Mother Nature brought her very best with sunny skies and hot temperatures as the Grey-Bruce Labour Council’s annual Labour Day parade marked the unofficial end of summer and, this year, also marks the 70th anniversary of the Labour Council.
Union members came from across the province and beyond to march and stand in solidarity in Port Elgin (Saugeen Shores) on September 7th.
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The parade began a week-long conference at the Unifor Family Education Centre in Port Elgin where retirees were able to hear what is happening with unions in Canada.
The opening began with Saugeen First Nation Elder Shirley John’s prayer and blessing along with Derek Bobbish, a drummer from Nawash Unceded First Nation who performed an honour song.
Len Poirier, Unifor National Secretary Treasurer, spoke saying that Labour Day is a celebration of people who fought for the rights of workers – “… the eight-hour day, health and safety, weekends, the 40-hour work week, decent work and a voice in the workplace. None of these were just handed to us. They were all fought for and won by those who came before us and that’s what unions are about, and that’s what Unifor is about. It may still be a young union but we are built on generations of successes. We are a movement of working people coast to coast to coast in manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, energy, communications, hospitality, public service and many other sectors. Different jobs, different workplaces but one movement. Despite what some people would like us all to believe, unions are needed more today than ever before. As long as workers are fighting for fair wages, safe workplaces, secure pensions and dignity on the job, we will need our unions.”
He added that with technology, automation and AI, many jobs are changing around the world. “Our position is simple. If work is changing, workers will still need a voice in that change and that is why our collective focus must be to protect Canadian jobs. Some of our current jobs are new and there are ones that haven’t been created yet and it’s those future jobs that will support our families and the next generation of workers.”
Poirier also said that when productivity increases, workers should share in the benefits, not just the shareholders and executives. “We all have a responsibility to make sure the next generation has the opportunity to build a good life through good, secure union jobs and that’s the fight ahead. To the retirees who fought these battles before us and to the young workers today, we say thank you for standing up and keeping the labour movement strong. We all have one thing in common – to protect Canadian jobs.”
Grey-Bruce Labour Council President, Kevin Smith, also spoke saying that Labour Day is not just a celebration. “It is a reminder that the rights, such as benefits, maternity leaves, pensions and the right to bargain collectively that are enjoyed today were not simply given to workers, they were fought for. Every worker today has the responsibility to protect them. Every day our workers build our communities, care for loved ones, educate our children, maintain our roads, staff our hospitals, protect public services, keep business operating and our economy moving.”
He added that, when workers have fair wages and a meaningful voice on the job, families, communities and the country are stronger. “Labour Day is not only a reminder about what workers achieved in the past, but has to be about protecting our future and that of our children and grandchildren. At the Federal level, that means ending government interference in legal strikes and repealing Section 107 of the Canadian Labour Code, protecting sick leave and ensuring workers have a free right to collective bargaining – you don’t build a stronger economy by weakening the people who make it work!”
“In Ontario, we have our own fight,” said Smith. “When the Premier says ‘buy Canadian, support Ontario business’ and says he will stand up for Ontario workers but still sends our dollars to American corporations such as outsourcing things like WCIB to an American company and moving Service Ontario into Staples, an American company? His actions need to meet his words. The people are paying attention to things like the ‘greenbelt’, Hwy. 413, a tunnel under highway 401, Ontario Place, the Ontario Science Centre, Toronto Island airport, retroactive legislation to the Freedom of Information law and taxpayer funded hotel expenses while essential services continue to be underfunded.”
Smith also pointed out that rural and northern communities need healthcare workers, affordable housing, infrastructure and properly funded public services. “Ontario public dollars should be supporting Ontario workers and building Ontario jobs. More than 250,000 teachers and educators in the province are without contracts and fighting for properly funded schools, student supports, safe workplaces and meaningful voices in local decisions. OPSEU workers have been on strike for over 15 weeks for retroactive wages, for stable funding, staff shortages, service cuts and safer working conditions.”
“Healthcare workers are stretched thin and emergency departments struggle to remain open. In Grey-Bruce, there is a shortage of family doctors, services and an ongoing opioid crisis,” he added. “Community and social service workers are responding to homelessness, food insecurity, mental health and addiction needs, emergency shelters, encampments and eviction protection, all while being asked to do more with less. Workers are dealing with the rising cost of living, understaffing, unsafe work loads, contracting out … and the constant expectation that somehow, we should do more with less.”
“Every worker deserves respect, fairness, safety and a voice and that’s what the Labour movement is about. MPPs need to take our concerns back to Queen’s Park, even when that means challenging their ‘boss’.”
“Public healthcare, public education, affordable housing, fair wages, safe communities and safe workplaces are not just union issues – they are community issues,” said Smith. “Stronger communities, a stronger Ontario and a stronger Canada happens when we stand together. This is our Ontario and our public services, our hospitals, our schools, our communities, our jobs and our future.”
Grey-Bruce Labour Council Vice-president, Dave Trumble, also said that the municipal elections are coming up and “…we cannot have three out of 10 eligible voters taking it upon themselves to make it to the voting poles to make decisions for all. We have to be out there. Sometimes those sitting in corporate offices think that we, the labour movement, have short memories so, we must be cognizant of the people coming back to municipal politics who became MPPs and MPs – retreads. Be educated. It’s not just mayors or councillors, it’s also school trustees who have been disenfranchised and are zealots at the expense of our students. We are a progressive society. Ask yourself, what you are voting for? and you must, must vote on behalf of the people you love.
Be rest assured that building on solidarity and protecting Canadian jobs were on the shoulders of those who went before us and we need to give the exact same platform and more to those who will follow. Give them shoulders to stand on! Never fear stepping up to say ‘you’re wrong’, stepping up to say ‘there’s a better way’ and the better way is to ensure a path of progressiveness, open thought and unionism in solidarity.”
Chris Stephen, Vice-president Grey County Labour Council, said that there are now “real threats to Canadian workers blowing up from the South but Canadian workers will not be bullied. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to defend our jobs, our rights and our families. Canadians have the reputation of being nice, polite and reasonable but make no mistake, we are not to be messed with. In the face of these threats, it’s time for Canadians to stand up. We will protect our own and defend the working class.”
Stephen said that the Provincial government has forced teachers to spend money on supplies at Staples “… the same American corporate donor while in the North the Premier took sweeping cuts to WCIB, laying off hundreds of workers, gutting over 200 jobs in northern Ontario where front-line high-risk need in-person support the most. If Mr. Ford wants to go down the road of a general strike across the province, we are ready! And when workers stay united, we get results.”
“The fundamental truth of the Labour movement is … where we fight, we win,” said Stephen. “When it comes to health and safety, we are still losing 1,000 workers a year to fatalities on the job along with 250,000 loss claims annually. These are families shattered, lives changed forever and fellow workers left grieving. Health and safety are non-negotiable.”
“We are stronger together than we ever can be apart.”
