'Twas the night before SA国际影视传媒淒onny DaysSA国际影视传媒� and all through the town,
Many workers were tired, burnt out and run down.
Their bills were stacked up on the counter with care,
In hopes that on payday, the cash would be there.
Employers were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of budget-cuts danced in their headsSA国际影视传媒�

It's been a year of ups and downs for the labour movement in the NWT. Unionized workers celebrated some important gains, while others are still waiting for employers to come to the bargaining table with a fair deal.

This fall, striking housing workers in Fort Simpson fought long and hard for a new collective agreement that would improve working conditions and set the stage for the other local housing authority negotiations that will be taking place in the coming year.

This small group of workers stuck it out because they know the value of their services, and that the gains they made at the bargaining table would also benefit the residents in the communities that rely on them.

One of the greatest challenges facing unionized workers today is the stereotype of the SA国际影视传媒渆ntitled union memberSA国际影视传媒� that portrays us as lazy or selfish workers. The truth is, we care about our jobs and are willing to fight for the resources we need to properly serve our communities.

Sadly, negative stereotypes have been encouraged by anti-union employers who try to divide workers and community members so they can suppress wages and maintain the story that unionized workers are entitled and overpaid.

The result is an economy where SA国际影视传媒渏ust getting bySA国际影视传媒� is considered normal for workers. Having a secure job that pays enough to not need a second one does not make you SA国际影视传媒渆ntitled.SA国际影视传媒� Too many people are working two or three jobs just to afford basics like food and shelter.

Meanwhile, public services are being gutted in the name of fiscal SA国际影视传媒渞esponsibility.SA国际影视传媒� But is it responsible to defund institutions that Canadians rely on?

One of the key sticking points in negotiations between Canada Post and its unionized employees is hiring part-time workers to do weekend shifts. You might think, 'Why is that a bad thing? More jobs is a good thing, right?'

Across both public and private sectors, unions are seeing the steady erosion of full-time, stable jobs in favour of more part-time positions.

Sold as a way to create more jobs, they put workers in precarious positions, especially if they are not offered enough hours to qualify for certain rights or benefits. These are the workers who often end up having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.

One of the earliest principles of the labour movement was the SA国际影视传媒�8-8-8SA国际影视传媒� concept: eight hours for work, eight for rest and eight for leisure. The establishment of the 40-hour work week was based on this principle.

Unions have lobbied hard over the decades to maintain maximum-hour work weeks to ensure workers are compensated fairly for overtime and can maintain work-life balance.

Unfortunately, this means far too many part-time workers who have no choice but to take on extra jobs are blowing past the 40-hour work week in cumulative hours.

While parcel delivery on the weekend sounds great, it doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 have to be structured in a way that undermines workersSA国际影视传媒� ability to earn a living wage and enjoy a basic quality of life.

When your wages barely cover your cost of living, you donSA国际影视传媒檛 have anything to spend on extras. That means local businesses suffer. They, in turn, find it hard to pay their workers a fair wage when business dries up, and may resort to staffing more part-time workers.

A healthy local economy relies on a cycle of earn and spend.

Currently, most of our basic living expenses are controlled by large corporations with shareholder obligations SA国际影视传媒� grocery giants, big box stores, oil and gas companies, banks and property REITs SA国际影视传媒� leaving little leftover for the smaller businesses that support our communities.

Putting more money in the pockets of workers through fair wages and benefits allows the cycle of earn and spend to continue. Northerners are fiercely supportive of our local businesses, which is why Northern unions fight hard to ensure that all Northern workers can afford to shop local.

NWT residents also have high standards for what we expect from our governments. And so they should! So if we want to continue receiving quality public services, we need to support the workers providing them.

Instead of buying in to the stereotype that SA国际影视传媒済reedySA国际影视传媒� union workers are asking too much, we need to collectively raise the bar for all workers by re-normalizing full-time jobs that pay living wages.

Supporting good jobs, fair wages, and local businesses goes hand in hand. While the postal strike created some inconvenience this holiday season (which is the whole point of a job action), I encourage all Northerners to get creative, continue shopping at local businesses and give our postal workers support and encouragement.

We all deserve to do better than SA国际影视传媒渏ust get by.SA国际影视传媒�