Hot Tubbin' For Justice

CUPE Crew - Marc, Sarah, Archana and me in front of the Trouble Makers banner! Here we go - the last day of the conference. First thing I do is check out the booths - I wanted to pick up some books, and well..yeah, I came home with 9...#nerd Secrets of a Successful Organizer - Labor Notes Democracy is Power - Labor Notes Women and Socialism - Sharon Smith How We Get Free -Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Electric Arches - Eve L Ewing From #blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation -  Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Black Girl Magic  The BreakBeat Poets Solidarity: Selected Essays - Dan Gallin Creative Enforcement Tactics This session was about how workers centres and like organizations are fighting against wage theft, weak labour laws and building enforcement campaigns in New Mexico, Toronto and Nashville. First up were Marcela Diaz and Jose Olivas from Somos un Pueble Unido in New Mexico. Jose told the story about how he and his wife were victims of wage theft. Th...

Strikes and Contract Campaigns on Campus Moderator: Michelle Chen - belabored podcast Jane Elliott - King's College University and College Union, UK The union at King's College in the UK hasn't always been radical. For 16+ years morale has been low, with more and more faculty positions going contingent. They had one raise of 1% in 13 years. Then the employer goes after their pensions - threatening to convert their DB pension plan into a DC pension plan.  Workers decided that they had had enough and it was time to fight. Within 14 days they radicalized their membership by actually talking to each other. They partnered with the students who had had some earlier success by demanding that cleaners were brought in-house. It wasn't easy - the membership base was organizing and radicalizing while union leadership was out of touch. The members were clear on what they were and weren't going accept - this time they were hell bent on staying out in order fo...

I have been active in the labour movement for almost a decade and this event was one of the most inspiring and moving things I have ever experienced. First off, the room was packed right away, fire code be damned! I'm sure there were 400+ people there in every nook and cranny possible to hear from frontline teachers who organized a wildcat strike to fight back against West Virginia state's austerity budget. Even before they begin there is a huge standing ovation and the loudest cheers I've ever heard at a union event. Here's the context: Union apathy due to fear of retaliation, weak labour laws and disconnection from the "unions" and their members (teachers are represented by the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association) striking is illegal for public sector workers in WV Teachers in WV are the second lowest paid in the USA and hadn't seen a raise in 20 years 700+ vacancies in the state - filled by non-certified teac...

I first heard of Labor Notes last year at an event the BCGEU held where they brought Michael Brunson from the Chicago Teachers' Union (CTU) and Sonia Singh from Labor Notes to talk about    "lessons from the chicago teacher's strike."  I read How to Jump-Start Your Union" and then started following them online. They hold a conference every two years so when the reminder about the conference came out, a few of us started talking about attending. With the support of the local I booked my ticket and off I went to Chicago for a few days in April.  Friday April 6th: Women's Labour History Tour - Illinois Labor History Society Up early and on the bus for a women's labour history tour of Chicago prior to the start of the conference. It was awesome to run into feminist and BCGEU sister Kari Michaels. We were seat buddies and it was great to spend time to get to know her. Out tour guide Julia was awesome - she is an electrician for the Chicago Transit Au...

An interesting partnership between the Faculty of Law, Urban Studies Program, Social Justice Institute, Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, and the Sauder School of Business brought Professor Anita Hill to UBC for an evening to discuss Gender, Race, and Power in the Academy.  Cecilia Point and a group of women from the Indigenous Law Students group gave the territorial acknowledgment for tonight. Cecilia Point is so moving to listen to - I always feel fortunate to share space with her and take her words to heart. Tonight she connected the dots between the Angela Davis talk last fall and tonight's event. We were then treated to Women's Warrior Song. What a great way to start the event! Next up was Elvin Wyly, chair of the Urban Studies Program in the department of Geography and I have to say I was really impressed. He packed a lot into his remarks which I felt were really earnest in delivery - it's not everyday a white man can speak ...