Thursday, June 06, 2019

CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA 

Some Alberta businesses vow to keep paying all workers $15/hr


By Radio Anchor/Reporter  Global NewsThe UCP introduced Bill 2 on Tuesday, which included several changes to Alberta labour laws. It takes effect June 26.r
LISTEN ABOVE: Northern Chicken co-owner Andrew Cowan in Edmonton and Red Bison Brewery owner/founder Steve Carlton in Calgary on the Ryan Jespersen Show.
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While the minimum wage for liquor servers and minors is set to be rolled back to $13 an hour this summer, a few Alberta businesses are vowing not to cut their workers’ pay — and they’re making their pledge public at Alberta15.ca.


One of the first to sign up was Red Bison Brewery in Calgary. Co-owner Steve Carlton told The Ryan Jespersen Show on 630 CHED that when he started his business, he decided to pay his workers $15 an hour even before the wage hike.
Over the four years Rachel Notley’s NDP government was in power, it gradually increased the minimum wage to $15 an hour — the highest in Canada — from $10.20 hourly.
“I think that was kind of the way to go, so we didn’t get the shock later on.” said Carlton.
“We kind of knew what our costs were from the get-go.”
Edmonton restaurant Northern Chicken also signed the pledge. Co-owner Andrew Cowan admitted when the base wage went up, it did mean an adjustment for his business on 124 Street.
“Everybody — front and back of house for us, cooks, servers — all get paid the same wage and they all split tips across the board.
“The idea was that everybody made the same amount of money, we all worked hard to get to the same point in time and nobody deserved more or less than the other person,” Cowan said.
“So we kind of designed our business this way, which the minimum wage wasn’t going to be as big a factor for us at the end. We hope at least.”
Cowan said while he doesn’t have any underage employees, he used to.
“A gentleman who actually works for us — he started when he was under 18 and now he’s over 18,” he said.
“I don’t think that would have changed our minds, regardless. Even if we had three, four, six guys under the age of 18 — we still would have been $15 or more.”
WATCH BELOW: In the Global Edmonton kitchen with Northern Chicken




















Besides Northern Chicken and Red Bison, other businesses that had signed up as of 1 p.m. Wednesday include Earth’s General Store, Variant Edition Comics + Culture, and West Grow Farms, and Meuwly’s.
But Carlton said he believes they’re just the start.
“I would actually expect more breweries to be signing up,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot that would just roll back wages because they can.”
He thinks it’s the larger businesses who’ll be taking advantage of this rollback.
“I think you see that the huge corporations here that have, you know, hundreds or thousands of employees.” said Carlson.
“They lobbied for this for a long time, and they’re already making hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in profits. I don’t know why they can’t share all that revenue.”

SEE


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CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA 

Alberta MLAs continue marathon debate over workplace rules

By Dean Bennett The Canadian Press
Alberta politicians talked around the clock into the afternoon Thursday in a marathon debate over a bill that would cut the minimum wage for young people and change rules on calculating overtime pay.
Opposition NDP members began delivering speeches during second reading of the United Conservative’s labour bill at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
SEE


“We’re not about to let the UCP government ram this bill through because they are taking overtime pay away from hardworking Albertans,” NDP house leader Deron Bilous told reporters Thursday morning as debate entered its 15th consecutive hour.
“This bill will have a significant impact on those especially in the construction industry and the energy sector.”
Government House Leader Jason Nixon said the UCP campaigned and won the election on a promise to change workplace rules to encourage business investment and won’t be distracted by the delay tactics.
“If the Opposition wants to filibuster they’re welcome to use the chamber to do that, to get their thoughts on the record. That’s the process. I respect that process,” said Nixon.
“(But) we will get our agenda through the house.”
There needs to be 20 members in the house for quorum or proceedings are adjourned.
On Thursday morning there were about 20 UCP members in the chamber along with nine for the NDP.
During debate some members worked off laptops, others did some reading, looked at their phones, or sat and listened, often with one hand propping up a chin.
Premier Jason Kenney sat in the front row and signed off on correspondence as NDP leader Rachel Notley, in her speech, urged the house to re-think the bill.
The government rejected an Opposition motion to refer the bill to committee for further study.
Bilous said the NDP caucus was ready for the long haul.
“Our crew has been very energetic. In fact we just swapped out our night crew,” he said.
“We have a fresh set of eyes and ears in the legislature that are prepared to talk to this and ensure that Albertans are aware of what’s in this bill.”
Nixon said he’s ready, too, especially given that his home and family are not in Edmonton.
“All I have waiting for me is an empty motel room,” he said.
“If the NDP want to spend the entire night up here hanging out with me inside the legislature, I’m happy to do it with them. Especially when I’m getting something that matters to my constituents so much through the house.”
If passed, the bill would roll back the minimum wage for workers aged 13 to 17 to $13 an hour from $15 an hour, starting June 26.
The $15 rate, the highest in Canada, would remain in place for everyone else.
The bill also proposes to cancel changes instituted by Notley’s government on banked overtime, allowing it to be calculated as straight time rather than time-and-a-half.
The bill would also restore a mandatory secret ballot for all union certification votes, and proposes a return to a 90-day period for unions to provide evidence of employee support for certification.
After second reading, the bill will be examined in detail in committee of the whole before moving to third and final reading.
On a procedural note, the official business of the house that began Wednesday night officially remains Wednesday’s business even after the clock ticks over to Thursday.
So as the debate rages on, time stands still.
© 2019 The Canadian Press

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CLASS WAR IN ALBERTA

 'Full-frontal attack' on workers: NDP filibuster over labour law changes

 JANET FRENCH & EMMA GRANEY
Updated: June 6, 2019

 The NDP protested proposed UCP labour law changes Wednesday night by kicking off an all-night filibuster of Bill 2 in the legislature.

 As Opposition MLAs made their cases Thursday morning for why the bill should go to a committee for further study, it was technically still the Wednesday evening sitting of the house. As of 11:30 a.m., the house had been sitting for 16 consecutive hours.

 “All I have waiting for me is an empty motel room,” government house leader Jason Nixon told reporters in the rotunda Thursday morning, after he’d been up for more than 24 hours. “If the NDP want to spend the entire night hanging out with me inside the legislature, I’m happy to do it with them, especially when I’m getting something that matters so much to my constituents through the house.”

 Opposition Leader Rachel Notley roasted the government over the impact Bill 2 will have on overtime. Specifically, allowing overtime hours to be banked at straight time, rather than time-and-a-half.

 Notley called on the UCP to “go back to the drawing board” and better inform themselves on what she labelled an “aggressive grab at overtime” for 400,000 workers in the province, many of whom are in the oil and gas and construction sectors.

 If the UCP is going to pass the bill, she said, it needs to be held accountable “to working people, their families and their employers.”

 “When we embark upon these risky ways to the bottom, back to these 1980-style Reaganomic economic plans, it’s divisive, because it’s about growing inequality, not reducing it,” Notley said.

 “This is a full-frontal attack on the overtime of working people.”

 Along with changing overtime rules, Bill 2 will cut the minimum wage for students under 18 and return Alberta to old rules around union certification.

 If the legislation passes, only employees who regularly work on a stat will be entitled to holiday pay, and must work 30 days in the previous 12 months to qualify for it.

 Opposition NDP house leader Deron Bilous told reporters Thursday morning his party is delaying the bill to raise awareness about its implications for workers, including those in construction and the energy sector.

 Bilous accused the UCP of not being upfront with voters during the election campaign about how the legislation would affect workers — a characterization Nixon rejected.

 “Albertans deserve to see what’s in these bills and to hear about it,” Bilous said.

 MLAs are taking shifts to maintain quorum of 20 members sitting in the house.

 Notley said last month the NDP would use all tools available to them to oppose any bill they see as an attack on workers.

 Nixon said UCP members will sit as long as they must to get their bills passed.

 “I love doing this. Our MLAs are ecstatic to come up here and fight for what they promised their constituents they would do.”

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LGBTQ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS


Opposition NDP fights over UCP Education Act in marathon meeting

A marathon session in Alberta’s Legislature continued well into the early hours of Thursday morning after the United Conservative Party unveiled its new framework for grade-school education. 
As of 6:00 a.m., the Official Opposition NDP members remained in the legislature to fight against bills related to worker’s rights, health care and most notably, education. 
NDP critics say the UCPs introduction of Bill 8 is nothing more than a cover up to out gay students.

PHOTOS


Gay-Straight Alliance sign, GSA
Gay-Straight Alliance sign
Bill 8, the Education Amendment Act of 2019, builds off the passed, but not proclaimed, Education Act of 2012.
"Once amended, the Education Act will serve as a foundation of excellence for years to come," said Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education, in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. "The act brings to life the vision for a modern education shared by thousands of Albertans through widespread consultation."
"This legislation is based on the values we believe are fundamental to supporting our students."
The yet-to-be passed law does not maintain the protections that were put in place by the previous government for gay-straight alliance (GSA) members and could result in a ban on the use of the word 'gay' in school club names.
The New Democratic Party's Bill 24 protected students from being outed for joining a GSA.
The UCP says under its act, the disclosure of GSA participation would only be justified if a student was considered to be 'at risk of harm'.
"The intention is to balance the need that, at times, students have around the way that they want to create their organization," said LaGrange, "but also to allow for occasions where there is a need for parents to be involved."
The act would also remove the requirement that principals immediately grant approval to requests to form a GSA at a school. Students facing delays in the creation of a sanctioned GSA would need to launch an appeal to the school board and education minister.
Sarah Hoffman, NDP education critic, questions the Minister of Education's motives. "Either this is intentional, she's intentionally creating massive loopholes to put kids at risk, or she's executing the direction of her premier."
If Bill 8 is passed, the changes would go into effect in September.
MLAs remain in the legislature at this time. 
The meeting began at 7 p.m. Wednesday and could run up until 11 a.m. Thursday.

(With files from CTV's Brenna Rose and MarkVillani)
Opposition MLAs spoke against Bill 8, the Education Act, at the Legislature for more than 12 hours. Mark Villani reports.

The UCP government unveiled its new education Act to replace the old legislation. Brenna Rose reports.

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Monster swarm of ladybugs shows up on San Diego weather radar

June 6, 2019 | 1:50pm | Updated

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A swarm of ladybugs flying through San Diego this week was so massive, it showed up on the National Weather Service’s radar — appearing to be a huge storm.
The weather agency confirmed Tuesday that the blob was alive.
“The large echo showing up on SoCal radar this evening is not precipitation, but actually a cloud of ladybugs termed a ‘bloom’,” the agency tweeted.
Based on the radar, the bloom appears to be about 80 miles by 80 miles, but the insects weren’t in a concentrated mass that large, Joe Dandrea, a meteorologist for the agency, told the Los Angeles Times.
Instead, they were spread throughout the sky at heights between 5,000 and 9,000 feet — and the most concentrated mass is only about 10 miles wide, according to the report.
After spotting the odd formation on the radar, Dandrea said he contacted a spotter near Wrightwood in the San Bernardino mountains.
“I don’t think they’re dense like a cloud,” Dandrea told the paper. “The observer there said you could see little specks flying by.”
About 200 species of ladybugs exist in California, and most are predators both as adults and larvae, the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program said.
Among those species are convergent lady beetles, which mate and migrate to the valley floor, gobble aphids and lay eggs in the early spring, after temperatures hit 65 degrees.
But by the early summer, once the aphid numbers decline, they migrate to higher elevations, according to the program.
It wasn’t immediately clear what species of ladybug showed up on the radar.
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Torn from Their Bindings: A Story of Art, Science, and the Pillaging of American University Libraries by Travis McDade



Tragic true crime story for book lovers
In his 2018 book Torn from Their Bindings, book crimes expert Travis McDade chronicles the criminal career of Robert Kindred, who, along with his partner Richard Green, embarked on a cross-country spree of thefts from academic libraries in the 1980s. Sometimes the two would steal rare and valuable books, but more often than not they would simply remove pages of lithographs and etchings from illustrated volumes, which Kindred would then sell as framed art prints. In this thoroughly researched and well-written history, McDade gives the reader an inside look into the motives and methods of these book thieves, who enjoyed great success up until Kindred’s eventual apprehension at the University of Illinois, where McDade works as a curator of rare books.

Prior to reading Torn from Their Bindings, I had no idea of the truly shocking extent of Kindred’s crimes, which amounted to a cross-country swath of carnage in numerous libraries that were specifically targeted for their valuable holdings. Thousands of pages were excised by razor blade from scientific journals and illustrated periodicals. Kindred amassed enough material to keep entire retail galleries stocked with stolen merchandise. Although Kindred is the main focus of this study, McDade also briefly covers other book thieves whose methods were similar to Kindred’s and whose crimes rivaled or exceeded Kindred’s in their staggering scope.

Lovers of libraries and old books will be filled with dismay at how easy it was to perpetrate these crimes. Most of the materials Kindred and Green pillaged were shelved in stacks open to the public, with no security to stop them from just walking in, spending an entire day cutting out what they wanted, and walking out. Kindred didn’t get caught until he really stretched beyond this easy modus operandi and boldly ventured into breaking and entering. As a library school graduate with a fondness for academic libraries, I have always been a staunch believer in the value of open stacks and the opportunity for serendipitous discovery amidst printed books. The level of devastation McDade reveals, however, really raises troubling questions of access vs. preservation, making it harder to justify open stacks. Also troubling is the question of how many of such thefts go undiscovered, and how many gutted volumes may lie waiting on the shelves of America’s university libraries for that unfortunate researcher or librarian who will find them damaged beyond repair and unsuitable for use.

McDade diligently covers all aspects of Kindred’s crime and punishment, including minutely detailed police procedures and courtroom proceedings. At times it is probably more detail than the general reader really needs, but if McDade’s goal is to document the definitive history of these crimes, then he succeeds. This book is more likely to appeal specifically to those with an avid interest in old books and libraries, since the average true crime buff may not be interested in the history of zoological and botanical journals, the artists who illustrated them, or the specific species of plants and animals that Kindred chose to pilfer. If, however, you find such matters of bibliographic history fascinating, as I do, then Torn from Their Bindings is really an absorbing read. It makes for a disturbingly eye-opening exposé into the world of library theft, one that any academic librarian or archivist should read.
If you liked this review, please follow the link below to Amazon.com and give me a “helpful” vote. Thank you.
https://www.amazon.com/review/RM2670OQBTIGM/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm
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