Anarchist movement

Anarchists scapegoats for RBC arson

Alex_Hamilton — Fri, 21 May 2010 09:55:04 -0700

May 21, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Anarchists scapegoats for RBC arson

Despite widespread claims by the media, there is no indication that the recent "firebombing" of an RBC bank branch in Ottawa was carried
out by "anarchists".

Nowhere in the statement or video that was published online was it claimed that those responsible were anarchists.

For the media to claim that this is the work of anarchists without any evidence is the worst sort of red-baiting and gets a F grade in basic
journalism.

We have no idea what the politics of those who did this are. We also can’t rule out the possibility that this act was carried out by
agent-provocateurs.

Common Cause organizes "Black Flame" Ontario book tour

Alex_Hamilton — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:21:22 -0800

South African writer and activist Michael Schmidt, co-author of “Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism” will be in several Ontario cities between March 15 and March 21 to promote and discuss this important new book on the global history of anarchist movements and ideas. The tour, organized by Common Cause with support from AK Press and several local sponsors, is scheduled to pass through the following cities listed below.

To promote the tour Common Cause has also produced a short video which can be seen here and set up a Facebook page. Copies of "Black Flame" will be available for purchase at each tour stop.

Linchpin Issue 10

Mick — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:53:50 -0800

Issue 10 of Linchpin, the newspaper of Common Cause, is now online and available for downloading and printing.

This is a special edition of the paper produced for Labour Day 2009.

In it you can read the reflections of Common Cause member and CUPE 3906 union organizer Peter Marin on the recent successful organizing drive of post-doctorate workers at McMaster University.

There are also ads for upcoming anarchist discussions and conferences in Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto.

Download Linchpin now!

Anarchism 101: Training or Education?

Mick — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:09:47 -0800

By Ray Cunningham
Workers Solidarity

Universal education is a relatively recent innovation originating in the late 19th century. Its spread followed that of the industrial revolution quite closely — and for good reason. With the increase in the amount of mechanical, as opposed to manual, work it was found that workers required more skills. It wasn't enough to have a strong back any more — to operate machinery you need at least basic literacy.

If the economy was to grow it was no longer enough to have a very narrow layer of highly educated people, everybody had to have some basic training. You can see the same thing going on today. The workplace is becoming increasingly computerized, and employers are complaining that their workforce isn't familiar enough with computers.

Labour Day in Hamilton

AndrewL — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:06:02 -0700

Most of the Hamilton branch of Common Cause attended the Hamilton's Labour Day parade on September 7.

United Steelworkers of America Local (USWA) 1005 (US Steel/Stelco, Hamilton) stand silent with hats off near Hamilton's injured worker's monument. 1005 has stood strong in recent years against many threats to retirees, existing workers, and new workers from both Canadian and US owners. With production increasingly moving elsewhere, some workers turn to nationalistic slogans.

Linchpin #10 - Labour Day Special Edition

Mick — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:27:10 -0700

Issue 10 of Linchpin, the newspaper of Common Cause, is now online and available for downloading and printing.

This is a special edition of the paper produced for Labour Day 2009.

In it you can read the reflections of Common Cause member and CUPE 3906 union organizer Peter Marin on the recent successful organizing drive of post-doctorate workers at McMaster University.

There are also ads for upcoming anarchist discussions and conferences in Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto.

Download Linchpin now!

We won! But did we do it right? Reflections of an anarchist union organizer

Mick — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:13:21 -0700

We won! But did we do it right?
Reflections of an anarchist union organizer

By Peter Marin
LINCHPIN

On July 31, 2009, Post-Doctoral Fellows at McMaster University became the first post-docs in Canada to form a union and win a contract. As a member of CUPE 3906, I was involved in this campaign first as an organizer and later, after the successful union drive, as a member of the bargaining support team. The following are my reflections on this campaign, written from the perspective of an anarchist worker and union member.

By the standards of most union organizers, this union drive was an all-out success. Besides breaking new ground for unions in a growing sector, the post-docs won significant gains including higher wages and benefits, more vacation time, paid leaves and professional development funds.

Report: 2009 Common Cause conference

Alex_Hamilton — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 05:08:40 -0700

On August 1 and 2, 2009, in the city of Toronto, Common Cause, an Ontario anarchist organization, held its third annual Ontario-wide conference. In attendance were members from our Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton branches and several new members from London.

The first day began with reports from Ontario officers and local branches giving us a good overview of our second year as an organization. The 2008/2009 year saw us focus on both internal and public education. Internally, highlights included holding our first internal Day School in Hamilton in late June, a big step in developing a common vision and strategy across the organization. We also continued to be active in the international anarchist movement, sending a delegate to Anarkismo.net and to the organizing committee for the North American Class Struggle Anarchist Conference.

test

AndrewL — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:33:14 -0700

test

In the News...Local media respond to police surveillance of anarchist book fair, local activists

Alex_Hamilton — Sat, 30 May 2009 06:24:25 -0700

Local media have responded to our press release (see below) that drew attention to local police manipulating hate crime laws to criminalize activism. The following articles appeared in the May 29, 2009 edition of MountainNews.com, the Dundas Star News and the Ancaster News.

Anarchists cry foul over police targetting of book fair Monitoring seeks to criminalize political dissent, organizer says.

Hug a cop or be charged
By Hamilton Community News Editorial
Editorial