DarrenBarefoot.com

For those who wish to view the voices-for-change site but aren’t web-proxy savvy, try out this

http://vfc.proxy.pfak.org/

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Don’t bother with the Boing-Boing link. Basically it just leads to this:

The CRTC does not regulate rates, quality of service issues or business practices for Internet Service Providers. The market is competitive and consumers should shop around to find the one that most suits their needs and budget.

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Andrea:

(or anyone else with service problems)

I’m working on stories today for the CBC about the impact of the Telus dispute.

If you’d like to talk about your experience *today* email me with your phone number — Lisa_Johnson-at-cbc.ca

Apologies for trolling for interviews here.
But it’s such a great discussion ground.

Lisa

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I just saw a report on Global News here in Edmonton in which Telus claimed they pulled the plug because the site shows employee information that threatened their security (people were being followed apparently) as well as information that would inhibit the negotiating process (I think that’s what the guy said).

Anyway, I don’t like Telus, but there might be more to the story.

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I don’t know Mack … it’s seems heavy handed, that’s what court injunctions are for. Not to mention all the people on Shaw, Rogers, Uniserve, etc can see it, so the safety and negotiating issue falls flat.

I e-mailed my MP (Gary Lunn) about this and am going to blog about it as well.

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Hmm. After I blogged about this matter and emailed Telus, an Executive Customer Relations person from the company’s office in Alberta called me. So far it’s been voice mail tag, but it should be interesting to see how this proceeds.

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Hey I’m willing to admit it looks fishy, but I also want to hear both sides of the story, because there’s always two. Sometimes you just never know!

Besides, ISP’s already block certain traffic. For example, SMTP traffic on standard ports - Telus lets you use their server, but not anyone elses using the standard port (at least on home connections). And they block port 80 traffic on home connections - if they really were just a common carrier, there would be no need, right? I guess what I am saying is that an ISP blocking traffic isn’t really new, ignoring the whole free speech problem in light of the lockout of course.

I suppose that I secretly hope Telus has a good reason, because I don’t like unions.

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BJ: The part of the Telus press release you failed to quote reads:

“TELUS’ decision to disable access to the Voices for Change site was based on an overriding need to protect the safety and privacy of our employees who were being targeted and the subject of intimidation.”

If Telus had acted appropriately, they would have applied for and secured a court order immediately. If Raincoast Books can get an injunction on a Saturday afternoon, then Telus can certainly turn one around in a few hours.

As I’ve stated elsewhere, Telus’s actions only highlighted the websites in question, giving their apparently threatened employees far more unwanted attention.

I’ve never actually looked at the photos in question, so I can’t judge whether the Telus employees are deserving of sympathy.

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I am a TELUS employee, a union employee, who does not support a union that can not support me (although it’d be nice if they replied to my queries about this ’strike’, or had communicated with me at ALL regarding their intentions prior to trying to hand me a picket sign when I showed up for work, but I suppose my union dues go to other things..)

I am crossing the line. I have been photographed and video-taped and do not know if I ever made it to “scab of the day”, but I have been yelled and screamed at by the union members whose president tells the media they are a “peaceful union” while lying and under-quoting the number of Union members that are crossing the line in AB. Union members are calling non-picketing members at home to bully them into coming to work. We are verbally abused when we come in to, and leave work in the evening. I did not want my photograph on “scab of the day” (and why are they videotaping, photographing, and writing down our names?Couldn’t someone from the union just call me and explain their mandate on this strike…which is NOT a lockout?), nor did I want the union posting confidential information that could, possibly lead to service outages for our customers.

I would be a fool to admit that TELUS is perfect, but from my card-carrying TWU viewpoint, they are the lesser of two evils right now, and I am both disturbed and glad they blocked those websites until the court order could come through.

and, Nepa, those of us that are coming in to work appreciate the support of the managers. I can not tell you how much. We think you guys are amazing, but the “Don’t ask for my help” attitude is what I’m getting from picketing TWU members. They have told us they will not help, will not support their team-members, will not treat us like friends or co-workers any more. I don’t want to get all soap-boxy here, but it’s easy to say “don’t block the website” when it’s not YOUR safety that is at risk. (I am not an advocate of what TELUS did, but I do understand it.)

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I note some info you non-union or union members who are crossing are putting in these notes… To clarify, CIRB ruling 1291 (available for reading on the http://www.twu-canada.ca) states that this is indeed a lockout. The other misinformation that Telus propaganda machine says that they only have to bargain with the Clearnet employees is also incorrect, see page 27 of said document, it specifies “to bargain in good faith for the entire bargaining unit” but then again Telus has never bargained in good faith this whole past 4 1/2 years, so why obey the laws now. And for those that dont know, the TWU hoped this would be resolved over a year ago when the CIRB decided that Telus should offer binding arbitration to the union. now normally a union wouldnt like this, because its an independant arbitrator who is deciding what items stay and go, to create a balanced contract. In this case we (the union) welcomed it. Telus said they did, but 2 weeks later appealed it and got it thrown out. Since then the TWU has appealed the Federal Minister of Labour to bring in an independant mediator. Telus responded by not only turning that down, they decided to implement their “final offer” which was not negotiated at all. Some people argue that they crossed the line because we didnt put that “offer” to the members of the union to a vote, but when you look at the democratic structure of our union, we voted in members to negotiate and make those decisions for us (that the offer is good enough to bring to a vote). If you dont get involved in the union politics, you cant criticize.. It is the same as our provincial/federal politics. You dont take part, you dont help things out at all.

Ignorance isnt bliss anymore.

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Well well well. After Darren brought Cable and Wireless to it’s knees in the UK, he was hired to do the same to Telus. As far as I am concerned a scab is a scab. These scabs just don’t get it. After Darren is finished with you he has bigger fish to fry. You do know that he is on the Board of Directors for the TD Bank. Hmmmmm, wonder what that means? Pretty sad to see that he also needs bodyguards. Wonder what that means? Telus is now so above themselves it is sickening. We know who Darren has in his pocket. Wonder why the media is so biased? Amazing what money can do.
BTW I still have yet to be able to view the telus idol video. I hear and read that it is disgraceful. Shame on you Entwistle and shame on you you scabby bastards!

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I am most certainly disturbed by the content, intent(?), conduct of those in this “production”.

We, the consumers of this service, are under constant bombardment - what with slow service responses, less than dependable equipment and constant rate hikes for nothing short of shameful services.

I most certainly be contacting both my MLA and my MP in addition to the CRTC with my most strenuous complaints of the actions of those in the video. I don’t view this as youthful tom foolery, none of these persons are young, a mild indescretion - mild - I don’t think so; an outrage by a high flying and obviously out of control corporate team. These activities take place during a corporate sanctioned and sponsored retreat, paid for with the profits from your hard earned dollars taken from you under the lowest of monopoly service providers.

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I am so disgusted with ANY and ALL union people who have crossed the lines! While most of us fight for YOUR job, wages and what have you, you go to work and earn money! What the hell is wrong with that picture? Why should you benefit from our work? You should be out here with everyone else! You that are crossing have earned nothing but contempt and disgust and you deserve all the crap that is thrown at you. None of us wants to be out here but we do our duty, what makes you so special to benefit all the way around? Believe me when it is all over both sides will be sickened by you as no body respects selfishness like yours. We all have rent, mortgages, kids, cars, etc. to pay for not just YOU. We are the ones who will save your job for you and you have the gaul to go to work and basically spit in our faces!
You know something else? I don’t even work for Telus but I have been down on the line a few times (used to be an employee) and cannot for the life of me believe the incredible disrespect you crossers are showing for the rest of your co-workers and for yourself. I bet a lot of people would love to go to work but they won’t. They have integrity. Where did yours go to? Are you also this selfish with your family and all other dealings in life? I sure hope I don’t know any of you personally as I would be scared and horrified if any of you were someone I knew and thought I couse trust.
I also think the contract should have been put to a vote but it wasn’t so I do believe you should respect all the other people out there picketing or not picketing but also not crossing and you should NOT be going to work. Goes to show what people are made of when something like this happens. Most of us are decent then there are those that will cross the picket lines and who the hell cares. Remember that when you are in need sometime - not too many will be interested in helping you.
As for the managers going to work, they have to as they don’t have a union (they should consider joining!!). I hear they are treated like crap. Let them do their thing, they can’t keep it up forever. And I doubt many if any of them wants this either.
Anyway……….
You still have time to correct your mistake and walk out those doors. Forgivness will likely come to you if you do.

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I work for Telus. I don’t agree with the union. Job security depends on the value you hold as an employee to the company. The corporation isn’t evil. A corporation exists to make money. If TELUS is successful, which of course it is, we will reap the benefits. The strikers out on the streets are fighting for ridiculous resrictions to be put on TELUS.. banning TELUS from contracting work isn’t going to help the company, therefore people will lose jobs as TELUS loses money.

I do not believe in solidarity of people in order to be successful. I rely on myself, I could care less about the people on the picket lines. They have made a personal choice to be out there and I respect that. I do not call names, I do not claim disgust, I merely have made a choice and am acting upon it. If you would consider philosophy of rationality, one can never know what is best for any other. One can only know what is best for oneself. Although I find myself repeating this over and over, I find that socialists are far too brainwashed by the government, and by eachother to actually question authority and why it exists.

I am a libertarian, and an anarcho-capitalist. All I know is that I cannot trust anyone but myself to take care of me. If everyone in the world took care of themselves and no one else, it would be a greater place.

The picketers are caring too much about other people, what they’re doing, the actions of others. One cannot force another to do what one wishes. That is an irrationality. In order to further one’s life as an individual one must act individually.

Many strikers are claiming TELUS as being greedy. I would have to say the UNION is the culprit guilty of greed. Most people have a misconception that greed means to want more money, to live outside of one’s needs.
However, in reality, what greed means is for one to want more than what one is capable of obtaining. The picketers are greedy for wanting TELUS to give them more and more. If you don’t like working for TELUS, quit. It’s as simple as that. Find a new job. If you want to keep your job? Quit biting the hand that feeds you. TELUS is not the enemy. I am a loyal employee. This is not a war. It’s a dispute that has erupted over the clashing of different ideas.

The strikers claim that TELUS makes enough money already, they should give it to the employees. I’m sorry, but we get paid extremely well. The new contract even grants us a raise.

As for the websites being shut down– as a current employee and worker that is crossing picket lines, YES I did feel uncomfortable when I walked outside for a cigarette and was met with angry people plastered in signs shouting insults and taking my picture. When asked to stop, they would continue to snap away. When I walked away, they would follow. It got to the point of which I was concerned about my personal safety. I disagree with censorship but
“the rights of your fist stop where the rights of my face begin”

You may call us selfish, and that is correct. Why should I care about your mortages and your families? I care about myself. You should care about yourselves. If you had any self esteme, you would be crossing those lines and you would be at work.

Another thing, if you don’t like TELUS, don’t work for them. There are countless other employers that would be glad to have you.

Even if TELUS contracted work out, like installers and such, it would be easy for ex-TELUS employees to obtain jobs at the contracted work and potentially make twice as much as they earn as of now.

As for the 4000 person call centre in the Phillipines? This is for customer service for Asia. It’s about company expansion.

I have to question the intelligence, integrity, and worth of the people on the picket lines. You are each of a moral evil.

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In order to make money one must provide excellent goods and services and TELUS is striving to do just that. The new contract will do nothing but benefit the customer, the hard-working employee, and the corporation as a whole.

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I’ve read up and educated myself on the TWU and everything they’re requesting. The problem is that of course unions worked back in different economic systems, they needed to basically ban together because they were unfairly treated, however this is modern canada. that wouldn’t happen nowadays, and although socialism isn’t exactly my idea of a picnic it’s still a lot better for working conditions than the examples of when unions rose up to fight the man.

if you don’t like TELUS, don’t work for TELUS.

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questioning authority…you are a scab…if you are crossing a legal picket line to perform work normally done like a bargaining unit employee…you are a scab…the wages and benefits you are enjoying today were achieved by your greedy brothers and sisters in past contract negotiations…speaking of negotiations…telus has been found guilty of bargaining in bad faith on three separate occasions…and interfering with the operations of a trade union…and just for your edification you spineless scab…it’s a lockout…so enjoy yourself while you are working your sorry ass off…listening to your ipod…cashing in your worthless gift certificates….sucking up all the free lolly telus is throwing at you…at the end of this dispute…you will be tried by a jury of your peers…you will be fined the equivalent of all you earned while crossing a legal picket line…telus cannot pay your fines…your union membership may be revoked..and you may be fired if you take this to arbitration…and factually…you should find another job…since you seem to have no use for unions…we are not going away…as awful as it sounds…you are a spineless cowardly scab…people of integrity are on the line…

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We have 22 techs on our I &R crew. Every week 18 of us picket , 4 are unnacounted for. Our manager comes by the line constantly to tell us that half the crew has crossed , and we should join in the charge now. This new math is really hard to calculate , I need help with it. 4 out of 22 =50% ………..hmmmmm

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