August-September 2009
Features
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17
OUR VERY OWN FILM FESTIVAL
Working people need to be able to tell their own stories in their own words, and using their own images. The first-ever Canadian Labour International Film Festival (CLiFF) intends to do just that, this November.
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THE PEOPLE’S PENSION
The current economic downturn has got companies racing to downsize or shed their pension obligations. It’s also got government policymakers, pension experts, labour and others debating about what the baby boom generation will do for retirement income.
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FILIPINO-CANADIAN SOLIDARITY
“If your friend or colleague is killed, it can strike fear,” says Filipino trade unionist Ferdinand Gaite, “but it can also cause outrage.” Along with fellow unionist Antonio Tinio, Gaite was welcomed into Canadian homes, union offices and community centres this year as part of a union-supported worker-to-worker solidarity exchange.
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TALKING ABOUT ORGANIZING: LESSONS LEARNED
We tried to organize graduate teaching assistants (TAs) and teaching fellows (TFs) at Queen’s University. We almost won. Maybe next time we will. This is our story.
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CARTOONING FROM THE SHOP FLOOR
Last year Roy Carless still lived within walking distance of the site where he’d worked more than 30 years on an assembly line, building electrical home appliances and finding inspiration for his cartoons.
Departments
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5
NOTES
Toronto City Workers * B.C. Teachers on the Bus * Old Dutch Lock-Out
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7
WEBWORK: INTERNATIONAL INTERNET
One of the defining characteristics of the Internet is that it (mostly) transcends national borders, yet most of us hardly ever take advantage of this.
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OUR TIMES TALLY
Percentage of Canadian workers who believe “their employer is genuinely interested in their well-being”: 16.
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11
UNION EXCHANGE: POSTAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD
Globalization issues affecting postal workers were recently explored at the first-ever International Modern Post Conference, sponsored by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
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13
WORKING FOR A LIVING: MAKING WAVES
Anyone who talks about the glamour of radio hasn’t sat in a computer-dominated control room at 5 a.m., looking forward to delivering tightly controlled content for the next eight hours.
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POETRY
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46
REVIEW: THE FACTORY VOICE
The Factory Voice is a quick-paced, character-driven novel, full of rich historical detail and surprising twists and
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COMMENTARY: THE RECESSION IS OVER, REALLY?
The recession might be over for bankers and corporate CEOs. But for the newly unemployed, it shows no sign of letting up.
