Powell River was once a very strong union town – and wages, benefits and pensions were among the best in the country. We’ve seen a real decline in private sector unions here. Is this the same elsewhere?
Irene • Powell River was a strong union town because union members fought hard to create good working conditions for themselves and their communities. Whether in fishing or forestry, workers through their unions helped to establish not just strong collective agreements, but better laws for health and safety on the job. The good, stable jobs in these communities also supported a public sector (schools, health services, government and community services) that was unionized.
Union decline is not a new phenomenon, and not just happening in Powell River. Most decline happened in the 1980s and the 1990s when jobs in Canada’s manufacturing sector (traditionally unionized) moved jobs out of our communities to other jurisdictions, and the resource sector started declining.
The growth in private sector jobs is happening now in the retail and professional services sector, which are largely non-union due to the small size of their operations.
(Note: Since 1981, about 30 percent of working women have been union members. But for men, unionization rates have fallen from 42 to 27 percent.)
The region’s biggest growth is in service jobs: retail and tourism, especially. Apart from some membership in the UFCW union at Safeway and Save On, these sectors haven’t unionized. Why not?
Irene • Large multi-national retail chains like Walmart have aggressive campaigns to keep workers from unionizing, and the current Labour Code works against people trying to organize.
We are currently engaged in the consultation around reforms to the Labour Code to address some key areas where the rights of working people to organize have been eroded by the BC Liberals.
It should also be noted that retail and tourism jobs are often smaller operations, rely on part time workers and have high turnover of employees. This makes them more difficult to organize. It is a challenge the labour movement needs to tackle. More and more jobs are falling outside a ‘traditional’ work day model and these workers are falling through the cracks.
What’s the relationship between growing inequality and the decline of unions?
Irene • There is a direct relationship. As unionization rates go down, the income gap grows bigger.
I like to say that unions are a critical part of a poverty reduction strategy. Because unions provide a worker with security and a good wage, it allows them to provide for their family and contribute back into their local economy.
Irene • The labour movement is strong and is focused on the challenges ahead, including how to help organize workers in the new economy.
I am encouraged by the NDP government’s review of the Labour Code. I am pleased to see the government commit to a $15/hour minimum wage and the elimination of the liquor servers wage.
The BCFED is also aggressively lobbying for changes to the Employment Standards Act, including the introduction of paid sick leave and paid leave for victims of domestic abuse.
And I am always inspired and encouraged by the strength of workers to fight and strike for decent wages, respect and better working conditions.
