When I was asked about a year ago to help fund an anti Hargrove ad and some anti Harper stuff and another silly idea, I refused and resigned my membership after quite a lot of ideas. I consider Hargrove to be an unimportant flea - no one has any illusions about this blowhard. Anything at all against Harper a huge mistake and an open invitation to get the despicable Liberals back into power.

I suggested at the time that you should concentrate on important things like making union membership an embarrassing thing to admit - rather like membership of the Ku-Klux Clan; and an unacceptable and un-Canadian thing to do. Your activities listed above are a start, but you have to be ruthless. The full-time officials have no conscience about anything they do, and have no time or respect for their members. I know all this as I come from the UK and had to close several factories because of union dishonesty and crime. To make matters worse in Canada, the supreme court approves of union bullying and other unattractive activities. You have to play this to win.

Reminds me of my friends in the BCTF who decided that abortion on demand, the ANC in South Africa, gay activism, etc, etc. were legitimate objects of collective bargaining.

One career later, I’ve heard all I need about ‘freedom of association’, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion, etc.

Just try and exercise them, and you will find out the meaning of black farce.

Cheers

I served with the federal government and was compelled to join the union. I saw them take my hard earned money and fund pro abortion, pro homosexual, anti Christian, anti family agendas as well as assist in the election campaign of a federal political party I did not support.
This is communism. When I tried to leave the union and have my union dues directed to a Christian charity to feed the homeless…I was told that was impossible. I needed to belong to a religion where union membership was prohibited. The union lawyers did their work well….no such religion that I’m aware of…so…even as a ‘non member’….my payroll deducted dues went to the federal union…to fund programs I was diametrically opposed to. Free country? Not here….I suggest you read “Betrayal” by Linda Chavez….How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics….the similarities are shocking…..
I commend the NCC for outstanding work!

Thomas.
Chilliwack. BC.

Canada went into the dark ages in 1991 with the Mervin Lavigne decision by the Supreme Court. In effect, this decision said that union members must do as the union executive demands without question, and that unions are effectively untouchable. Since this heavy-handed decision, which was soundly criticised by just about every newspaper in Canada, no serious union challenges have been mounted in the courts.

Perhaps the Supreme Court has by now moved its position a little, so that it is no longer slightly to the left of Karl Marx. This might be the time for a new challenge.

What wonderful news this is! Personally it does not matter to me, I am now semi retired and was self employed since the mid-seventies. But the idea of compulsory unionism has no place in a democracy.

We all know that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The union bosses in Canada can’t afford to have happy members, if they are, who needs a union? The union needs an enemy to fight, or they are out of business!

I came from the Nertherlands, where an employee can choose: 1. A Roman Catholic Union, 2. A Protestant Union; 3. A secular Union; and best of all: 4, NO union!

This makes union bosses MUCH more open to reason, because they have to compete and make membership attractive.

You should bring up Bertha Wilson, a supreme coust charge who cost NCC a lot of money, and how wrong she was. Even though she has died she probably has relative s who could be embarrassed( a good thing).

This subject is a must for the NCC It would be good to have a chance at a second round.

John Elliott

I am not surprised in the least! Until our federal supreme court and courts of appeal get more right wing judges as opposed to the lefties presently there that ruled against Merv Lavigne back in 1991 in favor of the unions doing whatever they want with union dues, this will just continue. Prime Minister Harper will have to appoint right wing judges to get fairer decisions. His government needs to do something legislation wise to correct the erroneous decision against Merv Lavigne back in 1991.

Steve McCullough

Orangeville, Ontario

As usual you are right on the money..no pun intended.I wish all Canadian union members get the opportunity to learn all there is to know regarding what is good and not good for themselves.How can we teach their members to think?
paula moshonas,toronto

Retired for some years now, I recall a time when union membership was not compulsory. The democracy of which the NCC speaks was not to be found in the workplace in those times and management was able to write, and change, the rules at will. Nor was management bound by labour laws.

I don’t know if I can really add anything to the excellent comments that have already been stated. I was in a union for years with my previous employer and absolutley deplored their biased political activities with the millions of coerced dues they collected from the members. Members, for the most part who where oblivious to the full extent of their activities. I now work in a industry that has no union. How refreshing.
NCC keep up the good work on this one and try to get this so called conservative government of Harper to listen and take action against these anti-freedom unions….Thank you