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The growth of the United Auto Workers in Canada dramatically improved the lives of thousands of workers. Not only did it achieve impressive bargaining gains, but the UAW was regarded as one of the most democratic and socially progressive of the major industrial unions in North America. However, workers in the automotive sector, who constituted the largest segment of the UAW membership, witnessed blatant gender inequalities. From 1937 to 1979, UAW leaders did little to challenge these inequalities. Both the union and the workplace remained highly masculine settings in which male workers and bosses played out the gender politics of the times. Pamela Sugiman draws on archival materials and in-depth interviews with workers and union representatives to explore the ways in which the small groups of women in southern Ontario auto plants fought for dignity, respect, and rights within this restrictive context. During the Second World War, women auto workers formed close bonds with one another - bonds that rested largely around their identification as a sex. By the late 1960s, they were drawing on a growing union consciousness, the modern women's movement, and their gender identity, to launch an organized collective struggle for sexual equality. In describing the women's experiences, Sugiman employs the concept of a `gendered strategy.' A gendered strategy incorporates both reasoned decisions and emotional responses, calculated interests and compromises. Within a context of gender and class divisions, workers developed strategies of coping, resistance, and control. Labour's Dilemma reveals how people may be simultaneously agents and victims, compliant and resistant. --Publisher's description

Examines the values of work and employment in federal and provincial policy papers on regional development versus those in Newfoundland's popular culture, as expressed in the heroic, masculine ideals of its folksong tradition. Argues that Newfoundlanders seeming resistance to change stems from this conflict in values. Concludes that long-term policy development of viable alternatives to the traditional, resource-based occupations should focus on the elements of status, autonomy, and identity that comprise meaningful work.

The article reviews the book, "Notes of a Red Guard," by Eduard M. Dune and edited by Diane P. Koenker and S. A. Smith.

The article reviews the book, "From Plant to Politics: The Autoworkers Union in Postwar Canada," by Charlotte Yates.

Unions and employers are no doubt aware that retaining legal cousel necessitates a more expensive and less expeditious grievance arbitration process. However, if a party's prospects for success are enhanced by legal representation, the additional delay and expense may be justified. Does legal representation affect grievance outcomes? Most arbitrators are lawyers. Does an arbitrator's legal training affect the outcome of a grievance? In an effort to answer these questions, all discipline or discharge grievance arbitration awards decided in the Canadian province of Newfoundland during the period 1980-1992 were analyzed. The results suggest that legal representation does not affect grievance outcomes, nor do lawyer-arbitrators decide cases any differently than their lay colleagues.

The article reviews and comments on the books "Visions of the People: Industrial England and the Question of Class, 1814-1914," by Patrick Joyce and "Politics and the People: A Study in English Political Culture c. 1815-1867," by James Vernon.

Cette étude cherche à identifier les déterminants de la rémunération des employés manuels à l'échelle du secteur municipal québécois. L'examen de 60 municipalités réparties selon une stratification basée sur la population révèle que la rémunération est plus fortement reliée à la taille qu'à la capacité de payer. L'éloignement des centres urbains, l'ancienneté et le salaire régional moyen exercent également une influence indépendante sur la rémunération de ces employés municipaux. Le modèle permet d'expliquer jusqu'à 47 % des variations du salaire de base et 35 % des variations de l'enveloppe des avantages sociaux.

This article is part of a larger study of Canadian labor law before the advent of statutory collective bargaining, which questions the traditional periodization and the meanings of the categories. It is often an un-articulated premise that the exercise by employers of their superior economic power, as imparted and structured through the law of property and contract, is not coercion. Rather, the analysis is restricted to direct state coercion, exercised through the criminal law, the police, and the injunction. This framework produces a partial view of the role of law and interferes with an analysis of the strategic choices made by workers and employers. By bringing 'normal' market relations back in, we can more fully examine the nuances of coercion and consent at a given time.

The article reviews the book, "Work and Health," by M. Quinlan.

The article reviews the book, "Pride and Solidarity: A History of the Plumbers and Pipefitters of Columbus, Ohio, 1889-1989," by Richard Schneirov.

The article reviews the book, "Such Hardworking People: Italian Immigrants in Postwar Toronto," by Franca Iacovetta.

The article reviews the book, "Travail plus. Le travail et vos droits," by Hélène Ouimet and Pierre Laporte.

The article reviews the book, "Through Jaundiced Eyes : How the Media View Organized Labor," by William J. Puette.

The article reviews the book, "Les Bâtisseuses de la Cité," by Evelyne Tardy et al.

[This thesis] is an interdisciplinary examination of the effects of North American trade liberalization on women workers in Canada's clothing sector. This thesis takes a four-pronged approach to assess the decline of Canadian clothing manufacturing under the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the potential implications of the recently adopted North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). First, I present a historical sketch of women's work in the Canadian clothing industry. Second, I examine employment trends in Canadian clothing manufacturing since 1980, demonstrating that this sector embarked on a downward trajectory after the introduction of the FTA. Third, I investigate how intra-sectoral and inter-sectoral relations in clothing and textiles industries throughout North America contribute to the vulnerable status of the Canadian clothing industry under free trade. Fourth, the thesis culminates with a detailed examination of the clothing and textile provisions contained in the NAFTA text. This final analysis reveals several tangible consequences of the agreement. The findings of this study highlight the tenuous status of the Canadian clothing industry under the NAFTA. As an outgrowth of the FTA, the NAFTA is poised to intensify the recent erosion of this important manufacturing industry since it institutes highly restrictive rules governing North American clothing trade. As such, the NAFTA endangers the status of the clothing industry as a primary industrial employer of women in Canada.

Restructuring and the associated political program have thrown British unions onto the defensive. Structural employment shifts have created an imperative for recruitment in previously unorganized areas and, although employers have tended not to reject an established union presence, moves to decentralize bargaining have rendered inappropriate some forms of union organization. In broad terms, 3 interlinked tensions will effect future policy development with each union. They concern: 1. administration and support, 2. individualism and collectivism, and 3. participative and parliamentary forms of representation. A review of policy initiatives since 1979 identifies several shortcomings and suggests that attempts to establish a new agenda have only just begun.

The article reviews the book, "Shades of Right: Nativist and Fascist Politics in Canada, 1920-1940," by Martin Robin.

The article reviews the book, "The New Politics of British Trade Unionism: Union Power and the Thatcher Legacy," by David Marsh.

In the US, union growth ultimately occurs, or fails to occur, at the level of the union representation election. The phenomenon of unionization is examined using data from 6 union certification election cases (3 union wins and 3 union losses) in the US. The study draws upon the "integrative theory" of industrial conflict set out in Wheeler (1985). This theory aims at a broad based understanding of such phenomena as organizing and strikes, drawing upon knowledge from a number of disciplines, and attempts to integrate them into a single model. The comparative case study assessment suggests that a union win is related to employee deprivation, calculation as to union effectiveness, instrumentality perceptions, and attitudes about unions. In general, the results are somewhat supportive of the theory and suggest avenues for future research.

Research note on the factors that explain leaving the management and the importance of a career.