02) THOUSANDS TO MEET FOR FIRST UNIFOR CONVENTION

PV Commentary

            In one of the biggest labour gatherings in Canadian history, thousands of elected CAW and CEP delegates will meet in Toronto over the Labour Day weekend for the founding convention of Unifor. Canada's newest union brings together over 300,000 members in workplaces across the country, to create what is described as "a force championing the rights of all working people."

            Unifor's founding convention will be attended by a huge number of observers and media,  reflecting the massive interest generated by this unique event. The proceedings will be livestreamed at www.newunionconvention.ca, allowing working people and activists from across Canada to watch the debates and discussions as they unfold in Toronto.

            The trend in recent years for labour organizations to include a wide range of guest speakers will continue at the Unifor founding. The practise continues to generate controversy, with many delegates pointing out that such big‑name invited guests use up time which could otherwise be devoted to more extensive floor debates over resolutions and strategy documents. This time around, guest speakers will include best‑selling author/activist Naomi Klein, comedian Mary Walsh and many others.

            Earlier this summer, CAW President Ken Lewenza announced that he will not seek a nomination for president of the new union. Achieving the goals and ambitions of Unifor is a long‑term effort and requires a new generation of leadership to carry it through, said Lewenza, who recalled his own experiences as a union activist.

            "I went from earning a minimum wage to a middle class wage when I got a job at Chrysler," said Lewenza. "For my family, that meant we could consider buying our own house, buying a car, having independence. For too many families then, and now, that's still only a dream. And that's unfair."

            CEP President Dave Coles will also retire with the formation of Unifor, after expressing "full confidence" in what he described as a "dream team" of leadership candidates being put forward to lead Unifor.

            Coles and Lewenza both endorsed CAW Assistant to the President Jerry Dias as the "Unity Team" nominee for President of Unifor. The plan is to nominate Dias and 24 other candidates as a slate to fill the 25 positions on the new union's National Executive Board. According to the outgoing leaders, this is the only time that the complete National Executive Board will be presented at a Unifor Convention as a slate.

            CAW Secretary‑Treasurer Peter Kennedy will be the "Unity Team" candidate for Unifor Secretary‑Treasurer. Michel Ouimet, current CEP Executive Vice President for Quebec, is the nominee for Quebec Director of Unifor, and CEP Secretary‑Treasurer Gaetan Menard will assume the role of Transition Officer, overseeing the integration of the two unions.

            Also nominated will be CAW Health Care Director Katha Fortier, for Ontario Director; Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour President Lana Payne, as Atlantic Director; and CEP National Representative Scott Doherty as Western Director.

            The new NEB will include a total of five Quebec and Regional Council Chairpersons, eleven Industry Council Representatives,  and three other designated NEB positions, representing Skilled Trades, Retired Workers , and Racialized and Indigenous Workers.

            To celebrate the launch of Unifor, the union is hosting a free public concert at Nathan Philips Square. Starting at 6:30 pm, Sunday, Sept. 1, the concert will feature musical acts from across Canada, including Stars, Les Colocs, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Sister Says and DJ Hedspin.

            In our Sept. 16‑30 issue, People's Voice will report on the highlights of the convention, and we will continue to follow the struggles and debates of Unifor members at this crucial time for working people across Canada. But as the delegates arrive in Toronto, we think it's useful to reprint the principles contained in the Preamble to the Constitution of the new union, since these principles reflect many of the issues facing the entire working class movement:

            1. We form Unifor at a time that is both troubling and critical; a time when the power of corporations and bankers has no limits; when progress has been replaced by a relentless race to the bottom.

            2. We form Unifor at a time when our economy is being hollowed, our democracy eroded and when governments have abandoned social progress in the name of austerity.

            3. We form Unifor at a time when too many workers are struggling to hang on to the hard‑won gains of the past, when the aspirations of too many young people have been battered; when the future for too many of our neighbours is one of growing insecurity and declining quality of life.

            4. We form Unifor at a time when the wealth we create is captured by a small and over‑privileged elite; when our jobs are outsourced and threatened; when work has become precarious and when our rights and well‑being at work are in jeopardy.

            5. We form Unifor at a time when our world is rocked by social upheaval and our very planet is threatened by environment degradation and climate change.

            6. We form Unifor as an act of hope that good jobs and economic progress will still be won: that our workplaces will become safer, our jobs more secure, our wages and benefits more rewarding and our lives at work defined by dignity and respect.

            7. We form Unifor in the determination that equality and social justice will be achieved, that our young will have a brighter future and that through our actions, our world will be made a different and better place.

            8. We form Unifor in the commitment to fight for all of that, and more. And we form our union in the determination to succeed.

            9. It is through Unifor that we come together and become more than employees. It is through our union that we find our strength and build our power. It is through Unifor that we express our common goals, support each other, and develop lasting bonds of friendship and solidarity. It is through Unifor that we protect and advance our interests and build our capacity to act for ourselves and with others.

(The above article is from the September 1-15, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC,