National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
Shared on behalf of PSAC West Fraser Valley Area Council, Vancouver Regional Women’s Committee and NWDLC
Consultation Underway on Anti-Scab Legislation
Shared on behalf of the Canadian Labour Congress
October 19, 2022 at 11:30 a.m., Minister of Labour, Seamus O’Regan and Senator Hassan Yussuff, joined by NDP Labour Critic, Alexandre Boulerice, released a discussion paper and announced a short consultation process on promised anti-scab legislation. The consultation process will run from now until mid-December. You can read the discussion paper here (Improving the maintenance of activities under the Canada Labour Code and Prohibiting replacement workers in federally regulated industries) and the media release here.
While a commitment to anti-scab legislation in cases of both strikes and lockouts is specified in the Supply and Confidence Agreement (SACA) with the NDP, we should expect significant opposition from the employer representatives.
Trade unionists know that effective anti-scab legislation will add needed fairness and balance to the collective bargaining process. Employers and other opponents will use every tactic to create confusion and opposition to this issue. Canada’s unions must be ready to ensure that this legislation does what was committed to. The SACA commitment is a powerful tool, but this issue will test it. Canada’s unions must create the political climate to withstand the powerful opposition from those who seek to undermine fair collective bargaining, and tip the balance in favour of employers.
In solidarity, Bea Bruske
Please see the below message from the New Westminster & District Labour Council
Re-circulated by the New Westminster & District Labour Council
Advanced polls will be open in most municipalities over this Thanksgiving weekend. Delegates are reminded to vote.
Municipalities matter, so make a plan to vote and make your voice heard. Your final opportunity to vote will be Saturday October 15th, 2022 8am-8pm. Links to poll cards with NWDLC endorsed candidates can be found here:
1. Coquitlam/Port Coquitlam/Port Moody/Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge
2. New Westminster/Burnaby
Digital: https://documents.clcctc.ca/pad/SCT/BC-2022/NWDLC-NewWestminster-Burnaby-DigitalEcard.pdf
3. Surrey/Langley/Delta/White Rock
Digital: https://documents.clcctc.ca/pad/SCT/BC-2022/NWDLC-Surrey-Langley-Delta-WhiteRock-DigitalEcard.pdf
Royal Canadian Legions in our region will be returning to in-person Remembrance Day ceremonies this year. We are looking for volunteers to lay wreaths at events held by the following Legions:
New Westminster Branch #2 South Burnaby Branch #83 North Burnaby Branch #148
Port Coquitlam Branch #133 Coquitlam Branch #263 Port Moody Branch #119
Surrey (Whalley) Branch #229 White Rock Branch #8 Maple Ridge Branch #88
Cloverdale Branch #6 Aldergrove Branch #265
Please let Cheryl in the Labour Council office know if you can help, nwdlc@shawcable.com 604-291-9306. Thanks!
Shared on behalf of the Shakti Society
News from local government candidates. Please consider donating, volunteering and supporting labour endorsed candidates as they prepare for the municipal election this October.
Shared on behalf of Mikelle Sasakamoose, Burnaby School Trustee candidate, Burnaby Citizens Association
Truth and Reconciliation
Tansi, weytk, way’, and hello,
My name is Mikelle Sasakamoose, BCA candidate for school board. I am a member of the Ahatahkakoop Cree Nation and I am also Tk’emlups te Secwepemc and Syilx.
I am running for Burnaby School trustee, because as a First Nations person, my community has overwhelmingly had bad experiences in the Canadian public school system, including here in Burnaby.
Today, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is dedication to the remembrance of those experiences. On this day, we acknowledge and remember Canada’s legacy of genocide against Indigenous People, we honour and listen to survivors of residential schools, and we mourn those who never made it home.
To honour this, we took a pause from campaigning today and encouraged candidates, staff, and volunteers to spend the day participating in meaningful activities and reconciliation work in the community.
Learn More About Mikelle Sasakamoose
Shared on behalf of the Burnaby Citizens Association
2022 BCA Platform Launch
After months of meetings, policy review, and spirited debate the Burnaby Citizens Association has officially launched our 2022 BCA Platform for the upcoming municipal election.
This is the most detailed and thorough platform in the history of the BCA and it’s a document we can all be proud of. It embodies our values and deep commitment to make Burnaby work for all of us. Please read our platform below:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Shared on behalf of Adel Gamar, Coquitlam Mayoral candidate
We have just released our campaign video. Please watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsJbnTzJqD0
Also, we’re planning our E-Day and need volunteers. Can you help? https://www.gamarforcoquitlam.com/volunteer
Thanks very much for your support!!
Shared on behalf of Nathan Pachal, Langley City Mayoral candidate
Building an Inclusive Community through Affordable Housing
Everyone deserves to be able to afford to live in their community. That’s why during my two terms on City Council, I put forward policies that require us to preserve and grow affordable housing. As Mayor, I will use all the tools at the City’s disposal to ensure that we protect and invest in affordable housing solutions throughout Langley City.
If you believe as I do, that everyone deserves an affordable place to call home within their community and you’d like to see further investment in affordable housing in Langley, please fill out the following form and volunteer to help me make it happen: https://help.nathanpachal.com/
If you’d like to donate to the campaign, you can do so with your credit card online at: https://donate.nathanpachal.com/
You can also write a cheque to:
Nathan Pachal Election Fund
16 – 19631 55A Ave
Langley, BC V3A 0L5
Together, we can make Langley a community that’s welcoming to everyone.
Thank you!
Shared on behalf of Eric Woodward, Langley Township Mayoral candidate
Please join Mayoral candidate Eric Woodward, and the other labour endorsed Contract with Langley candidates: for Council Tim Baillie and Barb Martens and for School Trustee Holly Dickinson, Joel Neufeld and Sarb Rai on Saturday October 8th at 10:00 am at their campaign office (3083 271 St in Aldergove) to put out signs and drop literature.
If you are able to join us, please reach out and let us know. E-mail: therightteam@contractwithlangley.org Phone: 604-992-4955
Thank you for your support!
Shared on behalf of Better Maple Ridge Council candidates
Please join labour endorsed Better Maple Ridge candidates Korleen Carreras, Sunny Schiller and Jenny Tan of Better Maple Ridge during their super Saturday canvass event this Saturday, October 8th.
Date: Saturday, October 8th
Time: 9:30am
Location: CEED Centre, 11739 223 Street, Maple Ridge
RSVP: korleen@shaw.ca
Shared on behalf of Sarah Harbord, Port Coquitlam Council candidate
Please consider donating to my campaign. You can donate by:
E-transfer: s-harbord@outlook.com
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/57214f2f
(please note there is an admin fee so e-transfer is preferred)
Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider this request, I look forward to serving our great city!
Shared on behalf of Dr. Balbir Gurm – Team Surrey Schools
Labour Council members in Surrey, please vote for endorsed candidate Dr Balbir Gurm and Team Surrey Schools for school trustees in Surrey.
3 ways to support the campaign:
1. Display a 4×6 sign on your property
2. Drop off brochures to homes
3. Make a financial contribution, e-transfer to bgurmtrustee@gmail.com. Phone 7783222570
Canada’s 2nd National Day of Truth And Reconciliation
Dear Colleagues,
I am Seema Ahluwalia, KFA’s Executive Representative For Decolonization, Reconciliation, and Indigenization.
I greet you from the sacred and unceded territories of MST (Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waatuth, and offer my respect to all the Coast Salish-speaking nations of these territories, including Kwantlen First Nation, whose name is borrowed by our University. Regrettably, I humbly acknowledge that I am not yet in your territories in a good way because I am here as a Canadian, a nation that has no paddle song. My life journey is to live in right relationship with the Original nations of this continent. Someday, your sovereignty will be respected again, and I will be able to take permission from you to be in your territories according to your laws.
Today, Canada’s second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a day meant for Canadians to contemplate and reflect upon Canada’s colonial project, its historical and current impacts on Indigenous peoples, and the ongoing ignorance, denial and silence of most Canadians about these very things.
Some of you may be looking for resources to help you understand what this is all about. I will share the guidance I am taking today, hoping it may be of use to you.
Today, I will remember the children who did not survive the genocidal residential school system. I will honor the survivors, my husband included, and read or listen to their brave testimony provided to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Canada), some of which you can access here:
I will reflect on how we can respond to the TRC 94 calls to action:
I will read the Yellowhead Institute’s report “Calls to Accountability: A 2021 Status Update on Reconciliation” by Dr. Eve Jewell and Dr. Ian Mosby that documents how little has been done thus far:
https://yellowheadinstitute.org/trc/
I will learn more about the LandBack Movement and the intergenerational efforts of Indigenous people across Great Turtle Island who work for the return of their lands:
https://landback.org/
I will reflect on the way the Canadian Government is co-opting resistance discourses like anti-racism and decolonization and deploying them in performative ways that substitute surface gestures for meaningful change. One example of this is the Canadian government’s enormous efforts since 1946 to confuse and degrade the understanding of what the term “genocide” means in international law in order to hide its culpability for this crime. Nehiyaw scholar Tamara Starblanket documents this in her research:
I will continue the struggle to bring Indigenous voices for decolonization into my workplace and curriculum, knowing that this will make me the target of racist backlash, marginalization, discrediting, and silencing as has been the case for over 30 years.
I express my gratitude to Elders who have taught me to see beyond highly codes, state-sponsored uses of the term “decolonization.” Canada cannot be on a “decolonization journey” as it is not colonized. The Canadian state, and we its citizens, are the colonizers. Our consent for colonization and complicity in genocide is gained through the extension of citizenship. That is our truth.
May we all spend this day reflecting on and learning about how to take meaningful action in support of Indigenous underlying title and self-determination.
Seema Ahluwalia
KPU Dept. of Sociology
Solidarity for the People of Iran—October 1
– Circulated on behalf of We are Mahsa – Vancouver –
We would like to invite you and our friends in the Labour Movement to join our human chain in solidarity with the people of Iran. This event is part of a Global Day of Action. The chain will take place on October 1st, from 2-4pm, along the sidewalks of Georgia Street (From Art Gallery to Stanley Park).
As you read this, Iran has entered its second week of nationwide protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who died last week in the custody of Iran’s infamous ‘morality police’ for ‘improper wearing of hijab’. As the protests spread throughout the cities of Iran, the government is cracking down on the peaceful protests with increasing brutality. Tens of people have already been killed with hundreds of protesters and activists injured or arrested.
In absence of the independent media, the Iranian authorities have cut off almost all access to the Internet to stop the news of the protests reaching the outside world. Let us stand together to be the voice of the voiceless, and face of the faceless.
Your presence means a lot as the Iranian community in Vancouver is standing up for Justice and Equity, and against tyranny.
Hand in hand, let us stand with the people of Iran in their fight for #Woman_Life_Liberty
For more information, please check the event page on facebook
National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
September 30 is Canada’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. The Vancouver and District Labour Council acknowledges the underlying title and inherent rights of self-determination of Indigenous peoples, and our presence as uninvited guests in the traditional and unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples. The truth is that we must learn from and work alongside Indigenous peoples in order to make things right.
September 30 was chosen as “Orange Shirt Day” by Indigenous people in 2013 to commemorate and honor the survivors of The Indian Residential School System (IRSS) and those who never returned home. At this time of year, over the course of more than 100 years, Indigenous children were forced to return to IRSS institutions where they suffered indoctrination and torture organized by the Canadian state to weaken and destroy Indigenous nations. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) recommended that the Canadian government establish a statutory holiday so that Canadians may never forget the history and ongoing legacy of the IRSS. September 30 is now also Canada’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
In solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, we mourn the loss of the children who did not make it home and honor the courageous survivors and their allies who worked for decades to break the walls of silence and denial surrounding the IRSS. On this day of solemn reflection, we acknowledge that racism and religious persecution were used to dispossess Indigenous peoples of their territories, and that we must educate ourselves about the ongoing and current impacts of colonization and genocide on Indigenous peoples. We recognize that the labour movement in Canada has not been the ally it needs to be to Indigenous peoples. We must do the urgent work of ending systemic racism by engaging in a meaningful process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples that leads to decolonization.
On September 30, we encourage workers across BC to learn, reflect, and act.
Here are some resources that you may find useful:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: 94 Calls to Action https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf
Calls to Action Accountability: A 2021 Status Update on Reconciliation https://yellowheadinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/trc-2021-accountability-update-yellowhead-institute-special-report.pdf
Sign CLC’s petition “Justice for First Nations’, Inuit, and Metis is Long Overdue” https://canadianlabour.ca/campaigns/justice-for-first-nations-inuit-and-metis-is-long-overdue/
UBC Intergenerational March to Commemorate Orange Shirt Day
https://apsc.ubc.ca/event/2022/intergenerational-march-to-commemorate-orange-shirt-day
C̓əsnaʔəm: The City Before the City: Discover Musqueam’s Ancient Landscape and Living Culture
https://museumofvancouver.ca/csnam-the-city-before-the-city
“On Truth and Reconciliation: Indigenous Artist James Harry discusses his Project with SOS Village”
https://culturedays.ca/en/events/dd3a2e00-b29f-48a7-b3f3-f40a30092235
Britannia Community Centre Orange Shirt Day Commemoration https://www.britanniacentre.org/community/events_calendar/events/1726/2022-09.php
ILWU LOCAL 502 – STRIKE BULLETIN
– Forwarding on behalf of ILWU Local 502 –
As of 00:00 Saturday, September 17, 2022, the ILWU Local 502 workers at Westshore Coal Terminals went on strike.
ILWU Local 502 has worked at Westshore Terminals since its inception in 1970. In 52 years, ILWU Local 502 has never had to strike at Westshore. ILWU Local 502 was forced into a historical first time position at Westshore, having to withdraw our labour to get a fair contract.
Westshore Terminals has changed its management style in the past years, directly affecting our Members’ quality of life. Westshore, the largest coal terminal on the west coast of North America, takes coal from British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the Powder River Basin and Montana.
ILWU Local 502 membership in their personal and work lives has faced many difficulties over the past few years, such as working through an unprecedented pandemic, cost of living increases and skyrocketing inflation.
During these difficult years, Westshore Terminals has not suffered and has continued to prosper. Since the beginning of 2021, Westshore Terminals has increased its dividend three times and issued two special dividends.
• Regular Dividend paid in excess of $114,000,000
• Special Dividend paid in excess of $126,000,000
• Total Dividends paid in excess of $240,500,000
ILWU Local 502 is fighting for better working conditions and quality of life for our workforce.
Please support your fellow workers by having your Members come to our picket line at:
1 Roberts Bank Rd, Delta, BC V4M 4G5. When you get to the security gates, press the intercom button and show your drivers license to the camera at the portal.
Rally for Ledcor Workers
Forwarding on behalf of IBEW Local 213 –
Rally for Ledcor Workers!
Telus Technicians at Ledcor (LTS Solutions Ltd.) were certified by the Canada Board in August 2017 and have been on strike since Sept 30th, 2019 fighting for their employer to respect their chosen bargaining agent and settle a first collective agreement.
Join IBEW Local 213, New Westminster and District Labour Council, Vancouver and District Labour Council, and local leaders in support of members on the three year anniversary of the strike against Ledcor LTS.
Join the rally at the Ledcor office located at 1055 W. Hastings St. in Vancouver on 11:00am, September 28th.
You can also show your support on social media using the hashtags #Solidarity #UnionStrong #IBEW213 #IBEW #FairContractNow #TELUS #ShameOnLEDCOR
Rally for Pan Pacific Hotel Workers
-Forwarded on behalf of UNITE HERE Local 40-
Join us on Wednesday September 28 to show your support for Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel Workers. They are fighting for the right of up to 200 of their co-workers to be called back to their pre-pandemic jobs, safe workloads, fair wages, and respect at work.
In response to the hotel’s mass pandemic terminations, workers voted to unionize with UNITE HERE Local 40 in August 2020. Since then, the BC Labour Board has found management committed several unfair labour practices, and a BC Supreme Court judge ruled separately that a lawsuit over wrongful terminations can proceed as a class action.
Let’s tell Pan Pacific Vancouver it’s time to respect hospitality workers!
WHEN: Wednesday September 28, 2022
WHERE: Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel, 999 Canada Place
TIME: 5:00PM
RSVP here! https://fb.me/e/4VPzYlfKd
In solidarity,
UNITE HERE Local 40
Red Dress Gathering for MMIWG2S
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