.000-06:00

Reproduced below is the CCPA's (Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives) news release announcing it's annual study of Executive Compensation in Canada. Corporate greed is contributing to the dismantling of our just society.

“At this rate of reward, this handful of elite CEOs pocket the equivalent of the average Canadian wage by 2:30 pm on January 3 – the first working day of the year,” says the study’s author and CCPA Research Associate Hugh Mackenzie.

"Canada’s best-paid CEOs ‘recession-proof’: study

National Office News Release

January 3, 2011

TORONTO – Canada’s best-paid 100 CEOs breezed through the worst of the recession with earnings 155 times higher than the average Canadian income earner, says a new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

The study, Recession-Proof, looks at 2009 compensation levels for Canada’s best paid 100 CEOs and finds they pocketed an average of $6.6 million during the darkest period of the recession – a stark contrast from the total average Canadian income of $42,988.

“At this rate of reward, this handful of elite CEOs pocket the equivalent of the average Canadian wage by 2:30 pm on January 3 – the first working day of the year,” says the study’s author and CCPA Research Associate Hugh Mackenzie.

The study shows executive compensation in Canada wasn’t always this rich. In 1998, the best paid 100 CEOs pocketed an average of 104 times more than the average Canadian wage earner, compared to 155 times more in 2009.

“Even that extraordinary number understates the real story,” says Mackenzie. “Thanks to a change in corporate reporting introduced in 2008, we only have a conservative statistical estimate of the stock options that make up about one third of CEOs’ 2009 pay. The public will never know how much most of these CEOs actually got paid in 2009.

“And that’s only half the story. These CEOs are sitting on $1.3 billion of stock options they haven’t yet cashed in. That’s about $2 in future income for every $1 they declared in 2009.”

When the CEOs decide to exercise those stock options, the study reveals Canadians will subsidize that bonus with an estimated average of $360 million in foregone taxes, since stock options are taxed at a lower rate, as if they are capital gains. Among Mackenzie’s recommendations: getting rid of that expensive and unfair loophole.

The study highlights the role that soaring executive compensation plays in the dramatic growth in income inequality in Canada identified in a recent CCPA study by Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan. Yalnizyan found that fully one third of all income growth in Canada in the past 20 years went to the richest 1% of Canadians.

–30–

For more information please contact: Trish Hennessy at (416) 551-2059 or Kerri-Anne Finn at (613) 563-1341 x306.

Recession-Proof
Canada’s 100 best paid CEOs"
Read the full Report...

Unions in Cinema: Portrayals of Trade Unions in Movies over the Years

2011-01-02T17:40:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year - 2011

2011-01-01T00:02:00.000-06:00

Linda McQuaig - "The Trouble With Billionaires"

2010-12-29T08:29:00.001-06:00

John Pilger - The New Rulers of the World

2010-12-25T21:59:00.000-06:00

John Pilger - The New Rulers Of The World from GW on Vimeo.

Fiacco and crew give Mosaic a 5-year free ride

2010-12-23T09:56:00.003-06:00

Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco and Councillor Michael Fougere

So, does a huge global multi-national corporation really need Regina taxpayers and individual home-owners to pick up the property tax tab for them? How can any politician say they are acting responsibly and in the interests of the citizens when they hand over 1.5 million dollars of taxpayers money to a corporation that never expected to receive the grant in the first place?

Don't let anyone spin it to you in any other way, Mosaic had already decided to set up their corporate headquarters in a new downtown Regina office tower before the brain trust over at Regina City Council got generous and voted to give them an early christmas present.

According to an article in the December 15, 2010 Regina Leader-Post, the city, school boards, and libraries will all feel the pinch so that Mosaic corporate executives can enjoy their nice new offices.

"Mosaic is to save about $326,000 in taxes annually for five years. The city's annual share works out to nearly $128,000 a year and $134,000 for schools and about $64,000 to the library."

A check of Mosaic’s October 2010 investor fact sheet from their website will reveal that the company is doing quite nicely already. In fact, their net assets are stated to be $13.1 billion.

The President and CEO of Mosaic is James T. Prokopanko. According to Forbes, his base salary for 2010 was $933,333.00 plus stock options of $2.4 million plus other compensation for a total of $6,255,588.00. Not bad, eh?

So there you have it, this company can afford to pay their CEO more than $6 million a year, but Fiacco, Fougere, and the rest of them, think they need a tax-payer funded subsidy and a 5 year free-ride. Has your street been plowed yet?

p.s. Mosaic was formed in 2004 by IMC Global and Cargill. Cargill holds 64% of Mosaic shares.

Economic Hitmen

2010-12-23T06:22:00.000-06:00

Hark! Walmart Flash Mob

2010-12-21T12:42:00.000-06:00

Saskatchewan women send News Talk radio a Dear John letter

2010-12-18T18:40:00.000-06:00

Below are the most recent BBM ratings (released December 2010) for several Saskatoon and Regina radio stations. The charts represent the demographic of female listeners aged 18 - 54.

Enough said!

(click images for larger view)

The Story of Electronics (2010)

2010-12-16T19:15:00.004-06:00

The Story of Stuff Project / Electonics

We need open and transparent government

2010-12-14T16:25:00.000-06:00

█████ ██ █ ████ everything ███ █████ is█████ ████ ████ fine ████ ███ █ ██████ love. █████ ███████ ███ your █████ ████ government...

Corporate greed is eroding foundations of a just society

2010-12-12T13:47:00.001-06:00

The following opinion piece is by John Cartwright, President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council it was published by the Toronto Star on Saturday, December 11, 2010.

Corporate greed is eroding foundations of a just society
John Cartwright

President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council

Not long ago, a wealthy stockbroker drives by nine men who have been locked out of their jobs at the First Canadian Place. He stops his luxury car, gets out, and utters the words that explain his attitude to their plight.

“The watch I’m wearing is worth more than you earn in a year. Get out of my way!"

Real estate giant Brookfield Properties decided to reduce the conditions of work for these employees. When they would not agree, they were locked out and put on the street.

This cavalier attitude is not just displayed by one company.

Across the country, corporations are engaging in an unprecedented series of lockouts of their employees, demanding that workers’ standard of living be reduced.

Sears in Vaughan, U.S. Steel in Nanticoke and now Hamilton, St. Mary’s Cement in Bowmanville, Genpack in Peterborough, Cadillac Fairview in downtown Toronto, the list goes on.

Hard-working families are seeing their standard of living undermined by the actions of CEOs whose salaries count in the millions or tens of millions.

Does Brookfield really need to save a few thousand dollars in order to keep its profit margin? Not at all. It’s doing this because it has the power to, and today that’s all that counts.

The 21st century corporate culture demands that pension plans be gutted, benefits weakened and jobs outsourced wherever possible.

While the driving force is made up of international companies that have taken over Canadian icons like Inco, they aren’t the only culprits.

Cadillac Fairview is owned by Canadian pension funds, and it had no qualms about destroying the careers of 61 employees who wouldn’t buckle under to its demands.

Even Mayor Rob Ford promises to outsource city cleaning services to contractors who pay poverty wages. And he claims to be “standing up for the little guy.”

There is clearly something wrong with this picture. For generations, people have come to this country to find a better life for themselves and their families. They have helped build a prosperous nation, where most people had access to a decent job and reasonable income.

Governments created laws that struck a balance between the power of corporations and the rights of working people. Most of us were able to find respect for our skills and knowledge, and to be paid accordingly.

In recent years, however, much has changed. The immense greed that fed the global financial markets has seeped into the core values of Canadian business.

Nowadays companies are only happy if there are tax cuts, subsidized profits and a pliable workforce. The same powerful actors who nearly wrecked the world economy are now shamelessly demanding that governments and workers do their bidding — or suffer the consequences.

There’s no doubt that a lot of these guys wear quality timepieces worth more than the rest of us earn in a year. The gap between rich and poor in this country has grown tremendously in recent times.

And unless something happens, it will only grow wider as mid-level incomes disappear from the reality of many families.

Extreme disparity is nothing new. That’s just how things were for centuries. But after the last Great Depression we learned that tough rules are needed to restrain the worst aspects of corporate greed.

A legal framework was put in place that guaranteed workers some basic rights, and allowed a growing labour movement to play a key role in raising the standards of all Canadians. Now, however, the balance of forces has changed dramatically.

It’s time to review the rules and fix them. Companies shouldn’t be allowed to lock out their employees and bring in replacement workers. Nor should they be allowed to utilize temp agencies to create a new form of indentured servitude where people don’t have a right to a stable job.

Labour laws need strengthening so that ordinary people have a fair chance for collective representation. And the loopholes that allow companies to violate employment standards need to be closed.

How long will it be before governments act on these issues? I don’t know. But one thing is certain. If they don’t find a way to stop the abuse of workers that is quickly becoming the norm, the next generation will be worse off than ours.

In the interim, many decent people will suffer for trying to hold on to what they believe is fair. And Canada will not be the kind of country we were once proud to build together.

Let’s do something about poverty! - Poverty Free Saskatchewan

2010-12-05T22:46:00.000-06:00

Check out the Poverty Free Saskatchewan website....

"Let's do something about poverty!

WHO ARE WE?

Poverty Free Saskatchewan (PFS) is a new network of individuals, organizations, governments and businesses working toward poverty elimination. PFS recognizes there have been anti-poverty groups working hard for decades in all regions of our province and we wish to support a province-wide movement.
WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?

PFS believes people living in poverty are key to all our work and should be involved in all our decision making.

All regions of the province should be involved because everyone has valuable insights into their own unique situations – from northern First Nation communities to urban neighbourhoods and existing local anti-poverty groups.

Poverty elimination will require involvement and commitment from governments, business, community organizations and individuals. PFS values and promotes respect for all perspectives in its poverty elimination campaign." more....

read more and please support....

Corporations and the Rich are destroying society and the planet

2010-12-04T22:20:00.000-06:00

Government fails to consult on changes to Human Rights Code

2010-12-02T21:31:00.005-06:00

For Immediate Release Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Government fails to consult on changes to the Human Rights Code

Without conducting any known prior consultation, and in contravention of international law, the Government of Saskatchewan introduced Bill 160 to the Legislature yesterday. The bill will abolish Saskatchewan’s Human Rights Tribunal, the province’s dedicated Human Rights adjudication body and appears to make it more difficult for society’s most vulnerable citizens to protect their Human Rights.

“Bill 160 represents the latest example of a provincial government that ignores international law and refuses to consult prior to introducing legislation affecting everyone in Saskatchewan,” said Saskatchewan Federation of Labour President Larry Hubich. “Human Rights are the fundamental rights of all citizens and the Human Rights Code overrides all other laws in Saskatchewan. Thorough, public, and transparent consultations should be conducted before changes to the Code are even considered.”

The effects of the Bill are far-reaching and appear to consolidate with the Chief Human Rights Commissioner a number of unsettling powers. The proposed legislation seems to, for example, give the Chief Commissioner the power to dismiss Human Rights complaints at a whim and to force complainants to accept settlements offered by offenders.

“It is especially disturbing that consultations with the people of Saskatchewan were not conducted prior to the introduction of Bill 160, because it seems to make significant changes to the Human Rights Code of our province,” said Hubich, “changes that will impact the ability of many in Saskatchewan to have their stories heard.”

The amendments, if passed, will impose unreasonable deadlines for issuing a complaint on society’s most vulnerable. Requirements before a complaint can be heard have also been made more stringent. “It is unclear to us that any of the amendments will actually benefit victims of Human Rights violations,” said Hubich.

Not only does the introduction of Bill 160 continue the Government’s pattern of ignoring international law, but it also continues a pattern of striking against the most vulnerable in our society. The underprivileged victims of Human Rights violations will only face more obstacles.

“The Government should take Bill 160 off the table so that meaningful consultations can be conducted prior to any proposed change to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.”

- 30 -

The SFL represents over 98,000 unionized workers across the province in 37 affiliated unions.
For more information, contact Heath Smith at (306) 539-6469

Download PDF version here....

CCPA: The Rise of Canada's Richest 1%

2010-12-02T18:41:00.001-06:00

Check out the CCPA's newest publication by Armine Yalnizyan entitled: The Rise of Canada's Richest 1%.

"Richest 1% income shares at historic high

National Office
News Release

December 1, 2010

TORONTO – Canada’s richest 1% are taking more of the gains from economic growth than ever before in recorded history, says a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

The Rise of Canada’s Richest 1% looks at income trends over the past 90 years and reveals the 46,000 privileged few who rank among the country’s richest 1% took almost a third (32%) of all growth in incomes between 1997 and 2007.

“That's a bigger piece of the action than any other generation of rich Canadians has taken,” says Armine Yalnizyan, CCPA senior economist and the report’s author.

“The last time Canada’s elite held so much of the nation’s income in their hands was in the 1920s. Even then, their incomes didn’t soar as fast as they are today. It’s a first in Canadian history and it underscores a dramatic reversal of long-term trends.”

Post-war, Canada became more equal with the rise of the middle class but by 2007, the richest 1% reversed equality trends, amassing incomes gains reminiscent of the 1920s." Read more here....

Download complete report here....

Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal "Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership"

2010-12-02T06:33:00.000-06:00

Gearing Up for the Big Issues

2010-12-02T06:02:00.000-06:00

Gearing up for the big issues

At the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour’s 55th annual convention in October, nearly 1,000 delegates debated issues, expressed concerns, and reaffirmed the need for people to be active in their communities, promoting the values of those that live and work in our province.

On the heels of the largest convention in the history of the SFL, we have pulled together information on a number of issues important to people in our province.

Since the 2007 provincial election, the government has consistently made the lives of working people more difficult. They have:

• Made it harder for people to participate in democracy and to join unions.
• Taken away the rights of many working people to negotiate fairly with their employers.
• Taken away many people’s freedom to join a union of their choosing.
• Dissolved the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal.
• Ignored the United Nations’ directives to repair legislation that robs working people of their rights.

In order to shed some light on some of the issues that face working people, the SFL continues to conduct the labour issues campaign.

The 2010 portion of the campaign focused on four issues: the profitization of Saskatchewan’s crown corporations and public services, education, human rights, and healthcare.

Inside the December 2010 issue of the Labour Reporter you will find details about the labour issues campaign, including how to request information booklets and presentations for your local, organization, or group, as well as information about the track record of the provincial government on the issues important to people who live and work in Saskatchewan.

You will also find more details about the SFL’s 55th annual convention and an interview with newly-elected treasurer, SEIU-West’s Lori Johb.

I am honoured to have been elected to a fifth term as SFL president, and I will continue to act on the concerns of working people in Saskatchewan.

In Solidarity,
Larry Hubich

RMR: Rick's Rant - Senate Defeats Bill with no Debate

2010-11-25T08:06:00.000-06:00

Cutting public services will hurt Saskatchewan families and communities

2010-11-23T20:56:00.002-06:00

ifyoulovesaskatchewan.ca

Inside Job - The Documentary

2010-11-16T03:36:00.000-06:00

www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/

Defending our Crown Corporations and Public Services

2010-11-05T11:51:00.001-06:00

"For more than a century the Saskatchewan way of life has embraced public services and Crown Corporations. This includes parks, power, highways, and so much more.

Similar to the qualities of an oak tree, known for strength and versatility, Saskatchewan history is rooted in our Crowns and public services, which are owned and operated by the people."

Saskatchewan citizens need to know the facts about the government's intentions and actions to destroy these publicly owned institutions. Our Crowns and public services make our province the best place in Canada to live, work and raise a family.

Check out the SFL's new labour issues booklet entitled: Defending our Crown Corporations and Public Services

Education: What's Happening in Saskatchewan?

2010-11-03T12:21:00.001-06:00

The government is making serious changes and cuts to our public education system that target vulnerable children:
     - 75 % cut in Educational Assistant positions.

Government changes and cuts to our public education system are hurting Aboriginal people and students:
     - First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) funding: cut.
     - Aboriginal Employment Development Program: cut.
     - Tuition freeze lifted.
     - School contingency funding: cut.
     - School capital funding: cut.

What happens to the quality of education when it's handed to private business?

What happens to public health and safety when the government downgrades skills training?

Find the answers to these questions and more. Download the SFL's new labour issues booklet: Education: What's Happening in Saskatchewan

We Weren't Born To Follow - Bon Jovi

2010-10-30T22:54:00.000-06:00

Health Care Providers' Week - October 24 - 31, 2010

2010-10-25T20:27:00.000-06:00

www.cupesaskhcc.ca

Privatizing our highways is Dangerous Business

2010-10-20T16:23:00.001-06:00

www.ifyoulovesaskatchewan.ca

Heathcare... What's Happening in Saskatchewan?

2010-10-20T09:26:00.004-06:00

The government is shifting healthcare services like surgeries into private hands

Check out the SFL's new Labour Issues Booklet on Healthcare in Saskatchewan.

The government is contracting out surgeries to private, for-profit clinics like the Omni Surgery Centre in Regina.

Health Minister McMorris says the government is paying Omni about $1,500 per surgery performed at the clinic — he also claims it costs $1,700 for that same surgery to be performed in our hospitals. The fact is that it costs $997 for day surgery in our hospitals, not $1,700. (Interprovincial Out-Patient Rates, April 1, 2010, Ontario Health Ministry).

Some people raise concerns that public healthcare is too expensive to administrate; however, contracting out surgeries to private clinics is going to add another whole layer of administrative responsibilities to the health regions. For example, health authorities have to assess who will be chosen as third-party deliverers, negotiate and manage contracts with those companies, and oversee budgets. (Third-Party Delivery Framework: Outpatient Surgery and Specialized Diagnostic Imaging, Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, June 2010)

In CUPE’s legal challenge against contracting out surgeries and diagnostics in Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, Arbitrator Dan Ish ruled that, “Even if additional capital expenditures have to be made in the long term there is little doubt that the internal costs of carrying out both surgical and CT procedures would be less than the costs associated with the provision of those services by a third party if the costs are similar.” Arbitrator Dan Ish, September 29, 2010

Read more from the new SFL Healthcare booklet here.....

Private for-profit clinics

Walmart Lobbies to Keep Factory Wages Under Two Cents | change.org

2010-10-18T10:27:00.000-06:00

Reproduced below is an article that appears on www.change.org:

Walmart Lobbies to Keep Factory Wages Under Two Cents

by Amanda Kloer October 14, 2010 02:00 PM (PT) Topics: Slave Labor.

Ever wonder how Walmart can afford to sell a pair of jeans for eight bucks? It's because workers at the factory in Bangladesh where the jeans are made earn a measly one-and-a-half cents for each pair they sew. To make matters worse, Walmart has been lobbying against a government-supported wage increase, which would bump the workers up to 35 cents an hour. It's time Walmart stopped exploiting the workers who make the clothes they sell.

The 2500 workers at the Anowara Apparels factory in Bangladesh spend all day sewing jeans, primarily for the Faded Glory brand of clothes sold at Walmart. They are 90% young women, some with families to support and others trying to simply scrape a living together. The women make between 11 and 17 cents an hour sewing jeans, and they're expected to produce at least ten pairs an hour. That means they make less than two pennies for each pair of jeans they sew. Recognizing the gross underpayment of these workers, the Bangladeshi government has suggested raising the minimum wage to 35 cents an hour. Walmart has responded by lobbying against Bangladesh's efforts to fairly compensate workers and decided to keep their staff living in abject poverty.

The employees of Anowara Apparels can't afford even basic living expenses on their salary of pennies an hour. They live in make-shift shacks, suffer from malnutrition, and have no source of heat other than burning wood. Dozens of workers and their families use a communal water pump for all their sanitation needs, from washing clothes and their bodies to drinking. The extra 17 cents per month would double these workers' salaries, and according to them, make a huge difference in their lives. Yet Walmart is trying to make sure that doesn't happen, so they can keep selling you $8.00 jeans at a high profit margin.

The story of Anowara Apparels is an example of the high price workers often pay for your discounts. Walmart isn't able to sell jeans for $8.00 because they're magical. They are able to sell jeans for $8.oo because they pay the women who make them less than two pennies a pair. So when you see a dirt cheap t-shirt, bargain basement shoes, or any other deal that's too good to be true, remember that it probably is. And what might be a great deal for you often ends up being a pretty raw one for someone else.

Tell Walmart that it's time to stop exploiting factory workers in Bangladesh and start paying them the minimum wage. Because some bargains come at far too high a human price.

Amanda Kloer has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. She currently develops trainings and educational materials for civil attorneys representing victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence.

Canadian Court Bans G20 Defendant from Speaking

2010-10-17T09:10:00.003-06:00

More at The Real News

See more here and read transcript

Reconsider Columbus Day 2010

2010-10-11T10:54:00.003-06:00

www.reconsidercolumbusday.org

One Day On Earth

2010-10-10T09:18:00.004-06:00

Join us on 10.10.10 for an unprecedented event. Every Nation, 24 hours and You.

On October 10, 2010 (10.10.10), across the planet, documentary filmmakers, students, and inspired citizens will record the human experience over a 24-hour period and contribute their voice to the largest participatory media event in history.

Founded in 2008, ONE DAY ON EARTH is creating an online community, shared archive, and film. Together, we will showcase the amazing diversity, conflict, tragedy, and triumph that occur in one day. We invite you to join our international community of thousands of filmmakers, hundreds of schools, and dozens of non-profits, and contribute to this unique global mosaic. Through the One Day on Earth platform, we will establish a community that not only watches, but participates.

Sask. Party government thumbs its nose at United Nations-ILO

2010-09-29T23:24:00.008-06:00

Six months ago the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) found the Sask. Party government guilty of violating the international human rights of Saskatchewan citizens by their introduction and passing of the anti-worker Bills 5 & 6.

In it's decision, the ILO called on the Wall government to (amongst other things):

- Hold full and specific consultations with unions at an early stage of considering any labour legislation...

- Take the necessary measures in consultations with unions to amend the Public Service Essential Services Act and Regulations...

- Consult with unions to ensure that a process is put into place to ensure that all social partners have confidence restored in the Labour Relations Board (LRB)...

To date, the government has complied with none of the recommendations and it's inaction continues to sully Saskatchewan's reputation on the international stage.

Recently, the government responded to a number of written questions about the ILO's recommendations which were tabled by the NDP opposition in the spring session. A summary of those questions and responses is reproduced below:

Question 1648: Has the Premier read the International Labour Organization decision?
Response: The Premier and cabinet have been briefed by the Minister responsible for Labour on the ILO Recommendations.

Question 1649: Has the Government of Saskatchewan been contacted by the federal government regarding the ILO decision and the request for the Government of Saskatchewan to report on its progress torwards implementing the recommendation?
Response: The Government of Saskatchewan will respond to the International Labour Organization through the Government of Canada in due course.

Question 1650: Has the Government of Saskatchewan informed the federal government of its intention to comply with the ILO decision?
Response: The Government of Saskatchewan is considering the non-binding recommendations of the International Labour Organization and will prepare a response in due course.

Question 1651: Will the Government of Saskatchewan comply with the ILO decision?
Response: The Government of Saskatchewan will reply to the non-binding recommendations of the International Labour Organization in due course.

Question 1652: Has the Government of Saskatchewan contacted the ILO to inform them of the government's intentions regarding the ILO decision?
Response: No. The Government of Saskatchewan will reply to the non-binding recommendations of the International Labour Organization through the Government of Canada in due course.

Question 1653: Has the Government of Saskatchewan contacted the union complainants to invite them to work with the government in complying with the ILO?
Response: No.

Question 1654: (1) Has the Premier given instructions to the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General to comply with the ILO decision? (2) If so, when? (3) If not, why not?
Response: (1) No. (2) N/A. (3) The Government of Saskatchewan remains confident that the various challenges now before the Labour Relations Board and the Courts will result in decisions that will confirm the Government has acted in a lawful manner.

Question 1655: What is your advice to this Legislative Assembly on whether we are going to be complying with the rule of law and international law as decided by the United Nations' ILO governing body?
Response: The Government of Saskatchewan is considering the non-binding recommendations of the International Labour Organization and will prepare a response in due course.

Would the Sask. Party government be ignoring a decision of a NAFTA panel, or the WTO if Saskatchewan was found guilty of violating an international trade agreement? I doubt it. So why the double standard when it comes to our international obligations respecting worker rights and human rights?

Privatization: The wrong direction for patients

2010-09-29T17:13:00.004-06:00

www.keephealthcarepublic.ca

We Were There - Women and Labour History

2010-09-26T19:51:00.006-06:00

Check out Bev Grant and the Dissident Daughters

Also see: www.bevgrant.com

Two-tier minimum wage discriminatory - young workers oppose training wage

2010-09-04T19:35:00.007-06:00

Young workers speak out against a training wage

The Wall government recently implemented the Minimum Wage Board’s recommendation to freeze the minimum wage at $9.25. It will remain frozen until December 31st, 2011 when the next review takes place. So far Minister of Labour Relations & Workplace Safety Don Morgan is silent on one of the other Board recommendations: the proposed introduction of a training wage, set at 10 per cent lower than the current minimum wage. Under the recommendation, new hires would receive the lower wage for the first six months of each new job they start.

Young workers, aged 13 to 16, at the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Summer Camp took a close look at the training wage recommendation, and produced the following petition and letters to the Minister.

Dear Members of the Legislative Assembly,

We the undersigned believe the recommendation allowing 90 per cent of pay for six months to minimum wage earners violates workers’ rights by discriminating against this group. This recommendation takes advantage of new workers, immigrants and low income families. These groups of people already live below the poverty line. If this recommendation were to pass, these groups would be further impoverished, leading to an increased separation between those who have money and those who do not.

Another problem with this recommendation is that it encourages employers to turn over their staff just before the six month period. The threat of being dismissed or laid off just before the six month period could be abused by the employer.

By putting this recommendation into place, what would our province be telling minimum wage earners? Is their labour less valuable than others? Are they second class citizens? Why do our leaders feel we can further exploit these groups?

By definition, the word minimum is as follows:
Minimum: the least quantity or amount possible, assignable, allowable, or the like.

By offering minimum wage earners less than the lowest possible amount, the Government proposes, by definition, a conceptual impossibility. We have the word ‘minimum’ in place in order to safeguard against lower wages. Please, as the Government of Saskatchewan, honour the standard you have put in place.

Sincerely, Avery and Darby, on behalf of the 53 SFL Summer Campers

Letter 1

Dear Mr. Minister of Labour,

My name is Shelby Z. I am 14 years old and I do not agree with the recommendation to create a lower training wage. I honestly believe that this recommendation could potentially let employers take advantage of new young workers. For example, the employer could hire new workers, wait until just before the six months is over, fire them, and then hire a new group of kids.

Another problem I have with this is the fact that you are going below minimum wage. Last time I checked, minimum is the minimum. It's the bottom. Why is the government going backwards? This recommendation has the possibility of putting off young people from working. Who would work for less than minimum? I know that I sure wouldn't.

What about single parents? It’s hard enough to have to juggle working and having a child. It's even harder to do that with less than minimum wage for the first six months. You also have to consider people looking for just a summer job. Summer lasts three months.

This also greatly affects new immigrants. As of right now, immigrants have a hard enough time living on minimum wage. Don't ask them to live even more poorly.

Please, sir. Consider the position of those whom this recommendation would affect. Don't tell them that the work they do is 10 per cent less valuable than others.
Sincerely, Shelby Z.

Letter 2

Dear Mr. Minister of Labour:
The SFL Summer Camp does not favour the recommendation of the Minimum Wage Board to create a training wage that is 90 per cent of the minimum wage. Minimum wage is minimum and should not be compromised. The wage is called minimum for a reason. The minimum wage was increased in March to meet rising costs in the economy. It should be left alone.
It definitely seems like this recommendation targets young people and/or immigrants working for minimum wage. These people are the most vulnerable because it may be their first job or their lack of English. You’re kicking them while they’re down.
The recommendation would greatly benefit the employer, so what are the employers giving back to the employees? A lot of teenagers are only looking for a summer job and summer is not six months. The proposal may say to some people that they are second-class citizens. It may be an insult to immigrants and young people. I hope you honour these requests, opinions, and ideas from the SFL Summer Camp.
Taylor G.

The young workers at SFL Summer Camp have interesting stories to tell about the kind of training they receive at work. Most had received very little on-the-job training; some had received no occupational health and safety training whatsoever. We know from Workers’ Compensation statistics that our youth are working in dangerous jobs. Thanks to the Wall government, they are also working as young as age 14. Let’s not further exploit our young workers, and our minimum wage earners who are already the lowest paid in the province, by implementing a discriminatory training wage.

Larry Hubich
SFL President

To download a copy of the Petition against the training wage, click here....

Keith Olbermann: Special Comment On Tea Party Racist Overtones

2010-08-29T08:45:00.003-06:00