Labour Power and Global Warming

What a strike in Canada tells us about changing the future

Canada post is on strike. This comes after breakdowns in negotiations over the postal worker’s collective agreement that dictates working conditions.

Although work-related strikes are not uncommon, (even though they have been decreasing over the past few decades in what represents a global trend) strikes that seek to influence the workplace beyond what might directly benefit the workers themselves are. This is exactly what sets the Canada Post strike apart from the rest.

The Canadain Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which is representing postal workers in the negotiation process, is not only seeking improvements to the working conditions of Postal Workers, who are facing mandatory overtime, pay structures that differ from region to region, and work intensification as the nature of postal deliveries changes from letters to parcels, but they are also tabling fundamental changes to the way Canada post operates.

Mainly, CUPW has revived the idea of postal banking — which will allow post offices to serve as banks for everyone and reinvest money made by the postal bank into the communities which they serve while also ensuring the long-term viability of the post office network. This is important because as a public institution (what is called a crown corporation in Canada) the post office can be an even more competitive lender and service provider than private banks that seek to maximize their profit. It also means that banking services will be more personable, available to seniors and other vulnerable sections of the population with limited mobility, and even towns around Canada that don’t have a bank.

The second related demand from CUPW, is a move to greener Canada Post operations and reduced emissions. This is not limited to Canada Post looking at its own operation and how that can be made greener (use of electric vehicles, solar panels, etc.) but also in creating the infrastructure that will allow Canada Post to provide new environmental services such as electric car charging benefiting entire communities and helping to push the entire country forward towards renewable energy. These changes can be funded by the first proposition that CUPW has.

This is fundamentally important because, as CUPW likes to flaunt, there are more Canada Post offices in Canada than there are Tim Hortons. This gives Canada Post a massive nationwide network that CAN affect the change it is looking for.

What’s even more incredible is that CUPW represents about 54,000 employees nationwide. That is to say that the work of a single union can help push forward a nationwide environmental agenda faster than the government itself.

You are the Union

If you don't see where I'm going with this yet let me make it clear. An incredibly small number of workers, taking matters into their own hands, are single handedly pushing forward a national green infrastructure project. Imagine what we can do with one or three other unions taking similar actions.

But to get there much needs to change. CUPW is known in Canada for its militant actions and its bold demands. It was CUPW that won maternity leave for the rest of Canadians and CUPW has never shied from the idea that Unions hold immense power. Meanwhile, other unions, those that remain as Unions, especially in the private sector have been rapidly declining, tend to maintain a position of political neutrality. But this is ridiculous, especially when it comes to issues of climate change which will impact us all.

CUPW here goes against the long-standing unspoken dictum that work and pleasure (in this case the imminent displeasure we will all face with increasing global temperatures) don't mix. Our personal lives don’t simply stop as soon as we put on a work uniform or step into an office. CUPW draws at this fact and makes it clear that all of us, as workers, stand to lose out due to global warming; and it is us the workers who need to do something about it instead of wait around for the benevolence of companies or the government bureaucracy to do anything about it.

It’s true that Canada Post has an advantage of being a public company and has access to this massive network of infrastructure, but think of all the other private organizations that have this infrastructure available as well and are not enacting changes, beyond cosmetic CSR type marketing stunts, so that their bottom line is not affected. From coffee chains, logistic hubs, to car manufacturers who would rather cheat on emission tests than engage in real change.

Protests vs Strikes

Imagining all these organizations unionizing in a politically engaged way and then acting for the benefit of all is rather difficult, even idealistic, and it is not what I am proposing.

What CUPW shows us is not the importance of a progressive union — although that is, by all means, paramount — but that the way to effect change is by hitting where it hurts. If businesses are reluctant to adopt green policies and initiatives because they worry that it will hurt their bottom line, then we must show them that what will hurt their bottom line, even more, is if they do not adopt green policies and initiatives.

This is an important thing to understand especially considering that the cause of climate changed has been perverted into the idea that it is the result of personal consumption. This has moved us to tackle it as an issue of individual behaviour which has ironically fueled consumption of goods such as reusable straws. This is not to say that charges on plastic bags and conscientious consumerism are not good things, they’re great. But they are not enough to spur producers of CO2 into action, especially when we consider that just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions.

To effect change, then, it is imperative that we take up collective action. Initiatives like Earth Hour, again, present the issue through an individualist lens, not to mention how laughable the idea that one hour a year is going to help us save the environment. And although protests are a good way to make one's voice heard they remain toothless and largely meant to raise awareness — a point we are well beyond when it comes to climate change.

What is needed now is a bold popular initiative that hits where it hurts and forces the hand of corporations and governments alike to act now instead of waiting for the next election cycle or the next marketing gimmick that can make environmental responsibility appealing.