I am a union staffer. I work for an organization, recognized under a legal code as a representative of workers’ interests. I am a negotiator, bargaining with management to write joint agreements. I am an advocate, campaigning for improved working conditions and higher wages. I am a politician, brokering deals, managing political support, selling policy. [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Labour and Unions’
Union Work and Union Workers
Posted in Academia, Labour and Unions, Political Stuff, tagged Faculty Associations, Labour and Unions, Work on March 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Small Solidarities
Posted in Labour and Unions, tagged Labour and Unions, Resistance, Working Class on February 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
People from at least 30 countries (including Egypt) have sent pizzas to help feed the folks occupying the Capitol building in Madison, WI. It’s a small gesture of support, but concrete & immediate. Here’s the info: Ian’s Pizza, 608-257-9248. $20 gets a 20″ pie with drinks which will feed 8 people. Oh, and don’t forget [...]
Workin’
Posted in Labour and Unions, Political Stuff, tagged Labour and Unions, Work on March 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Some days the realities of work appear in all their nakedness. Far as jobs go, mine ain’t all that bad. I mean, I generally get treated relatively well, I make a good wage, I get benefits and lots of vacation time, and I have the flexibility in scheduling to facilitate the demands of parenting. On [...]
Red November, Black November
Posted in Labour and Unions, Political Stuff, tagged History, IWW, Labour and Unions, Resistance, Working Class on November 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
As we near the end of November, Meg is returning from the bargaining table, and I am about to take off for union meetings in Ottawa, with a fresh tattoo on my arm of the IWW sabocat – symbol of the wildcat strike and industrial sabotage. I won’t write much myself today, but instead want [...]
The Wildman Marc Mero vs Corporate Wrestling: the battle for hearts and minds
Posted in Labour and Unions, Political Stuff, tagged Labour and Unions, Wrestling on September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Some months ago I got all hot for a project on professional wrestling as work, and attempts at unionization of wrestlers. I wrote a blog post about it here, and was all fired up to do a couple of different pieces – something for a popular sports magazine, to get the issue some light, [...]
Union Bosses
Posted in Labour and Unions, tagged History, Labour and Unions, The Left, Work on May 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It’s been a union-centred life of late, even more than normally. Meg spent last week in Ottawa bargaining and rallying to express offense at the flat-out shitty offer the government has made to its workers, so I was thinking about her and her frustrations alot. And here in Vancouver I was getting settled into my first week back [...]
Utah
Posted in Labour and Unions, Music, Political Stuff, tagged IWW, Labour and Unions, Labour Songs, Music on May 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I was 15 years old, and a friend of my folks’ made a few tapes of political music for me to take along for our year in Zimbabwe. That’s where I discovered Billy Bragg, Little Steven and a whole host of others. And it’s where I found Bruce “Utah” Phillips – storyteller, songwriter, keeper of the oral [...]
