Burrows wants unions' right to strike abolished

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Calgary Sun

Sat, May 19, 2007
Burrows wants unions' right to strike abolished
UPDATED: 2007-05-19 01:45:19 MST


By SHAWN LOGAN, SUN MEDIA

With a transit walkout looming, a Calgary alderman wants the province to look at eliminating unions' right to strike unless workers' safety is in jeopardy.

Ald. Craig Burrows said the necessity of allowing workers to strike has outlived its usefulness and only creates a confrontational atmosphere around labour negotiations, a prime example being the city's current impasse with the transit union.

"The days of unions having strikes doesn't make sense any more -- you shouldn't have the right to strike just because you want more money," he said.

"I'm not saying let's abolish unions -- what I am saying is let's abolish strikes if it has nothing to do with workers' safety."

Read more: http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/05/19/4192373-sun.html

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Just when I get hopelessly envious of the wisdom and compassion

of the average Canadian in contrast to the average American, one of these guys comes along & restores my faith in the universal idiocy of the species.

[iamahaingttta]

2. That's right, alderman...

..."the days of unions having strikes doesn't make sense any more" to YOU because it would be inconvenient to YOU!

"You shouldn't have the right to strike just because you want more money..." because YOU don't want the union members to have more money! Alderman, do you understand the idea behind unions? Maybe not...

[davsand]

3. Looks like Canada has wing-nut politicians too.

It's kinda reassuring (in a very grim way) to realize that the US isn't the only place that you have imbeciles holding office. If it isn't crap like the Hatch Act or NAFTA it is nonsense from north of the border, I guess. Makes me glad there are Internationals and locals out there to maybe help educate some of these ignorant assholes.

How about I keep my union card and my right to collective bargaining and we pass laws that outlaw stupid comments from ignorant politicians instead?



Laura

[Double T]

4. Looks like the american corporate venom has spilled across the northern border........

bought and paid for legislators representing the corporations and their investor enablers ALL need to have their power and influence drastically restricted.

[PDJane]

5. He's from Alberta.........

Alberta is our very own little enclave of bush bots.

The man's an idiot.

[Double T]

6. That begs the question: Why are so many idiots running the governments of the world?

Where are the reasonable, rational and sane politicians?

[otherlander]

7. They are joining third parties

and saying lots of true things and not being listened to because they haven't joined a mainstream party, and getting lots of people angry at them for splitting the vote.
Or they are in a mainstream party like the Democratic party, and being completley marginalized, like Kucinich.
You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.

[Demit]

8. The right to strike is a union's greatest source of power. Of course the owners want it gone.

[dnmartyn]

9. Over-Simplifying

Hi, I'm new to this board. I am a Calgarian who chooses not to drive at all and rely solely on Transit to get to places that are too far to walk to. This thread popped up in my Google news alerts as I am closely following the contract negotiations for obvious reasons.

It makes me quite angry when politicians and media oversimplify the issues at hand in collective agreement negotiations. Job action is rarely taken over such simple things as salary alone; and in fact, salary is a very minor issue in this dispute.

The website for ATU local 583 is http://www.atu583.com/index.htm . If you have some time, scroll through their news bulletins from about Dec 2006 on, and you will see a myriad of reasons seldom if ever reported in the media.

Yes, service disruption resulting from job action inconveniences everyone, but that doesn't mean that the workers right to protect their job security, working conditions, and right to effective collective bargaining should be taken away. If unionized workers have the right to strike removed, what incentive does the company have to negotiate? Without repercussions, what would prevent them from simply saying "take it or leave it."

Sorry to get all ranty in my first post, but as someone who spent 121 days on the picket line a year and a half ago, it's a very hot button topic for me.

[davsand]

10. Welcome to DU!

Don't worry, your post was NOT "all ranty" and you have EVERY right to be a bit sensitive after being on line for that long. Frankly, I'm "hypersensitive" too, as ALL union members should be in this day and age.

Regards, and again, Welcome!


Laura

[CHIMO]

11. Yea

Right boss.

Perhaps they should refuse to collect fares where possible, and continue working. Bet he hasn't thought about that.

I am sure there are lots of reasons for not collecting fares. Unsafe, as they may come in contact with viruses, require an armed security person for safety. Sure they could come up with a long list of reasons.

[sam sarrha]

12. Abolish conservatives, they are unfit to serve their country, their platform cries out to destroy

government.. cut taxes till the government collapses because government is bad, government is the problem.. they want to shrink it till it can be drowned in a bathtub.. thus they are unfit to govern

[pork medley]

13. ha!

hello regulatory capitalism! enjoy being systematically whittled down to nothing! hooray for freedom and liberty and democracy! etc.