Vol. 27 No. 2 April-May 2008
CONTENTS
FEATURE STORIES
13 THE STORY OF A TRENTON WORKS WELDER
"It's really a sad thing to see a plant closed that's been in operation for over 100 years," says Dale Cornish, who worked for 31 years at a rail car manufacturing plant in Trenton, Nova Scotia, before it closed down last year. Now 58-years-old, Dale is looking for a new job.
By Melissa Keith
COVER STORY
21 MANUFACTURING GONE MISSING
"You'd call it a conspiracy, except it has all been out in the open,"says Louis Erlichman, research director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. A check-in with union and community researchers and economists about what the loss of over 400,000 manufacturing jobs means to workers, unions, and communities.
By Jason Foster
31 LAST HIRED, FIRST LAID OFF
The group most heavily affected by the dramatic and ongoing loss of manufacturing jobs in Canada is young workers between the ages of 15 and 24.
By Angelo Dicaro
36 A VOICE FROM THE B SHIFT
I was hired on by CAMI as a full-time production associate in 2005 and May 16 would have been my three-year anniversary, but I will have been laid off by then, along with over 500 other employees.
By Joy Hickox
As told to Deidre Walton
38 MILLTOWN ROAD
It's tough for a town when the main employer shuts down. Many people feel totally lost and don't know what to do. A lot of millworkers are in their 50s and have worked in the mills all their lives. Still, communities are struggling to survive.
By Carole Pearson
REGULAR DEPARTMENTS
5 LETTERS
Teachers are Workers, Too * A Song in Our Hearts * Puppet Power
7 NOTES
Feeling the American Downturn * Most Nova Scotians Oppose P3s * Sit-in for No Sweatshops
9 WEBWORK
New Unionism is a site rich in ideas and can be a thought-provoking place to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon. The third instalment in our new regular column about online resources for union activists.
By Derek Blackadder
HAVE YOUR SAY
11 AN ACTION AGENDA FOR WORKERS
The Toronto and York Region Labour Council has launched an agenda for action called "Building Labour Power in the 21st Century" to help stimulate a wide-ranging debate within the labour movement about how we can best represent the interests of working people in Canada.
By John Cartwright
REVIEW
42 GLOBAL UNIONS
Ten essays on challenging transnational capital through cross-border campaigns, edited by Kate Bronfenbrenner.
Review by Jonathan Eaton
COMMENTARY
44 EVERYBODY BENEFITS
Al Bennett, who has 38 years on the job, can't think about retiring until retirees have benefits, since he and his spouse spend about $1,000 a month on drugs to treat a medical condition. We need a plan.
By Randy Robinson
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