Differing Points Of View On Unions
13/11/2008 04:30
READER
RESPONSE:Taking The Pulse
Of The
Community
Don:
Now that I've read them, I think both your and Jim Starko's comments are "fair enough" - well within the reasonable viewpoint standard. (Yours more than his.) That is to say, while we disagree, I can understand how a reasonable
person could hold those views or reach those conclusions based on agreed-upon evidence.
Jim may well be right about proper interpretation of the section. I confess I first came across this legal concept in the 1970s, while reading the B.C. Code, which by law was posted on the staff-room wall of my employer, a large and classy hotel that, alas, was finally closed and bulldozed last year, taking many fond memories with it. (And not just mine, I am sure - though who can forget that the head dishwasher, Richard Burton, dated a waitress, Elizabeth Taylor! Neither was as good looking or well spoken as their namesake.) The B.C. Code of that era was much more explicit in its wording on this issue.
Regardless, if he is right, I would suggest is strengthens my argument for unions representation of working people. Face it, some employers are always going to try to take advantage of their employees. In the face of weak
legislation as we have across the board in Alberta (and not just in labour protection, but consumer and environmental protection and occupational health and safety as well) the best protection working people can have is a strong collective agreement.
Will some working people take advantage of that to do a less than perfect job? Of course, there are always slackers. Although in my experience it was often the most anti-union people in the workplace, operating under cover of their alleged loyalty to management, who were the laziest and least efficient workers in the place. Personally, I always felt as a trade unionist that I ought to set a good example and hold up the side by working hard.
Notwithstanding the claims of the business crowd, there is no Canadian jurisdiction in which an employer cannot fire a unionized employee with cause, and quickly, if due process is observed. And we all deserve due process if we're being treated unfairly ... even Jim.
By the way, only outside workers at the city of St. Albert are unionized, members of CUPE. City inside administrative staff, library workers and Servus Place employees are not unionized. So if folks want to find fault
with the way they do their jobs, don't blame their unions!
Best regards,
David J Climenhaga
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
For the record David, your comments too sound like, “a reasonable person could hold those views or reach those conclusions based on agreed-upon evidence”. Thanks for the input on the issue.
Don:
Now that I've read them, I think both your and Jim Starko's comments are "fair enough" - well within the reasonable viewpoint standard. (Yours more than his.) That is to say, while we disagree, I can understand how a reasonable
person could hold those views or reach those conclusions based on agreed-upon evidence.
Jim may well be right about proper interpretation of the section. I confess I first came across this legal concept in the 1970s, while reading the B.C. Code, which by law was posted on the staff-room wall of my employer, a large and classy hotel that, alas, was finally closed and bulldozed last year, taking many fond memories with it. (And not just mine, I am sure - though who can forget that the head dishwasher, Richard Burton, dated a waitress, Elizabeth Taylor! Neither was as good looking or well spoken as their namesake.) The B.C. Code of that era was much more explicit in its wording on this issue.
Regardless, if he is right, I would suggest is strengthens my argument for unions representation of working people. Face it, some employers are always going to try to take advantage of their employees. In the face of weak
legislation as we have across the board in Alberta (and not just in labour protection, but consumer and environmental protection and occupational health and safety as well) the best protection working people can have is a strong collective agreement.
Will some working people take advantage of that to do a less than perfect job? Of course, there are always slackers. Although in my experience it was often the most anti-union people in the workplace, operating under cover of their alleged loyalty to management, who were the laziest and least efficient workers in the place. Personally, I always felt as a trade unionist that I ought to set a good example and hold up the side by working hard.
Notwithstanding the claims of the business crowd, there is no Canadian jurisdiction in which an employer cannot fire a unionized employee with cause, and quickly, if due process is observed. And we all deserve due process if we're being treated unfairly ... even Jim.
By the way, only outside workers at the city of St. Albert are unionized, members of CUPE. City inside administrative staff, library workers and Servus Place employees are not unionized. So if folks want to find fault
with the way they do their jobs, don't blame their unions!
Best regards,
David J Climenhaga
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
For the record David, your comments too sound like, “a reasonable person could hold those views or reach those conclusions based on agreed-upon evidence”. Thanks for the input on the issue.
