I recently moved to the left coast of Canada. Some say I was a staunch conservative supporter for every year since my 18^th birthday and eligible to vote. It is not true. I was a staunch conservative since early childhood after hearing my father’s lecture on the evils of liberalism after my older 18 year old sister pounded an NDP campaign sign into our front lawn. This year I was somewhat chagrined, after moving to Vancouver, to determine that the most common response to any question including the word Tory was “a what?”. That’s correct… the left coast includes political choices of left or really left only. The Tories are unheard of. Hence, trying to fit in… my new left coast venture … the

Systems Consultant Resource Union

The Systems Consultant Resource Union (SCRU) will represent the interests of IT workers in every imaginable IT consulting occupation from coast to coast to coast. We will advocate on behalf of all working IT consultants in many different ways – from organizing campaigns and rallies to lobbying federal politicians in Parliament to speaking out in the media and to business on key issues to representing Canada’s IT consultant’s labour movement internationally to developing partnerships with the community and other supportive groups. Our goals are simple – what we wish for ourselves we desire for all. That includes decent wages, healthy and safe workplaces, fair labour laws, equality rights, dignity in retirement, a sustainable environment and respect for basic human rights – here in Canada and around the world. We believe that IT unions are a positive force for democratic social change – and that by working together we can improve Canada for everyone. SCRU is not only dedicated to fighting for IT consultant’s  rights at the bargaining table, it’s equally committed to taking on economic, political and social issues that affect its members and their families in the broader community.

Sixty-hour or eighty-hour work weeks with no overtime or comp time, an iPhone hitched to your belt 24/7, mandates from clients who have no clue what you actually do – all for a job that could be outsourced to Bangladesh tomorrow. It is finally time for technology consultants to form a union and demand better working conditions!

After all, if Hollywood writers can organize effectively, you’d think IT consultants would have a shot. As with Teamsters in the transportation industry, when IT consultants walk off the job, everything comes to a grinding halt. Just see if your ATM card still works 24 hours after we walk off the job!

Our demands are not unreasonable.

Our compensation needs to be sufficient to include:

• a lease payment for a decent model of Lexus
• a respectable condo in a downtown location not more than 15 minutes commute
• a nanny for the kids
• before school, private school and after school care
• a twice-a-year “quality time” vacation at an all-inclusive tropical resort with special “we watch the rug rats while you play” programs
• free iPad, iPhone and all-you-can-download  iTunes with 3G subscription
• all divorce, legal and palimony costs incurred

Whoa… stop! I am getting carried away with this left coast thing. Yes …. reality check ….ultimately it is your value that drives whether you get the Lexus, the waterfront condo and whether you can build a life that is truly excellent eschewing the ‘pretend your kids aren’t there vacations” and iToys. (WP7 is better by the way)

Sorry, there is no SCRU. Just you and the value you deliver every single day. I guess I’ll have to be the sole Tory in BC for now.

* above rhetoric courtesy of the Canadian Labour Congress and the CAW web sites slightly edited