I support unions, especially private sector unions. If capital can band together and create one bargaining unit (we call it a "corporation") to negotiate with the employees, then the employees should have the right to band together and create one bargaining unit (we call it a "union") to negotiate with the corporation. The two sides then use their economic bargaining power to negotiate, with both sides not wanting to push too far, and maximize their gains at the same time. That's a healthy negotiating environment.
A less-healthy negotiating environment is when public sector unions make contributions to political parties, attempting to influence the course of negotiations with the government. Unions used to make massive financial contributions to provincial political parties. For example, the CBC compiled a comprehensive list of union donations to various provincial political parties from 2013 to 2015. You can read the analysis by clicking here. Below is a brief list (a very brief list) of some (only some) public sector unions and the financial contributions they made to provincial political parties from 2013 to 2015.
A less-healthy negotiating environment is when public sector unions make contributions to political parties, attempting to influence the course of negotiations with the government. Unions used to make massive financial contributions to provincial political parties. For example, the CBC compiled a comprehensive list of union donations to various provincial political parties from 2013 to 2015. You can read the analysis by clicking here. Below is a brief list (a very brief list) of some (only some) public sector unions and the financial contributions they made to provincial political parties from 2013 to 2015.
I wonder how many union members knew that their unions were making massive financial contributions to political parties with their members' union dues? Based on the chart above, you can see that some public sector unions definitely preferred giving money to some political parties and not to others. One can only imagine whether that favour was reciprocated at bargaining time.
All that changed on January 1, 2017. Political parties could no longer accept donations from unions or corporations. All donations must now come from private individuals. Which brings me to a private individual named Walter Schmoranz.
Walter gave a $2,000 political donation to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Walter works for Pelee Island Winery. The money came out of Walter's own pocket. It did not come from his employer.
Last month, Premier Doug Ford was at Pelee Island Winery and happened to make a video praising the wines of Pelee Island Winery. You can watch the video by clicking here.
It's pretty routine for politicians to sing the praises of locally produced products. For example, Essex MPP Taras Natyshak has been known to do exactly what Doug Ford did: sing the praises of locally produced products. In Taras Natyshak's case, he was promoting French's ketchup. You can see the promotion by clicking here.
So nobody should be surprised that an NDP politician and a PC politician would do exactly the same thing: promote local products. And nobody cares if one of the employees at French's ketchup gave a donation to Taras Natyshak's political campaign, as long as it came out of their own pocket and not from a union or a corporation.
But the fact that Doug Ford sang the praises of Pelee Island Winery sent at least one union leader totally off the deep end. You can read the full story in the Windsor Star by clicking here. Warren Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) was outraged that Doug Ford would promote Pelee Island Winery. Here is part of Warren Thomas' public attack:
All that changed on January 1, 2017. Political parties could no longer accept donations from unions or corporations. All donations must now come from private individuals. Which brings me to a private individual named Walter Schmoranz.
Walter gave a $2,000 political donation to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Walter works for Pelee Island Winery. The money came out of Walter's own pocket. It did not come from his employer.
Last month, Premier Doug Ford was at Pelee Island Winery and happened to make a video praising the wines of Pelee Island Winery. You can watch the video by clicking here.
It's pretty routine for politicians to sing the praises of locally produced products. For example, Essex MPP Taras Natyshak has been known to do exactly what Doug Ford did: sing the praises of locally produced products. In Taras Natyshak's case, he was promoting French's ketchup. You can see the promotion by clicking here.
So nobody should be surprised that an NDP politician and a PC politician would do exactly the same thing: promote local products. And nobody cares if one of the employees at French's ketchup gave a donation to Taras Natyshak's political campaign, as long as it came out of their own pocket and not from a union or a corporation.
But the fact that Doug Ford sang the praises of Pelee Island Winery sent at least one union leader totally off the deep end. You can read the full story in the Windsor Star by clicking here. Warren Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) was outraged that Doug Ford would promote Pelee Island Winery. Here is part of Warren Thomas' public attack:
In fact, Warren Thomas even used OPSEU's membership-funded website (gotta wonder whether the union members want their money used for political purposes) to bash Ontario's entire beer and wine industry. That's right. He bashed the entire beer and wine industry in Ontario. Below is just a snippet of the industry-bashing press release from OPSEU. You can read the whole nasty attack by clicking here.
Whoa there! Slow down Warren! You just launched a public attack against Ontario's entire beer and wine industry over a modest $2,000 donation to the Progressive Conservative Party. You need to go back to that chart up there at the top of this article and take a look at those donations that public service unions made to the NDP.
Your brothers and sisters in the union movement donated over $691,808 to the NDP from 2013 to 2015. If you want to talk about a "gravy train," $691,808 in donations from public sector unions to the NDP would pretty much fit that definition.
What's more, the union leaders who made $691,808 of donations to the NDP were using the membership dues of their members. I don't think union members pay mandatory union dues to support political parties. Talk about "blurred ethical boundaries."
Like I said, I support unions. And I definitely support Pelee Island wine and French's ketchup.
Here is my recommendation to Warren Thomas, president of OPSEU. Stop playing petty politics. You need to settle down in your backyard, open up a nice cool bottle of Pelee Island wine, cook some burgers with French's ketchup on top, and enjoy the best that Essex County producers have to offer.
That's what I do.
Your brothers and sisters in the union movement donated over $691,808 to the NDP from 2013 to 2015. If you want to talk about a "gravy train," $691,808 in donations from public sector unions to the NDP would pretty much fit that definition.
What's more, the union leaders who made $691,808 of donations to the NDP were using the membership dues of their members. I don't think union members pay mandatory union dues to support political parties. Talk about "blurred ethical boundaries."
Like I said, I support unions. And I definitely support Pelee Island wine and French's ketchup.
Here is my recommendation to Warren Thomas, president of OPSEU. Stop playing petty politics. You need to settle down in your backyard, open up a nice cool bottle of Pelee Island wine, cook some burgers with French's ketchup on top, and enjoy the best that Essex County producers have to offer.
That's what I do.