May two–four weekend, not a paid holiday in Nova Scotia
Judy Haiven on your sadly non-existing rights when you have to work on Victoria Day.
Labour
Molly Hurd: Who’s going to fight for arts education?
Educator Molly Hurd tackles the current threats to art education in Nova Scotia. “By reducing arts education, we are once again widening the gap between those who already have and those who have not. Rich parents will always be able to provide private lessons and classes for their children. Schools in wealthy neighbourhoods will always be able to fund-raise for extra artistic opportunities. Public education, to be truly equitable, needs to provide good arts education for all.”
Media release: Can Nova Scotia afford to cut creativity: paper-thin access to art education in Halifax
Important news release by the NS Art Educators Society: The Nova Scotia Art Educators Society is expressing its concern today about the loss of school-based art programs for elementary classes grades 4-6. “We wonder if kids in Nova Scotia can afford the loss of direct access to learning about creativity,” said Society President Robin Jensen.
The exploitation of disabled workers
More people who live with disabilities are unemployed, and that opens the door to all kinds of exploitation. Throw some preconceptions about these workers in the mix (so loyal, so productive, menial jobs only) and what we end up with is a complicated mess, writes Alex Kronstein.
Poverty activist Kendall Worth on May Day: All we can do is continue to fight and hope things get better
Poverty activist Kendall Worth reminds people attending the Halifax May Day celebration that the desire for dignity and a half decent life is as real and as urgent for people on social assistance as it is for all working people.
News brief: Halifax police detains two International Workers Day marchers
I wasn’t there, but by the sounds of it Halifax police seriously overreacted when May Day marchers slowed down traffic on Gottingen a bit, while mere minutes away from their destination.
Op-ed: Unisys and government – Breaking up is hard to do
Triggered by the FOIPOP data breach debacle, here are some thoughts on the IT outsourcing arrangement between government and Unisys. It’s not the kind of thing you can easily walk away from.
Kendall Worth: Making $12 an hour better than welfare, but not by much
Poverty activist Kendall Worth interviews Kelly, who earns just a bit above minimum wage, about her fears and hopes, and how she makes ends meet.
Protect workers against wage theft and contract flipping, unions tell government
We talk with Jackie Swaine of the SEIU and Danny Cavanagh, president of the NSFL, who together are calling for legislation with teeth to protect workers against wage theft and contract flipping.
The ugly underbelly of the shipping industry: hourly wages as low as $1.37
A story about the wild west that is the shipping industry. ITF inspector Karl Risser about his recent encounter with a young Ukrainian sailor working for peanuts and the promise of a better future, maybe.