Are you part of The Tyee's critical 1%?

Thanks for reading The Tyee today — we hope this article added to your day in some way. Our team of independent journalists takes pride in doing in-depth reporting and taking time to get it right.

We're able to focus our attention on publishing impactful journalism in the public interest, and publish it for free for all to read, because we have the support of Tyee Builders. Tyee Builders are readers who contribute a bit of money — at a level and frequency of their choice — to support our editorial budget.

This core of supporters — making up about 1 to 2 per cent of our daily readership — enables us to pay our writers, keep our articles free and open to all, and not bombard our readers with annoying ads while you try to read.

Instead of focusing on what kind of articles will attract the most advertising dollars, we can spend time devoted to researching and writing stories that our readers find most valuable and make the most positive impact in our region.

If you'd like to join thousands of readers who help make independent journalism possible, consider joining Tyee Builders. Thank you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

Click here to Join Tyee Builders

Help us un-break journalism in Canada

You made it all the way through the article — I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point — the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

Click here to Join Tyee Builders
Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
support us subscribe free
News
Labour + Industry
BC Politics

BC Is Closing a Loophole that Forced Workers to Cross Some Picket Lines

The change aims to reduce confusion and the risk of conflict.

Brishti Basu 13 Mar 2024The Tyee

Brishti Basu reports on labour for The Tyee. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. Follow her on X @brish_ti.

A man with medium tone skin and short grey hair and goatee stands at a podium. He wears a grey suit, light shirt and blue-patterned tie.
Labour Minister Harry Bains: ‘Workers will have the right to honour a picket line, regardless of whether it is established through BC or federal laws.’ Photo via BC government.

B.C. is changing the Labour Relations Code to fix a loophole that forced some workers to cross picket lines.

The change, part of a bill introduced Monday, would ensure that “when employees under federal jurisdiction or that of another province are on strike, locked out, and establish a picket line in B.C., provincially regulated workers can choose to respect the picket lines without it being considered illegal strike action.”

Labour Minister Harry Bains told The Tyee Tuesday that the change was introduced in response to a 2022 BC Labour Relations Board decision. It found that provincially regulated Seaspan workers would be engaging in an illegal strike if they didn’t cross a picket line set by striking tugboat captains and engineers. Their union is federally regulated.

“The Labour Board ruled that since the strike was by workers regulated by federal law, that the provincially regulated workers either cross the picket line or they will be in illegal strike,” Bains said.

“Now we are talking about going forward to remove that confusion… workers will have the right to honour a picket line, regardless of whether it is established through B.C. or federal laws.”

B.C.’s labour code allows unionized workers to refuse to cross a legal picket line established by another provincially regulated union.

Sussanne Skidmore, president of the BC Federation of Labour, said the group has been talking to the ministry about the issue for months.

She said the requirement to cross picket lines had been a factor in several recent strikes.

“Basically any worksite where you potentially have provincially and federally regulated workers, that could be an issue.”

In December, The Tyee reported on a lockout of 300 federally regulated workers represented by United Steelworkers Local 1944 at Rogers Communications Inc.

Colleen Lopez-Anhofer also worked at Rogers and was represented by provincially regulated International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 213. She was forced to cross the picket line set up by locked-out Steelworkers’ members — including her husband.

The loophole created by the 2022 labour board decision caused unions to worry that it would pit workers against each other.

“We’re happy that the minister and the ministry took our concerns seriously and they acted on it,” Skidmore said.

“We just know that having clarity around this issue and the legislation, as it’s laid out, will help de-escalate the tensions at a picket line.”

Bains said he hopes the bill will move forward within a few days. [Tyee]

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion and be patient with moderators. Comments are reviewed regularly but not in real time.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Keep comments under 250 words
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others or justify violence
  • Personally attack authors, contributors or members of the general public
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Have a Special Story to Share from Your Own Backyard?

Take this week's poll