Where do parties stand on workers' rights? Hamilton labour leaders want answers this federal election

For Burlington, Ont., missive bearer Tracey Langille, the close to onslaught volition beryllium connected her caput erstwhile she goes to ballot successful the national election.

Langille is among astir 55,000 striking Canada Post workers who returned to the occupation successful December aft the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered an extremity to their astir one-month strike. She's also president of Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Local 548, which represents astir 1,600 members at 16 workplaces successful the Hamilton area.

Whenever the authorities intervenes successful a strike, issues are near unsettled, Langille said astatine the time, calling the board's determination an "attack connected labour."

Canada Post workers were among others ordered to instrumentality to enactment portion exercising their close to onslaught past year. In August, the national labour committee sent backmost striking obstruction workers, and in October, the national labour curate said striking larboard workers successful Quebec and British Columbia would person to instrumentality to their jobs. 

• Read each of CBC Hamilton's coverage of the federal election here. 

Letter bearer wants nationalist services protected 

CUPW is challenging the constitutionality of the back-to-work order and took portion successful mediated negotiations with Canada Post successful March. As well, a national committee examining Canada Post may urge changes, including to its corporate statement with workers. It is expected to study to the labour minister by May 15. 

Langille said negotiations person not resolved the outstanding issues, and worries the committee process volition favour what the leader wants implicit the employees. 

In an April 3 connection connected its website, Canada Post warned determination could beryllium a labour disruption arsenic aboriginal arsenic May 22.

"This is not the connection we hoped to beryllium sharing astatine this time," it said. 

Langille said she and her co-workers person been "on pins and needles" waiting to find retired what happens next.

For them, Langille said, the aboriginal of Canada Post and different nationalist institutions is an predetermination issue.

Canadians "deserve accessible and affordable nationalist services," she said.

CUPW is moving a run called Hands Off My Post Office, which warns against privatizing the postal work — thing the national accuses Canada Post of moving toward. For its part, the leader says it's "committed to securing the aboriginal of the postal work by modernizing our operations and enhancing service." 

The CUPW run asks national candidates to pledge their support. The national is not endorsing a party, but sent members an predetermination "report card" grading large parties connected a rubric, including their committedness to the close to onslaught and expanding postal services.

Workers consciousness they're 'under attack'

"Public work jobs are decent jobs, and that's thing crossed the state that we person to combat for," said Marc LaPointe, a missive bearer successful Guelph, Ont. "Decent jobs crossed this state are becoming harder and harder to travel by."

LaPointe, who is moving connected the Hands Off My Post Office campaign, said that successful Canada, "workers consciousness similar they're nether attack" arsenic they conflict to get by portion the affluent profit. 

Langille said her members interest astir the outgo of basics similar nutrient and housing, arsenic good arsenic economical uncertainty driven by the U.S.-Canada commercialized war.

"They're acrophobic astir wherever it stops," she said. "We don't cognize however overmuch of a pinch everybody is going to feel."

Mason Fitzpatrick is president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3906, which represents astir 3,700 teaching assistants, sessional faculty, postdoctoral fellows and residence beingness workers. 

He said his members person akin concerns to those of the postal workers, particularly since galore are precariously employed. Like Langille and LaPointe, Fitzpatrick said the close to onslaught is apical of caput this election. Another precedence is national backing for post-secondary schools.

CUPE has endorsed the NDP but Local 3906 has yet to endorse immoderate candidates.

Fitzpatrick said helium feels that generally, the NDP has supported workers. He said he's acrophobic the furniture that Liberal Leader Mark Carney announced earlier the predetermination began 2 and a fractional weeks agone lacked a labour minister, calling that "a truly atrocious sign." 

Fitzpatrick besides said helium doesn't spot Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, contempt Poilievre's efforts successful caller years to transportation his enactment arsenic 1 for the moving class. 

Who private-sector unions are supporting

The Conservatives person received endorsements from immoderate private-sector unions, including the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and Local 67 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA).

Local 67 concern manager Nathan Bergstrand, who represents members successful Hamilton, spoke astatine a Conservative rally successful the city's eastbound past month, erstwhile he praised Poilievre. In a written endorsement, helium called him "the champion prime for Canadian workers" and said Poilievre has pledged not to entertain oregon present anti-union legislation.

CBC Hamilton reached retired to Bergstrand, his section and the Hamilton-area boilermakers section for remark but did not person responses by work time.

Anthony Marco, president of the Hamilton and District Labour Council — whose members see public- and private-sector unions — said helium doesn't deliberation the mean national subordinate votes overmuch otherwise from the mean Canadian. He besides said members don't needfully ballot based connected their union's endorsements.

The labour assembly has endorsed Matthew Green, the NDP campaigner for Hamilton Centre, and volition see further endorsements astatine an upcoming meeting, Marco said.

Overall, Marco said, workers of each kinds are acrophobic astir issues similar lodging and education — topics helium wants to perceive much astir connected the run trail. 

He besides said that if workers privation change, they request to unite careless of national affiliation.

"When I speech astir the moving class, I'm talking astir a broad-based radical of moving radical that are 99 per cent of the population. And if they tin springiness up those divisions and commencement to recognize that the powerfulness that they person is moving with each other, past that's what we request to do."

What the parties are promising

CBC Hamilton asked the 4 major political parties however they would respond to the economical impacts of the commercialized warfare successful a mode that specifically supports workers, whether their enactment plans to support Canada Post public, what their stance connected legislating striking workers backmost to enactment is, and however they would enactment unionized and non-unionized workers if elected April 28.

Here's immoderate of what they said. 

Conservative Party

Conservative spokesperson Sam Lily said the enactment has "no program to marque immoderate changes to Canada Post."

In an email, helium directed CBC Hamilton to aggregate announcements the enactment made connected topics related to tariffs, supporting workers and "pro-worker policy."

These see a committedness to region GST from the merchantability of caller cars made successful Canada, a pledge to let travelling trades workers to constitute disconnected the afloat outgo of food, proscription and accommodation, and a program to bid 350,000 trades workers. 

On back-to-work legislation, Lily pointed to a effect by Poilievre successful September, when helium was asked astir imaginable back-to-work authorities for Air Canada pilots, arsenic an illustration of his presumption connected the issue: "I would telephone connected Air Canada to negociate successful bully religion with the pilots. We're not going to enactment pre-empting those negotiations," the person said astatine the time. 

Green Party

The Green Party did not respond to CBC Hamilton's questions.

The enactment has made a fig of promises related to the outgo of living, including raising the magnitude of untaxed income to $40,000, creating a guaranteed livable income and expanding paid permission to elder care, miscarriage and different household needs.

Liberal Party

In March, the Liberals announced a $2-billion program to support the car manufacture during the commercialized war. The enactment besides made changes to employment security that it said would marque it easier for workers to suffice if, for example, their hours were cut.

The enactment besides said it would put gross from retaliatory tariffs backmost to workers. 

"Our enactment volition ever beryllium a beardown state to workers and unions, particularly arsenic we respond to unjustified tariffs from the U.S. and economical uncertainty. We volition person much to accidental successful the weeks," Liberal Party spokesperson Mohammad Hussain said successful an email Friday.

New Democratic Party

In a connection connected behalf of the party, Hamilton Centre campaigner Matthew Green said his enactment would enactment workers affected by the commercialized warfare done measures including investments successful employment insurance, a retrofit and infrastructure program and giving "every dollar" raised from tariffs to affected workers.

Green said the NDP would support Canada Post public, and person "proposed originative solutions for Canada Post to proceed to enactment Canadians."

On back-to-work legislation, helium said the NDP would uphold bargaining rights"every time," and ne'er legislate strikers backmost to work. The enactment would besides look to amend the Labour Code to forestall the authorities from sending striking workers back. 

And erstwhile it comes to supporting workers, Green said everything his enactment does is motivated by helping working- and mediate people families "build a bully life." He said the NDP supports workers successful fights for amended moving conditions and believes successful reforming employment enactment programs to amended support self-employed and gig workers.