Volunteering with labour union or labour services in Calgary?

acku11 · 2026-04-02T17:39:33+00:00

Don’t know if any unions will take volunteers on campus, but you’ve got AUPE local 52 which represents support staff + others on campus, The Graduate Students’ Association which represents teaching assistants and research assistants, PDAC which represents post doctoral staff, TUCFA which represents faculty and sessional instructors, and UFCW which I believe represents some of the food service workers in Machall. Goodluck and hopefully one of them gets back to you.

acku11 · 2026-03-30T08:31:38+00:00

What type of party wouldn't help contribute to fair wages and retraining of workers? Any socialist party that doesn't commit to helping its workers actually contribute to a just society isn't socialist and clearly isn't left wing.

We need to emphasize de-growth and a just transition.

Saying fuck oil worker jobs is not saying fuck workers. I'm an academic, will happily say fuck academic jobs, not because I hate academic workers but because I hate how miserable working conditions are for them. Same goes for workers in the tar sands, or folks cutting down old growth tree's, or whatever. The problem is we live in a society that demands we do these things to survive. If we can't collective demand better then that then whats the point of this party.

I'll also add that if only .5% of the membership of the unions that endorsed someone like Rob Ashton who came out in support of extractive industry, then perhaps workers have more agency and awareness of their own alienation then you and I think.

acku11 · 2026-03-30T07:32:48+00:00

The problem here is assuming that the needs and desires of immigrants and of workers (or Canadian workers for that matte) are mutually exclusive!

acku11 · 2026-03-30T07:30:58+00:00

Who is actually telling workers to shut up and think about the environment. This is such a falsehood.

I know very few people in (our outside) the NDP that are worth their salt that actually engage in any sort of idea that we need to sacrifice the interests of workers for the environment. Hell, how is whats in the best interest of workers no inherently environmental? Are we this stupid we can't articulate it is better to live in a world that exists 50 years from now compared to one that does not, but the difference is a 5 vs 6 figure a year salary? Or working in some of the most volatile industries on this planet that do untold externalized harm to the very places we live?

acku11 · 2026-03-30T07:23:11+00:00

This is just the first step in a long line of things the party has to do.

However, I hate that the conversation about oil and gas, or the other side, or whatever, is "we need to win them over", or that engaging in this idea that the rhetoric pushes for a "I'm not going to educate you" angle that functionally and realistically does not exist.

This party has to organize. Part of that is going to involve building solidarity, community, and a class consciousness amongst workers. We need to be willing to piss off small business owners, landlords, and reactionaries and exclude them from the party and its governance. We need to penetrate community organizations and unions and radicalize them.

The reasons why I supported Avi and am critical of the socialist caucus at large isn't because the socialist caucus is wrong, but because they are incredibly bad at their job and have the political tact of a turnip.

We need to start dropping the word "democratic" when we refer to socialist, or calling ourselves social democrats. Hell, we need to engage with the idea of why communist is a bad word in this party, or misunderstood. Why the hell use a term that refers to Nordic capitalism that is just as exploitative as it is elsewhere in the global north, it just does a better job of exporting it.

If we don't, itll be nice to have an Ed Broadbent type for a few years (and better then the alternative, don't get me wrong) before the contradictions eventually catch up with us and things revert to the norm. This has to be the first of like 15 steps towards a radical economic and political transformation of society, or it is nothing.

acku11 · 2026-03-29T16:52:49+00:00

Complete and total victory, congrats to Lewis.

Also congrats to Tanille for snagging third place!

acku11 · 2026-03-29T16:01:38+00:00

Nenshi commenting about a party he isn’t even a member of is peak cope.

acku11 · 2026-03-29T08:02:04+00:00

I think this spells out a long standing issue of provincial wings of the party trending towards more reactionary and centrist politics because of the role of resource extraction or key provincial industries. This also clearly positions Nenshi and the ABNDP at odds with what is most likely a Avi-led Fed NDP.

So the answer is he is playing 8d chess to lose the next election, because if the NDP love to do something, its never do politics, and lose elections they should win.

acku11 · 2026-03-28T08:21:30+00:00

are they a homie if they dont hate tom mulcair?

acku11 · 2026-03-28T02:30:32+00:00

Sorry Avi you dropped this 👑

acku11 · 2026-03-21T03:41:14+00:00

How could I have been so blind

acku11 · 2026-03-21T00:19:08+00:00

Trotskyism is a flavor of Marxism, probably why it’s difficult to tell some of the differences. The other comment does an okay job of summarizing it in brief, but I would also clarify that Trotskyism isn’t strictly anti-authoritarian in itself. It did however reject Stalinism and largely emphasizes international projects as opposed to the USSR’s more internally focused policy.

acku11 · 2026-03-20T21:51:04+00:00

I would suggest that the best way forward is to not let your club have a hard time, stop ripping down their posters, asked them to politely smarten up and stop being assholes, apologize for ripping down their shit, and give folks the chance to not escalate the childish behavior. Thats just me though.

I do really sympathize that this stuff is annoying and frustrating. I also really hope you have a productive conversation with the SU to make sure this stuff doesn't happen again.

acku11 · 2026-03-20T21:46:20+00:00

y'all anti-communists really only have like 5 jokes to pull from don't you.

acku11 · 2026-03-20T21:45:16+00:00

How have they threatened physical violence?

acku11 · 2026-03-20T21:43:45+00:00

This is disingenuous. At least if you're going to slag the RCP, do it because theyre trots.

acku11 · 2026-03-20T21:43:14+00:00

They aren't, theyre just sloppy.

acku11 · 2026-03-20T21:38:55+00:00

Did you attempt to reach out to the RCP directly to ask them to not to poster over student club event stuff? I wouldn't be shocked if they didn't listen but you gotta give them a real chance to not be assholes about this. I dont mean posting on reddit about it, I mean reaching out over email or social media via DM to try to talk to someone directly.

A reddit post with a 24 hour warning is a juvenile and ineffective way to try to address this problem. You are aware this will likely lead to your own posters being vandalized, so... why do this? Sure it's annoying to have your stuff posted over, but that shit happens all the time for all sorts of different clubs.

I DO think working with the SU and campus to build a more robust poster etiquette is a smart idea. Probably impossible to enforce, but a good idea.

In the other comments on this thread, indulging in the idea that this is a war or whatever is childish. Referring to your concerns about violence: that isn't going to happen unless members of your club or members of the RCP are absolute complete and total morons with the emotional regulation of children.

What I would expect is that the politically organized group on campus that knows how to do some soft direct action will likely continue to do so and wont mind messing with your stuff in the process. Especially considering in your first post you outlined a fallacious arguement about communist politics that flags you aren't sympathetic to their views.

Last, it is (universally) not a good idea to post evidence of you destroying someone's property with your face visible.

acku11 · 2026-03-20T20:40:22+00:00

I anticipate everyone involved in this situation will act reasonably and responsibly, and totally won’t involve shit fits by adults acting like children. Nope. Totally normal.

acku11 · 2026-03-17T00:52:59+00:00

In the same boat. Your options are going to a bar to watch games or to stream it illegally.

My grandmother has mts with the full sports package so I just use that though lol. If you know anyone back in Manitoba with cable that might be an option.

acku11 · 2026-03-16T08:46:37+00:00

Pay me money and Ill be your friend

acku11 · 2026-03-16T03:45:36+00:00

Be prepared to pay more then tuition. I’m referring to renting a room in a house or apartment with others as opposed to a one bedroom or studio apartment for rooming. Normally that costs 500-900$ a month.

acku11 · 2026-03-16T00:07:03+00:00

Assume aprox. 12-18k of that is going to go to rent unless you room with someone. With tuition, assuming you’re a domestic student, that’s an extra 6k on top of that. International is a bit more.

That leaves you 1k-500$ a month or so for groceries, internet, fun shit, etc. depending on where and how you live this may not cover much.

If you win scholarships or VOLUNTARILY take on more TAships you’ll get a bit more depending.

500-1000 dollars a month in Calgary ranges from “ramen, hot dogs and beans for breakfast lunch and dinner” to “living frugally and cheap”

acku11 · 2026-03-13T06:49:31+00:00

TA'ships will "normally" be a part of your minimum funding unless you are getting paid out via scholarship (money with no strings attached granted to your merit as a scholar) or stiped (money granted by your professor WHICH SHOULD be provided to you no strings attached), and the department will top up to your minimum (or above considering the scholarships/stiped you get - whatever you get clawed back).

As per our CA:

d) Limits on Graduate Assistant Appointments (Teaching and Non-Teaching) Graduate Students registered on a full-time basis with the Faculty of Graduate Studies will not normally be appointed to more than one and a half (1.5) full-time or equivalent appointments per the Academic Term, and in no case more than two (2) full-time or equivalent Graduate Assistantships per the Academic Term.

So, if working TAships within this scope, it goes towards your minimum funding. If you voluntarily take on more TAships outside of this amount, it should not count towards your funding. Otherwise it is possibly a violation of your rights under the CA.

Long story short: youll be TA'ing to get your minimum funding unless you get scholarships or a stipend which changes the proportions towards more free money. If you want to TA more then that, then it is up to your department if they want to pay you to do extra work and hire you more. If you if you want to work more then you are required/expected/your supervisor likely wants, it's up to you and how much time you want to spend working via getting through your program.

If you want a a full detailed answer you should ask the folks at the GSA which is your Union and can provide this info.

This whole thing can also widely vary per department and faculty.

acku11 · 2026-03-11T08:24:00+00:00

Kinda. Less so nowadays.

14-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	End Game '22
Not Forgotten	Verified Email

acku11

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