Let Union Members Decide for Themselves

DATE: October 20, 2010

Mississauga, ON—CLAC is calling on all Ontario unions to stay out of politics and let their members decide for themselves in the Toronto mayoralty race. "Unions have no business endorsing political candidates, and even less business making significant financial contributions to campaigns," says Hank Beekhuis, Ontario director.

“Union members are citizens in their own right with their own perspectives. Their union should not be telling them how to vote based on one issue. Having politicians in the pockets of unions is bad for workers, and having unions in the pockets of politicians is bad for workers."

"Particularly in construction, we've seen that having politicians and particular unions who represent only a fraction of the workforce in bed together is bad for cities," adds Beekhuis, citing recent events in Hamilton and Essex County where construction unions attempted to create a monopoly by eliminating the ability of two-thirds of citizens to work on public projects.