When unions win, we all win

(September 01) - It used to be that the Labour Day weekend was the last day before school started. It was a day of great anticipation. Young people everywhere looked forward to the opportunity to meet new teachers and set sail for the new horizons opened up by increased knowledge. Not anymore.

The elementary and secondary schools went back to work this morning. As summer’s last holiday rolls around next weekend, they will already have three days of school work in their backpacks. Then there’s a four-day weekend before putting pencils to paper for the long haul.

Maybe now that the back-to- school sales are over, we can have a clearer view of the other significant meaning of next Monday. It is a day to reflect on the contribution made to society by workers and their unions. It is a day to say thank you for all they have done and all they will do to make all of our lives better. You’ll find a lot of union members at Riverside Park on Labour Day, hosting the annual picnic. There is usually good corn, cheap hot dogs, fine music, lots of information about community groups, a couple of speeches and a load of fun for the whole family.

There is an old slogan that promoted unions as the people who brought you the weekend. It was true. They did that and more. Our parents and grandparents sacrificed much to fight for the 40-hour work week, pensions, sick pay, health and safety, and a lot more.

These benefits began as collective agreement provisions and quickly became part of our social fabric. Gains made by unions spread and became the standard for all workers. They are now being taken away. The recession is being used as a hammer to beat down organized labour.

I have said it before and I will say it again: when our unions are strong, our society is strong. When unions win, we all win. The corollary is also true. When unions lose, we all lose.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) estimates that over half a million jobs have been lost in Canada this year. An Aug. 7 article in the Globe and Mail had it at 414,000. Either way, a lot of families are tightening their belts. Most of them live in Ontario. Many are in Guelph and used to work for Linamar. Last year at this time, the company announced large job cuts that hit machine operators and salaried professionals alike. They are still suffering. A couple of weeks ago the company announced losses of $48 million and a 40 per cent decline in sales.

Companies like Linamar don’t like to pass their profits down, but they love to share their losses.

The EI program doesn’t have enough money. Several years ago, when times were relatively good, the program generated a surplus of over $50 billion dollars. The Liberal government of the day diverted it into general revenue and used it to finance corporate tax cuts. Now that workers need it, the money is gone. Even though Ontario is bearing the brunt of the recession, workers here are treated more harshly than in other provinces. We have to put in more qualifying hours, and we receive fewer benefit weeks. It is a system that must be reformed and restored to its original purpose.

As we celebrate another Labour Day, spare a thought for the men and women who make the products and provide the services we all enjoy. Manufacturing workers are an endangered species these days. Who among us will speak out in their defence?

Other than their unions, I mean.