May Week Archives
Workers’ Art Exhibit Opening and Global Visions Film
The Worker’s Art Exhibit Opening features visual art by working people who are not full time artists. This successful annual event is built on the premise that workers and artists share a common struggle for decent wages, healthy working conditions, and culturally-vibrant communities.
At 7:00pm, Global Visions and May Week presents Betrayed: The Story of Canadian Merchant Seamen. This film tells a little-known Canadian labour story with major international implications. This fascinating documentary by internationally recognized photojournalist and filmmaker, Elaine Briére explains why it is that Canada is bordered by three oceans, while not a single deep-sea merchant ship flies the Canadian flag.
The discussion to follow the screening will explore the extent to which the mainstream labour movement joined with the government and employers to sell out the merchant seamen who clearly voted to join the CSU and supported their leadership’s militancy.
We will then discuss the challenges and barriers facing workers participation in unions and the labour movement today. Are unions an expression of workers’ collective might or are they beaurocratic institutions without control from the rank and file?