Show Notes
Frank Curnew of the Waterloo Regional Labour Council talks to Bob Jonkman about the 2024 Labour Day Picnic on Monday 2 September, and about various other labour and unions issues as well.
The interview starts at 5m59s.
Online:
- Website: https://waterloolabour.ca/
- Twitter (X): Waterloo Regional Labour Council (@wrlabourcouncil) | Twitter
- Facebook: Waterloo Regional Labour Council (@wrlabour) | Facebook
- YouTube: Waterloo Regional Labour Council (@waterlooregionallabourcoun7627) | YouTube
Upcoming Events
-
Labour Day Picnic 2024
- When: Noon to 4:00pm, Monday 2 September 2024
- Where: Waterloo Park at the picnic shelter
- Location: 90 Westmount Road North, Waterloo Map
- Website: https://waterloolabour.ca/events/labour-day-picnic-2024/
Podcast
Download: ckms-community-connections-2024-08-30-episode165-Frank-Curnew-of-the-Waterloo-Regional-Labour-Council.mp3 (50 MB, 54m30s, episode 165)
Index
| Time | Title | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0m00s | Theme for CKMS Community Connections ccc |
 CKMS Community Connections |
Steve Todd |
| 1m00s | Which Side Are You On? |
 (YouTube) |
Artists For Action |
| 5m30s | Bob gives a brief history of Which Side Are You On?. | ||
| 6m00s | Frank gives info about the Ed Weidinger Memorial Labour Day Picnic, and tells us about Ed Weidinger, the former treasurer of the Labour Council. The picnic has been taking place about forty or fifty years; Frank has been involved since 1994. There used to be a Labour Day Parade that led to the picnic. Talking about the different groups: Not just labour and union groups, but other social justice organizations that have like-minded politics. The picnic is non-partisan, but some political parties represent the Labour Council’s values better than others. | ||
| 11m06 | It’s a fun day, not a sombre event. The band Innuendo is playing. Bob encourages them (and any other bands) to submit their music to play on the radio. | ||
| 12m46s | Workers Unite |
 Socialism – An Introduction |
The Soviet Influence |
| 15m00s | Talking about migrant farm workers, and the lack of unionization for farm workers. The small family farms weren’t the problem, it was large commercial, industrial farm operations that really needed unionization. Some temporary farm workers are not paid a minimum wage, and certainly not a living wage. | ||
| 19m45s | Talking about minimum wage and a petition by MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam to raise minimum wage to $20/hour. Wages below minimum wage would not be allowed in a union shop. Bob and Frank swap stories about working in union shops. | ||
| 23m00s | Talking about the Company Store and being paid in company scrip, setting up an intro for 16 Tons. | ||
| 23m39s | 16 Tons |
 (YouTube) |
Southern Raised |
| 27m45s | Frank’s full-time job is with the United Way, he explains how the Canadian Labour Congress and The United Way work together. Not only does Frank help unionized workplaces with their campaigns to raise money for The United Way, he can steer union members to the services of The United Way when they need assistance. The Labour Community Advocate Program trains union activists to be social stewards in the workplace. Since the manufacturing sector has dwindled, there are fewer large campaigns, but many more campaigns with smaller firms. And there is also an increased need for the services that The United Way supports, they can only meet a fraction of the requests they receive. | ||
| 32m05s | Talking about the changes in the workplace, the replacement of full-time workers with part-time workers. But employers are having trouble filling vacancies, now employers are starting to offer better wages and working conditions. Talking about the skills needed to do all jobs, every job is as important as any other. | ||
| 35m22s | How unions get good working conditions, benefits, or wages for workers — all done through negotiations, or, at worst, witholding labour, ie. a strike. Contracts are typically negotiated for three years. Most negotiations go smoothly, but we only hear about the labour conflicts. Workers need to eat, and so they want to work. Frank gives his personal opinions on the recent railway labour dispute. Talking about replacement workers, the “dreaded scab”. There was anti-scab legislation from 1990 to 1995, with fewer labour disputes in that time. Recently, the federal government passed Bill C-58, anti-scab legislation (Bob and Frank speculate on the progress of this bill). | ||
| 42m58s | Solidarity Forever |
 On a d’affaire icitte |
Union Thugs |
| 45m36s | Frank’s role with The United Way is “Resource Development Office, Labour”, helping workplaces with their fundraising efforts. Reviewing the events for the Labour Day Picnic. It’s a way for labour organizations to give back to the community, that it’s just all about striking. It’s unions that gave us the weekend! Whereas unions help make the workplace better, The United Way helps make communities better. | ||
| 49m20s | Frank sees an ongoing need for unions, representing people who don’t have the voices to stand up for themselves. When we put our voices together we’re much stronger. Some workers may not realize the value of the union, but explaining that the wages, the benefits they have aren’t provided benevolently by the employer, it’s the union that negotiated for that. | ||
| 51m30s | A recap of the the Labour Day Picnic at Waterloo Park: Enter from the Westmount Road entrance. Live music, entertainment for the kids, bouncy castles, amusement rides, and great food: hot dogs, hamburgers, and vegetarian samosas. Full information is online at https://wrlc.ca (also https://waterloolabour.ca/). Frank mentions the upcoming Canadian Labour Independent Film Festival. Bob encourages everyone to send their Public Service Announcements for upcoming events to office@radiowaterloo.ca. | ||
| 53m50s | Bob gives the credits. | ||
CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
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Bonus Video
Video: CKMS Community Connections for Friday, 30 August 2024 (Radio Waterloo Video)
Show notes and podcast interview content is Copyright © 2024 by the participants, and released under a 
Creative Commons Attribution Only license. Copy, re-use, and derivative works are allowed with attribution to Radio Waterloo and a link to this page. Music selections are copyright by the respective rights holders. The theme music is written and performed by Steven Todd.
