It was a know that Extra Foods was going to close up their doors. I don't beleive that there was any intention of ever opening up again once the dorrs were closed.
My question now is, Is SuperStore next? I wouldn't be the least surprised.
No skin off of me on way or the other but for the employees I have some concern.
I suppose we shall see when raises are broached and impied threats are made about closing the doors IF......

Okay, I'll be the first to admit I don't know a lot about unions (the so called good stuff). But, I do know - if a person wants to work and can, they will. When you accept a position of employment the pay rate is usually already agreed to, that's the deal. If you later discover that it isn't quite good enough for you, you have the option of looking elsewhere for employment, or working towards a raise.

The trouble with unions is that you lose the right to negotiate a raise for yourself. You end up "locked in" or "locked out" and you are treated just like everyone else. Your hard work benefits the lazy slog in the corner who has more seniority than you do. I will admit there are many employers out there who would gladly work you to the bone for as little as possible, they are a different issue.

My point is - if a person has a job, and the pay and benefits are better than the majority of all the other jobs they could apply for and get(because after all, if they could get a better job, they bloomin well would have), then why not stop the complaining and stubborness and just agree to get back to work, start collecting paycheques again. Employees otta try being employers once in awhile, you know, they could pay the extra 3to16% to WCB, 100% to CPP, and 140% to EI, the union dues, the benefit plan costs, the vacation pay, the pension plans, the sick days, the bereavement days, the just plain old I don't feel like working today days.

Yup, try all that on a weekly paycheque, then maybe instead of complaining a person might just decide to go back to work. If you are unhappy about your working conditions, go see employment standards - that's their job.

Business' shutting their doors because of demanding unions is something everyone might as well get used to. The average union member should grab a calculator and do a quick figuring on what their union collects from all the members, then ask themselves where all that money goes and who does it benefit???? Don't ask me, cause I don't claim to know.

Oh, but you do know!
Many of these employees just had it tooooo goood!
It is so easy for a union to insist you are worthy of an increase in pay. They have thousands of members contributing to their income, so if a store like Extra Foods goes down-so what-not a big deal to them.
Well, greed sure took these people to the ranks of the unemployed.
By the way, it is the long term employees who become the union reps in those places. They, of course, get some extra perks. Too bad one of the drawbacks gives them the liberty to take a walk. "whynotyou" is absolutely correct-the money doesn't stop with the writing of the paycheque. The CPP, UIC, holiday pay, medical,covering for sick days, etc etc is a further heavy expense to the employer.
I surely do not want to become an employer again.
And I mean NEVER! Some people just do not realize when they have it good.

WhyNotYou nails it on the head!! I have seen on several occasions when 'employees' with all the benefits etc. venture on their own to run their own company because that is where the 'riches' are. They were certainly awakened and do now have an appreciation of the work and risk involved with being the employer.

I was a union member for years....
Was never a big fan of them...
Still not...but not a union member anymore either...
It was a good choice I think....
The original intent of unions has long since been overshadowed by what we have now....
I am not gong to say that unions don't have their place they do but they have become too over powering in my opinion...
And no I am not bashing unions nor praising them either...that choice is up to the individual to decide if it is right for them...

I've actually taken a position with a company that didn't have a union influence on purpose. I had a choice between two offers and I took less money for more liberty. Good for you whynotyou...bang on.

For the unenlightened the Extra Foods Union took cuts in their last settlement with the Company.

This time around the Company gave them a list of cuts that they wanted in the new contract. Ie; Wages, Medical Benefits, Pension, Hours of Work, etc; etc; It was a take it or leave it proposition. Hardly bargaining.

So you see most of you dont know the details about this situation.

Insofar as Unions go I am not their biggest fan, however I also know that without them we would still be in the dark ages. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.

I always like to remember the Chimney Sweeps in Britian in the 1800's. These were young kids who were lowered into chimneys by there feet to clean them out. Obviously they didnt live to long. There are hundreds of other situations that I could mention that would show you that Unions do their share in keeping employers honest, however I am sure if you think for a moment you can figure it out.

Its all about balance. While retail workers are getting **wacked** Government Employees, Teachers, etc; are getting huge increases, and benefits. It seems to me the level entrance wage for employees at UNBC was $14.00 per hour or more. Their wages all go up from there to God knows how much. They are not restricted to 20 hours per week at $8.00 per hour, so that benefits dont have to be paid, like most retail workers are.

If you want to complain about Unions, and overpaid workers you should concentrate on Government Workers, first and foremost, then look at the Pulp Mill Contracts, IWA, etc; Thats where the action is.

The unions in many cases have gone beyond keeping the employer honest, they hold the employer hostage, where the only option is to close the doors. The inmates should not run the asylum.

In the case of Extra Foods, which is owned by Westfair Foods, which is owned by Loblaws, etc; is one of the biggest food distribution companies in the world. Major investments in Canada, USA, Britain, and Austrailia, hardly the type of company that would be held hostage by a few Union Members in Prince George.

There is more to this story than meets the eye. I suspect the plan was always to shut the store down, especially as they own the Canadian Superstore which is only blocks away.

Unions can be a real asset when an employeee is being persecuted by a supervisor because of racism or other illegal reasons.

It happens, unfortunately, and I know from experience.

Yeah-well-employees that have been with that company for a number of years were making in excess of $25.00 an hour-were they not?
And the person making $8.00 an hour has to pay out the same money for goods and services as the person taking in $25.00 an hour.
The person making $25.00 an hour could have taken a small cut in order to keep the food store viable, but oh no-better to make a real ruckus, and have no job.
Remember what they say-"Be careful what you wish for." Proof positive certain actions can backfire -and kaboom-all is lost!
Then they are outside SuperStore attempting to cause problems there. Most people just ignored them, or took their leaflets and tossed them immediately into the garbage.
I believe at one time unions did assist the working man by establishing fair treatment.
Then they became too powerful, and the unions basically ran the country.
They became a necessary evil.
I wonder why most unions are headed by people from England, or Scotland? or? No Canadians.
Could not make it in their own country-so came here to raise hell-successfully I might add.
Oh well, the economy has picked up. I hear they are paying $16.00 an hour in Calgary to new employees at Tim Hortons. Only one drawback-have to be prepared to live on the street.
It truly is not a perfect world.

Pal, it is my understanding that the owner/operator was Al Comeau. It is franchised out much like a Tim Hortons or PetroCan. So ultimately the few members in Prince George mean everything to the owner. While Westfair etc. do have ultimate say on how the business can or can not be operated, it is the owner who is responsible for profitability. The only responsibility that loblaws/westfair have is to the shareholders of the company.

For the unenlightened the Extra Foods Union took cuts in their last settlement with the Company.

You got it Pal. Appears there a whole lot of unenlightened making coments on this post. I was a union member for all the years that I worked and the union dues were a small portion of my pay check. But the problem with the unions was the same as as with any organization. To be effective one must participate in its activities.

There are to many who believe in letting the next guy do it and that just dosent work. So if you like working for an employer that dosent have a union go for it, its your paycheck and he will appreciate you working for what ever he wants to pay you for wages. But I guess some people thrive on getting a pat on the back and a boot in the pants while your employer spends his winters in a sunny climate.

Cheers

Kimbo, I will have to agree with you on one point. The union does protect those who let others do the work. In most cases those that are the hard working and have good talent can often make significantly more money etc. working in non union positions as good talent and hard work does get rewarded. Those that are extra keen often become the employer, they work hard, do their time,take some risk and go to sunny climates in winter.

Maybe the obvious was that the guy who owned Extra Foods wasn't makin' enuff dough. So he goes to the Pine Centre guy and asks him fer a break on his rent. I bet he said no. Then he asked his employees to take a wage cut. They said no and got locked out. The guy who owns Extra Foods had to be paying rent fer that store since these guys got locked out. No income, mucho outgo. I figured it would close down eventually. Gee whiz. How to explain four months freezin' yer butt off in front of another store on your resume. And another point. I hope these union brothers and sisters don't think they can work fer Stupidstore after this is all over. The employees at the Stupidstore had to tolerate fewer hours, fewer pesos due to the fact that business kinda took a hit due to pickets in front of the store for these many months. Imagine! Hi there, I am your new workmate. I was out in front of your store to stop people from shopping here. Your hours and income were interrupted and affected fer a while but I guess that is OK. Right? Solidarity brother.The Struggle Continues. So after all is said and done, we just move on.

SuperSTore employees get paid $8-10.00 per hour and most are restricted to 20 hours per week. It is highly unlikely that any of the higher paid workers would even apply for these jobs. Would you??

Most of the high paid jobs in the retail industry were bought out or bargained away years ago. There are very few left. All the retail stores in this area now pay there employees $8-10.00 per hour 20 hours per week. They have continuos turn over in staff, and thier Management people are constantly on the phone trying to get someone to work. Things will get worse for them as the economy gets better. What goes around comes around.

As far as I know there are very few **Franchise** stores left in the Extra Foods/Westfair Foods/Chain. My understanding is that the head office makes all the decisions, and signs the pay cheques. If it was up to the local guy, he would have come to some sort of an agreement and this store would be up and running, because his lively hood depended on the store the same as the employees.

Dont kid yourself this whole issue has been driven by the **Big Boys** in the Boardroom. If they could have pushed through this contract it would have been used for a template for other locations.

They reached an agreement with the store in North Vancouver after a 9 month strike, and the strike in Squamish was settled in less than 2 months, so you have to ask yourself why they couldnt reach an agreement in Prince George. Right??

Heres how it went.

Company offers Union a totally unaceptable Contract with nothing in it but reductions, and states that this is the only offer they will make.

Union rejects the offer and offers to bargain.

Company locks out employees, and after an interval that makes it look like this problem was caused by the Union and its employees, it closes down the store.

End of story.

"There is more to this story than meets the eye. I suspect the plan was always to shut the store down, especially as they own the Canadian Superstore which is only blocks away."

Bingo..!!!

The store is nothing more than an oversized convenience store by today's standard. If a space that size were to be used for a "grocery" store, it could become a specialty store such as Woodward's was at one time. However, many others now have that integrated into their "superstores"

It will be interesting to see what the Pine Centre will do with the space. A grocery store there still makes sense. The question is whether they have enough space for one.

Interestingly, indoor shopping malls are no longer in vogue. I wonder what Rick Nelson's long range plans are. They may hinge on the develpoment which may occur on the golf course property.

If anyone thinks Superstore is going under, take a look at the parking lot sometime ... in fact, take a look at it almost anytime ... it puts other grocery stores in town to shame ....

Extra foods and superstore were too close together with insufficient product differentiation IMO.

"Those that are extra keen often become the employer, they work hard, do their time,take some risk and go to sunny climates in winter."

Look again. Many of those who are laid off in downsizing or right sizing or rationalizing, or whatever other euphemism is being used for getting rid of employees, end up being employers by default. They employ themselves. They are the ones who no longer show up in the numbers seeking work and are one of the main reasons why the workforce is diminishing. And, guess what. They would be stupid to employ others. If they grow or have seasonal variations, they first overwork themselves during those times and make hay while they can and then they will contract work out.

Want to copy 20 reports for a meeting - Staples, SpeeDee, etc ... need an office address? PO Box .. need a live voice on the phone? ... answering service ... need a meeting room? .. hotel .... with computers, secretaries have gone the way of the dodo bird .. most consultants can type at least 40 up to 60 wpm. .. but you can get those services as well.

Some who have skills which are transferable can usually pull themselves up and become that other dreaded group I am sure everyone likes to beat on. They become consultants. They become jobbers.

If it was not for them people like my parents could not live in their home rather than an old age home. They rakeg lawns, shovell snow, fix fences, clean house, do dishes, give baths, massages, teach new hobbies. They charge $25/hr at a mininimum. Minimum wage is not a question. Some who do enough to pull in some extra money are working in an underground economy. They show up nowhere. Not looking for work, not employed, no income. Transaction is by cash.

Others turn around and sell their services to the very group they were laid off from. The lucky ones work 50% of the time for double the money. In fact, I know people in Vancouver who are getting (not offering, but getting) $1,500+ per day and they are working virtually steady for years, at 3 to 4 days per week and then commuting back home. So, $200,000+ per year rather than $120,000 per year when they were on salary. Three quarters of the time "at work"; one quarter of the time commuting; additional housing costs.

For the company it is cheaper, they have more control, and they have no committment to the contractor as they did when he/she was an employee. Their books carry less financial liability.

So, look at the whole picture of what is happening. It is coming to a community close to you. :-)

At least the outsourcing is still to someone on this side of the Pacific.

Extra foods and superstore were too close together with insufficient product differentiation IMO.

Bingo!

We have all this dialogue about unions and business plans and how we should be doing it. Yet no one has mentioned the fact that some of these none union peple are exploited and many have to hold two jobs to feed thie families and pay the rent.

We are great at going off in all directions and looose sight of the fact that the only winners are the boys in the board room and as long as they keep us devided they are laughing all the way to the share holder meeting. "The rule of devide and conquer". Come on pepole wake up and smell the cooffee. Join a union form an association but work togther and beat those ba***ds to the bank.

Cheers

Some employees put their life on the line to hold a job. There has been a lot of focus on fatalities in the woods. They are in jobs that are none union where an individual has broke the bank to buy a piece of logging equipment so that he/she can be self employed or may hire one or two employees to work for them.

After the fatality the compensation board ( I guess its Work Safe BC now). Nine times out of ten its classified as, “humane error”. Why? Probably because of financial pressure they were taking short cuts to keep ahead of the bank. A logging truck driver probably should have stopped to put on tire chains but because of pressure didn’t do so. There is a constant battle between the truck loggers and the forest company management on hauling rates set by management.

Of course the none producers will think I’m full of it but not having ever produced a pound of pulp or cut down a tree will not understand where I’m coming from.So you people that love this none union fatal enterprise go for it but remember it could be your last job.

Cheers

"I wonder why most unions are headed by people from England, or Scotland? or? No Canadians.
Could not make it in their own country-so came here to raise hell-successfully I might add."

I was making it very well in my own country (England) when I came here, thank you very much. I came to Canada to get away from my parents, not because I couldn't succeed there. I had an extremely good job with first rate prospects at the University of London. I came to Canada and ended up as Chief Steward in a trade union.

The racial origins and country of origin of Canadian Union leaders is irrelevant, and your comments are just an example of the despicable incipient racist bigotry that is just under the surface of our society. You have my contempt, sir.

Thank you Ammonra. I would like add tho that one of the first unions that I belonged to(Steelworkers) had a number of British people in them. They were hard working and honest people. They came from the cradle of unionists created by the coal mining industry in Britain.

And one need only read some of DH Lawrences books and you will see just how exploited the miners were in the mines of Great Britain.

I was also active in the unions I belonged too but never reached the great higth of a Chief Shop. Steward. I was always a gopher and enjoyed it. Today I look at guys like Jim Sinclair from BCEGU and he is a great leader that fights for his members and will not take crap from the politicians.

Cheers

I have been an employer-and when I had a good employee, they did not require a union, or Employment Standards to look out for them.
Employers appreciate a good employee, and believe me they get extra consideration.
I notice the union members who are lazy slugs are the strong supporters of the union. I recall when the Pine Center was being built a couple of the workers crawled to a hiding place and slept a day away on occasion. Their actions were overlooked, but the guys who worked sure talked about them. I also have heard first hand how a worker was told to slow down and make the job last. Can't get rid of them either-not easily!
I hired a few people in my day who did not hesitate for a minute to steal, not only for themselves, but for friends also. I actually had to write paycheques to employees who were thieves too. I just hoped they would not go big time, but a couple times I got ripped off for thousands. Tell me about employees, and I am just delighted I do not have any, and I never want to hire another person.
Now let's hear what a fine lot you all are.
By the way, I am not racist-just happen to pick up on accents.
And all good jobs are not gov't positions regulated by politicians.
Good employees do not need a protectionist system. Where do you fit in?

My experience with some Employers over the years is that they seem quite content to pay $10.00 to $15.00 per hour for an employee, knowing full well that they would never do the same job for the same money. In other words thats a good rate of pay for you, how ever I am worth much more. (Double Standard).

In the bigger companies a lot of the Management people would not be able to do any of the jobs of the people under them, however they strut their stuff, and over time convince themselves that that are highly efficient, and intelligent. Its interesting to watch. Buffonery at its best.

Making comments about people who come from other Countries can hardly be considered as racist. Are they above critcism. I too have heard of people from Britian, Scotland, and Ireland taking over Union positions and then raising hell with management to the extent that working conditions and union management relations went into the toilet. One example of this was BC Hydro, and more specifically the Peace River Dam. It seems that some people gravitate to certain types of jobs, however in the end is is usually because no one else wants the job. I call it the **let Joe do it syndrome** No one wants the job, so let Joe do it. Problem is that with the let Joe do it syndrome you rarely end up with you best people on the job, and you can rarely if ever get rid of **Joe**

An interesting point to ponder.

If you have a retail business that is Unionized under the **new agreements** and management is hiring workers at $8.00 to $10.00 per hour and restricting them to 20 hours per week, rather than hiring full time employess, is it not possible that this is also in the best interests of the Unions, as they would have at a minimum twice as many members paying union dues. Makes one wonder how hard Unions fight for the Older higher paid employees.

Those higher paid employees and going the way of the *DooDoo Bird**

I, for one, realize it is a long haul to try and maintain a home and support a family on some of the wages paid. It is almost impossible for one pair of hands to equal the task, and therefore we have Moms going to work for the $10.00 an hour to subsidize.
Now we have the family unit deteriorating, as Mom is working 2 jobs. I have seen many cases whereby Mom comes home to cook, clean, do laundry, vacuum, bake, and the husband sits totally relaxed and reads the paper and dozes in his easy chair. He is totally lacking a conscience. There is no sharing of the household duties-that's woman's work!!!!!!
Mom becomes a walking zombie due to constantly being overtired, but the huge demands on her
time are overlooked by the selfish old man and the kids.
On his days off he is out having a good time.
On her days off, (never), she is cutting the
lawn.
She is cautious as to her spending-but he is never to be done out of his case of beer, or his toys.
I do believe he should be paying her $10.00 an hour for the extra 8 or 9 hours a day she puts in over his hours. She is worth more though!!!!
Who said life was fair?

Judging people according to their Country of Origin is indeed discrimination, and is specifically mentioned as a big no-no in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The same old rubbish about not being able to fire lazy or dishonest employees, too. You can. It requires management to follow some strict rules, but is can, and is, done. The other side of the coin, of course, are the employers who push their employees into working overtime, then refuse to pay. That is theft. How many of them have you ever heard being jailed for it? Thieves are in all segments, unions, employers, professionals, justice, police, news media, you name it. Inferring it is special to unions is lying crap.

The reason people from other countries get into union leadership positions on occasion, and it is not all that common as most leaders are Canadian born, is that the Canadian members vote them as their representatives. Time and again it has become apparent that trade unions are among the most democratically run organizations in Canada. Stewards ar elected for their capabilities, and if foreign born Canadians are elected to positions it is because the members of that union value competence in representation and want them as their spokesperson, nothing else.

Yeah, well they sure can get their members into a sorry state and at times do more harm than good.
They shout and scream at a union meeting to attempt to convince the members they are worth more money.
Brainwashing-creating hype and high expectations.
Sure worked with Extra Foods, did it not?
Yes, one can get rid of an employee. 3 strikes and they are out. Must keep track and note all
misdemeanors re day and time and action in question.
I gave a cook a dressing down when she dropped a hamburger patty on the kitchen floor, picked it up, gave it a swipe on her apron, tossed it on the bun and hollered "order up." She quit. I still had to give her a weeks pay-and I still do not know why??? I did it to get her out of the way, and lo and behold, a fork showed up to jam a toilet tank in the washroom when she came in a few days later. Wow-good employee. One waitress stole a whole damn case of coffee. Bacon, butter, bread, never ending the theft-and then fed their friends freebee.
Tell me about employees, and I will tell you more, and it is not flattering.
Oh well, if they were to tell their story-there is not one good employer in the world.
The only problem is, employers are in the minority, and by the way, they are the last to get paid also!
I was a good employer-but I was some happy to end that position. Is it any wonder?

I dont think that you should paint all men with the same brush trusted. Also according to Ammonra you are discriminating again. This time against men.

If I were to say that Union Leaders from England, Scotland, and Ireland were great leaders and wonderful people, the **salt of the earth** so to speak. This would be ok. However if I said that they wernt that great, and that they caused a lot of problems, then of course that would be discrimination. I doubt it. If it were true 85% of the people in North America are discriminating against George Bush, and Dick Cheney.

I agree that more men should get off their butts and help out around the house, however most of them are not much more than *louts* Women need to take more care in choosing who they will spend their life with.

I remember an instance when a person was helping his wife with the dishes and a guest 6ft tall 220lbs. excellent shape, was watching him, and then said. You do dishes?. The man replied. It takes a real man to do dishes, any a-hole can sit on his butt and watch someone else work.

Kimbo and Ammonra, thanks for making the case for posters who question union motives and relevance. "trade unions are among the most democraticaly run organizations in Canada" ya right. Why is there a constant effort to to stop the secret ballot in votes. Under the NDP that was the case. Why? so non-conforming members could be singled out and intimidated. How can companies be certified as unions without a proper vote, just a certain number of cards need to be signed. How is forced membership a democracy? It isn't, it's mob rule and you better not go against
the brothers.

Union brass need to be constantly causing crap to justify the dues they collect. Whats in the true best interest of members is secondary to "the Cause". YA YA Kimbo, without them every one would die on the job. Mandatory Dues going to support pet causes and political parties is not a democracy. Why do you think the mob was/is attracted to unions? Because of their keen adherance to democratic values?

Dow7500 Right On! Tell it like it is!

My point has never been that there are bad employers or good employers; that there are good employees or bad employees. It has how ever been that an employer should share his profits with his employees. There are a number of employers in our City that don’t just own one food establishment, I see them before Council looking for a licence to open another. And there are a number that have.

Just have a look at who their employees are. Most are high school students and they have them on a leach. They are not a bad or good employer they are a greedy employers. And they should share their profits.

I also note that among all you anti union people on this sight missed my error that Jim Sinclair is not the head of BCGEU but the head of the BC Federation of Labour. So you don’t even know who your enemies are how can you defeat them?

And last but not least there were 40 fatalities in industry last year most of them in the woods. I’m sure that a union would help an employer to reduce those fatalities.

And remember all our professionl people and employers of every discription belong to a union of one sort or another and they pour millions into political parties to support their cause. Wake up and smell the coffeee.

Cheers

Profesionals and employers make voluntary contributions with THEIR own money. Unions make contributions with madatory dues. See the difference? Probably not.

as for none of the anti-union posters not picking up on Jim Sinclair. Maybe no one cares. He's just another activist spewing the same tired old union rhetoric. wether he's the head of the labour federation, BCGEU, the local chapter of the communist party, BCTF, or some obscure underground university group protesting globalization. The brainwashed message is always the same.

Well, talk about spewing venom, dow7500, your invective almost ripped the rafters off my house!! :-)

Professionals do pay mandatory dues to organizations just like union members do, and some of that money can, and does, go to other groups, including political groups. Even in cases where the membership is voluntary peer pressure can come into play, at least according to one doctor I knew who did not want to join the Northern Medical Society when it was first formed. She was forced into it by constant bitching by the leaders at the time. On second thoughts, perhaps you are right after all, the NMS is really only a trade union anyway (as is the BCMA) and those pressuring the reluctant doctors just union thugs, I guess.

I know your prejudice against the union movement blinds you to the facts, but unions only make contributions to other groups when it has been authorised in some kind of vote by the members, either as an ongoing practice or as a one off. As it happens, the union to which I belonged (the Health Sciences Association) did not make political contributions, and never suported partisan politics. Every attempt to bring that about was resoundly defeated by the delegates at our Annual Convention. They did, however, make substantial contributions to research into breast cancer because most members are women. You may not like that fact, but there it is, democratic voting decided all. And not one little bit of pressure was brought to bear in the slightest.

Who knows, if you were to set your anti-union attitudes aside for a few seconds you might actually be surprised. Still, I am sure your simplistic "Employer good, union bad" approach to the universe will stand you in good stead.

Funny then if it wasn't for union contributions and paid staff(not volunteers until it was caught), the NDP wouldn't have had enough money to drive Glen Clark's bus to Hope. But thats just my simplistic, prejudiced ant-union attitude.

The unions even tell their members how to vote in an election.
They manage to brainwash members with little, if any, effort.
I picked up on kimbo's error re Sinclair, but felt it would be an act of cruelty to burst her bubble!
Actually I did not think it worthy of mention.
See, I really am considerate, and it mattered naught if I was an employer-or an employee-I knew how to work-and never asked an employee to do anything I would not do myself.
At least I never had to stand outside a store attempting to make trouble for the employer and employees in another business.
I do not believe the out of work Extra Foods employees received any sympathy for that performance.
Real tacky. But then it was probably a brainstorm of their union leader.
Nothing quite like following orders.

I'm sure some unions did make contributions to the NDP, after having the contribution democratically endorsed by the members. Many more individuals and many small businessmen also made donations, as they do today. The disclosures show that most of the NDP's money comes from private individuals, unlike any other political party (with the Greens a possible exception).

Interestingly, the right wing parties get most of their contributions from publicly traded corporations, usually without any democratic endorsement from the shareholders, but what the hell, different rules for different folks, right?