Moncton Times and Transcript - September 7, 2009

Greg Weston

As New Brunswickers enjoy the sunshine and students look ahead to another year of classes during the last long weekend of summer, the original meaning of Labour Day can be easily overlooked, even as union leaders say it remains more relevant than ever.

Parades and picnics are being held across the province this weekend to celebrate the legacy of organized labour. Daniel Legere, president of the New Brunswick branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said the holiday has an important meaning for his members.

"I see it as an occasion for labourers across the board, whether you're making minimum wage or are higher up the pay scale, to celebrate our hard-won battles over the years. That's the essence, it's a day of celebration and sharing," he said during a Labour Day picnic in Moncton yesterday.

New Brunswick's Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour also acknowledged the labour movement's contribution towards shaping the current social landscape.

"Labour Day is an opportunity to pay tribute to those whose past efforts have helped shape today's modern workplace," Donald Arsenault said is his Labour Day message. "It is an occasion for us to remember the importance and dignity of work, and to restate our commitment to health and safety in the workplace."

Michel Boudreau, president of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, said that many of the advances of the past century could not have been attained without the driving force of organized labour.

"It's been proven that, where there's a union in place, with time we get a better pension, better wages and a better quality of life," he said, adding that organized labour has also helped to promote equality between men and women.

Such advances towards gender equality were demonstrated by a statement from the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) this weekend, which showed women outnumbering men in the Canadian workforce for the first time in history. An average of 7.1 million women were employed in Canada during the first half of 2009, compared to 6.9 million men. The CAW analysis was based on data collected by Statistics Canada.

However, the CAW also states this can partially be explained by layoffs in certain areas during the recent economic downturn, such as manufacturing. The relative increase in the number of women in the workforce can also be explained by expansion in sectors traditionally dominated by female workers, including sales, hospitality and social services, which have recently experienced job growth.

While people may remember the advancements made by unions over the years, Boudreau said the challenges facing the movement do not only exist in the past.

"It's really important for people to recognize that Labour Day is there for a reason," he says, adding that unions must continually work to improve education, pensions and bargaining rights. "You saw with the recession, if you let the big corporations run the world, you see what goes on. Imagine with no unions to continue to fight, to continue to lobby. We need organized labour and unions more than ever."

Arsenault said that the province continues to support the cause of organized labour as it pursues such goals.

"We ask a great deal of New Brunswick workers," he said. "In return, we continue to work to advance their rights and well-being. We facilitate productive labour relations, along with a fair, safe, healthy, stable, co-operative and productive work environment." He highlighted the recent rise in minimum wage, the second such increase in six months, as an example of the government's accomplishments towards these ends.

Although many people may forget the true meaning of Labour Day, Legere said education of such issues is a part of a union's job.

"That's a challenge that all unions have, to educate our membership that the collective agreements they have weren't just handed to them. Everything in there was fought for and negotiated for at bargaining tables and, in some case, through strikes. The employers didn't just hand those things over," he said.

But he thinks that labour unions will be up to the challenges presented by the current economic climate.

"We don't have a whole lot of choice," he said. "The reasons that unions came about to be are becoming more prevalent today and the pendulum has made a complete swing. I think unions are even more relevant today, more than 10 years ago."