Here Come More Stories

I happened to see this story in the Windsor Star and I must admit that it was quite a shocker:

“Larry Horwitz, the long-time and high-profile chairman of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, is out after members voted for a near-complete turnover of the organization’s board of directors.” (Taylor Campbell, Windsor Star, December 7, 2018) 

I must admit that the story did not tell me very much about why Mr. Horwitz did not win again after he has been head of the Board for so long. However, just before the new year, he was removed as were many other members of the Board.

Will the new Board accomplish something? I think we will just have to wait and see.

There, my short comment about a very short story. I must admit that I really wondered why this all took place but it does not appear as if I will ever find out.

Should I have gone around to try and figure out what happened? After all why would so many members of the Board be replaced? Were the people who are now members of the Board carrying out some plan that they had developed in the past for some reason? Could I gain anything of interest that I should write about?

I really have no idea what the answers are and, in this instance, I don’t intend to find out.  

Now let me write some stories that interest me for you to take a look at.

WILL TRADE UNIONS SURVIVE

Could it be that our economic system is changing so drastically that we don’t really understand the consequences even now. Take a look at this comment:

“The latest battle to save thousands of auto jobs in Ontario is but one of many Canada’s largest private sector union will likely have to fight as automation, technology and globalization increasingly change the face of manufacturing, experts say…

“This trend has been happening for the last 20 years,” said Anil Verma, an industrial relations professor at the University of Toronto. “It’s not a huge surprise. Of course, it doesn’t reduce the hurt and the damage. But if I were in the auto industry in any capacity I would be wanting to look for an exit strategy.” (Canadian Press, November 28, 2018) 

I strongly urge you to take a look at the story because it shows the changes that will happen in this country in the near future. The real difficulty is that most of us don’t really understand what will happen so soon in our economy. When it actually happens, that is when most of us will understand it. The problem is that it may be a negative economic impact on so many people so quickly.

The important question that people will be asking these days is what is going to happen now to people in Canada who work for GM who will be losing their jobs here. For us in the Windsor area, we need to wonder what will happen at the Chrysler plant here. Of course, it won’t happen now but it may happen sooner than people think.

Oh sure, the head Unionists will rant and rave to try to get the automobile leaders to change their position but will they be successful? According to the Ontario Premier, he doesn’t think so:

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford accused the union leader — and others who have publicly criticized GM, including Trudeau and Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath — of making empty promises.

When we hear any of these people talking, all we hear is a bunch of powerful people grandstanding, selling false hope,” he said Wednesday. “In private, they know the GM plant isn’t coming back.”

The reality seems to be that we have to accept that the changes in the economy that are coming so quickly will result in changes in the labour movement and who works where doing what. We just do not seem to have an alternative no matter what anyone says.

Accordingly, what has to happen now to minimize the downturn that will result in such a significant change in our economy. Moreover, what has to be done in the economy to provide alternatives for people to continue to work in order to continue to earn a significant income in the future that matches what they make today.

RESIGN FROM MASSE

That is what Councillor Kieran McKenzie just did after he was elected as Councillor in the municipal election. He used to work for MP Brian Masse. He did so for this reason:

“I’ve just chosen this path. It removes the greatest amount of uncertainty and removes the greatest potential for other problems,” said McKenzie.” (Brian Cross, Windsor Star, December 3, 2018) 

It should be interesting to see what happens in reality however. Is there a “clear and identifiable break” which we will recognize.

Can you imagine the pressure that he would be under if a matter raised by Masse came to the attention of City Council and a vote had to be taken on it. Would he vote at all? Could he vote now if he had worked for Mr. Masse on this matter in the past? Based on his past experience, even though he resigned from Masse, would he dare vote in favour of what Masse wants even if he did not work on it or would he have the nerve to oppose what his former boss brought forward?

I noticed on Facebook that Masse and McKenzie are still both “friends” of each other.

The interesting matter in this as far as I am concerned is what is Mr. McKenzie going to do in the future. Now that he is “political” by being elected municipally, one wonders if he’s going to run provincially or federally in our area. If he does, for which party will he run? It might be okay to run Provincially for the NDP but federally, should it be the same Party for which Mr. Masse is a member and where McKenzie used to work before? We will just have to wait and see.