Category Archives: Just Saying….

The Greatest Challenge Facing The Labour Movement And What Skills Are Essential for Today’s Leaders….Just Saying….

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December 1, 2013    Andrew ChernoffJust-saying

The greatest challenge facing the labour movement is re-establishing itself as a valid and vital movement in the lives of working people, politics and society in the 21rst century.

The fights and struggles that the labour movement had in the 20th century, continue. The gains that the labour movement achieved, are being threatened, challenging unionism and the strength of the union movement

The labour movement needs to rediscover and identify with the roots of its movement—-what inspired the rise of unions in Canada; its impact on Canadian politics; and its influence on society over the last one hundred years.

For example, advocating for justice, health and safety for workers.

Being a voice for decent wages; the 8-hour work day/40 hour work week; decent working conditions.

Speaking up politically as stewards of Canada’s resources and the land,; promoting laws and regulations that not only advance, but protect, our standard of life for all Canadians, now and for the future.

Politically, the 20th century saw the emergence of the federal New Democratic Party which the labour movement helped found.

The impact of the labour movement on Canadian society was no more apparent than the realization of Universal Health Care for all Canadians.

In short, the labour movement needs to embrace the ideals and passions, the inspiration, that got labour and Canadians in general, engaged in the late 19th century and early 20th century, in combating its greatest challenge in this century: its reestablishment as a valid and vital movement in the lives of Canadians, society and politics.

No more less important, and imperative for the labour movement, are our leaders; specifically, our leaders possessing and utilizing skills that are essential in taking on the great challenge facing the labour movement.

For example:

Being well versed in parliamentary procedure and a good public speaker are necessary skills when advancing the agenda of the labour movement whether it is in a union meeting, on the shop floor or at a community hall meeting on a local issue important to all. To articulate simply, clearly and effectively, in a way that instills faith, confidence and engages the listener, creates conversation and participation, and helps to maintain order.

Being a good listener. It is essential in determining what is working, what isn’t working; how it could be made better. If our leaders are too busy speaking, then they are not listening and endeavouring to find out what someone else has to say and contribute to the conversation.

Finally, engagement. The skill of being able to engage those in the union movement in a personal and real way that makes a difference for them; that makes them feel empowered and encouraged that they can make a difference, not just as part of the labour movement but as a citizen in their community, their province and in their country.

Tortorella Has To Be True To His Coaching Style….Just Saying….

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Canucks have to out work, out play, out shoot, out hit, and out chance their opponent’s both at home and on the road. Unrealistic? Ye of little faith.

By Andrew Chernoff       September 11, 2013Just-saying

While all eyes may be on Roberto Luongo for the first few days of training camp that started today, new coach John Tortorella has to do what he does best and which helped Tampa Bay to its first Stanley Cup—be the best coach he can be and get the most out of his players, letting every player know that he is boss,

The players are paid to execute the plan and perform as professionals. Tortorella will be accountable for being outcoached and for misjudgements regarding his assessments regarding each players abilities, capabilities, to execute the plan that he has developed to make the Canucks successful in all areas; and the players will be accountable for not executing that coaching plan, and playing up to that high level of expectation.

The question I had for myself, and others I talked to about the Canucks during the summer hiatus was, is this season a retooling season for the Canucks or a rebuilding year.

The Canucks are in a tough division:

How the team comes out of training camp, and which players make up the roster after the first few games of the season, will help to determine whether it is a retooling or rebuilding year; and if the decisions made by Mr. Gillis in the off season were made wisely.

I am not confident that they have the speed, finesse, the toughness or the depth to match or better most of the teams in their division or in the league at this point of training camp.

I will hold my thoughts of how well the Canucks might size up against the teams in their division, and whether they will make the playoffs until they have played their first month.

My pessimistic side says to wait until the end of January, 2014 to see if the Canucks take a nosedive and their more often than not “seasonal slump” or whether they defy the odds and play at least .500 or better and make a strong playoff run to finish the season on a high note.

I will not wait that long. I will give it 15 games.

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Canucks will play seven road game stretch on the road from October 15 to October 25 which will indicate what their mettle is and how well forged they are as a competitive team and excelling at that high level of expectation or not.

Canucks have to out work, out play, out shoot, out hit, and out chance their opponent’s both at home and on the road. Unrealistic? Ye of little faith.

The Advancement of Harperism In The Face of Glazed Eyes and Extreme Apathy….Just Saying….

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By Andrew Philip Chernoff

August 5, 2013Just-saying

Is the disclosure of the Stephen Harper enemies list just further advancement of Harper’s agenda of Harperism in Canada such as was McCarthyism in the United States?

Headlines like, Harper leads a new McCarthyism in Canada; “Scary time” for Canada; Harper has now introduced McCarthyism to Canada; McCarthyism, Canadian Style have touted the similarity between so-called Harperism and McCarthyism.

Whatever the case one could make for similarities between Stephen Harper and McCarthy, others in Canada believe he has developed his own ism: Harperism that is distinct from McCarthy and more dangerous.

It’s could be called a Heinz 57 mismash of isms transformed into describing Harper’s political agenda and self serving ideology to leave a Supremacist legacy like no other Canadian Prime Minister ever has. Other leaders have tried that, like  Adolf Hitler in Germany.

No Canadian has done or ever dared to do what Stephen Harper has done, and will do, with the political mandate he has left before 2015.

Harperism has been defined as:

  • harperism |ˈhärpərˌizəm|
    noun
    1. the political philosophy that corruption is the highest good and proper aim of government.
    2. the pursuit of power; sensual self-indulgence.
    3. relentless political maneuvering. often informal; always slicker than a greased pig.
    derivatives
    harp•er•ist | noun & adjective
    harp•er•is•tic | adjective
    harp•er•is•ti•cal•ly | adverb
    harp•er•ian | adjective
  • “The January 2006 Federal election results in Canada unexpectedly yielded a minority Conservative Government. The ‘great moving right show’ is having yet another run. In Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada now has the most ideologically committed neoliberal in power since Margaret Thatcher. The five priorities Harper has announced – an accountability package; a cut in the GST; a market-based childcare system; a law and order agenda centred on sentencing; and a reduction in healthcare wait times through increased delivery flexibility – all reflect these commitments. These proposals are embedded in the overall strategic priority of aligning Canada even more tightly with the US through increased overseas military commitments and further economic integration. Canada’s move into southern Afghanistan and increased troop deployment is already sketching in the new terrain. The major boost military spending, tax cuts and marketized public services proposed in the first Harper Budget on May 2 filled in more details. This constitutes the initial agenda of Harperism. It could hardly be more pressing for the Left to take some stock of what the Harper government is and might become.” {Greg Albo, “Figuring Out Harper” (8 May 2006) zcommunications.org}
  • prime minister stephen harper conservative christian evangelical hypocrite
  • reference: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=harperism

A further definition of Harperism has been advanced by Gregory Albo as:

  • …….a clear effort to unite all reactionary and conservative forces into a coherent governing force, most notably to bring into the fold right-wing nationalists in Quebec; deeper integration with the U.S. will be pursued, initially expanding Canada’s imperialist role in military operations in Afghanistan as a component of the war strategy of the American empire, and following this up with trade and security policies to form “Fortress North America”; neoliberalism will be pushed further into social policy with greater market provision in such areas as healthcare and daycare and in the remaking fiscal federalism; and there will be a discursive emphasis on traditional Canadian “values” as a bridge to social conservatism, religious fundamentalists of all faiths. and a “law and order” platform.  This is far from the neoliberalism-lite of the Chretien government by which Canada differentiated itself from the hard right developments in the U.S.

Another has defined harperism as:

  • Harperism ™
    noun (origin, Victoria,Canada) : A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a wannabe-dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent pro-Americanism and anti-environmentalism … all while selling their country out in the name of dirty oil.    http://homercat.blogspot.ca/2012/06/harpism.html

It could be argued as well, that Harper is just plain incompetent, and very good at it….and very good at incorporating it into Harperism.

In his blog Another Point of View, Mentarch outlines his eight principles of incompetence:

  • Zeroth Principle: Incompetence is driven by intellectual sloth.
    First Principle: Incompetence surrounds itself with incompetence.
    Second Principle: Incompetence is ethics-impaired.
    Third Principle: Incompetence abhors transparency and accountability.
    Fourth Principle: Incompetence does or says anything to defend itself.
    Fifth Principle: Incompetence always supports incompetence.
    Sixth Principle: Violence is the last refuge of incompetence.
    Seventh Principle: Incompetence is nothing but consistent with itself.

In defining the intellectual sloth, Mentarch says:

  • …..such a person refuses to accept any fact of reality which confronts, rattles, or even invalidates, the comfort of one’s “convictions”. To this effect, such a person will be arrogant, if not contemptuous, towards anything and anyone that confronts his/her ignorance generated by intellectual sloth“.
  • To this, I also added that one who is afflicted with intellectual sloth is often deluded by intellectual vanity and invariably becomes a slave of expediency. Furthermore, everything is about image and appearance, instead of substance. Truthiness, instead of truth. All of these characteristics underlie incompetence – whether as nations, as communities, as citizens, as blue-collar/white-collar workers, as parents, and/or as thinking, reasoning human beings. In short, intellectual sloth transforms any adult person who is guilty of it into an irresponsible and reactionary child or adolescent, who lives only in the “now” while remaining blind to “yesterday” and “tomorrow”. Such a person thus becomes incompetent – in dealing/composing with reality, or in at least trying to understand it.

Harperism has been likened to fascism and corporatism as well:

  • The 14 common traits of fascism, which the harper government has pretty much covered:

 

PM ~ Harper Government

[x] Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

[x] Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

[x] Supremacy of the Military

[x] Rampant Sexism

[x] Controlled Mass Media

[x] Obsession with National Security

[x] Religion and Government are Intertwined

[x] Corporate Power is Protected

[x] Labor Power is Suppressed

[x] Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

[x] Obsession with Crime and Punishment

[x] Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

[x] Fraudulent Elections

And then we have comment from a progressive conservative who goes out of his way to describe harperism within the Canadian political spectrum in the blog article How To Know When You’re Talking to a Conservative.

Are Canadians really happy with Harperism? Do Canadians believe that if they ignore getting involved that Harperism will protect them as they exercise their apathy and allow others to control their destiny and fortune?

Will drowning their sorrows, escaping into their recreational drugs, losing themselves in their technology, satisfying their other addictions and selfish interests, make for their lives better? Make for a better Canada?

So, tell me….how’s it working for ya?….Living the dream life……giving others the power and authority to make decisions for you and your loved ones?….Your wishes coming true….no cares or worries with the Pied Pipers of “the one-percent” running things for ya?……Just saying….

I conclude with this last thought:

  • First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out–Because I was not a Socialist.
  • Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out–Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
  • Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Jew.
  • Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.”
    -Martin Niemöller

Does anyone see the similarities?

Once again again, the 99 per-cent of Canadians lose.

Take care…..keep smiling…may the force be with you….work safe…drive safe….be good to each other….live long and prosper…..just saying…..

Signed,

Me

COPYRIGHT ANDREW PHILLIP CHERNOFF 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fascism, Corporatism or Harperism?

Bateman Advocates A Race To The Floor For Minimum Wage….You First, I’ll Give Ya A Push….Just Saying….

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August 3, 2013   Updated on August 15, 2013

By Andrew Phillip ChernoffJust-saying

I came across an article titled, “The pay of government workers is way out of line” by Jordan Bateman.

At the start of his opinion piece, Bateman, makes a conclusion that is somewhat  true in municipal politics, but also provincial, federal politics. Even private business, multi-national companies and private corporations practice overpaying their upper management people.

Bateman states:

    • Taxpayers and watchdogs often focus their attention on the top of the government salary spectrum. Government executives are increasingly overpaid, especially at the municipal and regional district level. And the problem is growing.
    • For example, the District of North Vancouver, had 62 employees making $100,000 or more in 2011. A year later, that number had jumped to 93.

Then Bateman goes off into his way out stupor and churns out that “taxpayers are overpaying for labour throughout the system.”

Provincial government deals with their own government employees.

Municipalities and regional districts are separate and distinct from the provincial government and negotiate on their own with their respective employees.

Front-line municipal and regional district workers are not overpaid in my opinion.

Front line workers have wages and benefits that have been negotiated in fair and good faith bargaining in line with their respective municipal and regional district finances of which their councils and boards are charged with being proper stewards of.

Management contracts are not negotiated in the same manner as above.

The public never hears anything in the press, radio or television as to what the management staff in municipalities and regional districts are getting in their contracts….unless somebody applies under the Freedom of Information Act. Through the Statement of Financial Information, which is made available every year, for the last audited year, taxpayers are able to find out some salaries of municipal staff and council members.

Yet the employees have a very public collective agreement that spells it all out. Yet, management contracts are hidden under private and confidential legislation for the most part…..just saying

Front line workers at the municipal and regional district level  do the grunt work out in the field. It is the non-management employees that have the qualifications and certification to do the work on the front line. And work they do.

Front line workers correct the mistakes of contractors; don’t play politics when working; and are the first to hear of the public dissatisfaction.

Municipalities and regional districts MUST balance their budgets.

Provincial governments while they should balance their budgets, are more often than not, tabling unbalanced budgets.

Bateman then defies all sense of logic by taking on the City of Burnaby with its desire to hire a bartender for a wage negotiated through collective bargaining, providing a wage higher than minimum wage:

  • The City of Burnaby is looking for a bartender. B.C.’s minimum wage is $10.25 per hour but liquor servers can legally be paid as little as $9 per hour, plus tips (where they make their real living). Ignoring the bizarre idea that property taxpayers have a bartender on the payroll, Burnaby should be able to get a suitable swill slosher for $10.25 per hour, tops.
  • But this is government – where your hard-earned money gets spent freely. Instead, Burnaby is offering its future bartender $13.65 per hour and 12 per cent cash-in-lieu of benefits, plus tips. That’s $15.29 per hour plus tips, for a job that could be filled for 70 per cent less.

For twelve years the corporate tax rate in BC with a BC Liberal government in power was kept at 10 per-cent.

During that same period, BC has consistently had the worst child poverty rate in Canada and the worst reputation for providing support to highly vulnerable families and children in Canada as well.

According to the article, “ Why does B.C. have the highest poverty rate in Canada?” by Iglika Ivanova:

“The reason why B.C. has the worst poverty rates in Canada is not poor economic performance but lack of social spending, a large low-wage sector, and big gender pay gaps, especially at the low end.

The government needs to step up with a comprehensive poverty reduction plan to boost social supports to a level that covers basic costs of living. Other immediate priorities include providing affordable, universal child care for families (for example, the $10/day plan) and investing in affordable housing for families.

Training and education also jumps out as an area of government responsibility that hasn’t received enough attention over the last decade. That’s why many of the newly created resource sector jobs aren’t going to unemployed British Columbians but to temporary foreign workers and/or migrants from other provinces because we don’t have the skills needed. And since resource expansion is essentially the basis of our government’s Jobs Plan, such job growth is unlikely to make much of a dent in poverty rates.

But while the government must play a leadership role here, poverty is not just the government’s problem. All citizens have a responsibility to tackle poverty, including those who own and run businesses. Business managers are understandably focused on their bottom line, but as members of the community they need to consider the kind of jobs they create, and the kind of life their employees can afford on the wages they pay. Is there job security? Are the wages so low or the shifts/hours so few that they keep the employees in poverty?

35 Vancouver employers have committed to pay a living wage to all their workers and more large companies should follow their example.

But not all jobs created in B.C. are well-paying, family-supporting jobs that offer benefits and a reasonable level of economic security. Despite recent minimum wage increases, a person working full-year full-time on minimum wage earns less than the poverty line for a single person in Vancouver. There has been an explosion of unpaid internships, with the most recent scandal exposed by CBC here.

The bottom line is that we need a combination of good quality jobs and social supports for families who have fallen on hard times. This is particularly important now when we’re seeing a worrisome and rather steep increase in poverty in what’s arguably the best measure of poverty, Statistics Canada’s Market Basket Measure (see here).

Poverty is not an intractable problem, other provinces and countries have taken action and are seeing results. B.C. should too.”

Would Bateman regulate everybody, including himself, to a below poverty line lifestyle?

I call on Bateman to give up his upper tax level “living wage” for the bartender’s job and wage for one year, and then tell his readers the same thing he is saying now.

It is clear that the City of Burnaby, and other municipalities, regional districts are doing their part to provide above minimum wage jobs where they can; to insure stable economies in their communities and regions, where the monies they give in wages are not only possible but are put back in local and regional economies providing spin off jobs and new business opportunities; diversifying local and regional economies at the same time.

Bateman further proposes legislation similar to CETA, that would take local autonomy and control away for decision making by municipalities and regional districts.

Once again, Bateman lacks knowledge and shows his ignorance and audacity to impose his political will and beliefs for all municipalities and regional districts, considering he lives in one community and belongs to one regional district.

Municipalities and regional districts levy taxes in their respective areas. The provincial government does not provide municipalities and regional districts with their operational budgets.

I would tread lightly Bateman, when you suggest, a provincial Compensation Equity Act.

Municipal and regional district employees are not provincial government employees. The Community Charter and Local Government Act, set out the powers of the municipalities and regional districts.

Further, many BC municipalities and regional districts have told the provincial government of their concerns and lack of support for CETA.

I guarantee Bateman if you come to my community and try to impose your ridiculous ideas, you would be met by concerned taxpayers who may not take to kindly to you interfering with local autonomy and local democratic decision making for affairs affecting the community and region.

Further, I would find it difficult to believe that what happens in Penticton, Richmond, Kelowna and the regional districts those communities reside in, presents hardship and dire tax consequences to his community and regional district.

If anything, people from those communities visiting where he lives, would actually aide his community as they spend their hard earned dollars, helping his local business; help to provide living wages for workers including  students going to high school and earning money for post secondary education.

Would Bateman really deny what he benefited from?

I would argue that multinationals and corporations benefiting from low cost labour in BC, ravaging our natural resources; leaving taxpayers to live with the cost to our wildlife, environment and water, are the leaders behind the inequality issues in this province.

They take……10 per-cent corporate tax rate for twelve years, until this year when it was changed to…..wait for it…to 11 per-cent.

They don’t give back…..why?

They use tax payers dollars; take our raw materials; abuse BC labour workers; make gross profits; do nothing to improve well-paying, family-supporting jobs that offer benefits and a reasonable level of economic security.

Bateman’s ideas, and the system he proposes doesn’t work for the best interests of British Columbians, municipalities or regional districts.

If Bateman is advocating a race to the floor for  “minimum wage”, then by all means…..you first….. lead the way Bateman…..get out in front…..I’ll give you a push……just saying…..

COPYRIGHT ANDREW PHILLIP CHERNOFF 2013

PREMIERS PARTY AND CARRY TOOTHPICK ; DOWNPLAY SERIOUS ISSUES AT NIAGRA-ON-THE-LAKE….Just Saying….

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July 28, 2013

Just-saying

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff

Me, myself and I had a really good time debating the point and consequence of the Council of the Federation summer meeting from July 24-26, 2013 at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

They agreed to have Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island host the 2014 Council of the Federation summer meeting.

So what else did they do?

  • The Premiers announced they are committed to a fair and inclusive society, taking positions on support for persons with disabilities, mental health, affordable and social housing, retirement income, bullying and cyber-bullying.

What the Premiers did not admit was while they had no problem talking about committing to a fair and inclusive society, the Premiers as a federation, as they did prior to the 2013 summer meeting, have done little to improve the lives of people with disabilities, mental health issues; little to improve affordable and social housing, retirement income.

Further, bullying and cyber-bullying will I believe continue to a persuasive issue, with little serious impact on the curtailing of the problem.

The Premiers did not provide any public outrage behind the Harper Conservative governments lack of positive leadership on the subject of a fair and inclusive society and how the federal governments legislation, platform and one-percent policies have contributed to the continued erosion of a fair and inclusive society in Canada.

  • The Council of the Federation announced that Canadians will realize real savings in healthcare through collaboration.  Included in this is lowering the cost of pharmaceutical drugs. Don’t get too excited.

Unlike Canada other countries in the world establish fixed price limits that they will pay for prescription drugs. What this means, though, is that pharmaceutical companies raise their prices for prescription drugs sold in the U.S. and Canada to make up for charging lower prices throughout the rest of the world.

Savings on a couple dozen pharmaceutical drugs for Canadians is nothing but an embarrassment to an ever aging and longer living Canadian population, that built a country that the Premiers and the Prime Minister as the Pied Pipers of “the one-percent” are mortgaging and selling out.

  • The Premiers also talked about disaster mitigation, emergency preparedness and response, and rail safety. For years, the Premiers and the Prime Ministers of the governing party in power, have ignored environmental concerns; the aging infrastructure of cities, and all communities in Canada, allowing “the one-percent” to imperialise Canadian resources and products at any cost.

It didn’t matter whether the cost was our environment, the health and safety of our rail, roads, waterways; the resources had to be tapped, extracted, delivered by any means. Damned be the environment; health and safety of Canadians, or future generations of Canadians.

Once again, the Harper government provides little real leadership. He takes his position and does as he is told by “the one-percent”.

  • Premiers discussed their shared commitments to fiscal responsibility and to protecting and sustaining essential public services, including health care, education and social services. They also stressed the importance of modernizing federal, provincial and territorial financial arrangements to ensure that they reflect current realities and support economic development.

Once again….it’s all talk. Stephen Harper has made it clear, as the BC Liberal Christy Clark government has with the public sector: there will be no new money. You get what you get from the federal government. Trim down and reinvest the realized savings into your programs and services.Sound familiar Christy?

It is clear, that there will be no province in the country that will escape the continued austerity measures of the Stephen Harper led federal government. To think things will change is unrealistic when the Pied Pipers of “the one-percent” call the shots, making it possible for his unchecked arrogance and continued corruption of power.

  • Jobs and the economy are key priorities for Canada’s Premiers.

Shouldn’t they be?  Why should that be a KEY priority. It should go without saying, that provincial economies and jobs are the main task of the Premiers as stewards of their provinces. Without sufficient jobs and business opportunities for the citizens in their particular provinces, their reign being the supreme leader of “the one-percent” in their province is precarious at best.

The trick of these Premiers is simple to say, harder to do. That is, to paraphrase a quote from the Bible: Render to unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s (Caesar in this case being “the one-percent”) and unto the citizens of the province those things that will allow the people to be sustained and prosper, so the government of the day will stay in power and Caesar will stay satisfied.

Of course, it will not work as well, because Harper wields a big stick and keeps his sheep in line. That is evident clearly with the Canada Job Grant. The Premiers were clear they do not like it. Harper could care less. He has made that clear.

In conclusion, it is clear that Harper has succeeded in muzzling the Premiers of this country, and has each one in his back pocket. He is the master conductor of the Pied Pipers of “the one-percent”.

Once again again, the 99 per-cent of Canadians lose.

Take care…..keep smiling…may the force be with you….work safe…drive safe….be good to each other….live long and prosper…..just saying…..

Signed,

Me

COPYRIGHT ANDREW PHILLIP CHERNOFF 2013