In praise of unseen networks.
ON JANUARY 4, 2021, workers at Alphabet, the parent company of tech giant Google, announced through an op-ed in the New York Times that they had formed the Alphabet Workers Union, as part of the Communications Workers of America. Here's what happened next.
With some notable exceptions, like the Globe and Mail's feature on the enormous cost of remediating Alberta's abandoned oil wells, Canada's corporate press hasn't paid much critical attention to this powerful industrial sector. Why not?
Not everyone is a gruff-but-beloved Vermont socialist... So how do you build a distributed organizing program without a national presidential campaign?
For a 15-minute city to properly serve all people, it needs to be undertaken for all people.
The German experience with sectoral bargaining should remind worker advocates that legislative reform is not a quick fix to the erosion of trade union power.
A post-CETA free trade deal with the United Kingdom should facilitate decarbonization and a just transition, not get in the way.
Stuart Trew (he/him) is the Director of the CCPA's Trade and Investment Research Project and the former Editor of the Monitor. Find him on twitter at @StuJT.
Declan Ingham is a researcher focused on building a workers-first economy and a welfare state that leaves no one behind. Follow Declan on Twitter at @Sir_D_Ingham
Róisín (they/she) is the Senior Editor of the Monitor and Behind the Numbers. They write about disability and accessibility, civic engagement, and media. Find them on Twitter at @RoisinWest.
Gavin Fridell is Canada Research Chair and Professor in International Development Studies at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and a member of the CCPA’s Trade and Investment Research Project (TIRP). He is co-editor, with Zack Gross and Sean McHugh, of The Fair Trade Handbook: Building a Better World, Together.
Kevin Philipupillai (he/him) is a journalism student at Carleton University. He was previously a radio producer with AMI, a non-profit broadcaster serving Canadians who are blind or partially sighted.
Robert Hackett is a CCPA Research Associate, co-founder of Media Democracy Days in 2001, and co-author of Remaking Media: The Struggle to Democratize Public Communication (2006) and Journalism and Climate Crisis: Public Engagement, Media Alternatives (2017).
Hanna (she/her) is a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University where she studied Communications and Print & Digital Publishing. She is passionate about intersectional climate justice, community care, and using environmental communication as a vital tool in strengthening collective efficacy and co-creating sustainable futures.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, our writers and researchers have provided groundbreaking commentary and analysis that has shaped Canada's response to COVID-19. We've fought for better supports for workers affected by pandemic closures, safer working conditions on the frontline, and more. With the launch of the new Monitor site, we're working harder than ever to share even more progressive news, views and ideas for Canada's road to recovery. Help us grow.
Support the Monitor