Maybe Steve could do a follow up tour of the places/properties the machines have bought, invested, and prospered in. 
Reformer to visit Loblaws 'flagship'
"Come see the house that capitalism built"
Union reform activist Steve Guiliano has issued an invitation to trade unionists and progressive thinkers to join him in a visit to the flagship store of a the retail food empire:
"Loblaw's Forest Hill Market at St. Clair St. just west of Bathurst [in Toronto] is the current flagship store of the Weston empire. You can buy all of the Yuppy treats there from Beluga Caviar for $2116.00 a Kg. to White Truffle Oil at
$140.00 a litre. Then you can top it all off with a Cohiba Rubusto Cigar for just $36.19 each.
I seriously doubt that Loblaws would have been able to build this store if it were not for all of the help from there business union partner United Food and Commercial Workers Union. I can think of no other union that would recommend to its membership that they take a 5% pay raise over 14 years while the company's profits have risen year after year exponentially.
I welcome all Trade Unionists and Progressive Thinkers to join me in basking in this glory this Sunday January 13
at 3:00 P.M. at the Loblaw's Forest Hill Market in the upstairs Marche (Move and Pick) so that we may all come away
from this Triumph of Capitalism as Enlightened Members of the Working Poor."
Steve is active in US-based UFCW reform group REAP as well as the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and is a member of UFCW Local 1000a Come out this Sunday and join Steve at Loblaw's Forest Hill, corner of Bathurst St. & St. Clair Ave. W.
[ 01-08-2002: Message edited by: news ]
business union partner United Food and Commercial Workers Union. ?????
What the hell are you trying to say Steve?
I have been an active member of the UFCW for 6 years and can not beleve the B.S you are trying to tell people.
when I first started in the UFCW FT I was making $14.00 an hour now Im at close to $23.00 an hour. I thinks thats a little more than 5% in 5 YEARS!!!!
Why are you so pissed off with the union I have studied other Unions and for this industry we are defintly the stronger one.
Hey good for you scotty. You're doin' fine. You must be real close with Kevin to have it made in the shade like that.
Tell us, what does a cashier make per hour at Loblaws? How many of them work full time hours? How many of them are there compared to the 23 buck an hour club? Get real.
I don't know if scotty-lester is wearing Kevin's socks, but something smells familiar. Scotty, if you made it to top in five years, you are either a meat-cutter who specializes in tying butt roasts or a clerk who's related to a machine head.
I think scotty-lester is Kevin and I think Kevin would like to believe in his wet little dreams that people actually get to collect the top end of the CA.
I think this site has mentioned a number of times who really benefits from the top end of the CA.
Get back to work Kevin, and leave Steve alone. Hey, on second thought, why don't you join Steve for a cup-o-java at Loblaws on the weekend? Bring the Bike, it'll add a nice touch.
quote:
I think scotty-lester is Kevin
I disagree with you Richard! I don't think scotty-lester is anybody other than scotty-lester! I have met a lot of scotty-lesters. They are the people who are focused on the 'carrot' in front of them. They never glance sideways or never look behind. They spend their time looking after scotty-lester. Too self absorbed to notice that the Power Source coming up through the defunct machine system are .. well .. not coming up! 
[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: siggy ]
quote:
Originally posted by siggy:
They are the people who are focused on the 'carrot' in front of them. They never glance sideways or never look behind. They spend their time looking after scotty-lester. Too self absorbed to notice that the Power Source coming up through the defunct machine system.
I think you've just described Kevin.
[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: Shadow ]
quote:
I think you've just described Kevin.
Good point! 
Here's something that occurred to me on the subject of Steve's visit to the Loblaw's market garden whatever:
The market garden cafes that Loblaw's is putting in some of these up-scale stores are a "concept" modeled after European cafes. If you've ever been to Europe, you'll know that it's very common for places like these to be filled to the rafters with activists, artists, writers and other people looking to have a good lively discussion about controversial subjects. They sit there for hours smoking (I guess that's off-limits in Toronto) and drinking coffee (or other beverages) and just having a good gab.
What Steve has in mind seems to be right in keeping with the "concept". 
The company guys should be happy. Their place will be more .... authentic.
We paint zee picture of zee stinky socks and we parlance about zee stinky machine and zee stinky machine heads.
Entire revolutions have been hatched in cafes. Wouldn't that be the ultimate irony?
Isn't Steve the guy they tossed out of the OFL convention for passing out "unauthorized" socialist newspapers? May Loblaws can call up Wayne Samuelson to toss Stevie outta their store. What say you brother Wayne?
Go for it Steve. This is an EVolution!
Just for your information, the reason why our esteemed co-worker "scotty_lester" likes to brag about his rates of pay is because he works in the warehouse, not in one of the stores.
He ain't Kevin, but he's trying to win points.
Just out of curiousity, how many women work in the warehouse?
They all do!
Now ask how many guys like Ric "work" in the warehouse. On second thought, don't. The answer's too embarassing.
You'll have to excuse scotty-lester for being a little upset at you dissing the UFCW after they got him a nice job at the new loblaws warehouse in Cambridge using vol. rec. to steal the jobs of workers from the Kitchener, Chatham, London, Hamilton and Sudbury warehouses that closed. I think he's also worried about the decertification application the CAW is putting in to the OLRB(very soon Lester) to get a democratic vote so the workers can decide who will be their Bargaining Agent.
Thanks a lot for sharing that information. Tell us more. When did this happen (when was the warehouse opened)? Did any workers from the warehouses that closed get jobs there? Which union(s) represented workers at the warehouses that were closed? How did people at the new warehouse find out that Local 1000a represented them? What kind of wages do most workers get?
Boy nothing surprises me anymore with these guys. If I understood that right the company closed down 5 warehouse obviously smaller than the one they built to replace it. Then gave the UFCW voluntary recognition in inchange for....what? that they wouldn't raise hell about screwing over the workers in the other warehouse's? It's Maple Leaf all over again. How long until these guys start bringing in Mexican workers to steal jobs from Canadians?
Steve, you've been mentioned a number of times on this web site yet you haven't posted any coments. It's time that changed.
Tell us in your own words what it is you hope to achieve this Sunday? Why should people join in? and what exactly is it that their joining? Is it a march? an information picket line? a sit in protest? a square dance in Isle 12? Inquirering minds want to know.
Sorry about the delay answering but my wife had me running around today. If you guys want the warped UFCW version of this story go to this site that they put up to deal with the threat from the CAW takeover. http://www.ufcw4maplegrove.com
If you guys want to discuss this farther we should start a new thread..... It's late so I'll check back in the morning. L8r
We sure do want to hear more from you. I've started a new thread over here: http://www.ufcw.net/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=19&t=000171
One comment to all you Unions.....compare all the conttacts everyone had and make your own opion....
example 2 TEIR
You're absolutely right "Scotty_Lester" I took your advice and, holy cow!, I'm having a real problem finding a UFCW without two-tier language. Ok, I did find one with three-tier.
If you look at where Meatcutters and Retail Clerks contracts used to be, and where they are today, you'll see a huge slide in job security, wages and benefits.
The UFCW International site has linked to a GLOBAL news page. The news is about how UFCW wages are so low that employers can't hire and keep workers anymore.
I think the point that it isn't the employers so much as weak unions that created the situation.
If the employer is so much in control who needs a union. If the union is so powerless, who needs it. These guys are so strange that they advertise to the world that "we are so weak that we can't get a livable wage for our members."
Think about it....