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The media headlines rest in my thoughts as I write a paper about social workers and abortion services. I am reminded of the cultural ambivalence, if not silence, that surrounds abortion work and which, I argue, makes it difficult to position issues facing abortion workers in relation to more general work place safety concerns. ...[W]e need to move beyond the sensationalized debates that often dominate any reflection on abortion services and attempt to understand the daily workplace risks faced by workers in these clinics. Although such a task is beyond the scope of this brief paper, I would like to use this opportunity to establish a conceptual framework for such a rethinking. --From author's introduction

The article reviews the book, "The Labour Party and taxation: Party identity and political purpose in twentieth-century Britain," by Richard Whiting.

The Family Division of Labour, by Marie-Agnes Barrere-Maurisson, is reviewed.

The article reviews the book, "Working time in comparative perspective, v. 2," edited by Susan Houseman and Alice Nakamura.

Transnational Cooperation among Labor Unions, edited by Michael E. Gordon and Lowell Turner, is reviewed.

Tulchinsky introduces this reprint of "From the American scene: May Day in Toronto," by Ben Lappin. Originally published in Commentary in May 1955. Lappin's article portrays the annual May Day celebration of Toronto's working-class Jewish community at a time of generational transition.

The article reviews and comments on the books, "Gardens of Their Dreams: Desertification and Culture in World History," by Brian Griffith, "Brave New Seeds: The Threat of GM Crops to Farmers," by Robert Ali Brac De La Pierre and Frank Seurat, and "Hungry for Trade: How the Poor Pay for Free Trade," by John Madeley,

La réalité globale de l’entreprise transnationale, l’ensemble intégré de son activité, s’étend à plusieurs pays, même si elle est elle-même le plus souvent juridiquement fragmentée en différentes sociétés nationales. Dans quelle mesure le Droit parvient-il à saisir dans toute sa réalité significative, c’est-à-dire transnationale, cette entreprise ; réussit-il à atteindre son centre de pouvoir ? L’examen porte d’abord sur la normativité applicable. Existe-t-il une normativité commensurable à cette entreprise ? Les droits des pays d’implantation se montrent-ils capables d’applications extraterritoriales à son endroit ? Il y a ensuite à considérer la mise en oeuvre, en particulier juridictionnelle, des normes applicables, tantôt l’intervention du for du pays de la filiale, tantôt celle du for de la société dominante.

The article reviews the book, "Cultures of darkness: night travels in the histories of transgression [from medieval to modern]," by Bryan D. Palmer.

The article reviews the book, "Making the American team: Sport, culture, and the Olympic experience

Globalization from Below: The Power of Solidarity by Jeremy Brecher, Tim Costello, and Brendan Smith, is reviewed.

A Very Red Life: The Story of Bill Walsh by Cy Gonick, is reviewed.

This paper argues that we need to look again at hours of work. One out of every five Canadians is working more than 40 hours a week as their regular hours, while one out of ten work over 50 hours. On top of this, overtime is excessive - paid overtime alone is the equivalent of 225,000 full-time jobs. A major study by the CEP in the pulp and paper industry has shown that overtime may be more expensive than hiring additional workers and that workers are willing to reduce overtime in order to save or create jobs. On reducing regular hours of work, the CEP has found that additional days away from work, once negotiated and experienced, are extremely popular. While more time off is about job creation, better health and safety and improving family and social life, it opposes the lean and mean approach of business corporations.

The Future of the Safety Net: Social Insurance and Employee Benefits, edited by Sheldon Friedman and David C. Jacobs, is reviewed.

[E]xamines the effects of economic globalization on several manufacturing-dependent rural communities in Canada. In looking at such contemporary corporate strategies as plant closures and downsizing, authors [The authors] consider the impact of capitalist restructuring on the residents of various communities. [They] argue that the new rural economy has caused considerable instability and hardship in the lives of rural residents as they struggle to adapt in the face of economic upheaval."--Publisher's description. Contents: The Global and the Local: Understanding Globalization through Community Research -- Community Sketches, History, and Method -- The New Rural Economy and the Shape of Restructuring -- Skidding into the Contingent Work World -- 'Forget All Your Dreams and Good Luck with Your Life': Lay-Off and the New Reality of Contingent Labour -- Economic Diversity, Sustainability, and Manufacturing Communities. Geographic: Ontario. Ontario. Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-220) and index.

The article reviews the book, "The Sound of One Voice: Eugene Forsey and His Letters to the Press," by J. E. Hodgetts.

The article reviews the book, "Weaving connections: Educating for peace, social and environmental justice," edited by Tarah Goldstein and David Selby.

How can unions arrest membership decline in an increasingly chilly climate? Unions across Canada have arrived at a common answer to this question; unions need to organize the unorganized, in particular reaching out to women, youth and people of colour. After a brief discussion of who is being organized by unions, this article turns to a discussion of innovations in union organizing strategies, including the virtue of rank and file activists and the B.C. Organizing Institute. The next challenge for unions is to keep newly organized workers as members. This depends on adequate representation of these members’ interests and opportunities for their participation in union affairs. The paper critically evaluates union efforts at reform of internal structures and collective bargaining practices. While organizing alone cannot secure the future of unions, it is a critical part of the process of the renewal of labour power.

Open access publication from 2002 to 2014 of York University's Centre for Research on Work and Society. Its mission, as stated in its inaugural issue, was as follows: "Just Labour explores the complex ways new technologies, subcontracting, new management strategies, and emerging self-employment are undermining the traditional employee-employer relationships and disciplining workers. Just Labour investigates how union action has been subverted by the international integration of capital, the proliferation of precarious employment, the challenges of organizing marginalized workers, and the increasingly anti-union practices of employers and the state. Just Labour addresses the culture and activities of Canadian workers and their unions as they face new challenges. The journal will explore new ideas and seek out fresh approaches to solving problems. Just Labour brings the work of leading academics and trade union researchers to a broad readership in popular, accessible language."