Can it Get More Mean Spirited Than That?

First the Harper Government signaled that they would bring in back to work legislation, so they could get the mail moving, after Canada Post locked out the postal workers. That, in and of itself was pretty outrageous, considering that the Government could simply tell the crown corporation to lift the lock out if they were concerned about mail service. Hell, I was getting regular mail delivery before the lock out. 

But no, Labour Minister Lisa Raitt, who claims to have a familial connection to labour - they must be estranged - did a quick jig around that issue and said the parties should get back to the table and that they were just trying to help.

So,  the legislation hit the table this week. In it, she wants to force the parties into a final offer selection process which is at least more fair than having an arbitrator decide the outstanding issues.

What did shock most fair minded Canadians however was the way the government bill dealt with the wage issue. The proposed back-to-work legislation sets out a wage settlement that is actually lower than Canada Post’s last offer.

Raitt's legislation calls for a wage settlement of 1.75 per cent in the first year, 1.5 per cent in the second year, and 2 per cent each in the final two years.

At the bargaining table, Canada Post has offered 1.9 per cent in each of the first three years, followed by 2 per cent in the final year.

The Canada Post employees on average will lose over $800.00 just because they exercised their legal right to, try to bring pressure on their employer, through a series of rotating strikes. 

The message is very clear. Don't mess with the the Harper Government or, you will pay. 

Can it get more mean spirited that that? I am afraid it can.

Deepak Who?

In a move that I thought bordered on an unfair labour practice Deepak Chopra, CEO of Canada Post, released a video message to unionized workers last week in which he said among other things that the union's demands would financially harm the Crown corporation.

I wondered who is this Deepak Chopra? So I Googled him. This what I found:

Deepak Chopra is a world-renowned authority in the field of mind-body healing, a best-selling author, and the founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing.

Heralded by Time Magazine as the "poet-prophet of alternative medicine," he is ,,,a global force in the field of human empowerment, Dr. Chopra is the prolific author of more than fifty-five books, including fourteen bestsellers on mind-body health, quantum mechanics, spirituality, and peace. Dr. Chopra's books have been published in more than eighty-five languages

Oops, wrong Deepak.

The Canada Post head, appointed in January was touted to have wide experience and knowledge by Chuck Strahl, who was then Harper’s Transport Minister. At Chopra's appointment Strahl said "His extensive experience in dealing with government and postal officials around the world, as well as his vast knowledge of the regulatory bodies governing the mailing industry, will definitely be a strong asset to the corporation,"

I’m not sure what he knows about the mail but he how Conservative Governments work. He locked out the union workers, shut down the mail service and gave the Blue Meanies’ Lisa Raitt an excuse to introduce back to work legislation which she is expected to do later today.

Right to Strike Means nothing to the Blue Meanies

We are starting to get a taste of how this new Blue Meanies "majority" will play out. Not well if this is a harbinger of things to come.

Despite media reports that the strike by agents at Air Canada really isn't having much affect on the travelling public, the Labour Minister today said they will promptly legislate the employees back to work and may table legislation to do that as nearly as Thursday.

That is pretty amazing. They haven't even been out 24 hours yet.

More interesting perhaps is the Postal Workers' dispute. They have been carrying on rotating strikes across the country. Pretty responsible I thought, not wanting to shut down  Canada Post all together. The mail was getting through albeit a bit slower that usual.

Canada Post then decided to go on the attack and locked the workers out to see if they could bring things to a head. The Labour Minister once again jumped into the breach and threatened back to work legislation.

I admit I don't know but, I suspect the conversations between Canada Post and the minister's senior people went something like this.

Canada Post: "Come on. You have to do something. We're losing money with damn rotating strikes. It is all a royal pain in the ass. You can't let those guys push us around.


Labour Canada: "I'm not sure we are prepared to bring in legislation to stop a rotating strike but...Let's see...What could we do?... Well, if no one was at working at all that would be another matter." Wink, wink, nod, nod.


Canada Post: "Oh yeah. Good point.

Canada Post locked everyone out this morning. No mail, whatsoever is being delivered from coast to coast to coast. Someone call Lisa Raitt.

If the minister had a lick of sense she would have simply told Canada Post, a Crown Corporation, to quit playing silly bugger, to pull the lock out notice and get people back to work. Some mail must be better that no mail. But no. She didn't see it quite that way.

With a total shut down she figured it was time to teach those Posties a lesson. I can just hear her saying, "Picketing Post Offices? Not on my watch"

Lisa says, the legislation will be ready in the morning. It will be back to work for those scoundrels.

Months of hard bargaining down the drain and just the way this government likes it. Yhe employers will get what they want. The Posties get screwed.

You can depend on this government.