Solidarity with Longshore The Federal Labour Minister, MacKinnon, has imposed compulsory arbitration on the disputes that have closed the ports along BC’s coast and in Montréal. The ports were closed after the employers locked out the workforce. Canada’s three busiest cargo ports, Vancouver, Montréal and Prince Rupert, were shut. With MacKinnon’s action on November 12, […]
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Last April 1st, the Alberta-based Western Standard ran a story with the headline: “Federal budget commits funding to convert one lane of Trans-Canada Highway for bicycles.” The story continued to relate how the Liberal budget had set aside $100 billion to build bike lanes along the entire length of the Trans-Canada. Hard to believe, eh? […]
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Cities are the world remade by society. So why are they so inhospitable? The high cost of living, air and noise pollution, the many barriers to accessibility, the scarcity of communal gathering places and green space, the high rate of traffic accidents, washrooms and drinking water for customers only, narrow or no sidewalks — all […]
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Keep Mobilizing For A Strong Contract! After three days on strike, the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced it was offering 45,000 International Longshoremen of America (ILA) dockworkers 62% raises over six years after their historic strike that shut down 36 ports along the East coast. Though shy of the union’s demand of 80% raises, […]
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The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has kicked off a strike which will see a massive disruption of the shipping industry and freight across the country. The union, with 47,000 members, saw its contracts expire for the East Coast and the Gulf Coast today, signaling the start of the strike. Major ports are shut down, at […]
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Update, November 14: Boeing workers on strike for over six weeks have accepted new contract with a pay rise of 38 percent over four years. However, they did not win the restoration of their former pensions.Many workers were unhappy with the proposed contract and only 59 percent voted to accept it. 33,000 Boeing workers organized […]
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Update After 20 days on strike the HandyDART workers ratified a new contract. Over 600 workers at HandyDART in Metro Vancouver started strike action on September 3. HandyDART workers provide a vital public service, moving people with mobility issues door-to-door. They take people to and from medical appointments, for social trips and many other vital […]
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Rail Strike Update, November 16 The Canadian government, with support of the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), has forced the 9,300 rail workers, members of the Teamsters union, back to work. This flouts the democratic rights of workers to go on strike. The workers voted, with 99 percent in favour, for the strike. The Supreme […]
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Ford Canada announced in April that it would postpone all electric vehicle production at its Oakville assembly plant in Ontario by two years until 2027 due to “softening demand,” meaning that people aren’t buying EVs because their price is too high. “We are committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using capital wisely and bringing […]
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Bia Lacombe is a member of Socialist Alternative in the US. In early January, in a near disaster in mid-air, an Alaska Airlines flight of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 was forced to make an emergency landing after a side “door plug” ripped off the plane. Passengers reported being sure they were going to die. […]
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