Search

There is general agreement that public sector bargaining has evolved through three stages: the expansionary years (mid-1960s to 1982), the restraint years (1982-1990) and the retrenchment years (1990s). This paper argues that public sector collective bargaining entered a new stage of development around 1998. The post-retrenchment period or what is referred to as the consolidation stage was marked by economic expansion, the restoration of fiscal stability among the senior levels of government and increases in public employment. Under these conditions, governments and public sector employers sought to consolidate the gains they achieved during the retrenchment years through legislation and hard bargaining. Public sector unions attempted to improve their position by increasing membership and negotiating catch-up wage settlements. Based on a review of selected collective bargaining indicators, employers appear to have consolidated their gains from the retrenchment years.

The book, "The Paradox of American Unionism," by Seymour Martin Lipset and Noah M. Meltz, is reviewed.

The article reviews the book, "The Next Upsurge: Labor and the New Social Movements," by Dan Clawson.

Contrairement à ce qu’on a cru pendant longtemps, l’histoire du syndicalisme au Québec remonte au début du XIXe siècle et évolue sensiblement au même rythme que celle des autres mouvements syndicaux en Amérique du Nord. À ce chapitre, les facteurs économiques et géographiques qui la rattachent au continent pèsent aussi lourd que le caractère distinct de la société québécoise. Voilà un des éléments clés qui ressortent du vaste pano-rama du syndicalisme au Québec que Jacques Rouillard trace ici. À chacune des périodes étudiées, qui renvoient aux grands moments de l’histoire occidentale, l’auteur montre comment les syndicats ont représenté une composante essentielle de la classe ouvrière et l’un des principaux lieux de contestation de l’ordre établi. Ce livre est une nouvelle édition de la première synthèse sur le syndicalisme québécois que Jacques Rouillard faisait paraître au Boréal en 1989. Ce nouveau texte, entièrement refondu, a été augmenté non seulement pour relater les événements qui se sont déroulés de 1985 à 2003, mais également pour tenir compte, aux diverses époques, des fruits de la négociation collective et de l’avancement de la recherche historique dans ce domaine. --Description de l'éditeur

The article reviews the book, "Federalism, Democracy, and Labour Market Policy in Canada," edited by Tom McIntosh.

In the turbulent 1960s Canadians debated foreign control of the Canadian economy and Canada’s relations with the United States. The Canadian section of the United Auto Workers (UAW) also struggled with these questions as it faced a number of government policies designed to bolster the auto industry and solve balance of payments difficulties, culminating in the 1965 Canada-United States Auto motive Products Trade Agreement (auto pact). The auto pact rationalized the Canadian Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) production into their parent corporations and by 1970 the Canadian industry was fully integrated into a continental system of North American automobile manufacturing. The Canadian UAW played an ineffectual role in shaping this transformation, one which rekindled and exacerbated conflict within the membership and between militant locals and the union’s leadership. Nonetheless, by the end of the decade, the union had become a strong advocate of the new continental auto regime, a reflection of the increased employment and production resulting from the changes. The essay explains the issues the union faced in this period and some of the long-term consequences which the continentalization of the auto industry had on the union.

While long life society constitutes progress in terms of healthier, better and longer lives, it is also associated with higher pension and health expenditures to an extent that threatens the long term adequacy and sustainability of existing welfare systems. It therefore requires adaptation on the part of society and of social institutions and policies, in particular the labour market and the welfare systems, in order to stem or even reduce the growing dependency ratios of the population. This article thus starts by signalling the six main changes that have occurred in the European Union and US labour markets and the workforce, which concern in particular women in all age groups. It then highlights the main responses of the welfare systems to these changes, emphasizing activation measures and indicating their successes and shortcomings. The article concludes by suggesting policies that may enhance female activity and employment rates, from both the labour supply and demand perspectives.

The article reviews the book, "Politics of the Womb: Women, Reproduction, and the State in Kenya," by Lynn M. Thomas.

The article reviews the book, "Death of a Nation: American Culture and the End of Exceptionalism," by David W. Noble.

The article reviews the book, "The State of Working America 2002/2003," by Lawrence Mishel, Jared Bernstein, and Heather Boushey.

In response to increasing public concern over the accountability of transnational corporations (TNCs) for violations of human rights in the states in which they operate, governments, corporations and NGOs have promoted the development and implementation of voluntary self-regulatory regimes. However, TNC practices under these regimes call into question their adequacy and effectiveness in preventing complicity in egregious violations of human rights by corporations operating in conflict zones and repressive regimes. This article reviews and assesses the language, human rights content and compliance mechanisms of the voluntary policies and/or codes developed by a number of corporations, industry groups, intergovernmental organizations and multistakeholder initiatives, as well as associated corporate practices. The analysis shows that these voluntary regimes are flawed and inadequate, and therefore unable to ensure that TNCs are not complicit in human rights violations in their extraterritorial activities.

The article reviews the book, "Women, Gender, and Transnational Lives: Italian Workers of the World," edited by Jan Kok.

The article reviews the book, "Hollywood Utopia," by Justine Brown.

Largement dominant à l’époque de la production industrielle dans l’entreprise hiérarchisée, le contrat de travail à durée indéterminée comme mode de régulation des relations de travail est aujourd’hui doublement fragilisé par l’organisation des entreprises sous forme de réseaux et par le recours à des outils de la responsabilité sociale de l’entreprise qui visent à réguler les relations de travail dans ces réseaux. L’objectif de cet article est d’analyser les enjeux de l’émergence de cette nouvelle forme de régulation pour le droit du travail. Le recours aux instruments de la responsabilité sociale renforce-t-il la crise du droit du travail ou, au contraire, permet-il de l’atténuer ? En d’autres termes, faut-il considérer que la responsabilité sociale concurrence les normes du droit du travail, ou peut-elle utilement les compléter, voire même leur donner une opportunité de renouvellement dans le contexte difficile des entreprises en réseaux ?

The article reviews the book, "Innovation and Knowledge Creation in an Open Economy: Canadian Industry and International Implications," by John R. Baldwin and Petr Hanel.

Cette étude s’intéresse aux déterminants et aux incidences de la rémunération basée sur les compétences. Les données ont été colligées par questionnaire auprès de 189 responsables de la gestion des ressources humaines à l’emploi d’entreprises du secteur privé comptant plus de 200 employés. Les résultats confirment que l’adoption de la rémunération basée sur les compétences est positivement reliée à la culture de gestion participative. Après avoir contrôlé pour la taille de l’entreprise et la présence syndicale, les résultats montrent que, comparés aux autres, les répondants qui sont à l’emploi des organisations où l’on adopte la rémunération des compétences sont statistiquement plus portés à estimer (a) que leur organisation est plus performante tant sur le plan de la finance que des ressources humaines et (b) que leur processus de gestion du rendement est plus efficace tant pour réaliser la stratégie d’affaires que pour traiter équitablement le personnel.

Challenging the Market offers insights from eighteen scholars and activists from around the world. Calling on a tremendous range of experience in different countries, different industries, and with different groups of workers, contributors argue that labour market policy should shift to a more interventionist and compassionate footing. For two decades economic and social policy in most of the world has been guided by the notion that economies function best when they are fully exposed to competitive market forces. In labour market policy, this approach is reflected in the widespread emphasis on "flexibility" - a euphemism for the retrenchment of income support and social security, the relaxation of labour market regulations, and the enhanced power of private actors to determine the terms of the employment relationship. These strategies have had marked effects on labour market outcomes, leading to greater vulnerability and polarization - and not always in ways that enhance worker-centred flexibility. The authors offer a more balanced analysis of the functioning and effects of labour market regulation and deregulation. By questioning the underpinnings of the "flexibility" paradigm, and revealing its often damaging impacts (on different countries, sectors, and constituencies), they challenge the conclusion that unregulated market forces produce optimal labour market outcomes. The authors conclude with several suggestions for how labour policy could be reformulated to promote both efficiency and equity. --Publisher's description

Draws on survey data collected in Canada, Britain and Japan in an attempt to assess the claim that lean production represents a positive change in the employment relationship in the automobile industry. Concludes that despite the rhetoric of consensual participation, the difficult working environment created by the regime relies on significant degrees of imposition to keep the assembly lines running, which negatively impacts on employees' working lives.

Roger Stonebanks traces the life of charismatic labour leader Ginger Goodwin from his childhood in the Yorkshire Coalfields, through his mining career in Cape Breton and British Columbia, until his untimely and controversial death in the woods of Vancouver Island. Using archival research and contemporary accounts, Stonebanks explores the historical context that surrounded Goodwin's meteoric rise in BC's labour and socialist ranks. His life, from union hall to the soccer pitch, sheds light on working-class culture in resource communities in the early years of the 20th century. Ginger Goodwin was killed while trying to evade conscription during World War I. The Military police officer responsible claimed he shot only in self-defence, but rumors have since persisted that foul play was involved in the death of the prominent socialist and labour activist. Goodwin's own words explain his opposition to conscription and war, while Stonebanks examines the background and attitude of the police officers hunting down draft dodgers. Adrian Brooks provides a legal analysis and review of the case of His Majesty the King v. Daniel Campbell and how the trial might have unfolded — if there had been a trial of Constable Campbell. Written in engaging and accessible prose, the book features several never before published photographs. --Publisher's description

The article reviews the book, "Collective Bargaining and the Social Construction of Employment," edited by Mateo Alaluf and Carlos Prieto.