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BC FORUM president Alice West addresses delegates at the BC FORUM Annual General Meeting that took place on June 10, 2010, in Burnaby.
• Board of Directors Report - Alice West, President BC FORUM
• Retirees are the fastest growing political force in Canada - Pat Kerwin, CURC
• NDP is building a positive alternative - Shane Simpson, MLA
• BC FORUM calls for improvements to Canada's Pension Plan
• BC FORUM calls on government to strengthen health care
Board of Directors report on BC FORUM activities
“It seems that every time you turn around and say you’re going to retire, a new problem comes up,” said Alice West, President, as she welcomed members to the BC FORUM annual general meeting, held June 10 in Burnaby.
She said the meeting was an opportunity to learn more about the issues facing retired workers and their families, and to discuss how we can support each other in advocating for change.
West presented the Board of Directors’ report, describing activities since the last general meeting, held Sept. 17, 2009.
“BC FORUM’s mandate and structure are unique,” said the report.
“Unlike any other seniors’ or retirees’ group, we exist to help strengthen the labour movement, and to support the fight for social justice in a civil society,” it said.
“The BC Federation of Retired Union Members was created to give retirees the opportunity to remain active and involved – because retiring from work shouldn’t force you to retire from the movement.
“The challenge and opportunity that faces our movement, and our organization, is to build solidarity across generations,” said the report.
West highlighted the BC Federation of Labour decision to establish the Joy Langan Social Justice Award.
The award was established by resolution at the 2008 BCFL Convention to honour Joy, her commitment to working people, her passion for social and political engagement and the vision and leadership she provided to so many, including BC FORUM.
The first Joy Langan Social Justice Award will be presented at this year’s BCFL convention. Nomination forms and a description of the selection criteria are available from the BCFL. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 27.
The report also describes action taken to improve member services, expansion of group extended health benefit plans offered through WE Insurance, BC FORUM’s advocacy for better pensions, support for the anti-HST campaign, and our participation in the Coalition to Build a Better BC.
“When you look at the action of the Campbell and Harper governments, and their impact on seniors, it is clear that the need for solidarity across generations has never been greater,” concludes the report.
“As working people have always done, we must stand together. We thank you for your involvement, caring and activism through BC FORUM.
“We appreciate your membership and participation. The more we are, the stronger we will be, and the more we can accomplish together. With your support, BC FORUM can be a powerful voice for retired workers, older workers, and our families.”
Retirees are the fastest growing political force in Canada
“We are the fastest growing political force in Canada,” says Pat Kerwin, President of the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC).
“The work we are doing together is extremely important,” he told the BC FORUM annual general meeting.
BC FORUM is affiliated to CURC. The two organizations work together on national issues.
Kerwin traced the history of pension plans, and described the threat such plans face in today’s political and economic environment.
Fewer and fewer employers are offering pension plans, many of the existing plans are being changed from defined benefit to defined contribution plans, and many long term workers are losing their pension benefits as companies go out of business.
He said it’s important to support the Canadian Labour Congress proposal to improve the Canada Pension Plan because “negotiated plans are not safe in the long run.”
A priority for CURC to support stronger federations of retired workers at the provincial level, and even more importantly, in the community.
“It’s most effective when we lobby at the local level,” he said.
CURC, which is affiliated to the CLC, is working to get unions to help retirees organize.
“We need more people to see us as a solution (in helping to tackle common issues), not as a problem,” he said.
More information about CURC is available on the web at unionretiree.ca.
NDP is building a positive alternative
People have had it with the current government, now the NDP must provide a positive alternative, Shane Simpson, Opposition Critic for Housing and Social Development, told the BC FORUM annual general meeting June 10.
While anger over the HST has helped drive government support to just 26 percent – 20 points behind the NDP – in recent opinion polls, the biggest thing is that people feel they have been deceived, Simpson suggested.
“The government lied about their intentions,” he said, enumerating the lies about the HST, the true size of the budget deficit, and the Liberals’ commitment to protecting health and education.
Simpson, who has been out canvassing on the HST initiative, says many people are signing the petition to say, “I’ve had enough of the Liberals.”
His speech came one day before Blair Lekstrom resigned from both cabinet and the Liberal caucus, underlining that even some Liberals and had enough of the Liberals.
“There are now more signatures on the petition than the Liberal had votes in the last election,” Simpson said.
The NDP is currently engaged in a process of reaching out to British Columbians to refine the party’s positions in key policy areas.
A conference called “Our province, our future” opened this process.
“We invited a lot of people who are not friends,” said Simpson. “Our values won’t change, but one of those values is that we will listen to everyone.”
The party is discussing three core policy areas with British Columbians.
The first concerns revenues – progressive taxes, resource rents and how government pays for public services.
Simpson said the HST is not tax policy, it is a tax shift. It will generate no new revenues. In fact, it will bring in $200 million less than the PST in the first year. But it is a $1.9 billion shift in taxes from corporations to individuals, another in a long list of such shifts.
“We need taxes that will allow corporations to be competitive, but not cut taxes at any cost,” he said.
The priority is to enhance and protect services to people, supported through progressive tax and revenue policies.
The second core topic is jobs, he said. BC today is really two economies, dividing the Lower Mainland and the rest of the province where resource communities are suffering.
The party will be discussing job creation in the context of a green economy where we can reduce our carbon footprint in a thoughtful way, with regard for employment.
The third core topic is what Simpson called the social contract – working together to ensure British Columbians have access to public health care and educational opportunities.
“We need to engage British Columbians and bring everyone to the table. We need to talk about what’s good for British Columbians and our communities, not just what’s good for people on Howe Street and people who donate to the Liberals,” he said.
Simpson concluded by calling for vigorous extra-parliamentary activity.
“Be vigorous and vocal in demanding the kind of BC you want,” he said.
“Demand it of the Liberals. Demand it of New Democrats. Keep the pressure on us.”
That’s the way, he suggested, to bring back to BC responsible government that’s grounded in the values and principles we share.
BC’s labour movement is reaching out to all working people
“The labour movement exists today because people fought for it yesterday,” says Jim Sinclair, President of the BC Federation of Labour – but the movement will only survive if it continues to bring in new people.
“If they don’t come knocking, we’ve got to go looking.”
In a wide-ranging speech to the BC FORUM annual general meeting, June 10, Sinclair outlined current initiatives and campaigns to expand the labour movement and make it even more inclusive.
“Thank you for staying active and involved,” he told members at what he called the biggest BC FORUM meeting in 10 years. “This room is full of people who give a damn about the world.”
Young people are also getting more involved, he said, noting that 75 young workers – also the largest group in a long time – were headed to Camp Jubilee to talk about the future of the movement. As little as four years ago, only nine BCFL Convention delegates were under the age of 30. Last year, there were more than 100.
“Working people need the labour movement more than ever, because corporations have never been more powerful,” he said.
“We need to reach out to young people, immigrants, and people of colour. My idea of the labour movement includes every working person, not just those who belong to a union today.”
Initiatives which support that goal include the campaign to improve pensions, opposition to the HST and support for fair taxes, the fight to increase the minimum wage, advocacy for safety on the job, coalition building, and reaching out to unorganized workers.
“The pension campaign is a must win,” said Sinclair.
“We must get to a point where workers, wherever they work, will receive a pension that allows them to retire with dignity.”
Sinclair emphasized that labour opposition to the HST is based on the fact that it shifts $1.9 billion in taxes from corporations to people.
“We’re not against taxes. We know we have to pay for the services that support families and communities. But we’re against unfair tax shifts that only serve to make the rich richer,” he said.
A total of 42 organizations have now signed on to join The Coalition to Build a Better BC, Sinclair reported. The coalition includes groups that represent students, seniors, aboriginal people, artists and writers, environmental activists, workers and more.
“The Coalition is planning a number of community meetings. It is also planning an October Summit of organizations to discuss the kind of BC we want – including how taxes can be made more fair and services can be properly funded.”
Turning to the minimum wage – frozen by the BC government for eight years – Sinclair acknowledged that $10 an hour is not a good wage.
But he also described an encounter with two department store clerks who approached him saying, “Aren’t you that union guy?” They had been working for years for $8.30 an hour.
“They deserve an increase,” said Sinclair. “And when we win, 300,000 people will know the labour movement did that for them.”
To further reach out to the unorganized, the BCFL has established the Employee Action and Rights Network (EARN), he announced.
“There are laws to protect people at work, but too often workers aren’t given this information and they don’t know where to find it,” he said. “EARN is a new resource for people who want to know more about their rights.
“It will answer their questions. And it will help people who want to work together to improve their working conditions,” he said.
The network launched a new website – www.earnbc.ca – on June 7.
BC FORUM calls for improvements to Canada Pension Plan
BC FORUM members have called for significant improvements in the Canada Pension Plan and payments to retired workers.
“I’m proud of the work BC FORUM is doing on this issue,” said Diane Wood, secretary of BC FORUM, speaking to a resolution presented to the 2010 annual general meeting.
She pointed out what when federal politicians came to Richmond for a “town hall” on pensions, the event was poorly advertised, but through BC FORUM and the labour movement, we were able to get out the word.
“We need alternative voices across the country to address the pension issue. Many young workers have no pension, and no RRSP. What about the future for these kids? We have a responsibility to speak for them,” she said.
Art Kube, president of the National Pensioners and Senior Citizens Federation and a member of BC FORUM, said the number of seniors who are homeless and living on the streets is increasing drastically.
“It’s important to emphasize the need for an immediate increase in GIS (Guaranteed Income Supplement) payments,” he said.
The resolution, as amended on the floor, affirms that the B.C. Federation of Retired Union Members:
• Endorses the Canadian Labour Congress proposals to immediately increase the GIS to help lift seniors out of poverty, and to phase in improvements to the Canada Pension Plan so younger workers can have a secure retirement.
• Rejects private sector pension solutions which force individual workers to carry all the risks while banks and financial institutions collect guaranteed management fees and profits.
• Calls on the federal government to withdraw its proposal to reduce CPP payments by 36%, up from the current 30%, for workers who retire at age 60.
Read the full text of the resolution below:
Improving pensions for working people
Background:
• More than 70 percent of private sector workers in B.C. have no pension other than the Canada Pension Plan.
• Most private sector pensions and voluntary contribution plans have no inflation protection.
• The federal government is proposing to increase the penalty paid by workers who choose early retirement under the CPP.
• Young workers, many of whom change jobs frequently, need a pension plan that is fully portable. The CPP fits the bill.
• Federal and provincial ministers have been meeting to discuss possible changes to Canada’s retirement income system. They met in Whitehorse in December. They will meet again June 13 and 14 in Prince Edward Island.
• The Globe and Mail (April, 2010) reported that Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty seems to be leaning towards “a private sector solution” to address the shortcomings of Canada’s re-tirement system. This is not a solution. It is part of the prob-lem.
• Private sector retirement plans are, almost without exception, defined contribution plans. They are designed to protect the profits of financial institutions, and leave the retirement in-comes of workers to the vagaries of the market.
• Household debt is at record levels. Families struggling to meet their current living expenses do not have extra money to set aside for retirement.
Therefore be it resolved that the B.C. Federation of Retired Union Members:
• Endorse the Canadian Labour Congress proposals to phase in improvements to the Canada Pension Plan so younger workers can have a secure retirement, and to immediately increase Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement to help lift seniors out of poverty.
• Reject private sector pension solutions which force individual workers to carry all the risks while banks and financial institutions collect guaranteed management fees and profits.
• Call on the federal government to withdraw its proposal to reduce CPP payments by 36%, up from the current 30%, for workers who retire at age 60.
BC FORUM calls on government to strengthen health care
More and more health care services are being compromised to benefit for-profit corporations whose priority is the bottom line, not quality of care, warns a composite resolution adopted at the BC FORUM annual general meeting June 10.
The resolution cites:
• Contracting out and service reductions in residential care and home support services.
• Significant growth in private for-profit clinics.
• Out-patient rehabilitation services, the majority of which are now for-profit.
• Attacks on the independent Therapeutics Initiative by a provincial task force with ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Russ St. Eloi, a director of BC FORUM, spoke strongly in favour of the resolution and against some people’s seeming acceptance of health care privatization.
“It’s wrong headed. It’s wrong minded,” he said.
“We’re eating it up like candy coated penguin poop. It’s no good. We have to spit it out.”
As amended on the floor – after Linda Forsythe pointed out that ambulances that transfer patients are being privatized – the resolution commits BC FORUM to:
• Oppose contracting out long-term care, home support and ambulance services to for-profit providers.
• Call on the provincial government to initiate a public consultation and develop a strategy to bring out-patient rehabilitation services back into the publicly-funded, non-profit sector.
• Urge the BC government to maintain the structure and funding levels of the Therapeutics Initiative to help ensure British Columbians receive the safest, most effective and affordable prescription medicines.
• Affirm that all health care and rehabilitation services, whether provided in the home, the community or the acute care sector should be universally available, and that all user fees and other financial barriers to care should be removed.
Read the full text of the resolution below:
Improving health care for British Columbians
Background:
• The availability of high quality health care for all who need it is an important measure of the quality of our society.
• More and more health care services are being compromised to benefit for-profit corporate entities whose priority is the bottom-line, not the quality of care:
• Residential and long-term care for seniors, along with home support services, are being cut and contracted out to corporate providers.
• The majority of outpatient rehabilitation services are now for-profit and increasingly provided by large corporations at great cost to patients.
• While the government has failed to provide community health centres, the number of private for-profit clinics is growing significantly. The Seaton Commission said community health centres “have the potential to reduce hospitalization and increase the quality of care available at the community level” at lower cost than acute care facilities.
• The Therapeutics Initiative, which provides independent advice on the benefits, harms and cost of prescription medicines, is under attack from a provincial task force with ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Therefore be it resolved that the B.C. Federation of Retired Union Members:
• Oppose contracting out long-term care, home support and ambulance services to for-profit providers.
• Call on the B.C. government to initiate a public consultation with rehabilitation providers, the disability rights community, seniors’ and women’s health organizations and unions to develop a strategy to bring rehabilitation services back into the publicly-funded, non-profit sector.
• Call on the B.C. government to develop multi-disciplinary, non-profit and publicly-funded community health centres throughout the province.
• Urge the B.C. government to maintain the structure and funding levels of the Therapeutics Initiative to help ensure British Columbians receive the safest, most effective and affordable prescription medicines.
• Affirm that all health care and rehabilitation services, whether provided in the home, the community or the acute care sector should be universally available, and that all user fees and other financial barriers to care should be removed.
BC FORUM'S 2010 Annual General Meeting
