Union Bug Blog

• Mar 19, 2007 - Workplace Injuries Are A Community Problem
  

  Manitoba continues to lag behind provinces in the rest of the country when it comes to worker injury rates, and it’s high time the entire community gets behind efforts to reduce these numbers.

• Mar 14, 2007 - Why Are Young Offenders Still In The Driver's Seat?
  

  The issue of car thefts has been very much at the forefront of discussion amongst Winnipeggers and in the media of late. A majority of this focus has been on the youth who commit these crimes, and the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

• Mar 12, 2007 - McFadyen Says "Yes" to More Private Wine Stores
  

  This past weekend Manitoba Progressive Conservative leader Hugh McFadyen indicated to a Winnipeg Sun reporter that, if elected, he would “expand the private market for specialty wine stores”.

• Mar 08, 2007 - Let's Send A Message On Women's Day
  

  March 8th is International Women's Day. It is a time when women highlight their many achievements. Canadian women can take pride in knowing their hard work in bringing issues of fairness and equity to the forefront in this country has been successful, and that it has affected positive change.

• Mar 05, 2007 - Canada's Income Gap
  

  In late 2006, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a poll conducted by Environics Research that showed that 76 percent of Canadians believed that the income gap between the rich and poor was growing. In follow-up to that, the CCPA just last week released a report that confirms that this perception is reality: although Canada's economy has been performing at a higher level than it has in decades, the gap is in fact growing at a faster rate than ever before.

• Feb 27, 2007 - CN Workers Railroaded?
  

  Roughly two weeks after walking off the job, striking CN Rail workers are back at work after a tentative deal was struck with the United Transportation Union this past weekend. Disputes over the contract still exist, however, and some workers, mostly in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, aren't prepared to give up on the strike. Even those that have gone back to work in other parts of the country aren't entirely happy with the deal.

• Feb 22, 2007 - World Trade Organization Talks Back On - But Why?
  

  After a few weeks of hiatus the negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) are officially back on. Unfortunately, rather than use the weeks of interruption as a chance for sober second thought, the WTO and government leaders have revived the talks without ever considering any of the substantive reasons for doubting the wisdom of this path. It all seems to be driven by a single article of faith: free trade is good therefore more free trade is better. Never have so many people laboured so mightily for such an unproven and discredited holy grail.

• Feb 20, 2007 - Are We On Thin Ice?
  

  For perhaps the first time, a January 2007 Decima Research poll revealed that the environment was the number one priority for Canadians, more important than even health care. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as environmental issues have been of greater prominence in the media of late, and have been the subject of greater public debate. It's also possible that this is a reflection of the fact that the debate over climate change and global warming is over: it is real and it is the result of human activity.

• Feb 16, 2007 - Give'em a Break!
  

  Manitobans deserve a break. At least, that's the feeling of the Manitoba Government as it pertains to a new holiday in February. And if talk in the coffee shops and reaction on the supper hour news shows is any barometer, the vast majority of Manitobans agree.

• Feb 14, 2007 - Welcome to Union Bug
  

  It is my pleasure to welcome you to MGEU's new blog: Union Bug. We're very pleased to be one of the few unions in North America offering a blog, and we believe it will be an important tool in keeping our members informed about some of the latest issues percolating in the workplace and in the coffee shops.