Policy paper calls for new strategies to halt erosion of workers’ rights

The policy paper, Losing Ground: The Slow Decline of Worker’s Rights and Privileges in Alberta 1975 – 2000, was adopted Thursday, May 4^th.

The paper calls for labour to re-examine and rethink the way it operates in Alberta.

Basically the paper charts the decline of wages, job quality, unionization and social benefits over a twenty-five year period during which the Alberta economy grew strongly.

"We need too come up with new ways to organize and rethink how we act politically," said AFL executive staff member Jim Selby in his presentation. "We need to re-examine how we deal with each other in the house of labour and how we relate to our members."

Losing Ground details how the failure of Alberta workers as a class to deal with globalization of the economy and the erosion of our democratic rights and institutions.

"If you don’t admit the bridge is burning, you’re going to have to learn to swim" concludes the paper – calling for the labour movement to start acting to renew itself today.