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:: Monday, September 06, 2004 ::

This Labour Day Educate, Agitate, Organize! Canada NewsWire
This Labour Day the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is sending out the message to its half a million members that we must educate, agitate and organize for change.

"These are anxious times in Canada, many social programs are being redefined by the Martin government due to the chronic under funding of the past decades. CUPE believes that there is an opportunity to affect meaningful change to core social programs like healthcare," explained Paul Moist, National President of CUPE. "There is the risk that Canada becomes hostage to the interests of the privateers. Our members have seen many of our services severely strained due to cutbacks and our communities are starting to buckle under the pressure," he added.

SEIU calls on political leaders to mark Labour Day by making a firm commitment to Medicare Canada NewsWire
On the eve of Labour Day celebrations, one of Canada's largest health-care unions is demanding Canadian political leaders to commit to a publicly funded and delivered health-care system, at their upcoming meeting in Ottawa this month.

'Labour Day celebrates the victories of Canadian workers, and there was perhaps no bigger victory than a universally accessible health-care system,' said Sharleen Stewart, International Canadian Vice-President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU Canada). 'Medicare is one of the greatest accomplishments of the labour and social justice movements in Canadian history. We will fight to hold on to it.'

CAW president Buzz Hargrove's Labour Day message Canada NewsWire

Unions Make a Difference in People's Lives Canada NewsWire
A Labour Day Message from Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress

Labour pains: Canadian unions pressured by private and public sectors, critics Canadian Press
Though unions are being challenged on various fronts in both the public and private sectors, Georgetti says that's nothing new.

"The challenges are always the same," says the head of CLC, a lobby group for Canadian unions and workers. "The people that we work for are always trying to find ways and reasons to push back the gains that we've made at the bargaining table, or reduce them."

While fighting to keep the gains they've won, unions in Canada are also trying to increase membership rolls as they prepare to celebrate Labour Day on Monday. According to Statistics Canada, while four million Canadians belonged to unions last year - a record high - only about 30 per cent of the country's 13 million workers are represented by unions, down from a peak of 34.2 per cent in 1987.

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