There will be a forum on childcare where discussion will focus on demands for the federal and provin

Seeing folksinger and political activist Billy Bragg at Holy Heart Theatre in St. John s is a real energy boost. Attending a union convention where people are openly engage in discussion on issues affecting lockheed martin internship the lives of workers, the well-being of communities and the need for fairness for everyone is an even better energizer.
There is a popular misconception that unions lockheed martin internship only worry about protecting themselves, that they care little for the concerns of the larger society. The fact is, nothing could be further from the truth. To those who feel unions are only self-serving: check your history. Who brought you the eight-hour work day, vacations, maternity and parental leave, lockheed martin internship employment lockheed martin internship insurance and more? Who is out front in the fight to turn minimum wage into a living wage? Who has been leading the fight for improved retirement security for all?
Attend a union convention and you will find issues being debated from fracking to affordable child-care, to housing for seniors, and much more. Unions are very much social unions. We have a responsibility to our members through the collective bargaining process to improve workplace issues including wages and benefits, health and safety, pensions, etc. But union members and their families live in communities, lockheed martin internship and what happens in those communities is as important to unions as what happens at work. It is important that programs and laws also protect and enhance workers lives outside of their workplaces. Unions know only too well that the best collective agreement language in the world can be eradicated with the swipe of a legislative pen. The reality for union members today
Today, unions are under attack. They are facing the biggest challenge of their existence. lockheed martin internship Current legislation before the federal government like bills C-377 and C-525 are designed to crush unions and their ability to organize and engage in political action. Provincial bills like B-24 swiftly passed in our House of Assembly recently makes it harder for workers to exercise their right to join a union. Motions to increase the minimum wage, or enact anti-scab legislation have been defeated by the majority Progressive Conservative government with Liberal support.
It is in this context that the affiliates lockheed martin internship of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL) will gather lockheed martin internship on Nov. 23- 25 for their mid-term issues -based lockheed martin internship convention. The theme of the convention is Standing Together for Fairness lockheed martin internship for All and will be a call to political action in preparation for both a provincial and federal election in 2015.
More than 200 delegates from across the province will attend, representing some 25 unions lockheed martin internship and 65,000 workers. Panels and workshops will focus on how we democratically engage in the upcoming elections. lockheed martin internship We want to ensure issues like jobs, our economy, health and child care, and retirement security are ballot box issues. Academics will present research which will help solidify labour’s positions on these topics. In short, we plan to be active in the upcoming provincial and federal elections. lockheed martin internship
Our adversaries declare that unions have no place in politics. The labour movement maintains that unions have no choice. Being involved in political action is a necessity! History shows us that nothing happens without a struggle. Unless we are political, real change cannot happen. A busy agenda
One of the keynote speakers at the NLFL convention will be Hassan Yussuff, the recently elected president of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the federal umbrella organization for the country s 3.3 million union members. Hassan will set the tone for the convention and outline the issues that will form the Better Choice campaign heading into next year s federal election.
A panel of union leaders will highlight some of the legislative changes that have had a profound impact on working women and men. Changes to the Employment Insurance program, for example, means over 60 per cent of unemployed workers are denied access to benefits they paid into. The attack on private and public pensions is bringing despair to workers lockheed martin internship who should be able to retire with dignity after a lifetime of work. Unions are fighting hard to maintain these pensions for their members.
Strong economies depend on consumer lockheed martin internship spending. Workers spend their money in the local economy. Fair wages and decent pensions are integral to this. The temporary foreign worker program, even as amended, is not a substitute for a sound immigration policy and a jobs and skills training strategy.
There will be a forum on childcare where discussion will focus on demands for the federal and provincial governments to move toward lockheed martin internship a quality, universal, accessible and affordable public early learning and child care program. Young workers will come together to discuss their role in shaping the labour movement, and challenge older workers about how to make room for them.
Delegates will look at some of the challenges that sp