Revenue Canada targets Steelworkers charity for political activities

A union-backed charity that wants Canadian mining companies held accountable for overseas misdeeds is among the latest to be targeted by the Canada Revenue Agency for political activities.

The Steelworkers Humanity Fund Inc. is still awaiting a verdict from the agency, nine months after an auditor showed up at the Toronto office and hauled away several binders of sensitive material.

Steelworkers rally against Harper's low-wage, anti-worker agenda

On a rainy Monday morning outside Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver's constituency office in Toronto, the United Steelworkers and their allies held a rally to protest the Conservative government’s low-wage, anti-worker agenda and corporate abuses of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

"We're very concerned about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and what it's doing to workers they're brining in from around the world," said Carolyn Egan, president USW Local 8300.

United Steelworkers Union Warns Refinery Strike More Likely

HOUSTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The United Steelworkers union warned on Saturday that a strike by U.S. refinery workers as early as 12 a.m. Wednesday was becoming more likely due to "the lack of a more substantive response from the industry."

Union and oil company negotiators have been meeting since Jan. 17 to hammer out a new three-year agreement for workers at nearly two-thirds of U.S. refining capacity.

Union negotiators have not sent out a similar warning to refinery workers in the past three rounds of contract talks with the industry.

A representative for Shell Oil Co, the U.S. unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, which is the lead oil company negotiator, was not immediately available to discuss the union statement.

As late as Friday, Shell said it was optimistic an agreement could be reached with the union.

In the statement issued Saturday night, the USW's bargaining committee said that without further progress in the talks a strike could take place at "one or more locations when the collective bargaining agreements expire."