Publications

Why are Canadians charged some of the highest fees in the world which provide for some of the highest revenues while having some of the lowest rates of cell phone usage? Why is the government standing idly by refusing to play a role in regulating this industry?

This leaflet describes the top five actions governments should take to meet and beat greenhouse gas emission reductions required to keep our climate in check. It encourages readers to take action by writing their municipal, provincial and federal government representatives with these top five priorities.

This small and easily distributed handbill uses the Fairness Express campaign's "Road to Fairness" concept to outline the All Together Now! campaign analysis of the major causes—and cures—of rising income inequality.  Income inequality rises when a country travels a path towards unfair taxes, declining public services, eroded labour rights and no industrial strategy.  Income inequality eases when we head instead for tax fairness, quality public services, labour rights and a modern industrial strategy.

For many people and for many reasons: unions matter!

Volume One of Unions Matter:  A reader contains a collection of work from a variety of sources telling the story of the power of unions and their members.  The writings come from authors, poets, activists and singer-songwriters sharing why unions matter to them.  The reader also contains some of the work from the Why Unions Matter contest winners.

Since privatization first reared its ugly head, there has been a constant push to find new ways for the private sector to make money from public services. This report provides details of what new forms of privatization and what we can do to fight them.

For 77 years the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) ensured Canadian grain farmers got the best possible price for their crops. Even though a majority of farmers wanted to keep the CWB, the Conservative government dismantled it. Mowed Down explains why.

The third piece in the consumer advocacy series Smart Money: Consumer self-defense for times like these. Surviving the Credit Crunch takes a look at the debt load of Canadians as they try to recover from the 2008 recession. Debt is at an all-time high for Canadians and corportions are making a killing from us. From the gouging interest rates charged by banks and credit card companies to ever-rising ATM fess to predatory loans, this publication lays out the problems but also provides way people can fight back. 

The first in the Smart Money: Consumer self-defense for times like these, The Real Cost of Communicating is a 12-page pamphlet detailing the struggles consumers are having with the telecommunications industry as well as their own government in Ottawa. The Smart Money series provides straightforward yet critical information on issues like these that families face today — and advice on how the public can fight back.

This is a pamphlet summarizing NUPGE's research paper and counters the corporate myths behind 'right to work' legislation.  It concludes the 'right to work laws only create more income inequality, not more jobs.

This pamphlet, published under the auspices of the National Union's Action on Retirees' Concerns (NUARC) Committee, offers a realistic, affordable and effective plan to rebuild and reform Canada's pension system.

This publication provides a summary of cases before the courts that challenge labour laws on the basis that they violate Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  It provides summaries of some 27 Charter challenges and is divided into three sections: challenges heard by the Supreme Court of Canada and decisions are pending; current challenges before the Courts; and, challenges where a final decision has been rendered in the last two years, either by the Supreme Court of Canada, or a lower Court and the decision was not appealed.

There are creative ideas and policies that can make the international financial system more secure AND pay for public services AND fight climate change-abroad and at home! The Robin Hood Tax is a proposal for a tiny tax (as low as 0.05%) on trades in stocks, bonds,
currencies, "derivatives" and other financial products. It would NOT affect ordinary consumers. It also could generate billions internationally to fight global poverty, and fund global public goods, such as health care, and to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

A tax on financial transactions could also play a role in creating greater stability of the financial system by reducing risky short-term speculation that is fueled by greed and which was a major cause of the current economic crisis.  Banks and financial institutions benefited for decades from the absence of meaningful regulation. This absence of regulation and their unbridled greed are largely responsible for the recent economic crisis. It is time for them to pay their fair share.

Federal transfer payments to the provinces, through the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) and the Canada Social Transfer (CST), help fund public Medicare, post-secondary education and other important public services.  These important blocks of funding will be re-negotiated in 2014 by Harper and the Premiers. We need to ensure these transfers are protected and strengthened.  The three fact sheets look at the facts and importance of these transfers for Public Post-Secondary Education, Community-based Social Services and Medicare.

In 2014 the federal Health Accord regarding the funding of the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) and, by extension, the Canada Social Transfer (CST), came up for renegotiation.  Unfortunately, many of our politicians and business leaders want to cut these transfers and cut those services.  We have had decades of tax cuts, tax breaks, deregulation, privatization and it brought our economy and our nation to the brink. Cuts to these transfers mean longer waiting times, larger caseloads in social services, higher tuition fees and poorer public services overall.  For workers, cuts in transfers mean layoffs and working longer and harder to keep up with the needs of the public they serve.  We need to work together to force them to put people before tax cuts and excessive corporate profits. We need to invest more money to keep that most prized jewel of Canadians-Medicare-strong.

Some corporations want to create a two-tier Internet that would allow them to slow or even block content that is not in their corporate interests.  This issue is called Network Neutrality the "principle that all Internet traffic be treated equally, regardless of origin, destination, or application type."  This is not an issue solely about corporate profit or the growing power of telecommunications companies - it is also about the rights of citizens to exercise control over one of the greatest innovations in communications history.  Should these companies succeed, it will undermine the Internet's level playing field and will make it much more difficult for the small and independent voice to be heard on the web.
 

Our Medicare is the triumph of values and economics.  It provides all Canadians with equal access to care on the basis of need, not wealth, privilege or status.  A large majority of Canadians are highly satisfied with the quality and standard of care Medicare gives them. Over the last 40 years our Medicare has served us very well. Our Medicare is worth celebrating and defending.  But more than that, our Medicare is, quite simply, a good and sensible idea that works.  But there is room for improvement. It is up to us to press for and win those improvements and still stay true to the idea and ideals of a universal, public health care system.

When discussing various national and international trade agreements the alphabet soup of acronyms and range of issues quickly becomes confusing.  However, it is important that Canadians understand what our government is negotiating in our name and what the impact of these agreements will be on our economy, democracy and society.  This background document provides and introduction and overview of four of the most important agreements: The World Trade Organization's General Agreement on Trade in Services; Continental Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP); The Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA); and, Atlantica.

The Quality of Women's Lives project focuses on the issue of life/work balance and the additional stresses women face balancing their family responsibilites with their workplace responsibilities.  The National Union conducted a survey which identified the reality that women are experiencing increased stress juggling issues such as child care and elder care, growing personal and health concerns, workplace pressures and economic insecurity.  The Key Findings of the Quality of Women's Lives Survey is a compilation of the results of the survey as well as the latest research statistics.

Why don't we have a national home care program yet?

Conference Report outlines tricks of privatization industry and tactics to fight back.

"Fighting privatization will not be easy. But as we learned during the International Conference on the New Forms of Privatization, it's a fight that we can and will win," says NUPGE National President James Clancy.

Volume 2 of Unions Matter:A Reader contains the next 25 very good reasons that unions matter.  This volume contains quips, quotes and poems from people like Bono, Bruce Springsteen and Jay Leno.

This is a guide to aid NUPGE Components in negotiating fair and reasonable Essential Services language in the event of a labour disputre.

SIB repayment grid for Colleges and Institutes Social Impact Pilot

How to protect public services.

This leaflet stresses the need for a universal early learning and child care program in Canada.  Research shows that access to quality learning and child care enhances children's development in every way — intellectually, physically, emotionally and linguistically. As well, an early learning and child care program creates jobs and economic activiity at the community level as the majority of child care dollars are spent locally and invested in people since the sector is labour intensive.  

Probation and Parole Officers are mandated with protecting the public, rehabilitating the offender and ensuring that justice is served.  They are integral parts of the entire process an offender passes through — from pre-trail to post-sentencing.  All of this would be a tall order under the best circumstances.  Unfortunately, the system in Canada is not operating as well as it should.  

Youth Correctional Professionals juggle the roles of social worker, counselor, educator, advocate, jailer and supervisor.  It is a tough job that is being made more difficult by federal and provincial governments.  Change is needed not just for the workers in the sector but also for the young offenders, their families and for protecting our communities.  

This primer frames labour rights as a critical component of human rights helping to protect and promote the social and economic well-being of the human population.  It examines how the erosion of labour rights weakens democracy and threatens the economic prosperity of a nation.

Are you concerned about the erosion of collective bargaining rights of working people in Canada and committed to reversing this dangerous trend?  If so, then make sure you get the elected leaders in your community to sign the Workers’ Bill of Rights, a pledge affirming that all workers have the right to join a union and bargain collectively.

This educational leaflet is designed to promote and strengthen Women's Committees in unions. This leaflet explains that women's committees are an essential factor in reaching our goal of creating stronger unions by empowering individuals and building solidarity. At the same time, women's committees bring us closer to our shared principles of equality, justice and fairness for all. Find out why every union needs an active women's committee by reading this pamphlet.

In 2013 the National Union's Women's Training Session brought together activists from across the country to discuss two important initiatives:  the Quality of Women's Lives project and the All Together Now! campaign's Women 4 Change.  Throughout the day and half training session, activists heard speakers on life balance/work balance, on the use of social media as well as information on the two initiatives.  During the training session, participants took part in two workshops.  They enthusiastically talked, debated, shared and strategized.  The report of the training session includes a summary of their hard work.

Canadians cherish our universal, public health care system. It provides access to quality life-long health care services for all Canadians, regardless of wealth, social status or other barriers. For the most part, this is true. Sadly, though, there is a hole in Canada’s health care system. For tens of thousands of Canada’s seniors today – and many thousands more in the years ahead – the universality of our health care system ends at the doors of nursing home facilities. Some of these facilities are excellent, serving as a beacon for the care of seniors. Sadly, they seem to be the exception. As a result of government neglect and corporate profit-taking, the needs of many seniors have been swept under the carpet, abandoned and ignored by health care commissions, politicians and policy makers alike. This report details the ongoing crisis in nursing home care across the country and it proposes a series of bold and sweeping reforms to ensure our elderly get the care they need and deserve.

This report outlines the work of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) for 2017.