And Ken Lewenza should just shut the fuck up! Seems Lewenza is sticking his nose in the Ontario election today and endorsing Dalton McGuinty. Good for you Ken. But I've got news for you. The CAW workers, the ones that actually work on the lines and in the parts manufacturing facilities don't support McGuinty. Your first clue might have been when Sid Ryan was a repeat loser in the federal Oshawa riding. Or I thought you might finally get it when Chris Buckley, head of Oshawa Local 222 was also defeated in the May election. Hey, who won those Brampton ridings in the past election?
Lewenza is a gleaming example of what is commonly referred to as a hypocrite. Seems he is endorsing McGuinty because of the auto bailouts. But yet he never endorsed Stephen Harper who put much more taxpayer money into those bailouts than McGuinty. Why is that Ken?
If Lewenza wants to know who the rank and file CAW members really support in an election he should make the rounds to different plants and ask the workers whose union dues pay his six-figure salary. And I'm not talking about union reps, the ones who still think it's 1962. I'm talking about the ones who go home sore at the end of every shift. The ones whose electricity bills have skyrocketed under McGuinty. The ones who have lost or who have family and friends who lost jobs because of McGuinty's fiscal incompetence.
The ones who had eye exams, physio and chirporactic care de-listed under McGuinty. Workers with elderly low-income parents who have been crushed by McGuinty's tax grabs, the ones who got slammed with the hst. The ones you represent, the ones you fought for saying how co-pay benefits wasn't fair. Yet you kept your mouth shut when McGuinty applied a new tax on that same co-payment amount starting in January of this year.
You praise McGuinty and Frank Stronach. Stronach, the guy who was paying himself $40 million a year without paying Canadian income taxes as he had a castle in Switzerland registered as his address. Your predecessor Buzz Hargrove saw nothing wrong in giving a leather jacket to then Liberal PM Paul Martin, just after CAW workers learned of the illegal kickback scheme perpetrated using our tax dollars.
Time to accept reality Ken. Workers want a Premier who treats them with respect and not as some cash-cow piggy bank slush fund used to reward party loyalists, friends and family. They want a Premier who doesn't waste their hard-earned tax dollars. They want someone like Tim Hudak as Premier of Ontario.
Dalton McGuinty may very well be victorious in the October 6th election. But remember Ken, you speak for CAW members when dealing with thier employer. In contract negotiations. In workplace safety. In charity fundraising.
But when it comes to politics, and more importantly, elections, speak for yourself. The rank and file can and will make our own decisions come voting day.
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL rant Paul! Altho I am blessed NOT to live in Dalton's Ont..I happen to live under Dipper rule in Man.My job is with the Prov Gov't,and I have to pay both CUPE/MGEU dues (weird situation).Odd how in the lead-up to our election yesterday,NONE of the Union mouthpieces brought up that our jobs in Soc.Services have been slashed..to the point I will need to file for EI for 1st time in my life (and I'm old)..also,we are working without a contract for a yr and a half,and there is no end to stupid negotiations.BTW,I called my union rep prior to the vote,and told them I hoped not one dollar of my dues were going into NDP coffers,and I would be telling all my co-workers NOT to vote ndp.His response:do you really think the Cons would do better? I told him,ANYTHING would be better than sweet F**K all!I HATE the unions..hate the ndp for the falsehoods they put out that 'they are the party of the worker'
ReplyDeleteAnony @ 6:16...what a mess and it's exactly what I heard too coming from so many Conservatives in Manitoba.( is that you Sammy?)
ReplyDeleteAs for your BRILLIANT post, paulsstuff, I hope this endorsement gets out for Ontario voters sake because what we are seeing and sensing is that Ontario is about to implode under this pathetic manager.
A healthy Ontario is better for Canada. It's not. It's on life support and why the voters would even consider Dalty-lyin' is beyond belief.
I seriously believe that Unions should be under inveetigations.
ReplyDeleteTaking union workers' dues without telling where it is being spent needs to be investigated as well.
I find it insulting and deplorable that those who worked hard for their money their dues ends up paying for political parties to buy favours.
Good on you Anonymous for speaking out.
The union hot shots are afraid of the unknown.
hello Bec! Yup..you guessed it..it was me (Sammy).Long time no connect,and I have missed all our pre-election 'chats' over at Jo's! It is just awful what is happening here in Man re Soc services/healthcare etc,and the leftie COWARD media don't report it.I tried my damndest prior to election.placed a few calls,and got NOWHERE.
ReplyDeletePeople tried to phone into radio talk shows and were given the brush off in Manitoba.
ReplyDeleteOnly the Winnipeg Sun attempted to hold the NDP to account.
My fellow Manitobans,I'm sure you all remember Phoenix Sinclair and Gage Guimond,both chilren DIED under this NDP gov't.WHERE was any coverage of that friggin mess in this campaign? And why did no media find out why CFS is closing files,cutting home supports so staff CAN check up on these babes? As I said before,they are all cowards.
ReplyDeleteSammy, when you saw what we saw in Man re my husbands Aunt, it defies logic that anything like this is allowed to occur and watching it start in Ontario with a deafening silence is terrifying. It is!
ReplyDeleteWhen you have unions take over such important physical aspects of our lives, we are sunk.
Some workers care because that's their work ethic but many are only there for the pay-cheque. After the creation of the 'no consequences' generation, we are not the same country.
I am SHOCKED that Ontario feels entitled too!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Canada-Says-No-to-a-5-Million-Dollar-Office-of-Religious-Freedom/183121928430179#!/pages/Canada-Says-No-to-a-5-Million-Dollar-Office-of-Religious-Freedom/183121928430179
ReplyDeleteOn the Caw web page there is list of auto made by Caw members as well as a list of hotels where labour is controlled by the Caw. Would it be possible for the union to expand on this? There are many other workplaces where the labour is controlled by the Caw. A complete list would make it easier for me to boycott them all . Thanks
ReplyDeleteThe CAW recently donated $30,000 to the BC NDP. On the rumour of an election 2 years early. A lot of us CAW members are owner operators and the HST put money in our pockets so of course the CAW was opposed to it. Fuck em.
ReplyDelete