THeBlueCashew

QuoteNow here's something you don't see every day: A senior exec at a major Canadian company defending unions.



That's what happened at a recent roundtable discussion on the future of organized labour put together by Canadian HR Reporter, when Canadian Pacific's vice-president for human resources and labour relations, Peter Edwards, credited unions with the creation of the modern middle class.



"When you talk to anyone remotely connected to the world, they understand the role of unions providing what we have today," he said.



"They're a key driver in the creation of the middle-class, for the reduction of work hours, paid vacation, all sorts of benefits that we all enjoy."



Edwards suggested unions are suffering from an identity crisis as the economy shifts away from manufacturing, their traditional stronghold.



"There is a certain image they're predominantly blue collar, or they're government workers. And gee, I'm neither of those, so where do I fit in? Where are the people that are like me? And what can you offer me in the future?"



Others on the panel noted that unions in Canada are at a crucial crossroads. The "elephant in the room," said labour lawyer Jamie Knight, is the rise of "right-to-work" states in the U.S., where union members are given the choice not to pay union dues, a move critics say has undermined unions and driven down wages.



//http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/01/18/canadian-pacific-exec-unions_n_4624038.html