By Stephen Gray
“Restrict ourselves to bargaining only - not on your life!”
Buzz Hargrove, President, Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) writing in the Financial Post, August 3, 2004.
Hello brothers and sisters; happy Labour Day to you all. Here is this year’s message for the rank and file that you won’t get from the Union Boss of Union Bosses:
Your compulsory union dues are a continuing source of support for a multitude of special interest groups across the country. A bit of good news is that you will no longer be forced to support the Socialist Party with your dues. New federal government legislation now funds all political parties with the peoples’ tax dollars. This should enable the comrades, oops I mean the Brothers and Sisters at Labour Centrals, to give more of YOUR money to all the organizations who have been feeding off your union dues for years. Now isn’t that a nice thought? Money makes the world go round and many of these groups could not get around, or off the ground, without your compulsory support. Everybody sing one verse of “Solidarity Forever.” Aren’t the union bosses clever? They send some of our dues for other organizations to use. Groups like National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), Women’s Legal and Education Fund (LEAF), Equality for Gay and Lesbians Everywhere (EGALE), Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics (OCAC), Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), Morgentaler’s Defence Fund, and numerous left-wing magazines, are just some of the many organizations who have had money from your compulsory union dues.
Your union dues have also been used to fund union businesses owned by unions. Did you get a shareholders report on this? Or did you get a dividend from these union businesses? I’m sure all you laid-off workers out there who have lost your jobs and perhaps your houses because you were unemployed will be happy to know that the dues you paid for years are helping others to run businesses. Gee, I hope these businesses are unionized. Maybe some of you workers should apply to these unions for refunds or loans. After all, it is YOUR money, so you should have a share in these union businesses.
Never mind that the Union Business Corporation or Collective Labour Corporation (CLC) continues to ask the question: “Is your work working for you?” to which an enquiring rank and file member might write and ask of the CLC: “Are you working for us, or all the special interest groups that have been funded with our money?” Then the Union Boss of union bosses might write to the rank and file member: “All these non-work issues are decided democratically at conventions.” Then the rank and filer might reply: “Unions are certified for collective bargaining, not collective coercion. And who ever heard of compulsory democracy?”
Anyway, we all know unions are “democratic institutions,” that’s why they are funded by compulsion. Union “democracy” is a wonderful system. Where else can an organization be funded by compulsion and still be called “democratic?” Or as Brother Ken says: “What people perceive us to be is selfish, self-centred, closed, undemocratic..” But he then goes on to say: “But that’s not true.”(Financial Post, Sept 4, 2004). Ah Brother Ken, your first statement about being “undemocratic” was right on the money.
Compulsory democracy works well for the union bosses. Some of them sit as directors on a real estate and development company owned by union members pension funds. Do the union bosses get directors fees? Some pension members should ask them. Strange thing though, this company owned by union pension funds donated money to the governing provincial Liberal Party in B.C. This government was laying off workers and shutting down old folks homes and hospitals. Funny thing though, the Union Boss of union bosses never sent out a press release informing the membership about this financial contribution. Why would a union pension fund contribute money to a party that has been attacking union members? This donation surely gives new meaning to “solidarity forever.” A cynical union member might say, “Whose interests are our union bosses looking after?” This Big Union Boss berates “greedy capitalists” yet consorts with them. But, somebody has to do the “union business.” Oh well, at least your union dues are paying his and the other union bosses salaries as they go about “union business.”
According to Diane Francis, in the Financial Post (September 4, 2004), “Union boss [Brother Ken] presents a kinder, gentler image.” Too bad Ms. Francis did not ask the Union Boss of union bosses about all the money squandered by unions on special interest groups. Instead we are told that “Ken” says his role at the CLC is, “…like conducting an orchestra.” Unfortunately many union members don’t like the music nor the orchestration of their union money going to non-work related issues.
Anyway the compulsory union dues business is a great business to be in. It can never go broke, financing is compelled, it is tax free and dues can always be increased if more money is needed. The special interest groups funded by compulsory union dues love this union business. The hangers on and bureaucrats in the union bureaucracies are also great believers, some of them move back and forth from the Socialist Party to Union H.Q. No layoffs for these people. So all you rank and file members take a bow. You are the walking money trees that help to keep a whole industry of special interest freeloaders in existence. So this Labour Day pause and reflect how you are being used and abused with your own union dues. In the words of the famous writer Goethe, “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
Stephen Gray
September 4, 2004.
Email: graysinfo@yahoo.ca Website: http://www.oocities.org/graysinfo
Some info on the author: Stephen Gray is a writer and researcher on various topics. He published a newsletter for 11 years exposing the misuse of trade union time and money.