2010
Agriculture Workers Alliance
Year of government delay adds to Alberta’s harvest of death:
AWA and UFCW Canada are calling on the Alberta government to act without further delay to implement the recommendations of a public inquiry conducted by Justice Peter Barley to include farm workers under provincial workplace health and safety legislation.
AWA part of first “May First Movement” (M1M) Workshop:
Alexes Albert Barillas Zuniga, from the AWA, talked about the struggles of agriculture workers in Canada in the M1M workshop “Working People and the Economic Crisis.”
1st International Migration and Transnational Studies Forum:
The 1st International Migration and Transnational Studies Forum will take place in Puebla, Mexico at the Benemérita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla in mid-February.
AWA E-News
Agriculture Workers Alliance
Year of government delay adds to Alberta’s harvest of death
AWA and UFCW Canada are calling on the Alberta government to act without further delay to implement the recommendations of a public inquiry conducted by Justice Peter Barley to include farm workers under provincial workplace health and safety legislation.
"Justice Barley delivered straightforward recommendations that would undoubtedly reduce Alberta farm worker injuries and fatalities," says AWA and UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. "What doesn’t make sense is that a year later the government continues to drag its feet while Alberta’s harvest of death continues."
Exactly a year ago Justice Barley recommended Alberta bring the province’s farm workers under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act; implement a farm place safety training and inspection system; and extend the Workers Compensation system to cover agriculture workers.
To date none of those recommendations have been instituted. "One year and 23 deaths later there is no defense to further delay providing Alberta agriculture workers the same workplace safety rights other Alberta workers have," says Hanley.
In 2006, the UFCW Canada action led to securing OHSA coverage for Ontario agriculture workers.
"It has saved lives and prevented accidents on Ontario farms," says the AWA and UFCW Canada leader. "We would urge Alberta to also act, without further delay, to stop the discriminatory exclusion of agriculture workers from basic health and safety protection."
More about the story can be found here: http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/editorials/Sowing+safety/2484733/story.html
To send a letter to the Premier of Alberta and join the “End of Harvest of Dead Campaign” follows this link: http://www.ufcw.ca/harvestofdeath
AWA part of first “May First Movement” (M1M) Workshop
Alexes Albert Barillas Zuniga, from the AWA, talked about the struggles of agriculture workers in Canada in the M1M workshop “Working People and the Economic Crisis.”
The M1M event provides working people with an opportunity to come together to celebrate, discuss and mobilize around May Day, with the aim of building a progressive alliance of labour unions, community organizations, immigrant rights groups, anti-racism and anti-discrimination groups, international solidarity networks, and progressive academics.
Did you know …?
Did you know that January 29, 2010, will be the 64th anniversary of the Rand Formula? The Rand Formula was instituted following a historic 1946 decision by Supreme Court of Canada Justice Ivan Rand.
Rand’s decision played a very important role in ending the epic 1945 Ford strike in Windsor, Ontario. The Rand Formula helps to ensure a union’s survival by requiring the employer to send a portion of its payroll directly to the union office by way of “check off”.
The Canada Labour Code and most provincial labour relations laws contain provisions requiring the Rand Formula where certain conditions are met (majority vote).
1st International Migration and Transnational Studies Forum
The 1st International Migration and Transnational Studies Forum will take place in Puebla, Mexico at the Benemérita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla in mid-February.
The primary objective of the event will be to build a space of dialogue between the different academic disciplines that focus on transnational migration issues. Forum participants will be discussing different themes, perspectives and challenges associated with the migration process.
For more information about this forum, please see the event’s official brochure (document is in Spanish only): http://awa-ata.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/trip-foromig-puebla2010-ok1.pdf
Agriculture and horticulture workers
Policy analysis
(Im)migrants workers, Policymakers, and Public awareness
Right to unionize, Labour standards, Health and safety at work, and Determination fair wages and labour shortage
Canada, Ontario, Alberta, México, Manitoba, Quebec, British Columbia, Other provinces, and Federal
French, English, and Spanish