The Federal Government is threatening to table back-to-work legislation today to end a strike by CN Rail Engineers which has been going on since the middle of last week. It's no shock that back-to-work legislation is coming, although less than a week into the strike is fast, even for this government.

In order for the strike to be ended quickly, all party consent will be needed on the back-to-work bill. Predictions: the Bloc, being the only party that really cares about organized labour (as opposed to certain other parties which say they do), will be the only party which opposes the bill...

Tags: labour, ndp, politics

Woke up this morning and there is snow on the ground. I was warned this would happen.

Wal-Mart is one of the worst employers in North America, and perhaps even worldwide. This fact has been established beyond a doubt - there are numerous books, articles, and documentaries that show the gross abuse of employees that Wal-Mart undertakes. This is why the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), amongst other unions, have been leading the charge to organize Wal-Mart employees.

Wal-Mart has one of the strongest union busting strategies around. They are more than willing to openly and admittedly break the law, as often the fines levied on them for breaking labour laws will cost less than dealing, on fair grounds, with unions. So, yes, the cost of illegal activities is built into the business model of Wal-Mart. One of the favourite strategies that Wal-Mart loves to employ is to threaten to close down shop should a union organize there. This threat is illegal under virtually all labour codes in Canada, and many in the U.S.

In 2005 the UFCW was successful in organizing a Wal-Mart in Jonquière, Que. Wal-Mart began stalling negotiations, and then bargaining in bad faith - the practise of pretending to bargain when you really have no intention of reaching an agreement at all - in order to break the union. When talks broke down to the point that the two sides were sent to a labour arbitrator (ie, an arbitrator who would impose a contract that Wal-Mart couldn't weasel out of), Wal-Mart announced that the Jonquière store was unprofitable and shut it down.

The ensuing battle winded its way through the courts, all the way to the Supreme Court, who heard the case. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Wal-Mart was well within its rights to close the store.

This is a massive blow to the UFCW organizing drive at Wal-Marts, and also to unions organizing in the private sector everywhere. It means that it is now de facto legal to shut your location down after a union organizes there, and you will not face any penalty at all. The Supreme Court of Canada has successfully rolled back union rights to where they were in the early 1940s.

Tags: labour

I have a bad habit with TV. A friend will tell me "you should totally watch show x." And then I don't. I say "yeah, eventually" but eventually never comes. It is only after somebody sits me down and basically forces me to watch the show where I will decide "this is totally the coolest show EVAR and I can't believe I haven't been watching it." Evidence: Battlestar Galatica, The Shield, The Wire, Weeds, Arrested Development.

And now we can add Glee.

Glee is laugh out loud hilarious. It really, really is. One of the funniest things I've seen on TV in the past few years. It has all the elements of a great TV show: recurring characters and lengthy plot lines that span multiple episodes. Jokes that are set up at one point, and the payoff doesn't come until scenes or sometimes and episode or two later. Cut-away gags, cut-back gags, and the occasional cut-forward gag. And, I think, the thing I like the most about it is one of the things that Glee gets tonnes of flack for from critics: virtually all the adult characters are over-the-top charactures of themselves and their behaviour borders on the ridiculous. In the adult characters there are definitely subtle tones of arrested development.

Things I do not like. First, the songs reek of overproduction. They have all clearly been brushed up in the studio, and there is a liberal use of auto-tune on them. I get that the show is basically a shiny pop record, but I don't like the production values of shiny pop records. Second, I'll grant that some of the singing-and-dancing annoys me. Yes, I get that it is a show about singing-and-dancing, but some of the musical numbers don't really seem to advance the plot in any meaningful way - they are just there to be there. Which I find annoying. On the whole though, the singing-and-dancing is okay.

The biggest problem I have with the show is something that can't be changed: the show isn't on Showcase or HBO. Given the style of humour, the plot lines, and the stories that are being told on Glee, I suspect it would be about ten times more hilarious if it didn't have to be censored.

Anyway. Yes, I should've been watching this since September. And, if you aren't watching it, you probably should be.

Tags: tv

This sums it up pretty nicely:




If you use twitter, there is something wrong with you.

To be sure, the proposed Harmonized Sales Tax isn't a good proposal. I'll agree with that. Further, it's quite disgusting that McGuinty is ramming through without listening to public dissent on the issue is quite undemocratic.

Well, that's why we have the opposition, right? That's why the official opposition is there. To question the government. To tell them that the populous doesn't agree with them. To point out all the problems with the legislation. To pressure the government to change their plans.

Which is why new Progressive Conservative leader Tim "take my ball and go home" Hudak had the PC caucus walk out of the legislature. That's right. On the question period where the HST was supposed to be debated, Hudak decided to pout about not getting the public hearings he wanted. He decided to take his party and to not participate in the debate. Because not being there is better than being there, apparently.

Since Hudak decided to not do his job, and instead of opposing the legislation he was, er, um, doing nothing, it was left to the 9 New Democrats in the Ontario legislature to question the government.

Tags: politics

Just got back from Billy Bragg. Now, I've been looking forward to this show for quite some time. It's been two or three years since I've seen Billy live. At the same time, I was a bit grumpy about the show. Let me explain: The opening act for every other show on Billy's Canada tour was Ron Hawkins. Now, Ron had a CD release party in Toronto tonight, so he wasn't opening the Ottawa show. Hence, I was a little grumpy.

Daryl, Steve, Colleen and I headed down to the show, and got pretty descent seats - first row of the balcony. After playing the waiting game, the opening act came on stage. Who, who would replace Ron for this show? Surely, it would be somebody I disliked and would grumble about. Nope! It was an acoustic arrangement of Skydiggers! w00t! That probably ranked as the best surprise of the evening. Andy and Josh put on a great opening show, hitting tunes from their entire career, all the way from Skydiggers to City of Sirens, and at least one track from every album in between. It was a really good set.

Billy's set was great, and I'm really glad I went. Billy seemed to be in his usual good mood, and the stage banter was fantastic - some of the best parts of Billy's shows are the lengthy stories between songs. The song selection ranged from his entire catalogue, and he seemed to hit quite a number of fan favourites, at least many of my favourites: Power in a Union, World Turned Upside Down, Milkman of Human Kindness, New England. The set was very heavy on Woodie Guthrie songs, which was a pleasant surprise.

Billy Bragg has built a name for himself by not only blending "pop and politics", but by trying to remain active in the causes he cares so much about. So, besides the usual banter about the issues that he cares about, he gave a strong speech in support of the striking PSAC workers at the museums here in the National Capital Region. It was very good of him to do so, it was even better for him to have set up a table in the main foyer of the concert hall with representatives from the union there, handing out information and getting people to sign cards to send to the minister of heritage.

All in all, a very satisfying evening. But now, time for bed. The local news is long over.

Oprah Winfrey is taking her show off the air in 2011.

Halle-fucking-lujah.

I know this may seem a bit random for my LJ but, man, do I loathe her on many, many levels.

Tags: tv

Claude Choules, at 108, is Britain's last surviving WWI veteran. He currently lives in a nursing home in Perth, Australia. He also refuses to participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Choules served in the British navy for 41 years, and was in active duty for both WWI and WWII. After retiring from the service, he has refused to participate in veterans days or remembrance days because he doesn't want to participate in "the glorification of war."

Amen.