One of my jobs is unionized, fair disclosure, so this is with a pro-union bias.

This piece is a HIGHLY BIASED against the employer, and reads like a whining people’s court plantiff recounting a complaint at length.

MBLL posted record profits of $741 million in 2022-23. The union’s claim the employer could easily afford to pay workers fairly seemed even more on the mark.

This shit is ridiculously bad-faith.

Yeah, the MBLL was cash-positive. But where does the proceeds from lotteries and liquor go in MB? Is it into general revenue for spending on programmes and services, or to a CEO?

If it’s to general revenue - I read the act until I grew sleepy, but didn’t find out - then pay for workers (past a certain point of harmonization with ‘like’ roles elsewhere) becomes robbing programmes that overwhelmingly help the poor to enrich the non-poor who happen to be in their club.

Let’s be clear on where the union expects pay (again, past a certain point of parity) to come from, at least. And, to a lesser extent, where any shortfalls will come from. Only then are we bargaining in the open on our side as well.

And while unions are important for workers’ rights, maybe they should work toward everyone’s rights instead of just the workers who pay their union boss salaries (which, also, isn’t mentioned). Hold them to their image as do-gooder champions of the little guy instead of some little-ish guys.

Happy to not be poor in my adulthood, happy to pay my taxes and help my neighbor, happy to be a union brother; but my union and others need to pick up its game, practice what it preaches, be the transparency it apparently wants to see, and stay respected more than feared.