I see that one of the first efforts of the new head of the Canadian Auto Workers union is to attempt to unionize Westjet.
Unions have despised the existence of Westjet pretty much since the company’s founding. While airlines have been foundering and draining subsidies in North America since 911 with every excuse from fears of terrorism to increased fuel costs, Westjet has continued to chug along with increasing profits and expansion. The executives of Westjet have never hesitated to point out that one of their primary reasons for success is that they are not bound under the yoke of organized labor.
Unions would love nothing more than to bleed this successful company and drag it into non-profitability as they have with every other airline. Organized labor is fading and such a glaring example of union failure drives the fattened union-heads wild.
CUPE has tried multiple times to get into Westjet and failed. The crooked Teamsters union tried to get a piece of Westjet and failed. Now the Canadian Auto Workers union is getting in line to be rejected by the workers at Westjet.
Westjet has never had layoffs. Westjets profit sharing system and general employee satisfaction is the envy of the corporate world. Why on earth would they employees of Westjet consider jumping on with the Canadian Auto Workers union which has been instrumental in the layoffs of tens of thousands in the Canadian auto sector? The Canadian Auto Workers are part of Air Canada’s unions. Air Canada has been losing countless millions and is doing mass layoffs. The union has been an utter failure wherever is manages to organize.
The only union “victories” we have seen in Canada in the last few years have been the organization of some individual McDonald’s restaurants and Wal-Mart stores (that subsequently shut down). Perhaps the unions should stick to organizing fry-cooks and greeters. Skilled labor no longer has use for unions and the coming rejection of the CAW by Westjet employees will demonstrate that yet again.
Oh yes, I must not forget another recent Canadian union milestone. The Industrial Workers of the World have managed to organize panhandlers and squeegee kids in Ottawa and Vancouver. I imagine the dues being collected must be significant.
How would we ever get by if pandhandlers went on strike?
“Why on earth would they employees of Westjet consider jumping on with the Canadian Auto Workers union which has been instrumental in the layoffs of tens of thousands in the Canadian auto sector? The Canadian Auto Workers are part of Air Canada’s unions. Air Canada has been losing countless millions and is doing mass layoffs. The union has been an utter failure wherever is manages to organize.”
Many people rail against unions for the wrong reason. What I quote above is the right reason. You are absolutely correct. The CAW has worked hand-in-glove with the corporations to facilitate the destruction of jobs. The problem extends beyond the auto sector, though. I know this from first-hand experience. I worked in the telecomm sector for over 23 years before I lost my job due to layoff, and if it wasn’t for the CAW local that negotiated ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY and IN OPPOSITION TO THE WISHES OF THE RANK AND FILE I would still be working. As it stands I am out of work while other workers with less than two years seniortity remain. It is a long and complex story:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/int-a07.shtml
Suffice to say that unions in general and the CAW in particular are nothing more than appendages to the corporations. They have no interest in defending the members or improving their lives. All that motivates them is the need to maintain the dues base that’s been badly eroded by agreeing to concession after concession. This is why they want to organize WestJet.
For WestJet’s employees sake STAY AWAY!.
Maybe CAW should think about forming a union for the Chinese Auto Industry, before there is a takeover here – http://www.monsterauto.ca/chinese-cars.php
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