KICK THEM ALL OUT! - they spend billions on WAR, BIG OIL, and ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION while workers suffer and the world burns - socialist.ca
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End NATO’s RBC off the Yintah!
proxy war in End attacks on
Ukraine Wet’suwet’en
page 7 page 3
KICK THEM
$2 | No 643 | May 2022 socialist.ca
ALL OUT!
they spend billions on WAR,
BIG OIL, and ENVIRONMENTAL
DESTRUCTION while workers
suffer and the world burns
LEFT JAB
by John Bell
CUPE Ontario confronts
Telecom oligarchs bill 124
sink plan for by: Peter Votsch than a legal challenge, to defeating
Bill 124 – this despite the reality of a
legislation, setting up a confrontation
with the Ford Tories. The groundwork
affordable internet
CUPE Ontario just concluded its 5% reduction in real wages faced by must be laid for this – in common
2022 convention, which took place CUPE members this year and beyond fronts wherever possible, as suggest-
via zoom April 27-29. Hundreds across the board. This is demoralizing ed by OCHU.
of delegates debated a variety of for current members, and makes it While the groundwork will have
T
progressive motions from combating all the more difficult to organize the to take place at the Local level, there
oronto Mayor John Tory player Shaw Communications only discrimination, to climate justice, unorganized, when all that is on offer will need to be a corresponding lead
launched his re-election managed to post a meagre profit of to the low rates of social assistance. is an ongoing reduction in compen- from the top. Not one that simply
bid by pulling the plug on $1 billion, but don’t weep for them – In addition to hearing from leaders sation. says that ‘the execs and members do
“Connect TO”, a plan to their profit is up 43% over last year. from CUPE National and the NDP, An activist (from the International not support a mass strike’. This will
provide affordable internet services It is hardly surprising that Tory delegates heard from Professor Akua Socialists) raised this issue directly by not do the trick, and will ensure more
to low-income people. and the conservative councilors Benjamin, a founder of the Black proposing a ‘working class strategy’, defeats in an already shrinking public
High speed internet access is no who make up his executive board Action Defence Committee, who opposed to reliance on the courts and sector, which faces constant pressures
longer optional; the pandemic has danced to big telecom’s tune. Tory spoke eloquently on the issue of an- the politicians, to fight the legislation. of privately delivered services on all
proven that. It is becoming impossi- is a lifelong friend of oligarch Ted ti-Black racism and intersectionality. This proposal also called for mass sides. Instead of blaming the ranks
ble to manage children’s education, Rogers, and his very first job was But the most important issue facing direct action, including strike action. and the locals, a lead is more neces-
financial matters or communication with Rogers Communication. His CUPE members and public sector In an important, but symbolic victory, sary than ever from CUPE, to liaise
without it. On top of the crisis of entire “working” life has seen him workers took center stage in terms of this was added to the Action Plan. A with our public sector partners such
affordable housing and skyrocket- bounce between Conservative Party debates: Bill 124 – public sector wage number of delegates followed on with as OPSEU, SEIU and teachers unions
ing food prices, internet access for backrooms and Rogers executive restraint in Ontario, brought in by
more and more people is threatened. suites. The Toronto Sun (of all the Ford Tories in 2019. For the last
3 years, workers in the public sector
have faced wage and benefit increases
limited at 1%. All this while inflation
has been rising, and is now 6% - lead-
ing to an ongoing wage reduction.
While it is set to expire shortly, there
is no indication that a Tory govern-
ment would not renew it, or impose
similar bill to replace it.
As we approach the June 2
provincial election, the Tories have
adopted the approach of carving out
certain groups from the legislation, Ontario Nurses march against bill 124 (ONA)
among them police and nurses, while
keeping it in place. With the distinct
possibility of a renewed minority or calls for a “general strike”. and others, (to include ‘private sector’
majority Tory government facing Socialists certainly support mass unions that increasingly represent
the province’s public sector workers, strike action – but it has to be more workers in the public sphere). If local
the debate in CUPE took on added than rhetorical, or nice words in execs and activists feel there is a
importance. an ‘Action Plan’ that subsequently real, not a paper strategy, one that the
Factor in the defunding of public places) reported in 2021 that Tory In CUPE, the Ontario Council of collects dust in a union office. CUPE leadership is willing to act on, they
libraries, and a large part of the had pocketed almost $700,000 for Hospital Unions (OCHU) has led Ontario’s leader, Fred Hahn, while will be empowered to organize on the
working poor will be left behind. services rendered to Rogers while the way, by proposing joint bar- being generally supportive of calls for ground to build the action needed.
According to a report in the mayor. Small wonder that Tory has gaining and building pickets around mass action, has in the past point- CUPE Ontario has a long and
Toronto Star the mayor and his staff been granted unprecedented access Ontario with the Service Employees ed to reticent union presidents as a well-deserved reputation as a progres-
were swayed by a full court press of to Rogers-owned media outlets like International Union (SEIU), another reason for not making such a call. sive provincial division of Canada’s
telecom corporate lobbyists. CP24 news platforms. of the important unions in the He pointed this out at the convention largest union. Its activist tradition has
Canada’s telecom rates are Sadly, the sorry state of the left on healthcare field. At the convention, – but the debate cannot end there. led to almost continual growth over
currently 2nd highest among de- council means that, barring a disas- an OCHU motion proposed common An escalating strategy needs to be de- the years. But a ‘day of reckoning’
veloped countries. In 2021 Rogers ter, Tory is a shoo-in for re-election. front bargaining for nursing, support, veloped, and taken to the locals. This may be in the offing, brought on by
Communication took in over $12.5 Toronto will be in Rogers’ pocket service and clerical staff in the may include ‘hard’ pickets of Tory four more years of Tory rule, and
billion in revenue, more than $500 for the foreseeable future. And if the hospital sector, and mobilizing CUPE MPP offices, or occupations. In the continued losses as a result. Our
million more than the previous city’s working people are angry, we members in support. end, one of CUPE’s sectors will have weakness will not go unnoticed by
year. Bell Canada banked $23.45 may never know, because they’ll Absent from CUPE Ontario’s to demand increases in bargaining our corporate enemies – we best
billion for the same period. Regional lack the internet access to tell us. “Action Plan”, was a strategy, other that falls outside the confines of the prepare for battle.
Mourn the dead, fight like hell for the living!
by: Peter Votsch, CUPE retiree Act passed its 3rd reading in 1914. over 30,000 a year – likely the tip These solemn memorials, ob- put a stop to workplace hazards or
O
While many will light candles of the iceberg, as many workers are served this week all over Canada, dangerous practices.
n April 28 each year, in ceremony on that day, another not covered the provincial Workers are indeed a condemnation of a There has been a strong re-
workers in Canada and symbol is also used to denote the im- Safety and Insurance Boards, but system that sends workers to work sponse to recent tragedies, such
internationally commemo- portance of health and safety on the by private insurance that may have every day, but does not return them as the 26 Westray Mine workers,
rate a day in remembrance job – the Canary in the Mine. The different reporting methods, not to to their homes and their loved in killed in 1992, in Nova Scotia; or
of their Sisters and Brothers injured Canary in the Mine dates back to the mention lower levels of compensa- the same condition, or at all. Many the Metron disaster in Toronto,
or killed on the job. UK in 1911, when miners began to tion, if any. in notoriously dangerous industries when a boom near the top of a high
In Canada, April 28 is called take canaries in a cage down with such as mining or construction, or in rise collapsed, killing 4 workers,
the Day of Mourning. The tradition them into the mines. The canaries our understaffed and over populated grievously injuring 1; or at Fiera
began in 1983 when two Canadian were used to indicate the presence healthcare facilities, where violence Foods, also in Toronto, where 5
Union of Public Employees (CUPE) of carbon monoxide – they would against staff members has reached workers have died on the job since
health and safety reps came upon collapse and die when it was present. epidemic levels, understand this only 1999 – all events that took place in
a funeral of a firefighter killed on Due to their small size and rapid too well. non-union workplaces. Many in the
the job. They resolved to take this breathing rate, the carbon monoxide Provinces often have legislation labour movement such as the United
to CUPE’s convention, and to pass would affect them immediately, that allows for the right to refuse Steelworkers have demanded justice
a motion that a day be devoted to giving the miners time to escape. unsafe work, an important gain for that fits the crime: kill a worker, go
those who suffered a workplace inju- The symbol of the canary, in the the labour movement. But it is hard to jail. We need to organize and use
ry, or those who died while working cage of the workplace, is a haunting to enforce when you don’t have a our force as workers to make this
for their employer. Such a motion image. It is a reality of front line union, and risk being fired for doing happen, to put bosses behind bars.
was passed by CUPE, and the workers everywhere. If you look at so. Or when a worker representative So on April 28, we must mourn
Canadian Labour Congress quickly those killed on the job, or those that on a mandatory joint health and our dead, and fight like hell for the
followed suit at its next convention. die subsequently of their injuries, safety committee is not sent, at the living - and fight like hell for a sys-
April 28th was selected as this was we are looking at a rate of almost 3 employer’s expense, for training that tem that puts people’s lives over the
the day Canada’s first Compensation a day (995). Reported injuries are would allow them to investigate, and carnage of capitalist profit.
2 Socialist Worker May 2022
Pride Toronto made secret
deal, bowed to cops Tell RBC:
LGBTQ+ activists have used
Freedom of Information laws to dig
up documents showing that members
of the Pride Toronto executive
made a secret deal with city hall to
re-introduce police participation in
as the secret meetings were going
on a serial killer was preying on the
gay community, and it was revealed
that police efforts were either inept
at best.
While restriction imposed by the
have demonstrated that returning
cops to Pride is their priority, and
they will use their financial resourc-
es to make it happen.
At issue is the soul of Pride.
Is it a grass-roots expression of
defund CGL
the festival. In return they received COVID-19 pandemic have made a still-oppressed and threatened
Trillium Grant specifically aimed at the debate moot for several years, community, or a corporate-driven
a campaign to win the community it is far from over. Different levels fun fair?
over to the idea. of government, led by Mayor Tory, The struggle continues.
In 2016 queer members of Black
Lives Matter disrupted the Pride
parade to protest the inclusion of
uniformed police in the festival.
Since then official TPS presence
has been excluded from the festival,
although un-uniformed individual
officers were always welcomed.
The change was welcomed by most
of the LGBTQ+ community.
The documents show that the deal
was brokered in 2018 by individuals
on the Pride executive board, Mayor
John Tory, and TD bank. The plan
included strategies for deflecting di-
rect questions about TPS participa-
tion. It should be recalled that even BLM leads the Toronto Pride march - No Cops in Pride!
Ottawa says no to the
far-right on May Day
Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs marched to RBC in Toronto
by: Michelle Robidoux In their statement, they explain:
A
“With RBC as its financial leader,
by: Chantal Sundaram There was infighting amongst a way to turn the story around, s TC Energy prepares to the controversial Coastal Gas Link
H
themselves about how to present because unions across Ontario had drill under the Wedzin project has shown a blatant disre-
undreds of bikers (and the whole event. It was a conver- decided to celebrate the historic day Kwa (otherwise known gard for Wet’suwet’en People, the
many SUVs and a few gence of the far right just seizing on for workers rights with rallies in as the Morice River) in will of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary
trucks) rolled into Ottawa another attempt to build their base cities including Ottawa. northwestern BC, momentum is Chiefs and the Canadian Supreme
on April 29, for an event and their profile without being too Those rallies were calling for building across Turtle Island to Court-recognized sovereignty of
that claimed to be about veterans openly complicit with open fascists. all the things the far-right has no demand that the Royal Bank of the unceded Wet’suwet’en territo-
rights but featured every far-right The Rolling Thunder organizer answer for, but which tap into the Canada (RBC) stop funding this ry.”
and conspiratorial theory associated was exposed on a local radio show anger that motivates many convoy disastrous fracked gas pipeline.
with the recent truckers’ convoy for not being able to explain why supporters: the terrible handling The Coastal Gaslink (CGL) Decolonize
that occupied Ottawa in February. well-known Holocaust denier Chris of the pandemic by all levels of pipeline is the largest fracked gas In April, Decolonial Solidarity
Rolling Thunder Ottawa was an Sky was a featured speaker on their government, the need for paid sick project in Canadian history. It runs launched an Adopt-a-Branch
attempt to keep the momentum of website. days, and for ongoing economic through unceded Wet’suwet’en campaign to support the strug-
the far-right-led convoy movement So the critical thing the many supports for all those who lost territory, and has never been ap- gle against the CGL pipeline by
going. And now that vaccine and groups in Ottawa organizing against income from the pandemic. proved by Wet’suwet’en hereditary maintaining a regular presence
masking mandates are being lifted, Rolling Thunder had to do was to On May Day, Ottawa District chiefs. RBC is the largest lender to at RBC branches across so-
this time they came with a new pre- expose their real agenda. Labour Council organized a rally this pipeline, effectively bankroll- called Canada until RBC divests.
text to spread their message of hate. Whether they claim to stand for in the space that had been occupied ing the violation of Indigenous Hundreds of people attended the
They claimed to want to job creation in the oil and gas in- by rolling Thunder the previous sovereignty and the violence that launch and have signed up to
reconsecrate the national day. Community Solidarity has come with it. build local campaign groups.
War Memorial, which they Ottawa, which formed in A campaign launch later this
themselves had desecrated response to the original con- RCMP attacks month will involve a range of
and as a consequence were voy occupation in February, The RCMP has relentlessly activities at bank branches. These
barred from the monument held a Hate-free zone Block harassed Wet’suwet’en people op- include leafleting and poster-
in February. Party afterwards. That day posed to this project, which threat- ing, protests and other outreach
Indigenous veterans had demonstrated that commu- ens their water, land and sover- activities to broaden opposition to
already reconsecrated the nity, the labour movement, eignty. Since November 2021, 32 RBC’s policies which are further-
space with a smudging and the working-class people have been arrested for their ing violence against Indigenous
ceremony after the convoy history of May Day is what opposition to the pipeline. As The people and the climate crisis.
supporters had urinated speaks for workers and the Tyee reports, “The B.C. RCMP’s These campaigns will need to
and danced disrespectfully poor, not the lies of the industry response squad spent be bolstered by mass solidarity
on it. And during Rolling Ottawa workers march on MayDay “convoy.” almost $1 million protecting the actions as have been organized in
Thunder’s reappearance at Community Solidarity Coastal GasLink pipeline in less the past, when RCMP launched
the monument a group of veterans dustry over a just transition to good Ottawa also organized an “un- than two months as construction raids on Wet’suwet’en land
gathered to counter protest and green jobs, whether they claim to welcoming party” on the evening on Wet’suwet’en territory entered defenders. With drilling under
testify that this event did not speak support truckers‘ rights against Rolling Thunder rolled in. It will final phases last winter.” Wedzin Kwa imminent, there is
for them. vaccine mandates and turn that into continue to be important to try to As well as destroying unceded urgent need for renewed solidari-
Still, the convoy claimed they anti-vax and anti-mask conspira- challenge them directly every time Indigenous land and waters, once it ty efforts far and wide to stop the
were coming back to reclaim the cy, and whether they try to co-opt they try to claim the streets. is operational the CGL pipeline is CGL pipeline, as we saw during
space, and made speeches about veterans rights, it is an attempt to Ultimately we need to defeat expected to carry up to five billion Shut Down Canada in 2020.
the abuse they suffered there at the redirect the real anger of poor and their message and all they stand for. cubic feet of natural gas every day.
hands of police. In fact, police had working class people towards the We need a long-term movement that This natural gas, when burned, is
been tolerant and even complicit far right. can stand up to the rise of the far equivalent to 585.5 million pounds
with them in February, and this con- But it is also to disguise what right no matter what form it takes, of CO2 being emitted every day.
tinued with the police escorts for they cannot say openly: they want both on the streets and by challeng- RBC is the fifth biggest bank
Rolling Thunder this time. to divide the poor and working ing their ideas. lender to fossil fuel infrastructure
But this was all beside the point. class by legitimizing all the politics Inspired by this start in Ottawa, in the world, and the biggest in
Their “veterans“ message didn’t of hate on the lines of racial hatred, “Community Solidarity” groups Canada. It owns 8% of TC Energy
even penetrate as a legitimate cover Islamophobia, homophobia, trans- have sprung up all over the country. shares, and without its investment,
into the Ottawa population who phobia and misogyny. A “Community Solidarity Project” the project can not go forward.
mostly wondered what they’re still But the weekend that Rolling is now supporting the connection In March, a group of celebrities
protesting about now that COVID Thunder rolled into Ottawa was between these groups. See www. launched a campaign to build pres-
restrictions are being lifted. also May Day weekend. This was communitysolidarityottawa.ca/ sure on RBC to divest from CGL.
May 2022 Socialist Worker 3
Workers fight
Workers in the US are winning the right to organise in the factories and
stores of massive multinational corporations. Sophie Squire speaks to
activists that are fighting for union recognition
‘We can win union fight,’ says US
Starbucks worker
A
cross the United States for 20 hours to eight. “We had a Zoom call for the “I think we can win this fight,” she this a reality. All we did was talk
workers are taking on “Corporate said it was a Starbucks Workers United group, added. “I really do, with the way to each other. We tried to make
massive corporations to reasonable adjustment correlating and within six days, we had that it’s spreading. We can unionise sure everyone was on board. “We
win the right to organise with how much profit the store organised the store. We managed Starbucks workers.” knew the bosses would attack us,
in a union. Inspired by the victories earned. But it’s going to harm to get 79 percent of workers to sign But Morgan stressed that and Starbucks would try and say we
at Amazon and Starbucks, millions people’s livelihoods. People are union cards in three days. After that, unionising is only the beginning. were coercing people into voting.
are thinking about how they might scared they’ll lose b enefits. You we made our intentions public and “We must fight so that we are paid So to fight this, we had to make sure
unionise their workplace, and asking get health insurance if you work 20 then filed to have a union election.” enough to live on. We should be everyone was on the same page.”
what a union can do. hours a week. If your hours get cut After going public, Morgan said allowed to keep tips that we receive The seven workers were only
Workers at Starbucks coffee to 15, you’ll lose out.” managers employed tactics to make on credit cards. Another important sacked after declaring that their
shops are among them. By Thursday “The cut in our hours was the fuel workers feel uncomfortable. “Dress thing that we fight for is for workers store would file for a union election.
of last week the number of stores to be able to decide what Nikki said that bosses couldn’t
getting organised totalled over 200. is needed in their store and legally fire them for organising.
Through the Starbucks Workers take the action that they So they came up with trumped-up
United campaign, workers vote on deem appropriate. charges instead. “One of the reasons
whether to join Workers United “We want to elect our they gave for firing me was that I’d
Labour Union. This is affiliated with own leaders and fight for a ask a colleague if they wanted me
the s econd-biggest union in the US, real say in how our stores to clock in early when I first entered
the Service Employees International are run.” the store every morning,” she said.
Union. Beto added that one of the
While it cannot be denied that Coffee giant sacks reasons for firing him was that he
a big union is involved, workers seven to stop organ- “didn’t wear a mask in non-working
say this campaign is being driven ising hours.” Nikki pointed out that they
from the ground up. Many activists Seven Starbucks workers suspended those known as the
look to Buffalo, in the state of New were called into work Montgomery Seven because they
York, where Starbucks workers by managers while a worked so well together. “We’ve
first petitioned the National Labour snowstorm raged in bonded through trauma working at
Relations Board (NLRB) for a union Memphis, Tennessee in this store,” she said. “These guys
election last August. February of this year. At are my family, which made our
Morgan, who works in a fifteen-minute intervals union campaign so strong.”
Starbucks in Austin, Texas, told they were all fired for And Beto added that Starbucks’
Socialist Worker that she didn’t trying to unionise their attack on them had “backfired”.
believe unionising was possible at store. This move was later “Starbucks head office tried to
first. But workers’ experiences in deemed illegal by the make us an example of what
Buffalo got her thinking differently. Starbucks union activist Morgan (pictured left), has been building a NLRB. happens when you unionise. But
“I noticed what happened in fightback in Austin, Texas. Beto, one of the seven really it’s had the opposite effect
Buffalo, but I’ll admit it didn’t occur who was fired, told of what they wanted. It’s inspired
to me that we should do it here,” she that lit our fire, and we moved fast. code is now being enforced more Socialist Worker that he and others many more stores to unionise and
said. “I thought that maybe Buffalo Two other colleagues and I set up severely, especially for those that were inspired by Starbucks workers’ fight back.”
was just a particularly bad store to an u nofficial committee. Then we are very pro-union. We’ve also move to unionise in Buffalo. “We He added, “The bosses will
work in. started posting memes and articles been told that we’ll be disciplined if knew what we wanted after that,” he do absolutely everything to strip
“Then our hours got cut. Some into our barista group chat about we’re even a minute late,” she said. said, “That was to unionise.” us of our dignity. But we will
people had their hours cut by half. how awful Starbucks CEO Harold But Morgan added that these Nikki, who was also sacked, said keep fighting back, for Starbucks
Some went from being scheduled Schultz is. attacks are “fuel” to keep fighting. workers were central to making workers and everyone.”
4 Socialist Worker May 2022
back
We will not go back!
Full access to free
abortion for all
Amazon workers
in Staten Island by: Carolyn Egan were being denied in Canada. The
O
same was happening in the Atlantic
recently won a utrage spread across the provinces, in British Columbia,
United States as leaked in Manitoba, Saskachewan and
union vote. The information became public Alberta.
that the conservative American reproductive rights
corporation is majority on the Supreme Court was organizations, physicians and oth-
about to overturn Roe v Wade. This ers reached out to Canadians, and
going to great would have a devastating effect networks were established to make
lengths and using on thousands, denying access to
abortion in almost half the states
accessing the procedure as easy
as possible. This was absolutely
dirty tricks to in the US by leaving it up to state
legislatures to determine local
necessary to give those seeking
abortions the dignity and respect
stop any further regulations.
The news was not unexpected
that they deserved.
victories as we saw anti-abortion justices
appointed to the highest court, state
Building the movement in
Canada
assemblies pass restrictive legis- But the key was building a mass
lation, and politicians denouncing movement that fought for repro-
those who sought to have control ductive justice and access to abor-
over their own bodies. In Texas tion for all. We set out to organize
a young woman, Lizelle Herrera that movement in communities
Lessons from the battle and Department Store Union (Rwdsu) Workers must push for strikes and from Rio Grande City, was arrested across the country, involving trade
to unionise Amazon to unionise a warehouse in Bessemer, action to win better pay, conditions for murder for inducing an abor- unions, racialized communities,
warehouses Alabama, failed just last year. The and dignity. tion. Only after a huge outcry were Indigenous activists, students, faith
Thousands cheered when Chris No vote led by 993 to 875, but the The union has to be an instrument the charges dropped and she was communities, and all who were
Smalls, the founder of the Amazon NLRB ordered a re-vote due to public for struggle and improvements in freed. It is the most vulnerable who willing to fight for the change we
Labour Union (ALU), announced that pressure on Amazon. With some votes workers’ lives. The Amazon bosses will be most affected from Black, needed.
8,300 workers at the JKF8 warehouse still contested, the official result of are playing dirty but they can still Hispanic, Indigenous and poor Organization such as the Black
in Staten Island, New York, had won this round of voting is unclear. But the be beaten. One sign of how Amazon communities. It is they who are Action Defense Committee, the
their unionisation ballot last month. union is likely to lose again by around will try to hit back it that is has standing up and fighting in groups Ontario Federation of Labour,
Small proclaimed, “A revolution 118 votes, according to the Rwdsu. formally objected to the vote to such as Sister Song. the Canadian Labour Congress,
is here. We’re going to organise So why have workers in New York unionise at Staten Island. Ludicrously The majority of Americans do Women Working with Immigrant
buildings all over the nation. In the triumphed, while workers in Alabama it complained to the National Labor not want to see Roe v Wade over- Women. The Ontario Organization
last 72 hours we’ve been contacted still can’t get over the threshold? Relations Board because the vote turned in recent polls. This does not of Visible Minority Women, the
by workers all over the world. They The successful drive to unionise at had been conducted in a way that seem to bother the ideologically Canadian Federation of Students,
want to unionise and we’re going to the JFK8 centre was driven from the favoured the union. driven supreme court justices. and so many more became actively
absolutely help them.” bottom up by workers. It relied on Amazon argued, in one instance, Samuel Alito said in the document involved in the fight for reproduc-
The news was a beacon of hope worker activists inside the building, that when the union offered workers obtained by Politico, “We can’t al- tive justice.
that workers everywhere could stand and some of them were also political marijuana, it amounted to an low our decisions to be affected by We fought for universal child-
up to this corporate giant. It inspired activists. “impermissible grant of support” any extraneous influences, such as care, birth control in our own com-
the nearly 1,500 workers in the nearby In contrast, the Rwdsu took a for workers’ votes. The company concern about the publics reaction munities and our own languages,
LDJ5 Amazon sorting centre to vote different, more traditional trade said the way union supporters had to our work.” He showed total con- an end to forced sterilization that
on whether to join the ALU. The result union approach that relied on union interrupted mandatory anti-union tempt for the rights of those seeking particularly affected Indigenous
of the ballot will be out soon. full timers to build a yes vote from meetings “intentionally created hostile an abortion as well as the will of women, for decent jobs, for an end
Amazon bosses are terrified that outside. All the decisions made confrontations” that limited Amazon’s the majority. There is a slogan that to racial and sexual harassment,
workers dare to unionise. They are during the campaign were driven by right to communicate with staff. we used to chant, “Campaign Life and employment equity, as well
employing dirty and intimidating full time union officials, who did not The company also said the union your name’s a lie! You don’t care if as full access to free abortion. We
tactics to undermine the organisation. experience the same hardship that had improperly “polled” workers people die”! They don’t care, and went into the streets with mass
Pascquale Cioffi, a process assistant workers did inside. This ended in during a key period before the election. there is no doubt that if this comes demonstrations and were able to
at the JKF8 fulfilment factory, defeat. The Amazon Labor Union responded, to pass we will see the return of organize the pro-choice sentiment
described how managers would be What’s clear is that worker-led “Amazon is attempting to overturn the back street, illegal abortions. in this country into a strong move-
“grabbing people and taking them to campaigns to unionise Amazon are democratic voice of its own workers. I had a call from a woman in ment that won the overturning of
the office.” He added that they would a must, but organising within this “The entire world knows that the Detroit, Michigan this morning the federal abortion law. Much
sit them in a room with lawyers and industry giant won’t be simple. workers won our election and we look asking if Roe was overturned could more still had to be done but it was
human resources reps to ask whether Bullying bosses, lousy pay and awful forward to sitting down with Amazon people come to Canada to seek an important victory.
they were coerced into union support. conditions mean that Amazon has a in May to negotiate a fair contract for abortions. It brought me back to Hopefully there will be a similar
And workers at another warehouse high staff turnover. US data company, the workers at JFK8.” the days before the Morgentaler uprising across the United States
have received threatening letters from Payscale found that the average The company has refused to decision in January 1988, when that will mobilize millions to stop
Amazon that asked workers to vote no tenure of an Amazon worker is only recognise the union. But it can be the Canadian Supreme Court this vicious right wing attack on
and attacked the union for asking its a year. beaten. Nearly 20 years ago, the overturned the federal abortion abortion rights. We will fight along
members to pay dues. The workers at Amazon bosses hope this will lead workers at a Walmart store in Quebec law here. In those days we helped side all those Americans who in
JKF8 have triumphed, but the battle to a constant turnover of staff that voted to unionise, and within six many travel to Buffalo. Sometimes the streets in Houston, New York,
to organise Amazon workers won’t won’t stay long enough to build union months the company shut the store we went down with them, but Boston, San Francisco and so
be easy. links. This means that building union down. But Amazon simply cannot most often they traveled alone many other cities.
An attempt by the Retail, Wholesale membership at Amazon isn’t enough. shut its large warehouses. because there were so many who We will not go back!
May 2022 Socialist Worker 5
The conflict in Ukraine is an imperialist proxy war
What’s happening in Ukraine isn’t just a national struggle against Russia. It’s a proxy war between imperialist powers
by: Alex Callinicos to the Russian invasion shows the continued Stalin eventually agreed to the invasion. He with the US, avoiding a Third World War by
S
vitality of nationalism as a mobilising force. hoped to gain access to the southern ports of letting North Korean and Chinese armies do
trangely enough, supporters of Nato’s But national struggles still unfold in the Pusan and Inchon. the fighting. Stalin used Kim and Mao, though
proxy war with Russia tend to deny context of an imperialist system dominated by He also thought the US would proba- both were also independent actors with their
that it is a proxy war. There are ex- rival capitalist powers that use smaller states bly not intervene, but that if it did the new own ideological motivations and economic
ceptions. Leon Panetta, director of the for their own purposes. Communist regime in China would bear the and geopolitical interests. Something similar
CIA under Barack Obama, admitted in March, The Cold War shows how this leads to brunt of the war. Stalin distrusted the Chinese is happening today.
“It’s a proxy war with Russia whether we say proxy wars. In July 1950 the Korean War be- leader Mao Zedong and believed a confron- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky
so or not.” But Western governments and their gan when the Communist-led North invaded tation with the US in Korea would make him and his regime represent a particular national-
apologists still deny this. the Western-dominated South. easier to control. ist project and they are fighting for Ukraine’s
The main reason they give is that Russia Kim Il-sung, the North Korean leader, was In the event, the US did intervene, as did independence. The US and its allies, how-
is actually being fought by the forces of the eager to reunify the Korean peninsula. But he China. They fought each other to a standstill, ever, are backing them up, according to the
Ukrainian government, with substantial pop- needed the support of the Soviet Union under confirming the partition of Korea that contin- Financial Times, with “every day, eight to 10
ular support. Sometimes they say things like, Joseph Stalin, who had put him in power in ues today. cargo flights, most of them operated by the US,
“calling this a proxy war denies the Ukrainians the first place. carrying hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth
agency” and reduces them to the US’s puppets. According to Shen Zhihua’s fascinating Nato drives imperialism of increasingly heavy weaponry”, for their own
The problem perhaps is partly the very word study—Mao, Stalin, and the Korean War— The Soviet Union had waged a proxy war interests.
“proxy”, which means a person acting on US defence secretary Lloyd Austin last week
behalf of another. During the Cold War, the US spelled out the US’s objective—“Russia weak-
often accused this or that Communist move- ened to the point where it can’t do things like
ment in the Third World of being Russia’s invade Ukraine”. So this isn’t just a national
“proxies”. struggle between Ukraine and Russia. It’s also
The implication was that they were just a conflict between imperialist powers. Failing
puppets of the Soviet Union. What actually to see this leads to an underestimation of the
happened showed that different nationalist dangers.
movements with their own goals and interests William Burns, the current CIA director,
used the same Stalinist ideology. warned recently, “Given the potential desper-
For example, in the second half of the 1970s ation of President Putin and the Russian lead-
the Communist regime in Vietnam fought ership, given the setback they’ve faced so far
wars against two other Communist regimes, in militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat
Cambodia and China. A genuine example of a posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear
proxy in the US Cold War sense would be the weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons.” Proxy
right-wing exiles organised and armed by the wars are bad, but an all-out inter-imperialist
CIA in the attempted invasion of Cuba in 1961. war would be infinitely worse.
In its own way, the Ukrainian resistance NATO members continue to send the newest weapons to Ukraine reprinted from socialistworker.co.uk
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6 Socialist Worker May 2022
FEATURE
War, militarism and the
environment
by: Brian Champ the Canadian government’s increasing war problems in Indigenous communities, hope. We need to continue to build opposition
T
spending and their climate plans. following decades of inaction. This is just 3% to our own rulers’ drive to war, following the
he brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of the increase in military spending. example of those risking so much in Russia.
after decades of tension around NATO has called for member countries to spend at $17 billion could be used to build 600 This means calling for an end to NATO as
expansion eastwards, has put the least 2% of GDP on their military. In March, km of surface rail light rapid transit in our an imperialist force, and calling for Canada
world on a knife edge of potentially Canada’s Defence Minister Anita Anand cities; install solar panels on 450,000 homes to get out of NATO. It means calling for an
escalating conflict. At odds are imperialist announced the exploration of options to that could completely power those homes; end to supplying arms and soldiers to eastern
blocs that each have nuclear arsenals with increase military spending “exceeding the build 20 new hospitals every year; increase Europe, while supporting humanitarian
the potential to leave large areas of the planet 2% level, hitting the 2% level and below the education and healthcare spending. efforts in the region. Ukrainians have the right
uninhabitable for many generations. 2% level”. The truth is that the Department In Canada, if the 2% military spending to self-determination and self defence, but
And in Ukraine, where there are many if It means supporting and amplifying mass
nuclear reactors, the potential for the breach of involvement of Ukrainians in standing up to
radiation containment structures adds another the Russian occupation. Building the links
wrinkle to the question. between the anti-war forces on the ground
The environmental impact of war is not in Russia, Ukraine and in NATO member
only related to the nuclear arsenal, however. countries can create pressure on rulers to back
So-called conventional weapons pack an away from pursuing these aims.
environmentally destructive punch: napalm, But it also means the end of arms
defoliants like Agent Orange, depleted shipments from the West to their allies like
uranium used for armour piercing shells. Israel and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.
The immediate destruction is compounded Israel uses their military might to project
by ongoing environmental degradation in the power in the region, but also to wage war on
areas where these weapons have been used. the Palestinian population. Saudi Arabia has
The danger in Ukraine for an escalation to a led the assault on the people of South Yemen
direct war between rival imperialist blocs could using weapons supplied by Canada and other
magnify the destruction with the prospect of western powers, a war that gets scant mention
whole economies directed to produce for the in the western media. There are many other
war effort, escalating the conflict to a potential conflicts around the world, and the main inter-
world war. The scale of environmental Imperialist rivalry is really between the US
destruction would be that much higher. led bloc and China, although contradictions
But with the climate crisis, the environmental abound because of the interpenetration of
impact of war is not just the effects of weaponry their economies.
in the field of battle, but the carbon emissions Sabre rattling in one region can increase
associated with the operation of war machinery. tensions elsewhere and proxy wars or more
The US military in their “peacetime” operations direct wars between the main powers can flare
emits more carbon than whole countries like up in the context of the overlapping crises of
Denmark or Portugal. For military equipment, late capitalism.
power trumps fuel efficiency and the intensity Climate and environmental movements
of emissions is very high. We have no way of of National Defence (DND) is the largest increase goal is reached, it would be roughly worldwide are fertile ground for building the
knowing for sure how much carbon militaries department, spending $24.3 billion and the same as the Canada Health Transfer forces opposing war because there is already
around the world release into the atmosphere, consuming 7.1% of federal spending. Raising (from federal to provincial health programs) a clamouring for change of course from the
because they are exempted from reporting. the DND budget to 2% of GDP would of $43 billion per year. If the military budget system, but the transition is not happening,
If these numbers are high during non battle raise this amount to $41.4 billion (12% of were eliminated, the health transfer could be or it is not happening quickly enough, and
operations, the carbon intensity increases federal spending). In early April the Liberals doubled to dramatically improve underfunded activists are already calling for more money
dramatically during a hot war. War is not announced that they would “only” increase hospitals. The numbers are similar for for a real transition away from fossil fuels.
compatible with the goal of keeping global military spending to reach 1.5% of GDP - an education budgets. When governments dither and obfuscate
temperatures from rising more than 1.5 increase of around $8 billion. on climate solutions, but then eagerly spend
degrees, which the world’s leaders have The new Liberal climate plan is a terrible Climate activism and money on war, this has the potential to
committed to, once again at last November’s plan because it funnels billions to false environmentalism and building provoke anger in the climate movement and
COP meetings in Glasgow. There was a lot solutions like CCUS and pretends that market the anti-war movement. a readiness to take action to oppose the war
of disappointment that leaders could not even mechanisms can lead the transition. This The fact is if we hope to be able to achieve the drive, connecting it to the need to fund the
agree to stop producing and burning coal, much plan will not stop the climate crisis, but it’s just transition to a zero carbon economy for transition to a zero carbon economy.
less phase out fossil fuels. Fighting wars is not instructive to know that if the DND budget the sake of the planet and future generations, This is part of a climate justice framework
compatible with meeting these commitments. is raised to be 2% of GDP, the $17.1 billion the war drive of our rulers must be stopped. We that seeks climate solutions that lead to an
It is quite clear that wars fought for control increase is almost twice the money budgeted simply can’t afford to waste the opportunity actual transition from fossil fuel capitalism
of fossil fuels put the world on a trajectory for the whole climate plan ($9 billion). The and money on programs that will further the towards the zero emissions economy where
towards far worse climate outcomes. The fact announced $8 billion DND budget increase crisis, when we need those resources to be no community or worker is left behind.
that Russian LNG supplies to Europe play a is almost as much as the whole climate plan. targeted towards halting the runaway train of Mobilizing to oppose our ruler’s drive to
role in this conflict further demonstrates the the capitalist economy that is undermining war, whether for fossil fuels or some other
difficulty that capitalism has of transitioning What else could this money be the life supporting capacity of the earth. reason, is a key part of mobilizing masses
away from fossil fuels. spent on? The fantastic anti-war movement in Russia, of Indigenous people, workers, people
The federal government has promised $6 where tens of thousands have been arrested from racialized and other marginalized
Just Transition and War billion over ten years to fix drinking water and potentially face years in jail, is a beacon of communities, environmentalist, and climate
During the pandemic, campaigns targeting activists to create a force for change from
divestment of financial institutions and below that can transform the world for a
insurance companies from fossil fuel projects sustainable future.
had made inroads in part because lower oil Climate Voice, a new network including
prices and increased costs of production due Indigenous, labour, climate, environmental
to blockades and other resistance had made and student groups, came together in the
investors wonder if they’d see a return on process of organizing the November 6 Rally
investment. But after the Russian invasion on the Global Day for Climate Justice during
of Ukraine, there was a story in the Financial the COP26 talks in Glasgow.
Post about how the European energy crunch Our headline climate justice demands were:
and the conflict had breathed new life into Respect Indigenous sovereignty; Phase out
an LNG project on the east coast of Canada Fossil Fuels; Just Transition for communities
over the prospect of supplying energy to and workers; Global Justice.
Europe. The impact of the war on oil prices As our rulers pursue the drive to war, we
had also changed the economics of pipeline must assert that “No War” is also a climate
construction and tar sands development, with justice demand, seeking justice for the victims
higher prices suddenly making these projects of the conflict, but also for future generations
more profitable. who will bear the brunt of war spending
And there is a massive contradiction between priorities that doom them to a bleak future.
May 2022 Socialist Worker 7
$2 | No 643 | May 2022 | socialist.ca
Tenants fight and win
by: Sid Lacombe same when they were first elected in 2015. They
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have yet to actually come through with any new
esidents at 12 Lansdowne avenue in units.
Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood In the last 30 years the feds have largely
have forced their landlord to remove abandoned renters. They announce 5 year plans
all eviction notices and have even been to build housing with great fanfare but there has
able to get some needed repairs done to their been almost no new affordable housing built in
building. those decades.
The victory came after a months-long fight The reality is that the ‘housing crisis’ is not a
where the landlord used every tactic they crisis for the ruling class. They have no interest
could to undermine and intimidate the tenants in reducing housing costs. Banks, developers
- including trying to evict them for damage to and landlords are making billions as prices
property after they hung banners from their skyrocket. The politicians who represent the
balconies during a rally. interests of the rich will only tinker around the
This is just one of a recent string of victories edges of the issue and will not end the hardship
in the area that came about because of tenant for working people and the poor.
organizing and with support from the community This has been the case ever since capitalism
and local agencies. arrived on the scene and imposed new private
One consistency in all of the eviction fights is property rules. It will remain an issue as long as
that the victories come because of community the system persists.
and building mobilization. It is the extra judicial As Frederick Engels wrote in The Housing
fight that is winning the day. Parkdale Organize led a series of rallies in support of local tenants Question, “it is not that the solution of the
Tenant law in Canada is written by landlords housing question simultaneously solves the
for their own benefit. Legal fights are important end the hardship for poor and working people result in increased housing costs. social question, but that only by the solution of
in that they often buy time for residents to seeking housing. For example, the budget calls for tax breaks the social question, that is, by the abolition of
organize but they are heavily tilted towards the and incentives for people to buy their first the capitalist mode of production, is the solution
landlords and are not designed to protect the Housing and capitalism house. The scheme sounds good but will only of the housing question made possible.”
interest of renters. The capitalist politicians have been making mean more cash being pushed into the housing The recent tenant fights are a great example
The number of community solidarity groups grand statements about their resolve to stop market - further inflating prices. It will also only of how neighbours and communities can come
has grown during the pandemic and are now the housing crisis. The federal Liberals made be useful for people who have the money for a together to push back on the landlords and they
a bulwark against the worst ravages of the the issue a centrepiece of their recent budget down-payment. That’s not who needs the help. must be strengthened. But we will only be rid of
capitalist system. They deserve our support. We announcing billions to help create housing. It is The Liberals also announced more money to the housing crisis when we are rid of the greedy
cannot rely on governments to do anything to all smoke and mirrors. The budget will likely build affordable housing. They did much the bosses who run this rotten system.
Stop privatization of hospitals
Join the Ontario Health Coalition campaign
revoked as this information came to light. In a necrotic wound caused by neglect which to use the crisis to hand lucrative contracts to
by: Pam Johnson fact, the Ford government recently passed contributed to her death. the private sector. A video was played of the
T
legislation to allow for more for-profit homes, Dr. Dick Zoutman, former Scarborough press conference at the summit where Christine
he Ontario Health Coalition (OHC), and created a law that shields these pandemic hospital administrator, outlined the reality Elliott, Ontario Minister of Health, called for
a long-time healthcare advocate profiteers from lawsuits related to their criminal of healthcare funding. Ontario’s funding for private hospitals to pick up the slack. Ford’s
organization, has launched a bold neglect of residents. healthcare is the lowest per capita in Canada. agenda was also exposed when it came to
province wide campaign to expose Speaker Michelle Jones, who lost her Stunningly, Ontario also has the lowest ratio light that private schools were offered more
the Ontario PC government’s plan to privatize grandmother in an LTC, reported that there was of beds per capita of any jurisdiction in the rapid tests than the public systems and public
healthcare under the cover of the COVID only one overnight nurse and three Personal industrialized world. hospitals. COVID vaccines are available at
crisis. OHC has hosted summits in cities Support Workers treating dozens of sick and But the Ford government response to the Shopper’s Drug Mart, but not your doctor’s
across the province to inform the public of the frail residents needing constant care. Jones health care deaths and worker burnout has office. Ontario no longer provides the more
sheer scale of the healthcare devastation that found out too late that her grandmother had been to blame individuals for getting sick and accurate PCR tests for COVID for free, but you
has taken place and to call for a mass public can pay for them.
outcry.
Say No to healthcare privatization
Ford’s appalling healthcare record The Ontario Health Coalition is sounding
Doug Ford’s handling of the pandemic has the alarm and organizing a mass campaign
been a series of disasters that continue to be including street protests, door-to-door
repeated through wave after wave of COVID. canvasing, lawn signs, windows signs and
Speakers at the summit in the Toronto, North stickers to raise the pressure on the Ford
York and Scarborough area outlined some of government and all politicians to say no to
the devastating facts. Natalie Mehra, leader healthcare privatization.
of the Ontario Health Coalition and Michael In poll after poll, respondents support a
Hurley, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions public healthcare system by an overwhelming
president, spoke about the nightmare conditions majority. The Ford government is vulnerable
in Ontario’s long-term care (LTC) homes. on this issue and the opposition parties need
Ontario has the highest rate of deaths in LTC to be pressured to step up. The Ontario Health
homes of any jurisdiction in the industrialized Coalition is calling for everyone to get involved
world - 4,500 LTC residents have died since the to build the momentum.
beginning of the pandemic. As well as COVID, There are dozens of locations where campaign
many died from dehydration, starvation and material can be picked up and local contacts
neglect due to chronic understaffing. can plug you into activity across the province.
Three quarters of those deaths happened in The OHC campaign website has a wealth of
for-profit LTCs, while executives, like former information and materials. Pick up your sign
Premier Mike Harris, and shareholders raked today!
in profits. Not a single fine was laid or licence For more info see: ontariohealthcoalition.ca
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