In case you're not (yet) on the LabourStart mailing list:
Ainur Kurmanov is the kind of organizer every union wants to have. He campaigned with workers at the Almatinskii Wagon Factory, who went out on strike, and the result was hundreds of jobs saved. He organized workers at the Almatinskii Heavy Engineering Plant and the plant was saved from bankruptcy and collapse. Because of his efforts, Ainur has made some enemies in the Kazakh capital of Almaty, where he lives.
And a little more than two weeks ago, those enemies took their revenge.
Ainur was coming home when he was savagely attacked from behind, beaten with a metal pipe. He suffers from concussion and has a broken finger. Someone was trying to send a message to Ainur and to the workers of Kazakhstan.
It is time that we sent a message back.
The international trade union movement is calling on the Kazakh government to launch an "immediate, unbiased and transparent investigation" of the attack on Ainur.
That they have not yet done so is a bad sign. Next year Kazakhstan assumes the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). This is a great time, therefore, to remind the Kazakh government of its responsibilities as a law-abiding nation.
Please take a moment to send off your message of protest HERE.
And please spread this message to your fellow trade union members and all those who care about human rights.
Thank you -- and have a great weekend.
Eric Lee
Friday, October 9, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
CUPE Convention Online
It hasn't really started yet, but it feels like all 600,000 members are here and jostling in the halls of the Montreal Convention Centre.
But on the off chance that you're not here and would like to look at Convention reports, schedules, agendas, event locations (or are here and lost any of the same) and follow the debates, CUPE has a way for you do do all this online.
Click HERE.
But on the off chance that you're not here and would like to look at Convention reports, schedules, agendas, event locations (or are here and lost any of the same) and follow the debates, CUPE has a way for you do do all this online.
Click HERE.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Support Building Maintenance Workers at TD Centre
CEP has asked LabourStart to run the following campaign. Show your support, follow the link at the end of this post.
Cadillac Fairview Corporation (CF) is a huge real estate corporation that owns several landmark properties in Toronto. CF locked out 61 building maintenance workers at the Toronto Dominion Centre on 14 June 2009. Prior to the lockout CF's Final Offer was aimed at destroying the Union.
Their proposals intended to silence the Local Union Representatives, eliminate the current employee complement and undermine the CEP's legal bargaining rights. They wanted our members with an average of over 20 years of service to reapply for their jobs and accept a new probationary period. They wanted to pick and choose who they would keep and discharge those they no longer wanted without just cause; they wanted to eliminate older workers, get rid of employees with disabilities, and rid themselves of anyone who stood up to them. On July 14, 2009 CF announced it was terminating all of its employees in maintenance positions at the TD Centre in Toronto.
The Union has filed charges of Bad Faith Bargaining and the Ontario Labour Relations Board commenced hearings on 31 July 2009. That process will take time, meanwhile the workers are without their jobs. Help us get them back now by sending a protest message to CF.
Takes 30 seconds or less: CLICK HERE
Cadillac Fairview Corporation (CF) is a huge real estate corporation that owns several landmark properties in Toronto. CF locked out 61 building maintenance workers at the Toronto Dominion Centre on 14 June 2009. Prior to the lockout CF's Final Offer was aimed at destroying the Union.
Their proposals intended to silence the Local Union Representatives, eliminate the current employee complement and undermine the CEP's legal bargaining rights. They wanted our members with an average of over 20 years of service to reapply for their jobs and accept a new probationary period. They wanted to pick and choose who they would keep and discharge those they no longer wanted without just cause; they wanted to eliminate older workers, get rid of employees with disabilities, and rid themselves of anyone who stood up to them. On July 14, 2009 CF announced it was terminating all of its employees in maintenance positions at the TD Centre in Toronto.
The Union has filed charges of Bad Faith Bargaining and the Ontario Labour Relations Board commenced hearings on 31 July 2009. That process will take time, meanwhile the workers are without their jobs. Help us get them back now by sending a protest message to CF.
Takes 30 seconds or less: CLICK HERE
Friday, September 11, 2009
New Guide to Union Blogging Out
The 2009 edition of John Wood's TIGMOO Guide to Union Blogging is now available. See the graphic link down a bit on the right.
Friday, September 4, 2009
2009 Labour Photo of the Year Contest
Last year, LabourStart sponsored the first-ever international Labour Photo of the Year competition. It was a huge success. Photographers from all over the world submitted their pictures and a panel of expert judges selected a short-list of the five best. Our readers then voted in their thousands to choose the winning photo.
Today we're very pleased to announce the second annual Labour Photo of the Year. We're doing this because we want to encourage and recognize the talents of worker-photographers around the world, and at the same time to encourage them to tell the stories of our struggles in photos. The deadline for submissions of photos is 30 September.
Full details are HERE.
Today we're very pleased to announce the second annual Labour Photo of the Year. We're doing this because we want to encourage and recognize the talents of worker-photographers around the world, and at the same time to encourage them to tell the stories of our struggles in photos. The deadline for submissions of photos is 30 September.
Full details are HERE.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Online Campaigning Job
From the good folks at Make Poverty History:
We have an exciting job opportunity in Ottawa for the right person. We are looking for a full-time Online Campaign Coordinator to make our website and emails come alive.
If you are interested in helping alleviate poverty around the world and here at home, and have experience creating websites, writing engaging blog entries and sending calls to action by email to thousands of people, this is the perfect job for you.
The Make Poverty History campaign is gearing up to make a big splash at the G8 meeting in June next year, and you can be a part of this important project. We need someone to take charge of our online communications - web, email, social networking sites, heck, even Twitter - and make them a compelling call to action for Canadians who want to see an end to poverty.
Interested in learning more? Download the job description and application instructions here. We have an exciting job opportunity in Ottawa for the right person. We are looking for a full-time Online Campaign Coordinator to make our website and emails come alive.
If you are interested in helping alleviate poverty around the world and here at home, and have experience creating websites, writing engaging blog entries and sending calls to action by email to thousands of people, this is the perfect job for you.
The Make Poverty History campaign is gearing up to make a big splash at the G8 meeting in June next year, and you can be a part of this important project. We need someone to take charge of our online communications - web, email, social networking sites, heck, even Twitter - and make them a compelling call to action for Canadians who want to see an end to poverty.
Interested in learning more? Download the job description and application instructions here.
Better hurry, we will be accepting applications until midnight on Tuesday, September 8th.
PS: there's a French version of this ad here
We have an exciting job opportunity in Ottawa for the right person. We are looking for a full-time Online Campaign Coordinator to make our website and emails come alive.
If you are interested in helping alleviate poverty around the world and here at home, and have experience creating websites, writing engaging blog entries and sending calls to action by email to thousands of people, this is the perfect job for you.
The Make Poverty History campaign is gearing up to make a big splash at the G8 meeting in June next year, and you can be a part of this important project. We need someone to take charge of our online communications - web, email, social networking sites, heck, even Twitter - and make them a compelling call to action for Canadians who want to see an end to poverty.
Interested in learning more? Download the job description and application instructions here. We have an exciting job opportunity in Ottawa for the right person. We are looking for a full-time Online Campaign Coordinator to make our website and emails come alive.
If you are interested in helping alleviate poverty around the world and here at home, and have experience creating websites, writing engaging blog entries and sending calls to action by email to thousands of people, this is the perfect job for you.
The Make Poverty History campaign is gearing up to make a big splash at the G8 meeting in June next year, and you can be a part of this important project. We need someone to take charge of our online communications - web, email, social networking sites, heck, even Twitter - and make them a compelling call to action for Canadians who want to see an end to poverty.
Interested in learning more? Download the job description and application instructions here.
Better hurry, we will be accepting applications until midnight on Tuesday, September 8th.
PS: there's a French version of this ad here
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Twice I lied: Videos of LabourStart Conference Events
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