News and media

“On the importance of education generally we may remark it is as necessary as the light, it should be as common as water, and as free as air.” - Egerton Ryerson, founding father of public education in Canada, 1846 As most of us head for work this morning we will likely walk, drive, or cycle by a public school, but unlike most days, that school will be closed. Teachers are walking the picket line

As leaders of British Columbia’s Labour Movement we speak with one voice today in solidarity with the 40,000 teachers in the province who are standing up for the rights of children to a quality public education by demanding a fair collective agreement. It is becoming more and more apparent that, despite statements to the contrary by Premier Christy Clark, there is little desire by the B.C. Liberal

VANCOUVER – BC’s labour leaders met today to issue a statement of solidarity with BC’s teachers and announce plans for a solidarity rally Thursday, June 19th in Vancouver. “Christy Clark and the BC Liberals need to get the clear message from British Columbians that it is time for the government to respect the work of our teachers, and negotiate a settlement in good faith,” said Jim Sinclair

This week I was able to visit with workers from Cascade Aerospace. When the company is in operation, it is one of the area’s largest employers, with more than 600 highly-trained employees whose number one job is to keep airplanes in the air. According to the company, "the employees are key to our success." Today these workers are walking the picket line. This is their first strike and two critical

Vancouver, BC – The B.C. Federation of Labour marked Injured Workers’ Day with a renewed call for improvements to BC’s workers’ compensation system and a restoration of benefits for injured workers. The B.C. Federation of Labour and its affiliates recognize June 1 as Injured Workers’ Day in BC. This is an important day to highlight the ongoing fight for the restoration of dignity, respect and

Richmond BC-Over a hundred supporters of the locked-out workers of IKEA Richmond gathered outside the store today to demand IKEA settle the lockout. On May 13, 2013, IKEA Richmond locked out its workers after the Teamsters members working in the store rejected the company’s offer unanimously. Teamsters 213, which represents the workers, continues to press the company for a negotiated contract