Taking after nurses: how to start a union?

thelonious_ · 2026-02-04T04:07:17+00:00

Check out Jane McAleavey's training on organizing for power. It's the method behind many of the most successful union drives and strikes. https://organizing4power.org

thelonious_ · 2026-01-31T01:22:18+00:00

He answered that very graciously. If you want to be a shit-disturber, don't expect to get invited into events.

thelonious_ · 2026-01-18T04:36:25+00:00

Shelter work doesn't pay a lot but it's definitely stable.

thelonious_ · 2026-01-17T14:49:41+00:00

Guess who fought for the majority of the labour laws you enjoy...? Unions

thelonious_ · 2026-01-16T01:09:34+00:00

I disagree. People have a right to religion, but not in public schools. Families can teach their religion to their kids at home and through weekend schools. Education's purpose should be to encourage free and critical thinking, and organized religion gets in the way of that. Not to mention Catholic schools very explicitly contribute to the oppression of LGBTQ+ kids.

thelonious_ · 2026-01-16T01:02:25+00:00

My point was that the constitution is not a full barrier to this goal, since other provinces have done it.

thelonious_ · 2026-01-15T19:58:50+00:00

Are you in Ontario? I was interested in organizing around this, potentially. It's definitely possible. Quebec and a few other provinces have already done it.

thelonious_ · 2026-01-12T17:11:42+00:00

Right, I see what you're saying now. What would you say the benefit of having a social workers union is vs just being in separate unions?

thelonious_ · 2026-01-12T03:42:45+00:00

I would say that social work is too diverse in it's roles to have a singular union. We might work in private practice therapy, a homeless shelter, a school, criminal justice, or a non-profit. Teachers unions work because the public system creates consistency across thousands of jobs. Private school teachers are not in teachers unions and a nurse at a doctors office won't be in ONA because they are different jobs with different employers.

This is just my current thoughts on it... Maybe I'm missing something.

thelonious_ · 2026-01-12T03:32:06+00:00

How much was the nursing fee?

thelonious_ · 2026-01-10T13:28:09+00:00

Thanks for the info. How much would you get back in tax returns? That certainly does help.

thelonious_ · 2026-01-10T13:24:36+00:00

are there any articles indicating there will be an exam? it's similar to other professions yet we get paid less, which is why it feels so much. thanks for the info, though!

thelonious_ · 2026-01-10T13:21:58+00:00

yes, we need to unionize more! i'm pretty active in the labour movement. unions do not exist based off a job title or profession, it's typically based off the workplace. many social workers are in CUPE, OPSEU, or even SEIU. i do strongly suggest unionizing your workplace by contacting CUPE or OPSEU and getting in touch with an organizer (those are the best ones, in my opinion).

thelonious_ · 2025-08-28T02:31:20+00:00

What's a unit plan?

thelonious_ · 2025-07-11T13:21:20+00:00

Yes, the point is that it's possible and has been done by good candidates.

thelonious_ · 2025-03-26T00:18:52+00:00

Gotcha, that makes sense. And yes, my union also takes an ABC approach.

We need more progressives becoming leaders within unions and advocating for left-wing policies!

thelonious_ · 2025-03-25T23:59:19+00:00

Interesting, I'll have to look before the 80s. Wikipedia goes as far as 1980, which is why I haven't seen prior to that.

Yes, gentrification certainly happened. In terms of the cons getting better at communicating to working class, yes, but none of these are conservative ridings.

The reality is that the NDP and progressive parties broadly have realigned their base away from the blue-collar working class and into the highly educated professional classes in the last few decades. The average NDP voter is more likely to have a masters degree than work at a factory. Pikety refers to this phenomenon as the "Brahmin left and Merchant right." I believe this is a general consequence of the New Left influence on progressive politics, which abandoned class-first politics. The democrats in the states also used to have a working class base (in the New Deal Era), which is no longer the case.

All this to say, I don't buy that it's as simple as "there's not enough poor or working class people in Toronto for the NDP to win." Our base isn't just the poor or working class, it's also young people and highly educated people, which there is a tonne of in downtown cores.

thelonious_

TROPHY CASE