Gormley wrong on unions
By Simon Enoch, The StarPhoenix
March 29, 2010
John Gormley's column, Why unions don't want smaller government (SP, March 19), repeats the common but altogether mistaken assumption that, while unions may have advanced social progress in the long-forgotten past, they are increasingly irrelevant today.
Gormley's assertion may come as a surprise to Canadian women, who have achieved a measure of equal pay for equal work only in recent years, thanks to union struggle.
It might also come as a surprise to unemployed Canadians, who have seen EI benefits extended and certain eligibility requirements eased thanks to the lobbying of organized labour.
More generally, it is well documented that the level of union density in a society is positively correlated with greater income equality, egalitarian social programs and rising standards of living. Unions raise wages and protections for all workers, regardless of membership, something that even the World Bank has recognized.
It is no coincidence that Canadians have experienced declining wage gains over the same period that overall union membership has declined. The social health of a society remains inextricably tied to the strength of its labour movement, Gormley's opinion notwithstanding.
Simon Enoch
Director
Cdn. Centre for Policy Alternatives
Saskatchewan Office
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