When we live through historic times, we may not always realize the wider significance of events happening around us. As summer turns to fall, Labour Day is always an opportunity to take stock of the point in history we all occupy, and of the role unions play in building power to help working people succeed.
Workers are increasingly exercising their power in their workplaces and in their communities. Since 2019, one in every two Ontario unionized workers has been on strike – an unmistakable sign of resistance. Equally significant is the fact that, over the past 12 months, we’ve lived through some of the largest strikes in recent history. Many CUPE Ontario locals have been joined by our comrades at OPSEU-SEFPO, Unifor, United Food and Commercial Workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and others, in strikes and job actions that have helped bring about game-changing wins on wages and job security and the protection of public services.
Unionized workers’ willingness to use their voices, organize, and withdraw their labour when necessary is attracting more workers than ever into the labour movement. Unions, including CUPE, are growing across every sector, public and private. More working people reject the tired, noxious lies of capitalism, and instead demand the right to organize and bargain collectively. They are standing up and resisting, all while responding to the democratic structure and expression that unions provide.
But we do not forget that these gains are made against a backdrop of almost unprecedented crisis in a post-pandemic world: soaring corporate profits are a harsh contrast to the sky-high cost of living, shortage of decent, affordable housing, and threadbare public services that the rest of us endure. Every area of our public system, from our health care to education, from our social services to our municipalities, is under threat from either a lack of funding or back-door privatization.
The agenda of the Ford Conservatives is ever clearer, as they funnel more and more public funds to the likes of 7-11, Staples and Shoppers Drug Mart. Meanwhile, corporate conglomerates have been found guilty of price-fixing, they rack up huge profits, and their CEOs’ wages soar.
The ongoing attempts at devastating and desecrating our commons have been orchestrated by the Conservatives. These attempts are based not on need, not on science, not on research or the crying demand of communities, but on ideology. Conservatives hate public services – but they love their donors and their big business pals.
Ontarians don’t need highways to nowhere or giant spas, and we certainly don’t need hospital emergency room closures or schools struggling to cope with more students and fewer support staff. And we sure as hell don’t need corporate lobbyists writing government policy, so that only the rich and insiders benefit from the provincial government.
This Labour Day, CUPE Ontario commits to working shoulder to shoulder with other unions, with community coalitions, with our neighbours and families to build the power it takes to make sure that, whenever an election comes, we send the Conservatives packing.
We need and deserve politics based on hope, based on investing in people and in the services we all need to build Ontario. We need more hospitals with properly funded and functioning emergency departments; schools staffed with caring education workers; affordable training and post-secondary education; safe consumption sites; public, affordable child care; and affordable housing and real rent controls. We need fair wages, safer workplaces, and legislation to make it easier for workers to join a union and begin building power in communities, large and small.
We don’t need – and can’t afford – the politics of division – name calling and grandstanding – or politics that put profit before people.
Union members are part of the labour movement, which is in turn part of a network of progressive social movements here and around the globe. Social trade unionism builds real power, based on the understanding that our members’ lives don’t start and end at the workplace door. Rather, their lives are deeply intertwined with the communities in which our workplaces exist.
Unions are the voice of our members on issues that range from pensions to elections, from better wages to stronger public services, from the rights of migrant workers to global justice and international solidarity for places like Palestine and Sudan.
Taking and maintaining a principled position is not always popular; it’s not always easy. But this Labour Day, we remind ourselves that we can rely on the strength and example of our members, who are the real strength of the labour movement. This year and every year we celebrate the courage, strength, commitment and hard work of all those who came before us, and those building on that foundation today.
There is much to do – but it can be done when we work together.
Happy Labour Day – all power to the workers – free Palestine!
