Migrant Workers Didn't Have Much Choice
Aug 14, 2009
decertify, farm, migrant, union, workers
Barely two years ago, the unionization of migrant Mexican farm workers in Manitoba was hailed as a victory for the labour movement. This was the first time a group from this sector had ever been unionized – at least in Canada – and was believed to not only improve their working conditions but to open the door to further gains in this industry.
The farmers had signed with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and their first contract gave workers 15 cents an hour over minimum wage, with a 25 percent top up the next year. The deal also included an extra dollar per each hour of overtime worked.
However, the farmers have recently decided they would no longer like to be part of the union because they can make more money working longer hours. The mandatory overtime pay led to the decision of their employers to cut back overtime hours. Under the collective agreement, workers could not work more than 70 hours weekly. This sudden and arbitrary reduction in the workweek meant that workers lost up to 30 percent of their income.
The workers clearly don’t see the benefit in making a marginal increase per hour when they have to pay union dues and are restricted in the number of overtime hours they work (by their employer, not the agreement). But, as Robert Zigler of the UFCW has pointed out, the collective agreement they ratified covered much more than remuneration. They were also protected against substandard living conditions (which one would think significant given the nature of the occupation) and were also provided with recall benefits and seniority.
To make things worse, it appears that the Mexican Consul for Canada had a meeting with the migrant workers the day before the decertification vote. The Consul had also visited all farms with seasonal agricultural workers earlier this summer to dissuade them from joining a union. The remittances happen to be a significant source of national income for Mexico.
So something is obviously rotten in the state of Denmark, as the saying goes. It appears that several forces conspired to ensure that continued unionization was seen as a less attractive option by the migrant workers. What could and probably is viewed by some as a blow to the union movement is of course no such thing. At the end of the day, it’s the workers that suffer, and unfortunately that’s what gets lost in the story.
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Do you know if these worker in Portage are suffering?????
Jay - 2009-08-14 11:46
Wrong. At the end of the day, they will have more money in their pockets. With that money, I am sure they will improve their living conditions.
Jim Cotton - 2009-08-19 20:32