The following column by Toyota team member Ken Cleveland appeared in the Waterloo Region Record on April 4, 2014.
By Ken Cleveland
Much of what attracted me to a job at Toyota 17 years ago — besides good pay, benefits and a pension, of course — was that the company had a reputation for listening to its employees and working with them on issues facing the plant.
It’s time that Canada developed a modern passenger rail service in this country.
That means more frequent trains to better meet the needs of Canadian travelers, whether for business or pleasure, and the introduction of high speed rails in our busiest travel corridors, such as Toronto to Montreal or Calgary to Edmonton.
From that would come jobs, helping to reduce unemployment, while providing some level of hope to our young people for more than contract jobs and precarious employment.
Today Maclean’s, Canada’s national English-language magazine, has named me as one of Canada’s Top 10 most important people, in the cover story of the current issue.
This is a great honour, of course, but it’s not about me. This about all the hard work Unifor has been doing to address the issues confronting Canadians today.
Since our founding last Labour Day weekend, Unifor has been committed to addressing such issues as youth unemployment, precarious employment, secure pensions and good jobs for all.
The United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women has been observed on November 25th each year since 2000. It is an occasion for governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to raise public awareness of violence against women.
“There is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable." – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
When it comes to creating jobs that keep the economy moving, it takes three to tango.
It’s not a dance competition, but the recent announcement that Ford will invest $750 million into its plant in Oakville, Ont., is the result of some very smart moves by the union, the company and governments.
What we know about the proposed free trade deal with Europe announced “in-principle” just over a week ago comes to us through leaks and press releases from those generally in favour of the deal.
And, already there’s reason for concern.
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) will no doubt contain some good and bad things for Canadians worried about the security of their jobs or the opportunities for them or their children to find meaningful employment. Any trade deal would.
On Monday, like millions of Canadians, I will sit down with my family to our annual Thanksgiving feast.
We'll carve the turkey, pass the potatoes, tell stories and catch up on what's been going on in each other's lives. And we'll reflect on the good things we have, giving thanks for them as we've done for many times in October.
Things like a good home and a family to share it with, and the ability to provide for that family and to help our children pursue the opportunities in their lives.
When you think of father-son time, the activities don't normally involve going for a stroll in pink high heeled shoes. But I'm not always one for convention. For three years running now, that's how my son Jordan and I spend one morning in September as part of an organized event, Hope in High Heels.
Minimum wage jobs are not only for the after-school crowd of kids looking for spending money, but also an entry into the workforce for immigrants, recent graduates and many others who can only find part-time work and need to hold down two or three jobs to survive.
The most recent Statistics Canada job market figures say 70 per cent of the province's 44,000 new jobs created in August are part-time and mostly filled by older workers. It's also a safe bet they are mostly paid at minimum wage.
