Labour Day celebrations are where you are or might be this September 6th.

Celebrate Labour Day!

With Labour Day 2010 just around the corner, the BC Federation of Labour will again be celebrating the day along with its members, friends and colleagues. All CUPE members and their families are invited to join the party – for the first time at Central Park in the wonderful city of Burnaby.

Please see the attached poster and map for details and feel free to forward to all your lists and contacts.

After a wonderful summer in the Lower Mainland, the weather on September 6 should favour us. But rain or shine, it will be a great celebration of working people.

Labour Day events outside the Lower Mainland include:

Nanaimo, Duncan & District Labour Council Labour Day Picnic

20th Annual Labour Day Picnic

Monday, 6 September Time: 11:00am

Free hot dogs & cold beverages. Entertainment, activities for kids and free draws

http://www.nddlc.ca/

Campbell River & Courtenay Labour Council Labour Day Picnic

Monday, 6 September Time 12:00pm – 4:30pm

Family BBQ with entertainment, Kate Braid will be there to read some of her poetry.

Victoria Labour Council,

22nd Annual Labour Day Picnic

Monday, 6 September Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Location: Irving Park, Victoria, BC

Kids’ games, clowns, refreshments, Kids eat free.

http://victorialabour.ca/

Fraser Valley Labour Council, Labour Day Picnic

Monday, 6 September Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Mill Lake Park in Abbotsford (Bevan Rd. entrance)

Kamloops and District Labour Council and Affiliates, Labour Day Picnic

Monday, 6 September Time: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Location: Riverside Park Band Shell, Kamloops

New this year…Beer Garden! Plus free kids’ activities, entertainers, music, displays, hot dog sale & lots of giveaways and prizes.

The East Kootenay District Labour Council, Labour Day Picnic

Monday, September 6th Time: 12:00pm - 4:00 pm

Location: Rotary Park in Cranbrook

Hot dogs, pop, snacks, games, face painting for the kids.

West Kootenay Labour Council, Labour Day Picnic

Monday, 6 September Time: 12:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: Gyro Park, Trail BC

Entertainment by local musical talents.

Jim and I responded somewhat differently to Tuesday’s GDP release. Jim’s Globe and Mail column suggested that it was especially bad: “We’re clearly heading for stagnation at best, and quite possibly another ‘double dip’ downturn.” I perceived a ray or two of hope and told The Toronto Star: “I’m not predicting a double dip.” While I [...]

Staff cuts at Postmedia newspapers 'appalling', says union Published on September 3rd, 2010 Jim Donnelly Ottawa Business Journal Postmedia Network Inc. has cut jobs at the newspaper chain it recently purchased from Canwest Global Communications, and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union isn't happy. Topics : Canwest , Ottawa Citizen , Canada , U.S. The country's largest media union called the job cuts "appalling" in a release. "The Paul Godfrey-led, U.S. hedge fund-backed...

Labour Day parade in Toronto, Canada in 1900 Labour Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in Canada since the 1880s. The origins of Labour Day in Canada can be traced back to April 14, 1872 when a parade was staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union's strike for a 58-hour work-week.[1] The Toronto Trades Assembly (TTA) called its 27 unions to demonstrate in support of the Typographical Union who had been on strike since March 25.[1] George Brown, Canadian ...

Are we supporting controversial investment related to our own pension plans? Is there a moral obligation not just to the teachers, but as to what our Canadian government is doing with Canadian Taxpayers money for pension investments? (click on image for larger view) NEWS: Renegade teachers’ pension fund in Chilean water *** See Also:Pension Money Making a Difference in the World?

 The ILO and the IMF are holding an important high level conference in Oslo on the “Challenges of Growth, Employment and Social Cohesion” on September 13.  In advance, they have released an important joint discussion paper.  The summary  - highly reflective of the ILO contribution but not contradicted by the IMF contribution - makes a [...]

Over the past twelve months, working people did something they have not done for a very long time. They changed their government’s mind. Last year, on Labour Day, unions called action on retirement security. At the time, the economic crisis and recession had left people’s savings in tatters. Pension plans were under attack. RRSPs were [...]

Before we explore how the BC Liberals are going to spin their extended lie about not having the HST on their radar before the 2009 election, based on FOI records released Wednesday, let’s first take a look at how the National Post bungled its BC reporting today. In this piece, they pick up the Jordan [...]

Memo

Date:  August 31, 2010

To:  CUPE BC Division members and their families

From:  Mark Hancock, Secretary-Treasurer, CUPE BC Division

RE:  CUPE BC Night at the Ballpark

Due to the huge response from CUPE members with regards to tickets to the Canadians game this Friday, September 3, 2010, CUPE BC has purchased additional tickets for the event.

We will have a number of tickets available for pick up on a first come, first serve basis this Friday.  Please meet us at the CUPE booth outside of Nat Bailey Stadium between 6:00 pm and 6:45 pm to pick up your FREE tickets to this game.

You can reserve in advance with our office at 604-291-9119.  Tickets not picked up by 6:45 will be released.

In solidarity,

Mark

MH/LW

For those people on your Christmas list who think you’re full of hot air when you complain that there has been a concerted attack on workers in the last few decades, here are a few examples of demonizing rhetoric to introduce them to, courtesy of Adrian MacNair: We don’t need no stinkin’ unions | National [...]

You have to give these members credit standing up for a pension is hard thing to do. Local how many other locals have caved in when came to pensions. Globe and Mail Workers Accept Deal Genpak workers fight for pension 08/28/2010 Published The Peterborough Examiner By ELIZABETH BOWER Locked-out Genpak workers held up delivery trucks, for about 10 minutes, as they picketed the Aylmer St. plant about pension plans Friday. Thirty-eight members of the Communications Energy and Paperworkers...

Michael Hlinka is the notoriously libertarian daily economics reporter on CBC Metro Morning (the flagship morning radio show in Toronto).  Our paths have crossed before; see my previous commentary: http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2009/07/11/another-economics-journalism-is-possible/ Michael’s segment on September 1 (in conversation with host Matt Galloway) focused on the Statistics Canada GDP release.  It was a sensible and largely uncontroversial discussion, with [...]

Amir is a University of Guelph PhD candidate in history and a former Israeli Defense Forces soldier and war resister. He talks about militarism and Israeli culture, being a war resistor, and a progressive perspective on what it means to be Israeli without supporting the conflict.

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International Israel Apartheid Week runs from March 1-14th.

Find out about events taking place in your area at: apartheidweek.org

In Guelph: iawguelph.wordpress.com

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migrantmatters@gmail.com

Amir is a University of Guelph PhD candidate in history and a former Israeli Defense Forces soldier and war resister. He talks about militarism and Israeli culture, being a war resistor, and a progressive perspective on what it means to be Israeli without supporting the conflict.

-------------------------

International Israel Apartheid Week runs from March 1-14th.

Find out about events taking place in your area at: apartheidweek.org

In Guelph: iawguelph.wordpress.com

-------------------------

migrantmatters@gmail.com

Part one of a three-part interview. Our guests are Eddie Huesca of Fuerza/Puwersa (a migrant justice advocacy group); Drew Garvie of Young Communist League-Guelph; and Ryan White, a Toronto-based employment lawyer. They talk about the implications surrounding the recent re-imposition of visa requirements on people of Mexican and Czech-Roma descent. These requirements were implemented to specifically target individuals seeking refugee status in Canada and are intended to block the large flow of Mexicans and Czech-Roma people into Canada.

read more

Our guests are Eddie Huesca of Fuerza/Puwersa (a migrant justice advocacy group); Drew Garvie of Young Communist League-Guelph; and Ryan White, a Toronto-based employment lawyer. In Part 1 they talked about the implications surrounding the recent re-imposition of visa requirements on people of Mexican and Czech-Roma descent. These requirements were implemented to specifically target individuals seeking refugee status in Canada and are intended to block the large flow of Mexicans and Czech-Roma people into Canada.

read more

Our guests are Eddie Huesca of Fuerza/Puwersa (a migrant justice advocacy group); Drew Garvie of Young Communist League-Guelph; and Ryan White, a Toronto-based employment lawyer. In Part 1 they talked about the implications surrounding the recent re-imposition of visa requirements on people of Mexican and Czech-Roma descent. These requirements were implemented to specifically target individuals seeking refugee status in Canada and are intended to block the large flow of Mexicans and Czech-Roma people into Canada.

read more

In response to these recent raids that have occurred under the public's noses, there have been many mass public actions throughout Canada denouncing these dehumanizing attacks on racialized working-poor (im)migrant communities, including in Guelph, ON. Fuerza/Puwersa organized a potluck dinner and panel on April 30, 2009 in Downtown Guelph. This "Status for All!" May Day Dinner event featured speakers from several different associations including Janet McLaughlin (researcher on migration and instructor at the University of Guelph), Marco Luciano (coordinator with Migrante Ontario), Craig Fortier (organizer with No One Is Illegal-Toronto), and Benny Quay (International Student Advisor, University of Guelph).

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read more

In response to these recent raids that have occurred under the public's noses, there have been many mass public actions throughout Canada denouncing these dehumanizing attacks on racialized working-poor (im)migrant communities, including in Guelph, ON. Fuerza/Puwersa organized a potluck dinner and panel on April 30, 2009 in Downtown Guelph. This "Status for All!" May Day Dinner event featured speakers from several different associations including Janet McLaughlin (researcher on migration and instructor at the University of Guelph), Marco Luciano (coordinator with Migrante Ontario), Craig Fortier (organizer with No One Is Illegal-Toronto), and Benny Quay (International Student Advisor, University of Guelph).

read more

In response to these recent raids that have occurred under the public's noses, there have been many mass public actions throughout Canada denouncing these dehumanizing attacks on racialized working-poor (im)migrant communities, including in Guelph, ON. Fuerza/Puwersa organized a potluck dinner and panel on April 30, 2009 in Downtown Guelph. This "Status for All!" May Day Dinner event featured speakers from several different associations including Janet McLaughlin (researcher on migration and instructor at the University of Guelph), Marco Luciano (coordinator with Migrante Ontario), Craig Fortier (organizer with No One Is Illegal-Toronto), and Benny Quay (International Student Advisor, University of Guelph).

read more