[Image-1] Say hello to Jason MacLean, the new president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union. The 42-year-old corrections officer was acclaimed last weekend at a Halifax convention, and takes over from former leader Joan Jessome. MacLean is the second black NSGEU president, after Noel Johnson, who served in the 1970s. His inaugural […]
Labour
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Unbreakable Joan Jessome
Let’s start with a question: Is Joan Jessome the most hated woman in Nova Scotia? Google “Joan Jessome” and “hated,” and you’ll get 5,630 hits in less than a Google second. The top three results are news stories following the December 11, 2015, announcement she would be retiring as president of the Nova Scotia Government […]
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Council asks for 23 amendments to new Halifax Transit plan
[Image-1] 
 Regional council has voted to overhaul HRM’s transit network—barring a couple dozen amendments it needs to investigate first. 
Halifax Transit’s Moving Forward Together plan was discussed for several hours at Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting. The five-year plan has been in the making since 2013, and will dismantle and rebuild the municipality’s […]
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New ownership a bumpy road at Smiling Goat
[Image-1] Things have changed at the Smiling Goat Organic Espresso Bar. New owner Kit Singh took over the coffee shop at the end of January. He says he became instantly attracted to business opportunities in the city after taking a trip to Halifax in September from his home in England. “When I came to know […]
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Update: Chronicle Herald has a reason for dropping that wage equality clause
UPDATE: On their new labour relations mini-site the Chronicle Herald explains the rationale for removing the “equal pay” clause from the union’s contract. “While the clause was removed, it was replaced with even stronger language that reflects the laws of the province. What we have proposed is, in fact, more inclusive than what the union has […]
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Former Fort St. John mayor strikebreaking for the Chronicle Herald
[Image-1] Given the state of journalism, broke young freelancers taking up the Chronicle Herald’s offer to work as replacement labour during a union strike is understandable, if not regrettable. It’s a little more surprising when the man crossing the picket line to cover city hall turns out to himself be a former mayor. Bruce Lantz, […]
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The Chronicle Herald is getting snippy on Twitter
[Image-1] The president and CEO of Canada’s largest independently owned newspaper appears to be embracing new media by getting into Twitter fights with readers. Over the last 14 hours, the @CH_MLever account has been on the defensive against critics of the Herald’s managerial decisions in the wake of Saturday’s union strike and layoff notices. The […]
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Freelance reporting comes with some heavy costs
[Image-1] When a newspaper starts to crumble—as seen recently with the Chronicle Herald—the burden falls squarely on the journalists on staff, who face apparently endless cuts and ever-increasing workloads. But the unravelling of traditional media has also affected those who aren’t even employees: that is, freelance journalists. According to an email obtained by the CBC, […]
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The labours of Danny Cavanagh
[Image-1] Danny Cavanagh used to be head of the provincial branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Now, he’s the president of the much larger Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, the umbrella group for affiliated unions. Why did you decide to run for president? I tend to like to be more of a progressive […]
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Rick Clarke’s work isn’t over
Labour Day weekend was a time to enjoy summer’s wrap-up, and a holiday to give Canadians the opportunity to reflect on how far workers’ rights in this country have come. Rick Clarke, departing president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, has led an organization advocating for fair treatment of workers and an improved standard […]
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5 ways not to be exploited at a part-time job
When Kevin started work at a fast food restaurant chain in Halifax at the age of 18, he was surprised to find out how much he’d get paid. Transferring from the same restaurant in North Sydney, he was set to make 50 cents less per hour while doing the same work. “When I inquired about […]
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Unionized coffee shops grind out a future
[Image-1] Two years ago, baristas leading the push to unionize Halifax coffee shops was the grounds for many a heated discussion. In 2013, both Just Us! and Second Cup were at the centre of unionization battles fuelled by concerns about workplace conditions. Employees at both coffee shops were ultimately successful in unionizing, but two years […]