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Why I’m voting NDP
I recently spent a day canvassing with NDP’s Peggy Nash. I’ve worked with MPs Andrew Cash and Rob Oliphant too. In support of their campaigns or just as a colleague fighting for workers’ rights and the public interest.
Maybe it seems strange that I’ll support both NDP and Liberal candidates. The thing is; I’m interested in people who stand up for the working Canadian. People who understand our membership and our industry.
When it does come to party politics, I want a federal government dedicated to keeping jobs in Canada. A government that supports a healthy telecommunications sector accessible to consumers and communities.
Not Harper’s Conservatives, in other words.
Harper has attacked unions, undermined health and safety laws. And he’s made foreign ownership of Canadian companies easier. Now Harper’s talking about international trade deals – without saying how they’ll work.
In our industry, the Conservatives have offered up telecom spectrum to Americans without reciprocity. They’re threatening Canadian jobs. They’ve also failed to regulate the sector in the public interest. Better access to reliable and affordable telecom services isn’t assured either.
The NDP inspires confidence.
They’ve called the Conservatives out on the secrecy behind the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership. And they’re only in favour of foreign investment policies if they support Canadian jobs.
They’ve also pledged to reintroduce the Fair Wages and Hours of Labour Act. Abolished by the Conservatives, it ensures adequate compensation for tradespeople working on federal contracts.
The NDP is committed to repeal Bills C-377 and C-525, which make it difficult for workers to join a union. These bills also cost unions and other professional organizations millions of dollars in unnecessary red tape.
The NDP supports affordable childcare, a universal drug plan, fair wages, and human rights. They seem to understand the range of issues confronting working Canadian families today.
People as committed to public interest are inspiring.
Did you know she ran ten times before getting elected? That’s commitment. That’s grit.
She’s also traveled the world, led union negotiations, and fought for women’s rights.
Peggy stands up for working people, pushing workplace and social equity.
Most of all, she’s there on the street in Parkdale, participating in her community and listening to what matters to her constituents.
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure Stephen Harper isn’t listening to people like us.
Tonight, I’ll be out in my riding supporting Andrew Cash.
Voting day is October 19th – so WHOEVER you support, it’s important to get out and mark that ballot!
Shining the light on disability legislation in Canada
I had trouble doing squats the other day at the gym as a result of an old injury–it turns out I have a degree of osteoarthritis in my hip. I can work with it, but it could get worse one day.
Would an employer see me as diminished? Would an employer begin to build a case for dismissal because it became difficult for me to get up stairs? Would they manage me differently knowing I was physically challenged?
It’s a sad reality that employers routinely get rid of loyal, engaged, dependent employees instead of working with them through their challenges.
It’s also short-sighted. Our research shows that on the whole, helping people adjust to physical and mental health changes costs less than planning and executing tactics to abandon them. Many employers, focussed on quarters instead of careers, miss the chance to capitalize on the efforts of people who can often be accomodated for a few hundred dollars.
The unofficial practice is base; it aims to externalize the cost of addressing a team member’s challenge to the community at large; to our health care systems and other support services. People’s lives can easily spin out of control when they’re dismissed in their time of need, and this process plays a role in converting a contributing member of society to a dependent. It’s cold, crass, and no one wins except for a few shareholders, in the short term.
Not in Ontario. We’ve got the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA”).
The AODA is designed to remove the barriers that prevent or limit people with disabilities from participating in a variety of activities in Ontario – including employment, receipt of goods and services, transportation, the built environment and information and communication – through the enactment of legislated accessibility standards.
The AODA complements the requirements under the Human Rights Code and other laws that protect disabled people from discrimination or harassment. Its goal is to have organizations take proactive measures to address accessibility issues related to employees, customers and other members of the public.
It includes clear, progressive (perhaps obvious in hindsight) guidelines like:
- All new buildings require affordances for accessibility.
- All renovations are subject to the requirement of building these features.
- All employers are required to have training in their workplaces.
In other words, Ontario has made it illegal to discriminate against people based on their physical or mental condition.
If it wasn’t embarrassing enough that these stigmas are institutionalized to the degree that we need laws to address them, consider the sad fact that Ontario is a progressive leader in this space; the other provinces have some catching up to do.
And we’re going to do everything in our power to help them.
The second in-person Canada Council meeting brought each of the elected “Workers with Disabilities” leaders together to introduce and discuss our “Shining the Light” campaign.
To increase the ability of employers to get people back to meaningful work, we’re starting by spreading the word about the foundation Ontario has set. We hope that our fellow provinces will seize best practices and adopt them.
We’ll share updates here, but feel free to ask about Shining the Light, the Canada Council for Workers with Disabilities or the AODA in the comments.
Progressing Re/integration of Persons with Disabilities
On Thursday, September 10th I volunteered to attend an event Recognizing Professional Excellence in the Re/integration of Persons with Disabilities. There were many inspiring keynote speakers and activists dedicated to fighting for the rights of workers with disabilities.
It is important that we take action for workers like Wolfgang Zimmermann, someone who at only 20 years old was instructed to cut down trees using a chainsaw on his first day on the job with absolutely no training. A tree fell on him and broke his back, leaving him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Unfortunately he was not offered accommodation or retraining for a different position. Instead he was left fighting a system that provided no support for workers with disabilities. Wolfgang is one of the founders of Pacific Coast University, and his passion for increasing awareness about the return to work and disability management programs offered at this institute is truly awe-inspiring.
The evening promoted return to work efforts for individuals who have acquired a disabling impairment, promoted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and recognized individuals who have achieved an internationally recognized professional competency standard in Return to Work and Disability Management.
Of specific interest was Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Science and the specialized training programs they offer for Return to Work and Disability Management. As a partner with the United Nations accredited International Social Security Association (ISSA), Pacific Coast offers a superior educational experience and innovative curriculum designed with guidance from the internationally renowned National Institute for Disability Management and Research.
Research shows the most successful return to work programs employ practitioners with specialized education. With increasing economic and social realities facing employers and workers continuing to “shine the light” on workplace health issues, the global demand by organizations for professional support is growing. I believe that Unifor and our current campaign (Shine the Light- See the ability not the disABILITY) can have a significantly positive impact on promoting such education and training through numerous potential avenues.
Having return to work specialists available to properly reintegrate technicians that have been affected by an illness, injury or other disability is critical. 1 in 3 people will suffer some degree of a disability over the span of their working lives. Having a professional looking out for their rights and fighting for fair accommodation with adequate training will ensure that the BTS workforce is productive and all individuals are contributing to the everyday successes of the business. I plan to approach BTS to discuss the possibility of their participation in training or hiring a trained professional to implement return to work programs and adequate disability management.
Sam Snyders
President, Local 1996-O
416 Health and Safety Co-Chair
Unifor Chairperson Workers with Disabilities
LRC Committee and JSDC Committee
Ont. Bargaining Rep
Telecommunications Industry Council Representative
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unifor1996?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Twitter : https://twitter.com/SammySnyders
The Kiss of Life by Rocco Morabito.
This 1967 award-winning photo entitled “Kiss of Life” shows two power linemen, Randall Champion and J. D. Thompson, at the top of a utility pole.
They had been performing routine maintenance when Champion brushed one of the high voltage lines at the very top. These are the lines that can be heard “singing” with electricity. Over 4000 volts entered Champion’s body and instantly stopped his heart (an electric chair uses about 2000 volts).
His safety harness prevented a fall, and Thompson, who had been ascending below him, quickly reached him and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He was unable to perform CPR given the circumstances but continued breathing into Champion’s lungs until he felt a slight pulse, then unbuckled his harness and descended with him on his shoulder.
Thompson and another worker administered CPR on the ground and had moderately revived Champion by the time paramedics arrived.
Champion survived and lived until 2002 when he died of heart failure at the age of 64. Thompson is still living. The photograph was published in newspapers around the world.
Our job at BTS can be extremely dangerous as we have to climb ladders and poles and deal with live electricity. Always consider the risks before proceeding. Never sacrifice your safety for speed or complacency.
Use your training and skills in the use, handling, maintenance, inspection, and transportation of an extension ladder, including how to safely arrange, set, and adequately support a ladder in a range of soil conditions. Wear safety boots in good condition that meet the standards and have non-skid soles. Inspect the route that you’ll travel to bring the ladder near the pole: Is it flat and without obstacles, holes or differences in ground level? Always use your personal protection equipment, anti-fall device or a safety harness, etc.
Technicians are highly qualified, skilled people who are well aware of the risks inherent in their work.
Always use training, experience and personal protective equipment to mitigate risk!
We risk our lives, limbs and health in the workplace; taking shortcuts to increase profits for employers eventually catches up with both workers and employers.