![\"TheUnionIsUS\"](\"http:\/\/www.une-sen.org\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/TheUnionIsUS.jpg\")
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There\u2019s no doubt that the Canadian Labour Congress\u2019 Fairness Works<\/a> campaign has helped to create a national conversation about unions\u2019 contributions. As the labour movement\u2019s very existence is challenged by conservative lawmakers, pitting workers against each other, the labour congress is making a simple argument: when workers thrive, we all benefit.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a message that resonated with the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration des travailleurs et travailleuses du Qu\u00e9bec (FTQ), the largest labour federation in Quebec. Its leaders had an earnest desire to take that same message to Quebecers, but to also go further<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOurs is a campaign that first and foremost targets our members,\u201d explained Johanne Deschamps, political advisor with the FTQ. \u201cWhat we asked unions to do is to train their members \u2013 facilitators in the workplace \u2013 to speak with their members. It\u2019s about engaging members in conversations about the different issues.\u201d<\/p>\n On one hand, the FTQ wants union members to have a closer relationship with their union. They also want members to have a greater sense of being a part of their union and to think critically about some of the conservative policies being proposed by the federal government.<\/p>\n \u201cThey often tell us, the union is YOU, whereas we want to tell them, \u2018no. The union is US, together.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The organization recognizes that anti-union sentiment isn\u2019t something that just exists within conservative factions of our society; there are anti-union misconceptions that are deeply engrained in the minds of our very members. Through a series of short YouTube clips<\/a>, showcasing young union members, the FTQ is trying to dismantle the myth-machine.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need the union; I can figure stuff out on my own with the boss,\u201d reads one myth.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if things don\u2019t work out with the boss? What can you do? Do you have any recourse? At least, with the union, you have other steps,\u201d answers Lydia Bouzgaren, a PSAC member, in her video.<\/p>\n Deschamps said they drew inspiration from unions in Belgium, which launched a similar campaign that targeted both union members and the general population.<\/p>\n \u201cThey created a small booklet that was titled \u2018Toxic Ideas\u2019 \u2013 in other words, problematic ideas, and how to counter that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n And these days, toxic ideas are abound. Unions are battling a series of attacks at all levels of government.<\/p>\n \u201cThe federal government and provincial governments all seem to have this attitude, whether they\u2019re conservative or liberal, they\u2019re telling the entire world that there\u2019s a problem; the debt is enormous, we have no money, so we have to cut.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s a false argument because ultimately, they\u2019re dismantling the state.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe province of Quebec, the government of Quebec, isn\u2019t going to resemble what it used to look like before. The model that we worked on for so many years is being demolished.\u201d<\/p>\n Deschamps points to the much revered Quebec daycare system, which charges parents $7 a day, as an example. There\u2019s even a union-led campaign<\/a> making the case for that model to be adopted at the federal level. But now, even that standard is being threatened in Quebec.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shows that even our gains can be challenged at any moment. Nothing is certain anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n The political advisor acknowledges that keeping track of all these cuts and their impacts is a tall task \u2013 even for those of us whose jobs involve following these things day in and day out.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard for us; imagine how tough it is for the general public to be accorded their rightful place in those things and to be indignant. One day, they\u2019re going to get mad, because they\u2019ll notice that the bill just went up \u2013 and they won\u2019t necessarily have seen it coming.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI look at the title of our campaign \u2013 Pour un monde plus juste<\/i> (For a fairer world) \u2013 and it takes on a special importance,\u201d concluded Deschamps, her voice getting softer and sullen. \u201cIt really takes on a special importance because I really don\u2019t know how we\u2019ll get a fairer world with the decisions that these governments are taking.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Johanne Deschamps for taking the time to talk to us about the FTQ\u2019s campaign and the conservative ideas and actions that plague our society. If you\u2019d like to find out more about the campaign, we urge you to visit their site<\/a>, keeping in mind that the content is only available in French.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s no doubt that the Canadian Labour Congress\u2019 Fairness Works campaign has helped to create a national conversation about unions\u2019 contributions. As the labour movement\u2019s very existence is challenged by conservative lawmakers, pitting workers against each other, the labour congress is making a simple argument: when workers thrive, we all benefit. It\u2019s a message that … <\/p>\n