IBEW 2067

Here we Go! - BDPS Clean Coal Project Moving Forward

2011-04-27T21:48:00.000-06:00

By Norm Park Of The Mercury

"The world's been waiting for this. Saskatchewan is playing a leadership role."

With those words, Rob Norris, Saskatchewan's minister responsible for SaskPower, told The Mercury in a hastily arranged embargoed interview late Monday that the Crown corporation and the province were making the commitment to boldly move forward with a $1.24 billion carbon capture project at nearby Boundary Dam Power Station.

By the time it is completed in 2014, Unit No. 3 at Boundary will be emitting at least 110 megawatts of electrical power while not emitting much, if any, carbon dioxide, thus securing coal as a sustainable fuel for the future.

Norris noted that according to preliminary feedback his office had received following the release of a media advisory on Monday, the global power players would be focusing on Estevan late Tuesday morning, waiting for the confirmation of this mega project that should set the gold standard for a commercial sized carbon capture and sequestration practices. It will also be one of the first, if not the first, of this size in the world.

Asked when the carbon capture part of the project would begin, Norris replied, "Wednesday morning."

According to the government and SaskPower news release, the project will transform the aging No. 3 unit into a producer of clean electricity while reducing greenhouse gas emission by about one million tonnes per year — the equivalent of taking more than 250,000 vehicles off Saskatchewan roads annually — in addition to capturing C02 for enhanced oil recovery.

Norris acknowledged that $240 million had been provided by the federal government a few years ago to help pay for the project, and most of that funding had been used in the first phase with the installation of a new generator capable of working in concert with the C02 capture technology that will now be added to the back end of BD3.

Norris noted that the window of opportunity had been closing quickly in terms of having to move forward, or put the rest of the capture program in mothballs, waiting for greenhouse gas emission targets and templates to come from Washington and Ottawa since the federal government in Canada had stated earlier that they were delaying their decisions, pending the outcome of the American government's contemplations regarding the same question.

When it became obvious that neither of the two senior governments were inclined to commit to a formula or foundation anytime soon, the decision to move on was crafted by Saskatchewan's decision makers.

Norris said he felt the decision "demonstrates leadership for the province and SaskPower.

"You have identified it. Delays in Washington and Ottawa and further deferrals as opposed to having the opportunity to make significant gains for the province led to this decision," said Norris. "We secure coal assets, continue to get 50 to 60 per cent of our power from coal of which we have hundreds of years of supply. This is an affordable source of fuel. We can secure the infrastructure while still investing in other sources of power production."

In the meantime, the province has assured citizens of a safe and affordable power supply while providing a commitment to the environment.

"This is especially important for Estevan. It's a significant investment with 6,000 person years of employment. You will have 500 to 600 people working in and around Estevan on the construction phase for some time," he said.

Norris said at the same time that SaskPower will continue to invest in a significant upgrade to the power grid, something, he said, the previous administration had overlooked.

While the investment in BD3 and other alternative power sources will require significant funds, the costs will be amortized over the years and paid for through corporate cash flows and loans so the public will not be faced with huge increases in power bills in the future.

Norris said SNC Lavalin, a leading engineering and construction company, will take the lead in the detailed engineering, procurement and construction activities at Boundary Dam.

Cansolv, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell Global Solutions, will supply the carbon capture technology while Hitachi has already been awarded the contract and has begun construction of the state-of-the-art steam turbine that will be readied to be integrated with the carbon capture technology.

Norris said the capture of sulphur dioxide should not be downplayed either, since it will have value added capabilities along with the carbon dioxide that will be used for enhanced oil recovery. He added that several private companies have expressed a great deal of interest in buying and using the C02 for that very purpose since southeast Saskatchewan is teeming with oil-rich opportunities.

"We are moving forward with C02 capture in advance of federal publications regarding its value. We could be waiting months for them. We know this is scientifically sound and we can manage it. Our ducks are in a row," said Norris.

He added that outfitting BD Units 4 through 6 will be deferred until 2020 to 2023 and by then the province and SaskPower will have very reliable data and will anticipate technology improvements that can be implemented at that time.

"As others have deferred, we've moved forward and are committed to this environmental and business decision. We're taking a Saskatchewan position and setting a standard and expect the rest of Canada will understand," said Norris.

As far as further federal financing was concerned, Norris said he wouldn't want to contemplate that at this stage but noted that the $240 million they had put into the program in its early stages was very helpful.

In light of the interest from the private sector, Norris said he felt confident in the project.

Boundary Dam is SaskPower's largest generating facility with six units having a combined generating capacity of 824 megawatts. Announcement of the closure of smaller, older Units 1 and 2 has already been made. But with the province's three coal-fired units producing 50 per cent of the company's 3,513 megawatts, coal is still a major component. SaskPower has a total available capacity of 3,982 megawatts when independent power producers are taken into account.

SaskPower CEO talks about major projects | Business & Energy | Estevan Mercury, Estevan, SK

2011-04-02T16:41:00.000-06:00

SaskPower CEO talks about major projects Business & Energy Estevan Mercury, Estevan, SK

Michael Moore to Wisconsin protesters: 'Don't give up!' - Isthmus | The Daily Page

2011-03-07T07:24:00.000-06:00

Michael Moore to Wisconsin protesters: 'Don't give up!' - Isthmus The Daily Page

Krugman - Shock Doctrine

2011-02-27T09:30:00.000-06:00

What’s happening in Wisconsin is, instead, a power grab — an attempt to exploit the fiscal crisis to destroy the last major counterweight to the political power of corporations and the wealthy. And the power grab goes beyond union-busting. The bill in question is 144 pages long, and there are some extraordinary things hidden deep inside. Read More Here

Rallies for Labor, in Wisconsin and Beyond

In Indiana, Clues Future of Wisconsin Labor

Why I Support the People of Thompson, Canada -- And You Should Too | MichaelMoore.com

2011-02-26T19:05:00.000-06:00

Why I Support the People of Thompson, Canada -- And You Should Too MichaelMoore.com

Sask.'s major Crown corporations form coalition to express frustration about wage increase bargaining

2011-02-02T13:44:00.000-06:00

Sask.'s major Crown corporations form coalition to express frustration about wage increase bargaining

Crown Corporation Workers Seek Fair Contracts

2011-01-31T16:22:00.000-06:00

Monday January 31, 2011

The Common Front, consisting of the unions representing SaskTel, SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskWater, The Watershed Authority and SGI and others, held a joint members’ meeting to discuss the state of bargaining in Regina today.

After negotiating with the Sask. Party government for over a year with no ratified agreements, the members of Communications, Energy and Paperworkers’ Union (CEP), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and Canadian Office and Professional Employees’ Union (COPE) Local 397, representing workers at the major Saskatchewan Crown corporations, are coordinating their efforts to reach a fair ratified agreement for their respective memberships.

“It is indeed an historic day when one sees this level of co-operation and co-ordination between the Crown unions. It is indicative of the level of frustration we are all seeing in the attempt to get a fair settlement for our members,” said COPE Local 397 president, Garry Hamblin.

“There can be no question that the workers at the Crowns are all in this together. Our members work very hard to make our Crowns successful, yet they are treated inadequately, as though they have no value,” said CEP national representative Cam Britton.

Britton added, “This government needs to take a close look at the money-making operations of the Crowns and act accordingly. That means taking concessions off the table and getting serious about a decent wage increase for the people who make the Crowns so profitable. None of the member unions of The Common Front is asking for the moon, we just want fairness for Crown corporation employees.”

The Crowns cumulatively contributed 755 million dollars to the province in the budget year 2009-2010, which helped offset the landmark budgetary shortfall of last year.

Neil Collins Business Manager IBEW 2067 stated that on January 25, 2011 the membership of IBEW Local 2067 soundly rejected the last offer from SaskPower management with a 90 per cent rejection vote. This rejection vote was due to the fact the offer was nowhere near the average of competitive wages in Western Canada and included a number of concessions.

Susan Saunders, CEP national representative at the SaskTel bargaining table, noted that the bargaining unit she represents has not yet begun discussing monetary proposals. “It’s unacceptable that the members are asked to accept concessions when the Crowns are making record profits,” she said. “It is clear from today’s meeting that members are angry at the Crown Investment Corporation’s objectives for concession bargaining.”

Similar issues are found in the post-secondary education sector.

Tracey Kurtenbach of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union (SGEU) representing SIAST employees, notes that their members in education are being treated unfairly as well. She said, “There is no understanding by this government of the value of education workers.” She went on to say that the final offer that has been tabled by management falls far short of being considered fair compensation.

For more information, contact Garry Hamblin, The Common Front Coalition, at 535-4580.

Doctors strike deal

2011-01-27T00:06:00.002-06:00

By James Wood, The StarPhoenix

After nearly 22 months without a contract, Saskatchewan's doctors and the provincial government have reached a new deal both sides hope will keep physicians inside the province.Read more: Here

Health execs' pay hikes show 'blatant' double standard: union

2011-01-27T00:02:00.002-06:00

By Hannah Scissons, The StarPhoenix

"A lot of us were quite flabbergasted. . . . I think it is a blatant double standard, in light of our negotiations," said Dickson, whose union represents more than 3,000 specialized health-care professionals ranging from paramedics to physical therapists to social workers.
She said the justification used for the out-of-scope pay increases, which range from zero to 37 per cent, is the same argument HSAS has been making on behalf of its employees - that their wages need to be "market competitive."Read more:

Why aren’t McWorkers on board with unions?

2010-08-28T16:06:00.000-06:00

http://www.planetsmag.com/story.php?id=150

Like it or not, Reagnomics and Thatcherism has pretty much won the day in mainstream North American political and economic thought. Our attitude towards work — and towards the people who keep the lights on, our streets paved, our homes, offices and stores built — has devolved over the years, to the point where we as a society take it all for granted.

As a result, it’s no surprise that only about a quarter of Canada’s work force — roughly four million people — are union members. Clearly, the labour movement has a long way to go to organize the rest of the Canadian work force.

People join and maintain unions because they want consistency and fairness at work, and they want their health and safety protected. It’s also because they, unlike an increasing number of governments, don’t necessarily define the public interest as the corporate interest. Even the best boss in the world, when the Big Whistle blows, answers to the company — not to the workers.

But the problem is, how do you organize a workplace where people are more used to fighting their own battles — or just leaving them behind, for that matter? Or, a place where people — recent immigrants, high school students, part-time workers and the working poor — are usually so happy to be getting a paycheque that they’re unwilling to rock the boat? For all the complaining about the right-of-centre Saskatchewan Party’s business-friendly labour policies, it seems as though the union movement’s biggest crisis is that it can’t convince the people who should be their BFFs to join a union. Why?

“Listen, the labour movement isn’t a monolith,” says Jim Warren, co-author of the 2005 book On the Side of the People: A History of Labour In Saskatchewan. “Hats off to the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) and the RWDSU (Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union): they’ve always have seen their mission as to organize the unorganized.

“But there are unions that work very hard to advance the cause of labour, and there are a lot of unions that don’t.”

The problems with keeping employees happy in Saskatchewan’s retail and service sector are nothing new. Saskatchewan’s first labour action (as Warren recounts in his book) happened in July 1777, when Hudson Bay Company’s trading post workers in Cumberland House went on strike. Poor pay and lousy working conditions inspired the job action — go figure.

But these days, the Wal-Marts and McDonald’s of the North American workplace are the junior college of the workforce training system. Nobody stays long at most non-unionized retail stores or fast-food franchises. If you can run a cash register or stock shelves at Giant Tiger or Wal-Mart, for the minimum wage or a bit more, you can do the same at Safeway, Sobeys, or Extra Foods/Superstore, where the work place may be unionized and the pay is relatively higher.

And it’s not as if those unionized stores aren’t hiring: the turnover rate at unionized grocery stores is about 30 to 35 per cent annually, says Gary Burkhart, secretary-treasurer of the RWDSU’s Saskatchewan branch. (Which isn’t bad, actually — turnover at non-unionized big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart is often over 100 per cent annually.)

“Everybody I know who shops there tells me they never see the same employees twice,” Burkhart says. “There’s no commitment to the business — and companies like Wal-Mart don’t care: they can always get more workers somewhere else, or so they think. There’s no commitment to your fellow workers — they’re going and gone all the time. And there’s no commitment to the job or the customer, either.”

That makes launching a union drive difficult, of course — because union organizers rarely speak to the same group of employees twice in the same store.

One could argue that the massive pool of McWorkers — drifting from part-time job to temporary job to seasonal work, from store to store and from mall to big-box store — is the 21st century equivalent of “the bunkhouse men,’ a pool of about 50,000 young Canadian men drifting from job site to soup kitchen and back, during the first three decades of the 20th century. Living in frontier work camps, they did unskilled work such as logging, mining, harvesting and construction. Many were foreign born: most toiled for little wages, and even less likelihood that their economic conditions would improve.

But there’s a big difference between the today’s McWorker and yesteryear’s bunkhouse men. The latter formed the backbone of some of the more militant wings of the trade union and labour movement — such as the Wobblies, the Communist Party of Canada, and the CCF. Nothing approximating that class consciousness has seeped into the current pool of McWorkers.

Warren says the McWorker culture is now ingrained in the service industry, more so than in the work places that were unionized a generation ago.

“When you got a job at General Motors, you had a job for life, primarily thanks to the auto workers union. Nobody thinks on the first day of work at Wal-Mart that they’ve got a job for life.”

Burkhard sits on the executive of a union that’s tried, with little success over the past many years, to organize workers in the retail and service industry. There are plenty of reasons for failure, he says. Saskatchewan’s NDP governments were milquetoast supporters of organized labour, and the Sask. Party’s position is about as friendly to the organized labour movement as a flying mallet to the gonads. Bill 6, in theory, gives management as much right as a union to communicate with workers during a union drive. In practice, he says, management now has a way to threaten employees who may be interested in unionization with dismissal.

It’s not only the psychology of the working person that has changed over the years, Burkhart adds, it’s their economic circumstances as well. A generation ago, people had savings to get themselves and their families through rough patches — whether it was unemployment or subsisting on strike pay. But working people’s paycheques haven’t kept up with the rate of inflation. If people today think they have more money, or are able to buy higher quality cars, homes, big-screen TVs or other assorted toys, it’s not because they’re making more money — it’s because banks have made credit more accessible, and people can and do borrow against the rising value of their homes, he says.

Consequently, union contract negotiators are often frustrated by their own members during contract negotiations. When management lowballs an offer, the union executive urges its members to hold out for more money, but the workers — most living paycheque to paycheque — aren’t willing to risk a strike.

“Times have changed. The way people spend the almighty dollar has them overextended,” Burkhard says. “”Organizing those people into a union, when there’s a possibility that the union membership could dictate to a person whether or not they go to work tomorrow — strike vote, majority rule — has an effect.”

Warren also saves some blame for the union movement itself. Since the 1960s, its’ major success has been recruiting ‘white collar’ workplaces — provincial civil servants, Crown corporation employees, health care and education workers. It requires a different mindset from recruiters to recruit potential union members at a retail store or restaurant than it does when recruiting office workers, he says — and so far, union organizers have done a poor job in tailoring their message of solidarity to those workers.

Does that mean unionizing McWorkers will be impossible? No, says Warren: the union movement faced a lot worse — more hostile governments, business-orchestrated picket line violence, that sort of thing — a century ago. It survived those dark days thanks to the dedication of thousands of activists; it’s time for the current generation to display a similar resilience, he concludes.

“The tendency amongst working people to seek collective action won’t die. I think we’re going to see a rebound, because if the organizations in labour that did all the heavy lifting start to disappear, people will find out that there is a reason we got them in the first place,” says Warren. “There’s a reason why there’s a contradiction between employers and employees. It’s all about divvying up the economic pie.”

Is the US Pulling the Plug on Iraqi Workers?

2010-08-28T15:37:00.001-06:00

Early in the morning of July 21, police stormed the offices of the Iraqi Electrical Utility Workers Union in Basra, the poverty-stricken capital of Iraq's oil-rich south. A shamefaced officer told Hashmeya Muhsin, the first woman to head a national union in Iraq, that they'd come to carry out the orders of Electricity Minister Hussain al-Shahristani to shut the union down. As more police arrived, they took the membership records, the files documenting often-atrocious working conditions, the leaflets for demonstrations protesting Basra's agonizing power outages, the computers and the phones. Finally, Muhsin and her coworkers were pushed out and the doors locked.

Shahristani's order prohibits all trade union activity in the plants operated by the ministry, closes union offices, and seizes control of union assets from bank accounts to furniture. The order says the ministry will determine what rights have been given to union officers, and take them all away. Anyone who protests, it says, will be arrested under Iraq's Anti-Terrorism Act of 2005.

So ended seven years in which workers in the region's power plants have fought for the right to organize a legal union, to bargain with the electrical ministry, and to stop the contracting-out and privatization schemes that have threatened their jobs.

The Iraqi government, while seemingly paralyzed on many fronts, has unleashed a wave of actions against the country's unions that are intended to take Iraq back to the era when Saddam Hussein prohibited them for most workers, and arrested activists who protested. In just the last few months, the Maliki government has issued arrest warrants for oil union leaders and transferred that union's officers to worksites hundreds of miles from home, prohibited union activity in the oil fields, ports and refineries, forbade unions from collecting dues or opening bank accounts, and even kept leaders from leaving the country to seek support while the government cracks down.

2010-07-10T01:24:00.000-06:00

“We’re going to show that there is a different day in America — that working people are sick and tired of the bosses getting million-dollar bonuses and the workers getting the short end of the stick.”

Bob King

IBEW All Canada Progress Meeting - Saskatoon

2010-05-30T20:19:00.001-06:00

Premier must keep his promise to consult with the public: TILMA 2.0

2010-04-26T21:26:00.001-06:00

Premier must keep his promise to consult with the public: TILMA 2.0

Regina – Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall will be breaking his 2007 promise to the people of Saskatchewan not to sign the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) if he puts his signature to a rebranded version of the agreement. It appears that the New West Partnership will be signed with British Columbia (B.C.) and Alberta in the near future, without any public or legislative oversight.

In an open letter sent today to the Premier, over 30 groups and individuals called on the Premier to release the full text of the New West Partnership. These signatories made presentations in 2007 at the legislative hearings on TILMA, arguing that the government should reject the controversial interprovincial trade agreement. Today they called on the Premier to conduct a legislative review and full and transparent public hearings on any proposed New West Partnership.

“In June 2007, when he was leader of the opposition, Brad Wall listened to the overwhelming voices of the people of Saskatchewan and made the right decision in pledging that he wouldn’t sign on to TILMA,” says Larry Hubich, president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. “Now less than three years later he appears ready to sign a secret deal that nobody has seen, that appears to be based on TILMA, and he’s hoping the people of Saskatchewan will be fooled by a fresh coat of paint and a new name. I don’t think so.”

In 2007 over 70 organizations and individuals raised concerns about several provisions of TILMA , including those that would lower regulatory standards and that would implement a private tribunal for corporations to challenge provincial rules and standards.

“Saskatchewan was right to reject TILMA then, and it should reject a rebranded TILMA now,” adds Scott Harris, the Prairie Regional Organizer with the Council of Canadians. “Nothing has suddenly changed to make lowest-common-denominator regulations and standards good for Saskatchewan. Nothing has suddenly changed to make giving corporations the right to sue elected governments for millions of dollars for ‘impeding trade’ – decided on by unaccountable dispute panels – suddenly a good idea for Saskatchewan.”
.
“Handcuffing the ability of the province, municipalities, school boards and public enterprises to make decisions in the best interest of Saskatchewan flies in the face of democratic principles,” concludes Gary Schoenfeldt, chair of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Trade Committee. “The Premier has an obligation to show the people of Saskatchewan what’s in this new TILMA agreement before he signs anything. Both Brad Wall and Ken Krawetz are on record as saying they would never sign a TILMA agreement without first consulting with Saskatchewan people and we are asking them to keep their promise.”

The groups are asking when the three provinces plan to sign off on the New West Partnership. In his February 9, 2010 Throne Speech, BC Premier Gordon Campbell stated that the “new west partnership with Alberta and Saskatchewan … will build on the success of the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement” and on March 30, 2010 BC Liberal MLA Douglas Horne tabled a Notice of Motion saying, “Be it resolved that this House support the creation of the New West Partnership with Alberta and Saskatchewan.”

For more information:

Larry Hubich, President, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour: (306) 537-7330
Gary Schoenfeldt, Chair, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Trade Committee: (306) 537-7091 Scott Harris, Prairies Regional Organizer, Council of Canadians: (780) 233-2528

Download the news release here...

Download the open letter here...

Saskatchewan Party government flouts ILO

2010-04-11T15:16:00.003-06:00

by Joe Kuchta

Employment Minister Rob Norris defies International Labour Organization ruling.

The Wacky World of Green Power

2010-04-11T15:06:00.001-06:00

Credit: Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail, www.theglobeandmail.com

Clean- energy advocates say Ontario's new investment is worth the extra cost. Dont bet your Solar panel on it!

SAHO's 'terrible' final offer

2010-03-07T22:14:00.000-06:00

Once the conciliator was in place the unions gave SAHO a fair new offer. SAHO responded six days later with a "final offer" and a statement that they were walking away from the table and from conciliation. Within minutes SAHO held a news conference to begin its taxpayer-funded misinformation campaign.

SaskPower chooses SNC Lavalin-Cansolv for uncertain Boundary Dam CO2 capture project

2010-03-07T22:09:00.000-06:00

By Bruce Johnstone, Leader-PostMarch 4, 2010

REGINA — The Boundary Dam clean-coal demonstration project took another step towards reality Wednesday when SaskPower announced SNC Lavalin-Cansolv had been chosen to provide the carbon capture technology for the $1.4-billion project.

2010-03-07T21:50:00.000-06:00

As a result, one has produced a fuel cell that can turn natural gas or natural grass into electricity; the other has a technology that might make coal the cleanest, cheapest energy source by turning its carbon-dioxide emissions into bricks to build your next house. Though our country may be flagging, it’s because of innovators like these that you should never — ever — write us off.

2010-02-03T00:58:00.001-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

CEOs off to a good start

2010-01-06T01:01:00.001-06:00

By Mark Iype, Canwest News ServiceJanuary 5, 2010

As most Canadians dragged themselves back to work Monday after the lazy holiday season, many were also faced with the reality of high credit card bills and Christmas expenses that were a mere afterthought as they made their way through the packed shopping malls.

But according to a study released Monday, Canada's 100 highest paid CEOs need not worry -- they will have earned Canada's average annual salary of $42,305 by just after lunch on Jan. 4.

"The top 100 CEOs pocket that amount by 1:01 p.m. on Jan. 4 -- the first working day of the year," said economist Hugh Mackenzie, a researcher on a study done by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

2009-12-31T00:01:00.000-06:00

The stocks bubble of the late 1990s was succeeded by a bubble in housing; these were the engines of our economic growth. America's production of goods no longer received the level of investment that had made it the engine of our economic growth from the mid-19th century through the 1970s. The change began at the outset of the Reagan years, when the percentage of corporate profits retained for new investment dropped sharply. A report from the International Labor Organization published last week shows where the money went: to shareholder dividends, disproportionately benefiting the wealthy. In the prosperity years of 1946 to 1979, dividends constituted 23 percent of profits. From 1980 to 2008, they constituted 46 percent.

2009-12-28T09:16:00.000-06:00

After fixing health care, Mr. Obama's next big promise to his social and union supporters was to right the lopsided U.S. labour relations system. Collective bargaining is weaker in America than in any other developed country. Unionization has been battered for decades by sophisticated (often illegal) employer campaigns, so-called right-to-work laws and a Labour Board that stood by while unions were creamed. Mr. Obama's proposed Employee Free Choice Act would arrest, and perhaps modestly reverse, this long decline in collective bargaining. New laws would enhance workers' shots at forming a union, and their chances of getting a first contract once they have one.

CBC News - Saskatchewan - Nuclear plant for Sask. ruled out for now

2009-12-18T00:56:00.000-06:00

CBC News - Saskatchewan - Nuclear plant for Sask. ruled out for now

2009-12-15T23:22:00.000-06:00

“Many of our contractors continue to ask me about our prospects in SK, as they, notwithstanding the current economic slowdown, are in a position to bid on a variety of infrastructure and private sector construction projects that continue to be released. These contractors are very keen to see evidence that they/we can operate legally within the province.

“Any updated information you could provide about the legislative process would be much appreciated.”

2009-10-27T22:21:00.000-06:00

"The difficulty with labour issues is that they are seldom as simple as one side or the other purports them to be."

2009-10-26T00:57:00.002-06:00

NuCoal Energy Corp. of Saskatoon plans to build $6.5-billion plant

How big? How does a $6.5-billion polygeneration plant producing 150,000 barrels per day (BPD) of gasoline and other fuels, plus up to 700 megawatts (MW) of electricity, sound?

And from Johnstone

Turning coal into gas fuels future for NuCoal Energy

Friday's With 2067

2009-10-11T00:34:00.002-06:00

2009-10-07T09:15:00.000-06:00

Sears Canada outsources 250 Regina call centre jobs to Philippines where minimum wage in Manila is 382 pesos or $8.63 CAD per day; CEO rolling in cash

zombie doctrine of Reaganism

2009-10-07T08:51:00.002-06:00

The Powell Memo and the Teaching Machines of Right-Wing Extremists

"The notion that any action by government is bad, except when it benefits corporations and the rich."

also a good read from Harold

Economists for an Imaginary World

Talks fail; Hydro workers hit picket line

2009-10-07T08:33:00.004-06:00

Wages, length of contract said to be issues

By: Aldo Santin - Winnipeg Free Press

PICKET lines went up at several Manitoba Hydro facilities across Winnipeg and the province Friday night, after talks broke down between the utility and one of its unions.

The strike affects about 3,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2034 -- linemen, truck drivers, meter technicians, mechanics and welders.

"Hopefully this will not be very long but no talks are scheduled," Lauris Kleven, business manager for Local 2034, said Friday night while walking the picket line at the hydro yard in Point Douglas at 35 Sutherland Ave.

Hydro president Bob Brennan told media earlier in the day that the union's demands exceeded what the utility's customers can afford to pay.

The main issues have only been described as wages and contract length.

Senator Sanders and Michael Moore

2009-10-05T16:47:00.000-06:00

Michael Moore's Message to Barack Obama and Blue Dog Democrats

2009-10-02T00:10:00.000-06:00

Mexican consul tampered with migrant farm vote

2009-08-17T22:04:00.001-06:00

Threatened Mayfair Farms workers with blacklisting before union decertification vote was held.

Winnipeg (17 Aug. 2009) - The Mexican consul visited migrant Mexican farm workers in Manitoba and threatened to blacklist them from ever coming to Canada again if they did not vote to decertify their union at Mayfair Farms in Portage La Prairie, says a spokesperson for group supporting the workers.

The vote to abandon the union, which they had previously chosen to join, was announced earlier this month.

Read more Here

2009-08-17T06:37:00.000-06:00

Why We Need Health Care Reform

By BARACK OBAMA
Published: August 15, 2009 NYT

Sick for Profit

2009-08-14T17:50:00.002-06:00

The Health Insurance Racket:
Getting Rich by Denying Americans Care

Robert Greenwald on the Ed Show for Sick For Profit: Aug. 10, 2009

2009-08-14T17:43:00.000-06:00

2009-08-10T18:52:00.003-06:00

As Democrats have pointed out, the angry hecklers disrupting town-hall meetings convened by members of Congress are not always ordinary citizens engaging in spontaneous grass-roots protests or even G.O.P. operatives, but proxies for corporate lobbyists. One group facilitating the screamers is FreedomWorks, which is run by the former Congressman Dick Armey, now a lobbyist at the DLA Piper law firm. Medicines Company, a global pharmaceutical business, has paid DLA Piper more than $6 million in lobbying fees in the five years Armey has worked there.

But the Democratic members of Congress those hecklers assailed can hardly claim the moral high ground. Their ties to health care interests are merely more discreet and insidious. As Congressional Quarterly reported last week, industry groups contributed almost $1.8 million in the first six months of 2009 alone to the 18 House members of both parties supervising health care reform, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer among them.

Then there are the 52 conservative Blue Dog Democrats, who have balked at the public option for health insurance. Their cash intake from insurers and drug companies outpaces their Democratic peers by an average of 25 percent, according to The Post. And let’s not forget the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, which has raked in nearly $500,000 from a single doctor-owned hospital in McAllen, Tex. — the very one that Obama has cited as a symbol of runaway medical costs ever since it was profiled in The New Yorker this spring.

Read More Here

Also From Factcheck

Canadian Straw Man

CPR Administers Bad Facts, Again

Olbermann: Legislators for Sale

2009-08-04T17:20:00.000-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

2009-07-31T06:59:00.000-06:00

At a recent town hall meeting, a man stood up and told Representative Bob Inglis to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” The congressman, a Republican from South Carolina, tried to explain that Medicare is already a government program — but the voter, Mr. Inglis said, “wasn’t having any of it.”

2009-07-28T04:44:00.000-06:00

A very small niche of America's uber-wealthy have pulled off what may well be the biggest con job in the history of our republic, and they did it in a startlingly brief 30 or so years. True, they spent over three billion dollars to make it happen, but the reward to them was in the hundreds of billions - and will continue to be.

"the Select Few"

2009-07-13T06:40:00.000-06:00

That's how it works. And it works that way because we let it. The game goes on and the insiders keep dealing themselves winning hands. Nothing will change - nothing - until the moneylenders are tossed out of the temple, the ATM's are wrested from the marble halls, and we tear down the sign they've placed on government - the one that reads, "For Sale."

Just Another Cog in the Machine

2009-07-09T12:13:00.001-06:00

2009-06-24T23:14:00.004-06:00

Tradespeople oppose Bill 80 because it will allow contractors, instead of workers, to pick the union with which they want to deal. The employer chooses the so-called union, and chooses the terms of the collective agreement. That is not choice for workers. Worse yet, Bill 80's abandonment provisions will let unionized contractors shed their unions without any input from workers. Again, no choice for workers.

Bill 80 robs workers of choice

Union blasted for supporting Bill 80

Bill 80 Written Submission

The Truth About CLAC

Wind Generation has it's Problems Too

2009-06-24T23:04:00.003-06:00

Wind farms and gleaming white turbines are springing up across the country as part of the green movement to reduce dependence on coal. But some critics are seeing red, claiming the government isn't doing enough to protect human health, or the environment.

Caution to the Wind - W-FIVE Staff

part one , part two

2009-06-11T22:46:00.001-06:00

"They Were Coming at us Hard before the Election. Now they are backing off because we have a Union Standing behind us"

Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights

2009-06-11T22:32:00.002-06:00

Countries where widespread and grave anti-union practices have unfortunately continued include: Colombia, Burma, Belarus, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Iran, Pakistan and the Philippines. Countries such as Honduras and Guatemala should this year be added to this list. In many other countries, where violations are not as outrageous, there is an overall growing tendency to undermine workers’ rights. Interference in trade union activities has been reported in Iraq, Kuwait, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Venezuela, among others. Despite some legislative proposals or measures in some Middle East countries and Gulf States, migrant workers are still denied trade union rights in many countries. In addition to that, companies continued to take advantage of poor legislation and weak implementation to undermine workers' rights.

Worldwide in 2008, at least 76 labour activists were killed as a result of their actions for workers’ rights. Latin America remains the deadliest continent for trade unionists with over 66 murdered in 2008. 49 Colombian trade unionists lost their lives (including 16 union leaders, 4 of whom were women), a 25% increase over 2007. Trade unionists were also killed in Guatemala (9), Honduras (3) and Venezuela (4) among others. In Asia, at least 6 murders were reported (Nepal and the Philippines), as well as 3 in Africa (Nigeria, Tunisia and Zimbabwe) and 1 in the Middle East (Iraq).

In countries in every region, trade unions continue to be banned, or their establishment restricted. China still bans independent trade unions. Those attempting to unionise groups of workers or organise protests are often arrested, with some given prison sentences and others condemned to ‘re-education through work’.

Read More HERE

Boston Local Installs Wind Turbine on Historic Nantucket Farm

2009-06-11T22:24:00.001-06:00

More than 15 electricians from Boston Local 103 recently completed installation of the first 250-kilowatt wind turbine in the United States on Nantucket’s largest and oldest family farm.
Located less than a quarter of a mile from the southern shore of the island off of Cape Cod, the turbine can produce enough electricity to provide 80 percent of Bartlett’s Farm’s energy needs.
The turbine, which has a rotor diameter of more than 100 feet, is unique because of its size.

“Most turbines are either small models for residential use or 1-megawatt ones for large commercial facilities,” said Herb Aikens, owner of Lighthouse Electrical Contracting, Inc. “The 250 kilowatt is the just the right fit for medium-size businesses.”

Lighthouse Electrical Contracting has specialized in wind power since it was started in 2002.
The farm’s owner, John Bartlett, was inspired to install the turbine after seeing a presentation by Local 103 member Newell Thomas at a wind energy conference more than two years ago.

“His farm had hosted experimental turbines back in the ’70s and was interested in bringing them back to the island,” said Thomas, manager of the renewable energy division for Lighthouse.

The farm, which grows fresh produce for Nantucket residents and tourists, has been in the Bartlett family for nearly two centuries.

Thomas, an electrical engineer, has been an advocate of green energy since the energy crisis of 1974. “Wind power really caught my imagination then, and has held it ever since,” he said.
Bartlett helped finance the turbine through grants from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and the U.S. Agriculture Department meant to encourage farms to establish renewable energy sources. The project ended up costing more than $1 million.

Cape Cod and its nearby islands are quickly becoming a center of wind energy in the region. Cape Wind, a planned 130-turbine offshore wind farm to be located in Nantucket Sound, cleared a major hurdle in January when the U.S. Minerals Management Service issued its positive final assessment of the project.

“We are very proud of this installation and congratulate Herb Aikens for the completion of this significant project at the doorstep of Cape Wind,” said Local 103 Business Manager Michael Monahan.

Coalition Touts Nuclear Power’s Benefits

2009-06-11T22:09:00.002-06:00

With eyes on the present and future green jobs picture, more than 800 organizations and 1,000 individuals have banded together to champion nuclear power’s low carbon emissions, safety and career opportunities.

The CASEnergy Coalition—short for clean and safe energy—boasts a broad roster of members from labor unions, environmental groups, the business community and beyond. More than 130 IBEW locals from California to New York have signed on to the group.

“Good jobs for IBEW members in any low-carbon setting should be celebrated,” said Todd Newkirk, IBEW Utility Department International Representative. Newkirk touted the environmentally friendly aspects of nuclear power—an industry rich in IBEW membership—which provides nearly 75 percent of all carbon-free electrical generation in the U.S. and offsets nearly as much carbon dioxide as is released from all U.S. passenger cars combined.

CASEnergy is a strong advocate for creating well-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced. The average annual salary for a nuclear engineer is nearly $83,000. There are currently more than 30 new reactors under consideration to be built across the U.S. If constructed, more than 20,000 temporary and permanent jobs could be added to the market—many of them with union representation.

“Union members are the best people to help lead this new age of nuclear energy,” said Cranbury, N.J., Local 94 Business Manager Chip Gerrity. Local 94 is part of the coalition, representing nearly 1,000 members at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station and the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant. “When it comes down to it, it’s all about the training and the quality of people. The IBEW has both. Our members know the value of a good day’s work and have high standards.”

President Barack Obama’s and Vice President Joe Biden’s New Energy for America plan includes nuclear power as a key piece of greening the power sector. “It is unlikely that we can meet our aggressive climate goals if we eliminate nuclear power as an option,” a statement from the administration said. While safety is a high concern—especially with this year’s 30th anniversary of the Three Mile Island meltdown in the background—the coalition highlights the stringent regulations the industry has adopted.

“Some people still have the misconception that nuclear is a risky business, when it’s actually the most heavily regulated industry anywhere at any given time,” Newkirk said. “That is why it is important to belong to CASEnergy. It is time for the nuclear sector to be seen for what it is, day in and day out—green and clean.”

CASEnergy is headed by former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and a former Greenpeace leader. Studies presented by the coalition have drawn approval and support from diverse members of Congress, AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department President Mark Ayers and IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill.

“We know that nuclear energy is one of several ways to boost economic growth and support good jobs in the construction and operation of new plants,” President Hill said. “The industry will also help ensure that our nation has a diverse and secure supply of energy to meet the needs of the American people well into the future.”

For more information, visit http://www.cleansafeenergy.org/.

Friday's With 2067

2009-05-07T23:54:00.000-06:00

IBEW President Hill on the Employee Free Choice Act

2009-04-25T01:37:00.001-06:00

Reform US Foreign Policy. Pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

And The CAW is to Blame......

2009-04-20T21:57:00.003-06:00

Tired

"Our complaints are legitimate, but the complaints aren't changing anything. And the fat cats get fatter, and they scoff at our complaints like they're only a big fat joke. This is not a new problem. SO what can we do to actually change this stuff. It's time, and people the little people are listening. "

By Michael Brush - April 16, 2009

As millions of people cope with job losses and struggle to make ends meet, there's been only a little belt tightening in the corner offices.

Despite terrible performances that cost lots of jobs and produced huge shareholder losses, hundreds of CEOs pocketed millions in bonus pay last year -- thanks to good friends on company boards.

Consider the Ryland Group (RYL.N) CEO whose bonus went up in 2008 compared with 2007, though more than a third of the homebuilder's employees got the boot. Or the Honeywell International (HON.N) chief who missed the benchmarks for his annual bonus -- and got $3.5 million anyway.

All told: CEOs earn big bonuses for bad year

* Among all the Fortune 1,000 companies, nearly 400 CEOs got bonuses last year, taking home $402 million in annual bonus pay, according to Equilar, an executive compensation research firm. But that's only part of the picture; more bonus pay figures will roll in as additional companies file reports on 2008.

* These privileged CEOs got an additional $66 million in "discretionary" bonus pay. Annual bonuses are linked to some performance target, while boards can hand out discretionary bonuses for whatever reason they choose.

* These bonuses topped off already-large pay packages. CEOs at larger companies earned about $10 million on average last year, according to Equilar.

2009-04-19T21:59:00.000-06:00

(CBS) The effects of the current economic crisis have touched everyone. Even if you still have a good job and a paid up mortgage, chances are your monthly 401(k) statement will remind you that you've lost a good chunk of your savings.

Trillions of dollars have evaporated from those accounts that have become the prime source of retirement funds for a majority of American workers, affecting their psyche and their future. If you are still young enough, there's time to rebuild and recover, but if you are in your 50s, 60s or beyond the consequences can be dire, and its drawing attention to the shortcomings of a retirement system that has jeopardized the financial security of tens of millions of people.

Retirement Dreams Disappear With 401(k)s

Hot Air on Wind Energy

2009-04-18T21:09:00.000-06:00

Don't expect wind power to replace coal as the nation's main source of electric power, whatever Obama's interior secretary said.

Summary

Day Of Mourning

2009-04-17T23:28:00.003-06:00

April 28, 2009 is the 25th anniversary of
the founding of the International Day of
Mourning for Workers Killed and Injured on
the Job. Initiated by the labour movement
through the Canadian Labour Congress in
1984, the day has taken on more significance
and is marked around the world.
Thirty one workers were killed on the job
in Saskatchewan during 2008. Ceremonies
to honour those killed and injured on the job
will take place at the following:

Estevan & District Labour
Committee Tuesday, April 28th at 7:00
pm at the Estevan provincial courthouse
lawn in front of the Coal Car Memorial.
Call Delaine Turner at 306-634-5268 or
306-421-8333.

Humboldt & District Labour Council
Call Bryan Barnes at 306-682-4466.

Moose Jaw & District Labour
Council Tuesday, April 28th at 6:00 pm
at the Moose Jaw Union Centre (1402
Caribou St. W.) Call the office at 306-
692-8046.

North Battleford & District Labour
Council Contact Colin Lemauviel at
coconb@sasktel.net.

Prince Albert & District Labour
Council Tuesday, April 28th at 5:00 pm
at the City Hall courtyard. Call Faye Hill
at 306-922-0600.

Regina & District Labour Council
Tuesday, April 28th at 5:30 p.m. in front
of the Caron in the City Hall courtyard.
Call the RDLC office at 306-757-7076 or
rdlc@sasktel.net.

Saskatoon & District Labour
Council Tuesday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m.
at the Francis Morrison Library (311-23rd
Street East). Call Kelly Harrington,
president at 306-384-0303.

Weyburn & District Labour Council
Monday, April 27th at 6:30 p.m. behind
the TC Douglas Calvary Centre (400-
10th Ave. SE). Call Wanda Bartlett at
306-842-7938.

Yorkton & District Labour Council
Tuesday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m. on the
front lawn of A-180 Broadway St. W. in
Yorkton. Call Maryann Federko at 306-
621-8948.

Friday's With 2067

2009-04-16T23:42:00.001-06:00

IBEW manager says agreement was no behind the scenes deal

2009-04-16T22:45:00.003-06:00

By Norm Park - Estevan Mercury

Contrary to what appeared in an April 9 press release from the CBC, stating that a deal between a union and Bruce Power was being crafted behind the scenes, the business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 2067 said it just isn't that way at all.

"There's no closed door, conspiracy thing going on at all," said Neil Collins. "That's not how I work, that's not how the IBEW works," he said.

In fact, he said the membership of the IBEW local that represents about 1,600 workers, has been kept abreast of unfolding scenarios surrounding the possibilities of nuclear power generation in Saskatchewan since talk about it irst began in earnest.

Bruce Power is considering construction of a nuclear power plant while IBEW Local 2067 represents employees at SaskPower's coal-fired power plants.

Copies of the agreement signed by Bruce Power president Duncan Hawthorne and Collins were sent to IBEW members a couple of weeks ago.

The letter of agreement notes that if a nuclear power plant(s) does eventually get a green light to produce up to 2,200 megawatts of electrical power in Saskatchewan, the IBEW will be the integral part of the operations and maintenance of the facility while not negatively impacting any of the existing generating facilties or their IBEW employees.

The union, in the letter, also agrees to work with Bruce Power on nuclear advocacy and development of a communications protocol with regards to nuclear power.

According to Collins, the discussions and their results have been made known to the IBEW membership all along.

If approval is gained for a nuclear plant, probably located somewhere between Lloydminster and Prince Albert near the Saskatchewan River, construction could begin as early as 2017 or 2018.

"I'm just looking after the interests of the union members, the future," said Collins. "If a nuclear plant is going to be built here, who would you like to have operating it? Do you want the local guys or someone from somewhere else? If it is going to be Local 2067, then it will involve extensive and intensive training for a few years."

Collins denied that he or anyone else is undermining the coal generating plants in the SaskPower system by climbing into an agreement with the nuclear front runner company.

"Coal is in the future. There is a 300 year supply of it around Estevan. Clean coal projects will move ahead. We can be a global leader with clean coal. If we develop nuclear, I would guess that as much as 70 per cent of it might be exported. They'd probably have to do that to make the nuclear argument," said Collins.

"I see Boundary Dam and Shand being retrofitted for clean coal once it's proven. We can advance that technology with the Boundary Dam Unit 3 retrofit and there would be nothing stopping Saskatchewan from building the first greenfield clean coal power plant. So for anyone to suggest that I, or anyone in the union is talking about coal being on the way out, it's just not correct," said Collins.

When asked why there was a type of negative news tone to the information that was released to the public, Collins said he was not sure as to what was going on there.

"There are no games being played here, not on my part anyway," he said. "I'm just looking out for our members. We operate an electrical grid system already. If you're coming to Saskatchewan to make power, we have the expertise to assist you. If someone wants to operate it, maybe you'd want our guys, well trained, upgraded skills and tested.

If our union has the opportunity, I want to tell our union members they are in the mix. Heck, we've been discussing this for over two years now. I've never hidden that fact. We all knew discussions were going toward such a deal. I've talked with The Mercury and other news organizations about this," Collins added.

"I don't mind getting hammered if I make a mistake, but I haven't hidden anything here like that news story suggested. The membership knows we've been talking about this for years, including all the coal options. We've been talking with the United Mine Workers too ... long before this letter was signed. We're not selling the farm or backing away from coal fueled power generating plants," Collins said.

The IBEW business manager said that instead of looking for a conspiracy scenario, perhaps people should be looking on the bright side of resource development in the province.

"Look at all the forms of power generation we have already. We can do small or large projects, but we know that in the future there will be a huge demand. If oil and potash keep moving forward, they'll require power. It's a supply and demand world and if the supply side becomes limited then we'll have rolling brownouts and stalled building projects. That's why we'll always need the coal and we'll have to build on coal. Demands will double in no time. Electricity can be used as a commodity itself. Sell it."

Collins said that since Bruce Power is a private company, they will operate differently than a Crown corporation like SaskPower. They'll be looking at best value for the dollars invested and "I want my membership to have an opportunity to speak up if a private company comes here to make power and to sell it. I just figure that all the smart people will continue to look at all kinds of options. We're already blessed with what we have.

"I hate it when we sell ourselves short because we choose to be negative with anything that might be new or different from what we've had. We can compete with anyone on this globe. We just have to get on with it. We have the technology, the intellectual firepower, the knowledge from the past. Look at the PhD crowd we could attract here to tie into this mix, if we'd only just look at all our assets and get moving. We don't need to be constantly negative, we should be excited about the prospects. Let's ship our clean coal technology around the world, let's be cutting edge with clean coal," Collins said in conclusion.

The provincial government has just released information with regards to the panel that will be formed to conduct a series of hearings throughout the province that will ask Saskatchewan's citizens to respond to the concept of a nuclear power generating plant within its boundaries. The series will take the committee, headed by Dan Perrins, to nine centres within the next few weeks with one of those stops being Estevan.

I.B.E.W. Local 2067 supports nuclear and other future electricity generation options.

2009-04-11T13:40:00.002-06:00

For Immediate Release

REGINA Apr 9th – I.B.E.W. Local 2067 has signed a letter of agreement with Bruce Power in support of the further development of the nuclear option in Saskatchewan. The agreement was delivered to the I.B.E.W. Local 2067 membership, along with other information, on April 3, 2009.

“This is an opportunity for our Local to expand on our expertise as the biggest union in the generation, distribution and transmission of electricity in the province of Saskatchewan,” said Neil Collins, I.B.E.W. Local 2067 Business Manager & Financial Secretary. “We look forward to continuing to work with Bruce Power and with our membership as the development of nuclear power continues in Saskatchewan.”

In addition to nuclear power, I.B.E.W. Local 2067 also continues to support the development of other forms of generation supply.

“We have been active supporters of the development of clean coal in the province, and that support remains,” Collins said. “We support the Government of Saskatchewan’s view that a diverse generation mix is in Saskatchewan’s best interests.”

I.B.E.W. Local 2067 members currently work at all of SaskPower’s power stations, which include coal, wind, natural gas and hydro generation.

“As Saskatchewan continues to grow and prosper so will our need for clean electricity,” Collins added.

A copy of the letter sent to the Union membership is attached.

For additional information contact:

Neil Collins
Business Manager & Financial Secretary
I.B.E.W. Local 2067
(306) 352-1433

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2067 has 1690 members throughout Saskatchewan. Our Local Union represents electrical workers in the operating, maintenance & line staff with SaskPower, mine operating and maintenance staff with Sherritt Coal in Coronach at the Poplar River Mine and electrical workers with the City of Swift Current Light and Power.

IBEW Local 2067 Encouraged by Bruce Power Feasibility Study Findings

Ontario court says RCMP officers entitled to a union

2009-04-08T00:51:00.001-06:00

The existing RCMP Act 'interferes with the freedom of members of the RCMP to engage in collective bargaining.' - Justice Ian MacDonnell.

Toronto (8 April 2009) - Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have the right to form a union, an Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled in what may become a landmark decision for labour rights in Canada.

In a ruling this week, Justice Ian MacDonnell struck down a section of the RCMP Act that precludes unionization on grounds that it violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He gave the federal government 18 months to alter existing legislation and bring its practices into conformity with his ruling.

Read More HERE

SaskPower's largest investment in its grid to date.

2009-03-29T11:54:00.002-06:00

By Cassandra Kyle, Saskatchewan News Network; Canwest News Service March 21, 2009

Gov't pledges $950M

The provincial government will spend more than $950 million this year to upgrade Saskatchewan's electrical system -- SaskPower's largest investment in its grid to date.

Standing in Saskatoon's 50-year-old Queen Elizabeth Power Station, Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said Friday the spending is needed to provide a growing population with power, ensure businesses have the electricity they need to operate, and upgrade an "infrastructure deficit" left by the previous NDP government. Of the $954 million set to be spent this year, nearly $400 million will go to new-generation projects.

NDP responds

NDP wants to know how rates affected

2009-03-07T01:39:00.002-06:00

But some commentators (Richard Wolffe of Newsweek, Chuck Todd of NBC News, etc.) have likened this to "what Republicans tried to do to the Democrats with Michael Moore." Perhaps. But there is one central difference: What I have believed in, and what I have stood for in these past eight years - an end to the war, establishing universal health care, closing Guantanamo and banning torture, making the rich pay more taxes and aggressively going after the corporate chiefs on Wall Street - these are all things which the majority of Americans believe in too. That's why in November the majority voted for the guy I voted for. The majority of Americans rejected the ideology of Rush and embraced the same issues I have raised consistently in my movies and books.

Why I'm Not Now and Have Never Been the Democrats' "Rush Limbaugh"

2009-03-07T00:55:00.001-06:00

In the midst of the craziness, conservatives are busy trying to blame this epic economic catastrophe — a conflagration of their own making — on the new president. Forget Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush and George Herbert Hoover Bush and the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth and Phil Gramm and Newt Gingrich and all the rest. The right-wingers would have you believe this is Obama’s downturn.

Miracles Take Time

Friday's With 2067

2009-03-06T23:07:00.001-06:00

Emissions project started

2009-03-05T23:01:00.001-06:00

By Bruce Johnstone, Leader-PostMarch 4, 2009

The first phase of a $200-million project to produce activated carbon to reduce mercury emissions at coal-fired generating stations is underway at Bienfait, east of Estevan.

Sherritt International Corp. and Norit Canada Inc. are building the first of four 15,000-ton activated carbon units, which is expected to be in operation by February 2010.

"It's a good environmental product,'' said Kevin Mueller, vice-president of mining operations for Sherritt Coal in Edmonton. "It's going to pull mercury out of flue gases (from coal-fired generating stations). And we're doing it in Bienfait, Sask.''

Mueller said the plant will be the first activated carbon plant in Canada, but similar to one being built by Norit in Marshall, Texas, which is in the commissioning phase. "It's definitely the first of its kind in Canada,'' Mueller said.

Mercury is a neurotoxin, which is particularly damaging to the development of the fetus and young children, and is considered an extremely dangerous contaminant of air and water.

READ MORE

Saskatchewan a jobs 'hot spot' in Canada

2009-03-05T22:53:00.003-06:00

By Mallory Simon CNN

(CNN) -- Normally, "hot spot" isn't the first phrase that comes to mind when talking about Saskatchewan, Canada.

But with most of Canada suffering from devastating job losses, this cold province is becoming exactly that.

It's an asterisk to the entire country when it comes to the economic climate, and Premier Brad Wall is shouting it as loud as he can.

"It's a great time to come to Saskatchewan," said Wall, who even called the Toronto Star newspaper to tout his province's economic success and let Ontarians know there were jobs for the taking.

"For those who are losing their jobs, we need them to know we have thousands of jobs open right now in both the private and public sector," Wall said. "We have a powerful story to tell, a story of success and that's something we want to share with those who are struggling."

Wall's province is one of the exceptions to the unemployment increases battering provinces across Canada. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent in January from 4.2 percent in December, making it the only province recording a decline. In Ontario and the city of Toronto, unemployment rates rose to 7.2 percent and 8.5 percent respectively. To the west, British Columbia shed 68,000 full-time jobs in January.

READ MORE

Who You Calling Socialist?

2009-03-05T22:34:00.005-06:00

by: Harold Meyerson

"We are all socialists now," proclaims Newsweek. We are creating "socialist republics" in the United States, says Mike Huckabee, adding, on reflection, that "Lenin and Stalin would love this stuff." We are witnessing the Obama-era phenomenon of "European socialism transplanted to Washington," says Newt Gingrich.

Well! Even as we all turn red, I've still encountered just two avowed democratic socialists in my daily rounds through the nation's capital: Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders . . . and the guy I see in the mirror when I shave. Bernie is quite capable of speaking for himself, so what follows is a report on the state of actual existing socialism from the other half of the D.C. Senators and Columnists Soviet.

First, as we survey the political landscape, what's striking is the absence of advocates of socialism, at least as the term was understood by those who carried that banner during the capitalist crisis of the 1930s. Then, socialists and communists both spoke of nationalizing all major industries and abolishing private markets and the wage system. Today, it's impossible to find a left-leaning party anywhere that has such demands or entertains such fantasies. (Not even Hugo Chávez - more an authoritarian populist than any kind of socialist - says such things.)

Within the confines of socialist history, this means that the perspective of Eduard Bernstein - the fin de siecle German socialist who argued that the immediate struggle to humanize capitalism through the instruments of democratic government was everything, and that the goal of supplanting capitalism altogether was meaningless - has definitively prevailed. Within the confines of American history, this means that when New York's garment unions left the Socialist Party to endorse Franklin Roosevelt in 1936, they were charting the paradigmatic course for American socialists: into the Democratic Party to support not the abolition of capitalism but its regulation and democratization, and the creation of some areas of public life where the market does not rule.

Visit article original

(Photo: Wired.com)

"Cap and trade" climate change plan coming in spring session, gov't says

2009-03-02T22:59:00.001-06:00

By James Wood, TheStarPhoenix.com

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Party government will move forward with a climate change plan similar to Alberta’s levy on polluters, even as a national cap and trade system appears a near certainty.

The government’s own timeline for its plan — with a centerpiece “technology fund” — is to be released before the end of the legislative session in May.

“We’ll have targets and for those industries and companies that are unable to meet them, they’d pay into the fund and then that money would be turned around. Part of it would go into research and development and the rest would go back to industry to help them actually install or implement the technologies to reduce their emissions,” Environment Minister Nancy Heppner said Thursday.

Read More from WOODS HERE

Clean Coal Project Just Got A Little Bit Closer

2009-03-02T22:54:00.002-06:00

By Norm Park of The Mercury

And then there were three.

The clean coal project at Boundary Dam's No. 3 unit took another major step toward becoming a reality last Friday afternoon when SaskPower announced that they now had a short list of three companies that were being invited to provide proposals to capture carbon dioxide at Boundary Dam Power Station.

Doug Daverne, manager of the SaskPower clean coal project, said the focus is now on upgrading Unit No. 3, a 100 megawatt power generating unit at Boundary, to modern standards while reducing greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, without causing an increase in power rates to the provincial customers.

The companies that have been selected to continue to a next stage of evaluation are Powerspan Corp. of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Cansolve Technologies Inc. of Montreal and Fluor Canada Ltd., with a Canadian headquarters in Calgary.

Daverne said SaskPower's original call for proposals for the large CO2 capture project went out to 15 companies and five ultimately submitted proposals before the end of 2008.

Read More From Norm Park HERE

Friday's With 2067

2009-02-13T23:06:00.001-06:00

Joseph Stiglitz: Nationalized Banks Are "Only Answer"

2009-02-07T23:06:00.004-06:00

Friday 06 February 2009 by: Deutsche Welle

Nationalized banks are the "only answer," economist Stiglitz says. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz talks about nationalizing banks, the outlook for developing countries, and the need for an international financial regulator.

DW-WORLD: Many experts fear that while things are bad now, we haven't seen the worst of the crisis yet. Do you share the belief that we are facing a long decline that could rival the Great Depression?

Read More on this interview By Deutsche Welle HERE

Art Work From: The Financial Times

2009-02-07T22:55:00.001-06:00

THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

Questions and Answers

b y R o s s E i s e n b r e y a n d D a v i d K u s n e t

2009-02-04T13:48:00.000-06:00

President Obama on Wednesday announced a salary cap of $500,000 for top executives at companies that receive large amounts of bailout money.

Obama Calls for ‘Common Sense’ on Executive Pay

2009-01-31T01:17:00.001-06:00

Harper “stimulus” budget falls far short

2009-01-31T01:12:00.001-06:00

On 22 January thousands of Cambodian trade unionists marked the 5th anniversary of the assassination of Chea Vichea. Chea was shot shortly after leading an organizing campaign at the INSM Garment Factory in Phnom Phenh. His killers remain free. (photo: Wikipedia) Click here for more labour news from Cambodia. Got a photo that should be here? Post it via Flickr.

A rare look at the Battle of Normandy in color.

2009-01-31T00:53:00.000-06:00

Friday's With 2067

2009-01-31T00:23:00.000-06:00

2009-01-28T22:28:00.001-06:00

How could Citigroup be so dumb as to go ahead with plans to get a new $50 million corporate jet, the exclusive Dassault Falcon 7X seating 12, after losing $28.5 billion in the past 15 months and receiving $345 billion in government investments and guarantees?

Wall Street’s Socialist Jet-Setters

2009-01-11T20:20:00.000-06:00

Barack Obama gets it, but I’m not sure Congress does. “Yes,” Mr. Obama said on Thursday, “we’ll put people to work repairing crumbling roads, bridges and schools by eliminating the backlog of well-planned, worthy and needed infrastructure projects. But we’ll also do more to retrofit America for a global economy.” Sure that means more smart grids and broadband highways, he added, but it also “means investing in the science, research and technology that will lead to new medical breakthroughs, new discoveries and entire new industries.”

Tax Cuts for Teachers

Moving forward with 'clean coal'

2009-01-11T03:59:00.001-06:00

By James Wood, Saskatchewan News Network; Canwest News Service

SaskPower and the provincial government will face a major decision this year as they attempt to move forward with a groundbreaking "clean coal" project near Estevan.

After inviting 15 vendors to bring forward proposals last summer, SaskPower has received five responses from companies interested in providing the technology for its $1.4 billion pilot project.

The government expects to announce a shortlist in early February and make its technology
choice in the last month of 2009, Saskatchewan Party Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said this week.

"I'm told that the five who've come back are very strong so I guess the bottom line is if you can get five strong competing ones that is satisfactory," said Cheveldayoff, expressing confidence

Read More From Woods Here

The Effects of High Blood Pressure on your body

2009-01-11T02:53:00.002-06:00

GOP memo indicates vendetta against unions

2009-01-09T02:28:00.000-06:00

Fridays With the 2067

2009-01-09T00:22:00.000-06:00

Labor Calls for Unity After Years of Division

2009-01-08T23:38:00.000-06:00

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE Published: January 7, 2009

The presidents of 12 of the nation’s largest labor unions called Wednesday for reuniting the American labor movement, which split apart three and a half years ago when seven unions left the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and formed a rival federation.

The union presidents issued their joint call after the transition team for President-elect Barack Obama signaled that it would prefer dealing with a united movement, rather than a fractured one that often had two competing voices.

Read More From Greenhouse HERE

Unions: A Surprise American Favorite

2009-01-08T00:26:00.003-06:00

There's a remedy for that - the Employee Free Choice Act that's been before Congress for several years. It would greatly increase the penalties on employers who violate workers' union rights, fining them up to $20,000 per violation. And employers who stall in contract negotiations with workers who vote to unionize - another common tactic - would have the contract terms determined in mediation or dictated by an arbitrator.

More From: Labor - And A Whole Lot More

Murray Mandryk Attacks Labour......

2009-01-07T23:40:00.010-06:00

What Do The Auto Worker's Really Make Murray Mandryk ?

Collective shake of the head required

By DAVID LEONHARDT - $73 an Hour: Adding It Up
Published: December 9, 2008 NY Times

Let’s start with the numbers. The $73-an-hour figure comes from the car companies themselves. As part of their public relations strategy during labor negotiations, the companies put out various charts and reports explaining what they paid their workers. Wall Street analysts have done similar calculations.

The calculations show, accurately enough, that for every hour a unionized worker puts in, one of the Big Three really does spend about $73 on compensation. So the number isn’t made up. But it is the combination of three very different categories.

The first category is simply cash payments, which is what many people imagine when they hear the word “compensation.” It includes wages, overtime and vacation pay, and comes to about $40 an hour. (The numbers vary a bit by company and year. That’s why $73 is sometimes $70 or $77.)

The second category is fringe benefits, like health insurance and pensions. These benefits have real value, even if they don’t show up on a weekly paycheck. At the Big Three, the benefits amount to $15 an hour or so.

Add the two together, and you get the true hourly compensation of Detroit’s unionized work force: roughly $55 an hour. It’s a little more than twice as much as the typical American worker makes, benefits included. The more relevant comparison, though, is probably to Honda’s or Toyota’s (nonunionized) workers. They make in the neighborhood of $45 an hour, and most of the gap stems from their less generous benefits.

The third category is the cost of benefits for retirees. These are essentially fixed costs that have no relation to how many vehicles the companies make. But they are a real cost, so the companies add them into the mix — dividing those costs by the total hours of the current work force, to get a figure of $15 or so — and end up at roughly $70 an hour.

The crucial point, though, is this $15 isn’t mainly a reflection of how generous the retiree benefits are. It’s a reflection of how many retirees there are. The Big Three built up a huge pool of retirees long before Honda and Toyota opened plants in this country. You’d never know this by looking at the graphic behind Wolf Blitzer on CNN last week, contrasting the “$73/hour” pay of Detroit’s workers with the “up to $48/hour” pay of workers at the Japanese companies.
These retirees make up arguably Detroit’s best case for a bailout. The Big Three and the U.A.W. had the bad luck of helping to create the middle class in a country where individual companies — as opposed to all of society — must shoulder much of the burden of paying for retirement.

So here’s a little experiment. Imagine that a Congressional bailout effectively pays for $10 an hour of the retiree benefits. That’s roughly the gap between the Big Three’s retiree costs and those of the Japanese-owned plants in this country. Imagine, also, that the U.A.W. agrees to reduce pay and benefits for current workers to $45 an hour — the same as at Honda and Toyota.

Do you know how much that would reduce the cost of producing a Big Three vehicle? Only about $800.

Factcheck: Do auto workers really make more than $70 per hour?

Hubich: It's time to stop blaming the workers

Senate to Middle Class: Drop Dead ...a message from Michael Moore

Hubich slams auto CEOs

2009-01-03T15:34:00.003-06:00

By Neil Scott January 3, 2009

Top auto industry executives should be thrown into jail and the keys to the companies seized by workers who actually manufacture cars, the top Saskatchewan labour leader said Friday.

Larry Hubich, the firebrand president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, said top executives with auto companies and other big businesses "don't do anything'' other than collect big salaries and travel the world on corporate jets.

"It's time for the workers to take over some of these companies,'' Hubich said Friday, the first regular working day of the new year.....

Hubich's comments were partly in reaction to a report released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives indicating that -- four minutes into the first working day of the new year --

Canada's best-paid CEOs had already pulled in what the average Canadian worker earns in a year.

Or at least that's what they pulled in during 2007, the latest full year for which figures are available.

"The 100 highest paid CEOs of Canadian publicly traded corporations received an average of $10,408,054 in total compensation in 2007," the report by the left-of-centre research organization said, noting that was a record average 22.7-per-cent increase from the year before and brought their combined pay packet to a record of more than $1 billion.

"At that rate of pay, Canada's richest CEOs pocket the average Canadian wage of $40,237 by 9:04 a.m. Jan. 2, before most Canadians have booted up their computer for another year of work," said Hugh Mackenzie, association researcher and author of the report.

Read More From Scott HERE

CEO pay in Canada to come under spotlight

New TFSA offers tax haven but risks involved

2009-01-03T15:26:00.003-06:00

Philip Stavrou, CTV.ca News

If you've visited your local bank lately you've probably been asked if you'd like to open a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA).

The new account offers Canadians a vehicle where they can deposit up to $5,000 annually without paying taxes on the interest earned.

TFSA holders must also consider how they want to invest their cash -- through an interest-earning savings account or through higher-risk choices such as stocks that could provide better returns.

Solar Meets Polar as Winter Curbs Clean Energy

2008-12-26T07:03:00.002-06:00

Old Man Winter, it turns out, is no friend of renewable energy.

2008-12-26T01:33:00.000-06:00

Dollar Shift: Chinese Pockets Filled as Americans’ Emptied

2008-12-24T21:33:00.000-06:00

John Kennedy led us on a journey to discover the moon. Obama needs to lead us on a journey to rediscover, rebuild and reinvent our own backyard.

Enough Rhetoric, Already

2008-12-07T00:21:00.000-06:00

By Bruce JohnstoneDecember 6,

Now that Stephen Harper has got his "Get Out of Parliament Free'' card from Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, what will the PM do for the next six or seven weeks?

Will he use his reprieve from certain defeat in the House of Commons to mend fences with the opposition parties and seek their advice in building a new fiscal plan for Canada?

Will he open his heart and his door at 24 Sussex Dr. to new ideas and a new willingness to work towards the common goal of "peace, order and good government"?

Or will Harper continue to play his divisive game of divide and conquer and seek to drive a wedge between the opposition parties and a stake into the heart of the Liberal-NDP coalition?

Well, it's early yet and it is the festive season, so there's always hope that Harper will undergo a Scrooge-like conversion and emerge from this near-political-death experience a changed man.

Read More Here

Estevan Came Close To Being Preferred Site For Nuclear Power Plant

2008-12-06T23:44:00.004-06:00

By Norm Park of The Mercury

According to the Saskatchewan government administration and Bruce Power officials, southeast Saskatchewan and the Estevan area in particular, was nearly selected as a preferred site to build a 1,000 megawatt nuclear powered electrical generating station.
The company released its feasibility study last week and it revealed that Estevan and area scored high on the desirability index but ultimately finished second behind a preferred location somewhere between North Battleford and Prince Albert in northwest Saskatchewan beginning sometime in 2011.

....

Read More from Park HERE and reaction from Business Manager Neil Collins

Sask. Party likes nuclear pitch

When a Job Disappears, So Does the Health Care

2008-12-06T23:41:00.002-06:00

By ROBERT PEAR Published: December 6, 2008

ASHLAND, Ohio — As jobless numbers reach levels not seen in 25 years, another crisis is unfolding for millions of people who lost their health insurance along with their jobs, joining the ranks of the uninsured.

The crisis is on display here. Starla D. Darling, 27, was pregnant when she learned that her insurance coverage was about to end. She rushed to the hospital, took a medication to induce labor and then had an emergency Caesarean section, in the hope that her Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan would pay for the delivery.

Read More From Pear HERE

IBEW Local 2067 Encouraged by Bruce Power Feasibility Study Findings

2008-11-29T09:03:00.004-06:00

For Immediate Release

REGINA Nov 27th - IBEW Local 2067 expressed their strong support for Bruce Power's feasibility study release today identifying a possible role for nuclear in Saskatchewan's energy future. A facility could create 1000 jobs for 60 years and reduce greenhouse gases. The facility would generate thousands of jobs in the construction phase as well not to mention the spin-off jobs throughout our province.

"As Saskatchewan continues to grow and prosper so will our need for clean electricity. Developing a nuclear option for the province is good for jobs, security of supply and our environment" said Neil Collins, IBEW Local 2067 Business Manager.

The report provides the people of Saskatchewan a clear sense of the viability of the nuclear option.

"We support Bruce Power's approach to being open and transparent and look forward to further dialogue with them on the nuclear option" The nuclear option has the opportunity to work in unison with SaskPower’s decision of utilizing clean coal technology on the existing coal fleet to lessen the impact of our environmental footprint" added Collins.

For additional information contact:

Neil Collins
Buisness Manager & Financial Secretary
I.B.E.W Local 2067
(306) 352-1433
http://www.ibew2067.com/

Read the news release from Bruce Power

Read the news release from the Government of Saskatchewan

Sides weigh in on nuclear power in Sask.

e2 energy — Coal & Nuclear: Problem or Solution? podcast

2008-11-27T22:29:00.001-06:00

Carbon capture, storage/Séquestration, stockage du carbone

2008-11-27T22:17:00.001-06:00

Saskatchewan region ID'd as viable spot for nuclear plant

2008-11-27T21:42:00.001-06:00

Cassandra Kyle, TheStarPhoenix.comPublished: Thursday, November 27, 2008

Plant would create 2,000 new jobs during construction, plus 1,000 permanent jobs: CEO

Read More From Cassandra HERE

Leader of UFCW Canada points to "EI Solution" for pension crisis

2008-11-21T07:13:00.001-06:00

Wayne Hanley, the leader of Canada’s largest private sector union says some of the EI surplus of $52 billion should be used immediately to safeguard workers’ pension plans battered by the meltdown of the credit crisis.

“The Employment Insurance contributions paid by workers built up that surplus and continue to,” says Hanley, the National President of UFCW Canada.

“Now use that surplus, as well as a portion of future EI premiums to help workers’ pension plans weather the financial crisis and to improve the funding of those plans.”

Even before the onset of the current dive in the stock market, in the first quarter of 2008 alone the asset base of workers’ pension plans eroded by more than $100 billion. As a result, many plans have been put in jeopardy, or have fallen below the level of assets required under statutory requirements. The result could mean a cutback in what pensioners were expected to receive, or a massive hit to employers to infuse more cash to bring pension fund assets back up to required levels, or both.

Read More from UFCW HERE

ACTION ALERT: Re-negotiate NAFTA now!

2008-11-20T23:56:00.001-06:00

Governments and big business have spent the last 15 years telling us that free trade is good for us. But Canadians know better. The Council of Canadians has found that 61% of Canadians agree that NAFTA should be renegotiated to include enforceable labour and environmental standards.

Why?

Legislation threatens talks

2008-11-20T21:49:00.002-06:00

Angela Hall, Leader-PostPublished: Tuesday, November 18, 2008

"So far what we've seen from the employer's perspective is about 95 per cent of the employees within CUPE's jurisdiction being declared essential at this point," he said, as he was joined by representatives from the Service Employees International Union (SEIUWEST) and the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union.

Read More From Hall HERE

Province's approach essentially flawed

List of essential services still being compiled