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CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES MARCH/APRIL 2019 $6.95 Contributors Jeremy Appel is an education Richard Girard is an Ottawa- Richard Girard is an Ottawa- and justice reporter for the based educator, activist and based educator, activist and Medicine Hat News. researcher with the Union of researcher with the Union of Safety and Justice Employees. Safety and Justice Employees. Zaee Deshpande is a master's Vol. 25, No. 6 ISSN 1198-497X student in the Institute of Paul Moist is a research Jon Weier is a historian Canada Post Publication 40009942 Political Economy at Carleton associate with the CCPA- of war and society who University and currently an Manitoba and past national also writes and lectures Monitor The is published six times intern at the CCPA’s national president of the Canadian on Canadian identity and a year by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. office in Ottawa. Union of Public Employees. the politics of history, commemoration and memory, Bruno Dobrusin is a labour Erika Shaker is a senior The opinions expressed in the public and active history, Monitor are those of the authors organizer based in Toronto. researcher with the CCPA and the history of the left in and do not necessarily reflect He is the co-ordinator of and director of the centre’s Canada. the views of the CCPA. the One Million Climate education project. Please send feedback to Jobs campaign at the Green Kathleen Ruff is a longtime [email protected]. Economy Network. human rights advocate, a Editor: Stuart Trew Gerald Dragon is a CCPA-BC research associate Senior Designer: Tim Scarth community worker and radio and founder of the website Layout: Susan Purtell Editorial Board: Alyssa O’Dell, show host grounded on www.rightoncanada.ca. unceded Algonquin terrritory. Shannon Daub, Katie Raso, Erika Jim Hodgson is the Latin Shaker, Rick Telfer The Graphic History America/Caribbean Program Contributing Writers: Collective is a group of Co-ordinator at the United HELP US SHED LIGHT ON THE Lynne Fernandez, artists, researchers and Church of Canada. Elaine Hughes, Asad Ismi writers interested in comics, Tom Sandborn lives and CCPA National Office: history and social justice. works on unceded Indigenous ISSUES THAT MATTER TO YOU. 141 Laurier Avenue W, Suite 1000 Their comics show that you land in Vancouver. He was Ottawa, ON K1P 5J3 don’t need a cape and a one of several hundred Tel: 613-563-1341 pair of tights to change the Fax: 613-233-1458 arrestees last spring (we’ve got some bright ideas) world. In January 2019, the [email protected] protesting the Trans Mountain collective released Direct www.policyalternatives.ca pipeline development. 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REGISTERED CHARITY #124146473 RR0001 CONTENTS Winnipeg 100 General years Strike later Perspectives on direct action from Paul Moist, Jon Weier, Julie Guard, Molly McCracken, Kevin Rebeck, Lynne Fernandez, the Graphic History Collective, Erika Shaker, Bruno Dobrusin and Zaee Deshpande. /12 UP FRONT FEATURES All you need to know South African labour launches about carbon pricing new challenge to the ANC Asad Ismi 34 Marc Lee 5 How we beat the asbestos lobby The new politics of eating Kathleen Ruff 36 Letisha Toop 8 Nicaragua’s complicated Canada needs a Green New Deal conversation about the Ortegas Hannah Muhajarine 9 Jim Hodgson 38 Editorial 2 | Letters 3 | New From the CCPA 4 | Index 7 | Good News Page 40 | Books 41 From the Editor STUART TREW Direct action, then and now N JANUARY, TENS of thousands of of the Graphic History Collective, we brutally suppressed Paris Commune Mexican factory workers in the north- spend a good part of the magazine of March to May 1871, and they would eastern border town of Matamoros talking about the strike—not only as a be the first onto the street during the Iwalked off the job to demand fair tool for improving wages and working Winnipeg General Strike. CCPA-Man- wages. The estimated 30,000 to 40,000 conditions, but also for building social itoba Director Molly McCracken maquiladora workers (out of a total lo- connections and solidarity, and achiev- interviews Julie Guard, panellist at cal workforce of 70,000) were incensed ing big-picture progressive change. the “Building a Better World: 1919-2019” that their employers—foreign-owned, “Workers can make great gains by conference happening this May, about export-oriented auto parts firms and withdrawing their labour power. But women’s continued subordination in other manufacturers—had cancelled they also risk a lot,” writes the collective Canadian workplaces and how the employee bonuses in response to a gov- in the intro to our cover feature. “The #metoo movement and smart union ernment-mandated doubling of the stakes in class struggle are high.” organizing might fix that (page 22). minimum wage in the border region That is as true for Mexico’s maqui- Perhaps no group of workers has effective January 1. ladora workers today as it was for the done more for the current North Amer- At 176.72 pesos (about $12) per day, 35,000 Winnipeg workers, only a third ican union movement than teachers. President Andrés Manuel López Ob- of them unionized, who walked off the “The teachers’ unions, I would say, have rador’s new minimum wage was close job on May 15, 1919 in sympathy with the almost singlehandedly led to resurgent to what the maquiladora workers building trades and metal trade coun- interest in unions,” says Anchor Brew- were already earning, but still far less cils, launching the globally significant ing worker Brace Belden, who is trying than what those workers would have Winnipeg General Strike. As Paul Moist to organize a union at San Francisco’s made in the 1980s. Factory owners’ recounts in his reflections on the legacy iconic craft beer factory, in a February decision to cancel important wage of 1919 (page 14), “the general strike was a interview with Jacobin magazine. “And top-ups was the last straw. Defying large and difficult defeat for the workers the teachers’ unions keep winning, their union leadership, workers went involved.” Thousands were sacked or re- which is encouraging. The teachers’ un- on strike and in early February won a hired under the same lousy conditions ions are probably our biggest influence, 20% wage increase and 32,000 pesos and pay; civic workers who joined the honestly.” Erika Shaker, who directs the bonus (about $2,200). strike were only allowed to return to CCPA’s education project, wonders if Inspired by the maquiladora victory, work after pledging their allegiance to Canada’s education community can’t other unions at the border with the U.S. the city and promising never to engage also seize the moment to bring educa- and across Mexico have organized wild- in sympathy action again. tors and education workers, parents and cat strikes to demand the same deal. But as Manitoba Federation of La- students together in a grand coalition “[T]he strike wave has spread beyond bour President Kevin Rebeck points for public education renewal (page 28). the factories to supermarkets and out (page 19), the direct action rever- As the One Big Union would say, di- other employers, with all the workers berated across the country. “Every rect action gets the goods, but it’s not a demanding ‘20/32,’” notes the AFL-CIO, existing government from Winnipeg guarantee of success. For every sympa- which is lending international support outward changed after that strike, and thetic honk for a striking teacher there to the strikers. While the U.S. labour fed- we saw action that benefited workers,” is someone sharing a racist post on Face- eration praised the wage hike as good he says.