Labour Day Brantford Highlights

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ANNUAL LABOUR DAY MARCH
Posted By MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION

Steelworkers embroiled in a bitter strike for more than a year at Engineered Coated Products took top billing as they led the ranks of more than 100 local trade unionists in the annual Labour Day march on Monday.

Also in the march were: members of Steelworkers 819 at Gerdau Ameristeel; municipal workers in the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 181 who are facing difficult contract talks with a city council bent on bringing in a budget with no tax increase next year; members of CUPE Local 5100 representing school board employees; the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation District 23 and the United Food and Commercial Workers.

Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?" Steve Sinnicks, a local musician loyal to the trade union movement, sang in refrain while altering the verses to castigate federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the banks.

Fourteen-year-old Ryan Jamula, who is going into Grade 9 at Brantford Collegiate Institute, was chosen by the Brant NDP riding association, where he is a youth representative, to give a speech on the struggles and victories of the trade union movement and its current predicament. He ended by exhorting listeners to support the New Democrats in upcoming elections.