City Worker: October 2012

What I learned from CLC-LC

Written by Scott Cush

Normally when finishing a school, I would be responsible to inform my local of what I learned at a school and what I can give back to my members. I would do this by writing a page on my blog and make sure to highlight it to the membership. This report is not going to be that kind of format. In this paper I will highlight the many major reasons that not only my local should be applying for the college but I hope that I can briefly illustrate the information that is covered at the college. We covered courses that deal with history, theory, research, leadership and touched on political context. When courses were not running, the isolated training center was a key arena in discussions over meals and winding down at the end of the day. In fact whether we realized it or not, every aspect of the college is designed to challenge our own thoughts, build friendships, craft new ideas and establish historically valid union theories.

Over the course of 4 weeks, spread out in May and September students from all over Canada had three courses a day each spanning two hours. In between the college, each student was responsible for developing a learning project (ILP) that they would present at the following session. In order to produce our ILP the first two weeks were very important in honing skills. We developed skills such as doing proper researching, understanding surveys, realizing learning techniques and acceptable writing styles. Each student had a ten page ILP to present summarized to 12 minutes in front of their peers.

The schedule of the college is rigorous, and full. Students will be reading for days ahead of the class as well as hours each night. On top of the readings, the college requires students to write many papers individually and develop projects in groups. In class each student is required to participate and absences are tolerated without cause. For good reason, a realistic estimate per student is about $12,000. Courses are taught in a fashion found in post secondary institutions. I found myself up at 5am preparing, eating at 7am and ready to learn by 8am. By 5:30pm supper was a precursor to writing papers, and reading for the next day. If I was in bed by midnight it was a miracle. The first two weeks were by far the longer of the two sessions, and by the end of May I knew I had to change my learning style or get lost in the dust.

The various experiences that each student brought to the college were just as important to the crafting of the daily content. For instance the CEP-CAW merger (The New Union) was an interesting conversation as we learned about union contractions throughout Canada and the world. We had students from both unions provide perspectives valid to both sides. In our 4 week course “Theory and Practice of Unions” we relied heavily on historically relevant unions and active role play on where unions have placed themselves in society as a whole. It was here that I soaked up the higher level discussions on the model of a union. It was here that I realized the incredible structural differences between our current unions today. By the end of the course, I was able to understand the importance of unions and how they interact with governments, social bodies, union members, and the unrepresented or even unemployed. Theoretical ideas on unions and the practice of the union are fascinating to me. I found myself falling asleep in my bed reading case after case study.

When we discussed the history of Labour in Canada I was wide awake. Unions have developed over time to allow workers the ability to control their commodity, namely their Labour. This was done in various ways, each time growing with the needs of the workforce. With the advancement of Globalization, the Labour movement must continue to connect with other labourers if they are to combat the downward force on the Labour market. It was incredible to my own understanding of my own Economics as I began to understand what long term issues globalizations creates to individual country finances and wages.

Our “Changing Society” course I learned how far unions have come. In this course we covered many periods in history where the defined roles of genders, classes, and countries have been changing over time. Politics and economics have been involved and interconnected with the push back of society and Labour movements. I was able to concretely point at moments in history where unions and societies have come together against an ideal and helped reshape class structure. It seems however that with every step forward, there is always a force pushing back. We focused on women in society and how women were seen by society.

In the morning of each day we spent time in a course titled “Re-imagining Leadership”. The course was challenging to understand. Spanning the entire 4 weeks, we learned about how people learn, how people control, different styles of leadership, theories in development, macro/micro considerations, and so much more. In the first two weeks, most of the course was an exercise in building the students trust levels with each other and understanding themselves. Finding out about each other through activities and using those activities to translate neo-liberalism. One of the more memorable activities was a closer look at the game “Monopoly”. Most all of my friends and family have played this game, but in very real ways this game in the simplest form a representation of where neo-liberalism and capitalism are taking society. The concept of the game sounds odd to just say that, because I can’t cover the content and context in which this game was used in our activity. All I can say is that history and theory of where we are going is not so great for the Labour movement.

At the end of week one I found myself contemplating this statement of the union’s purpose, “The elimination of competition among workers”. Take a moment and think about that phrase. Where are we as union in comparison? At the time I found myself in a situation whereby I both agreed and disagreed simultaneously. For the rest of the college, it would be in the back of my mind as I hope it stays with you. In many ways our purpose as a union and how we define this statement will shape our own lives and the lives around us.

At the end of the first two weeks, we went home to our lives, to think about our ILP’s as well as a new frame of mind. If anything the college provides an interesting ability to centre oneself on the bigger picture. This is understandable since the premise behind the school is built on a larger idea. The CLC umbrella is a body that combines many unions of different origins, and directions. I went home with a new group of colleagues and a better foundation for why I believe what I do and why other believes what they do. Seeing both sides of the argument is crucial to understanding the path in which each is following. Their moment of intersection is crucial in realizing how each side markets those structures.

Out of the second session, two classes were continued from the first few weeks. While the third and fourth week was filled with courses, we were past the half way mark and for the most part we were now responsible for presenting our ILP’s in our Labour Research course as well as moving from theory to practice in Re-Imagining Leadership. In Union Theory and Practice we spent time in the practice portion of why unions do what they do. It was great in both classes to come back and show what we all accomplished as well as discuss why unions act the way they do.

My ILP was on the development of a union application for users with mobile devices/phones. I felt as if in this contraction in union development we as a movement need to develop a better means for reconnection the movement. From a perspective of the CLC I chose to include the entire union movement in Canada. My premise was that social medial is connecting movements and driving change yet unions are stepping back weighing the benefits with the negative legal issues of protecting workers from corporate policies that prohibit negative comments about the corporation.

My argument is simple, people have mobile devices, they are spread out over large areas, and thanks to previous union advancements many workers are oblivious to the next steps in the labour movement. To connect members with all unions we need to make the message come to the members. The app I described would be able to meet the information needs of the members and reconnect the leadership throughout the country. Imagine knowing why or when a union is going on strike? Knowing the gains in collective agreements or who makes up the new executive of a sister local. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to vote on your phone for the next executive or on an upcoming motion?

I was excited about presenting my ILP but I also know that my idea had a long way to go. Development, debugging, and buy-in were major roadblocks. Even legal issues about inter-union information became evident. The general feel from the crowd was that they were interested in the idea. The app would start off the idea of supporting educational programs first and then growing later. I always knew that the app would have to start off small and expand with development. Education was a huge part of my drive for this app. We our educating on such a small scale, by creating educational tools on a mobile scale we can bring the Labour movement up to speed on the issues that currently affect us. Needless to say I was very happy with what discussions came from the ILP and hope that it continues in the future.

The Theory and Practice of unionism was fascinating to me. I was acclimatized to the CUPE internal system and with so many other unions being discussed the outcomes had many factors to consider. We talked about the politics of decision making, the expectations on the reciprocity of political partnerships and how they can fail as well as suceed. We spent most every class talking about case studies some which were very personal to members in the room. It was important to talk about what the practice was and the theory behind it all.

Canadian Political Economy was humbling from an Albertan perspective. I was not aware how economically tied the east and west are. When the dollar is strong the manufacturing sector suffers because the NAFTA agreement favors labour when it is cheaper across the border. The same is true on the opposite end. When the dollar is strong the oil development increases, but automobile jobs are stressed and their work slows.

Even the historical significance of how we colonized native peoples to how we continue to attack French speaking Quebec cultures. Protecting ones culture only seems vitally important when the majority are concerned. Yet as a people in a multicultural country we seem to all forget that at some point in Canadian history it was our ancestors that held the minority title. It is our diversity that makes Canada so strong. I now don’t rush to condemn those who are trying so desperately to protect their own identity, instead I realize that it is their individuality and culture that will one day make up the fabric of our Canadian culture. Their struggle which bleeds into the political and social arena almost always becomes misunderstood.

The school was very good about showing all sides of the argument. In the end the union movement is about protecting people from unfair business practices. Unionism can be looked at on a micro or macro scale. In either end the goal is the same, to eliminate competition amongst the workforce. Once I, a union member realized this I began to truly believes in that struggle. Everything else started to make sense for me. I understood the final goals, the aspirations of the labour movement. I was able to separate union values for personal advancement.

As a city worker I had a closed view on how unions work. My job protected by taxation, backed up by years of trusted public service delivery, and the fortune of being situated in an oil rich province made me see with tunnel vision of the seeming stability of my job. The perception of my stability really depends on how deep I want to look. For example, the Federal government is at this point attempting to pass CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) which from the information I have been presented with will open the doors of currently publicly owned infrastructure to international corporations that wish to provide those services privately. Now I am no expert on CETA but if this statement is true in any fashion, the stability of my job could be in jeopardy if this agreement sees the light of day.

Closer to home, there is a constant move presently to eliminate the defined benefit pension plan for the everyday worker. The fear instilled is that the system is too costly to continue and if we don’t move to a defined contributions plan the economics of retirement will all fail. Funny how this is true when everyday Canadians have access to this type of pension, but CEO’s who contractually prefer these methods make this pension sustainable. The end game is about quality of life issues and for Canadians this issue will either be in their hands or the hands of other services. An aging society converns everyone in the end.

The hardest part of this school was the understanding that with the massive amounts of information out there, our members are actually fighting to let go of their labour rights. People want to see the work, but they fail to see the system for what it is. Capitalism is essentially an exercise of competition. Pitting people against each other in the hopes of every dollar and savings to the investor will be had. In this market it is part of the game, globalization at this stage only acts to divide the labour force. Without unions, Labour would be further picked apart.

That was a key component to labour college. To be able to understand why people argue the way they do and what it means to follow these economically charged issues. For some of these issues there is no middle ground to be had, while other issues would require both sides to radically think differently about their ideologies. Thinking bigger picture in the union world might mean even looking beyond where unions have come and taking a chance that unions may need to be so much more different then they have become today. Labour college is in every way a seed implanted in the students minds, given food to grow for the future.

Allow me this commonly used idiom. Labour College for me was about seeing the forest for the trees. For many of us, we are bombarded by information that without context or foundation becomes irrelevant to our daily lives. The Labour College is collection of history that provides a foundation for why unions are relevant and how we are constantly battling issues that can sometimes affect our own lifestyles. A truth for me was that I am part of a union that is both striving for a better system that protects labour and sits at the very table for which the change is required. We are involved in capitalism and our members are relying on the protection of that system at the same time they rely on fighting for a more equitable one. You can’t change the system if you’re not part of the process. The union appears to be at the table, but the truth is with globalization, that table is getting really big, and protecting Labour has become less about physical borders and more about social community. From a local that sits in an oil rich economy, I can sometimes forget that the capitalistic system I live in is leaving massive amounts of people behind.

I would like to suggest that my journey to Labour College was just as important as the school itself. The school is made up of a lot of history and reflection on how that history formed the current union format. The amount of information that I filtered through was both worrisome and encouraging. Unions have shared in some pretty huge struggles that have changed labour for the better. Unions have also suffered losses through the history of their existence. Unions have changed and adapted and unfortunately the union movement is suffering a contraction right now. CUPE is a large union, but we have not been immune to the loss. Being aware of this contraction was a little upsetting, but by understanding history I know great things come from these types of struggles.

Obviously thanking this membership is something I will do for years to come. In the end of all of the theory comes the actual practice of unionism. I hope that I can produce for our union and affiliates huge returns on your investment in me. I am one of only a few in a sea of National unions that was given the opportunity of Labour College and I can only hope if you are interested you to will have the opportunity to go. If you are interested please take the opportunity to visit the Canadian Labour Congress (http://www.canadianlabour.ca/labour-education/labour-college-canada). The school is challenging, rewarding, and very valuable. Interested applicants will need to fundraise and apply for available scholarships. From my personal experience it is everything I could have asked for and more. The days were long, the people were great and the experience will be with me for a life time. It’s is akin to a week of Labour Law multiplied by six other courses, and 40 hours of research for your ILP.

City Worker

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Apply for CLC Labour College

Monday, October 8, 2012

Labour College Report

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