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This essay examines the New Left’s impact on the Canadian labour movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Specifically, it argues that in large industrial unions such as the UAW, New Left ideas that were popular amongst the rank and file were stifled by the more conservative labour bureaucrats. However, in public sector unions and unions unaffiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress, New Left ideas were often able to flourish, and these more radical unions were sometimes able to obtain substantial gains for their members throughout the 1970s while also fostering a broader sense of class consciousness in Canadian society -- culminating most notably in the Common Front’s general strikes in Quebec. Furthermore, this essay suggests that New Left ideas were more popular in public sector and independent unions because these unions had a larger proportion of women in comparison to other unions, and women at this time had a greater incentive to embrace transformative ideologies than men.

The article reviews the book, "“The Dignity of Every Human Being”: New Brunswick Artists and Canadian Culture between the Great Depression and the Cold War," by Kirk Niergarth.

This article reviews the book, "(R)évolution du management des ressources humaines. Des compétences aux capabilités," coordinated by Solveig Fernagu Oudet and Christian Batal.

Informed by the feminist political economy perspective (FPE), this study examines the experiences of recent South Asian immigrant women working through temporary employment agencies in Ontario, paying particular attention to how social factors such as gender, race and immigrant status shape these experiences. As FPE pays attention to the interconnection between family, state and market, the study examines how women experience precariousness at work, within the household, and trying to settle and integrate. Based on analysis of twelve qualitative interviews and observations as a participant-researcher, findings indicate that recent South Asian immigrant women are funneled into agency work due to a variety of structural barriers, and that the lack of rights associated with agency work leaves them particularly vulnerable to exploitation and poverty. As such, it is proposed that changes must address a lack of security and enforcement of employment standards, and barriers to employment for women and recent immigrants.

La grande distribution fait l’objet d’innovations technologiques fortes. Le développement des caisses libre-service (CLS) vise à réduire les dépenses de personnel et faciliter la gestion des effectifs en caisse, tout en répondant aux attentes de nombreux consommateurs autonomes et pressés. Nous analysons les réactions des clients et des salariés à l’automatisation des caisses dans un hypermarché à l’aide du modèle « Défection, Prise de parole, Loyauté, Négligence » connu sous l’acronyme anglo-saxon EVLN (Exit, Voice, Loyalty, Neglect) initié par les travaux fondateurs de Hirschmann, en utilisant également le modèle d’acceptation de la technologie développé par Venkatesh et Davis. Nous nous appuyons sur une étude de cas unique portant sur l’un des hypermarchés français les plus avancés en matière d’automatisation des caisses. La méthodologie qualitative repose sur une observation participante d’une durée de trois ans, sur 29 entretiens semi-directifs avec les salariés et sur une analyse du contenu de 184 réclamations émises par la clientèle.La recherche permet de mettre en évidence les manifestations concrètes de la prise de parole, de la défection et de la négligence. Les réticences vis-à-vis de l’automatisation exprimées à la fois par la clientèle et le personnel sont ainsi expliquées à l’aide du modèle d’acceptation de la technologie. L’intérêt de comparer les perceptions de salariés et de clients est mis en évidence. Les sources d’insatisfaction vis-à-vis de l’automatisation ne sont pas identiques, ce qui nécessite des analyses croisées des convergences et divergences de perceptions. L’analyse des mécanismes de co-production du service et du transfert de rôle de l’organisation vers les clients dans la distribution apparait ainsi riche, avec de nouvelles formes d’intensification du travail des caissiers. Dans ce contexte de changement technologique, l’importance des mécanismes d’écoute des salariés et des clients est soulignée. La recherche contribue ainsi au renouveau des études sur l’importance de la prise de parole en relations industrielles dans une économie de plus en plus tertiaire, caractérisée par une forte évolution technologique. // Title in English: Employee and customer dissatisfaction in response to the automation of hypermarket checkouts: from voice to defection and negligence. Supermarkets have undergone significant technological innovations in recent years. The development of the self-service checkout (SSC) is aimed at reducing personnel costs and facilitating the management of staff at the checkout, whilst, at the same time, responding to the expectations of busy customers who wish to be more autonomous. We analyze the reactions of customers and employees to the automation of hypermarket checkouts with the help of the EVLN (Exit, Voice, Loyalty, Neglect) model developed by Hirschmann in his seminal work. We also use the technology acceptance model developed by Venkatesh and Davis. We rely on a single case study that focuses on a French hypermarket that is one of the most advanced in terms of the automation of self-service checkouts. The qualitative methodology adopted in this study is based on participant observation that took place over a three-year period. 29 semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees and we also carried out a content analysis of 184 customer complaints.The research allows us to consider the concrete expressions of voice, defection and negligence. The reticence expressed by both customers and employees relating to automation are explained using the technology acceptance model. Furthermore, we focus on the differences between the perceptions of staff and customers. The sources of dissatisfaction with regards to automation are not all the same and hence we perform a cross-analysis of the similarities and differences relating to those perceptions. The analysis of the co-production mechanisms of the service and the transfer of an organizational role to the customer is very rich. We also observe new forms of work intensification for cashiers. In this context of technological change, we emphasize the importance of mechanisms for listening to employees and customers. This research contributes to the revival of studies on the importance of voice in industrial relations in an economy that is increasingly service-oriented and characterized by a strong technological evolution.

Agricultural migrant workers, recruited to work in Canada under the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP), are disciplined to be compliant and productive. Based on ethnographic data, we draw attention to several ways in which Spanish-speaking migrants, employed in agriculture in a rural community in Southwestern Ontario, respond to this disciplinary power. Most migrants discipline themselves and others to be productive and compliant workers. We refer to these acts as “performances of self-discipline.” At other times, some (albeit, few) migrants challenge this disciplinary power either individually or collectively. We refer to these performances of subjectivity as “performances of defiance.” Another way migrants may respond to the disciplinary power is by attempting to escape from it. Coining these performances “performances of escape,” we discuss how some agricultural migrant workers drop out of the program and remain in Canada without authorization. By turning attention to these performances of subjectivity, the article fills a gap in the literature on migration management and its disciplinary practices in Canada.

The article reviews the book, "Emploi, formation, compétences : les régulations de la relation salariale en questions,," edited by Elodie Béthoux, Jean-Vincent Koster, Sylvie Monchatre, Frédéric Rey, Michèle Tallard and Catherine Vincent.

The Canadian working class was emerging well before 1867. By Confederation one could say for the first time that the growth of the working class was now unstoppable. The creation of the Dominion of Canada took place precisely at that moment when widespread industrialization was visibly underway. In 1851, fewer than a quarter of Hamilton, Ontario’s workers laboured in workshops of ten or more employees; by 1871 the share was more than 80%.[1] In less than two decades, Hamilton had been transformed from a market town dominated by commerce into a powerful symbol of heavy industry. Significant and startling though this change was at the time, it was dwarfed by developments in the 1890s. In that decade, Canadian economic growth simultaneously intensified in the older cities and found new fields in which to flourish in the West. The population of Canada in 1901 was 5,371,315; ten years later it was 7,206,643 – an increase of 34%. At the same time, however, the labour force grew from 1,899,000 in 1901 to 2,809,000 in 1911, a phenomenal 50% increase.[2] To put this into some perspective, there were only 3,463,000 people in the Dominion in 1867 — by 1911 there were close to that many working, wage-earning Canadians. The working class were motivated and shaped by different factors in the various regions of the country, although common themes were quick to arise. --Introduction

The article reviews and comments on the books, "Vivre en quartier populaire. Saint-Sauveur,1930–1980," by Dale Gilbert, and "Pointe-Saint-Charles. L’urbanisation d’un quartier ouvrier de Montréal, 1840–1930," by Gilles Lauzon.

The article reviews the book, "Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal," by Aviva Chomsky.

The article reviews the book, "Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics and American Economics in the Progressive Era," by Thomas C. Leonard.

The article reviews the book, "Perspectives multidimensionnelles sur les restructurations d’entreprise," edited by Patrice Jalette et Linda Rouleau.

The article reviews the book, "Bad Girls: Young Women, Sex, and Rebellion before the Sixties," by Amanda H. Littauer.

Dans le contexte où les couples à deux carrières constituent maintenant la norme, l'enjeu de la conciliation travail-famille devient incontournable. Cette nouvelle réalité souligne la nécessité d'examiner les effets des pratiques de conciliation travail-famille mises en place dans les organisations québécoises sur le bien-être des travailleurs. Une comparaison selon le genre s'avère également pertinente, vu la persistance des rapports sociaux de sexe et de la division sexuelle du travail. Encore aujourd'hui, les femmes allouent davantage de temps aux soins des enfants et aux tâches domestiques que les hommes, tandis que ces derniers s'investissent plus dans leur carrière. La présente étude réalisée à partir des données de l'Enquête québécoise sur des conditions de travail, d'emploi et de santé et de sécurité du travail (EQCOTESST) s'inspire du modèle théorique des demandes et des ressources de l'emploi de Bakker et Demerouti. Globalement, l'analyse montre que les pratiques de conciliation, en particulier celles liées à la maternité et à la gestion flexible du temps de travail, réduisent la détresse psychologique des femmes. Une fois contrôlé l'effet des variables sociodémographiques, des conditions de travail, des responsabilités familiales et de l'environnement organisationnel, le fait d'avoir accès à un nombre élevé de pratiques de conciliation (soit sept ou plus sur dix) atténue la probabilité des femmes d'avoir un niveau élevé de détresse psychologique, mais non celle des hommes. À l'inverse, le temps passé à faire des tâches domestiques ou à assumer les responsabilités familiales accroît la probabilité des hommes d'avoir un niveau élevé de détresse psychologique, alors que ce n'est pas le cas chez les femmes. // Title in English: Work-Family Balance Practices and Psychological Distress Among Employees in Quebec: A Gender Comparison. In a context where dual-career couples are now the norm, the issue of balancing work and family cannot be ignored and it underlines the relevance of examining the effect of existing work-family practices in Quebec organizations on workers' wellbeing. A comparison by gender is also relevant, given the social relations of gender and the sexual division of labour. Nowadays, women still allocate more time to childcare and housework than men, while the latter are more engaged in career work. Using data from the Québec Survey on Working Conditions, Employment and Health and Safety at Work (EQCOTESST), the present study is based on Bakker and Demerouti's theoretical Job demands and resources (JD-R) model. Overall, the analysis indicates that work-family practices, especially those related to maternity and flexible management of working hours, reduce the psychological distress of women. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, working conditions, family responsibilities and organizational environment characteristics, having access to a large number of work-family practices (seven or more out of ten) decreases the probability of women experiencing a high level of psychological distress, but not that of men. Conversely, time spent doing housework or assuming family responsibilities increases the likelihood of men having high levels of psychological distress, whereas this is not the case for women.

Cet article s’intéresse aux prédicteurs de laperformance utilisés dans les organisations pour gérerleurs ressources humaines. Il amorce la réflexion à cetteétape charnière que fut la publication, en 1973, del’article de David McClelland préconisant l’usage ducritère de la compétence plutôt que celui del’intelligence dans les processus de sélection.L’article tente de tracer le devenir de ce nouveauprédicteur jusqu’à nos jours et d’explorer dequelle façon la théorie des compétencess’est traduite en modèles appliqués dans le mondeprofessionnel. Basé sur une analyse de la littératurenord-américaine, ainsi que sur des études de cas enentreprise (n=150), l’article montre le passage progressifd’une approche « inductive »,inspirée de la démarche scientifique et basée surdes analyses approfondies du travail et descompétences-clés, à une démarche« déductive » basée surl’usage de dictionnaires de compétences,déjà formatés et répondant aux exigences dela pratique. Si la façon d’y parvenir est trèsdifférente, l’objectif est le même : obtenir unréférentiel de compétences traduisant le mieuxpossible les exigences de l’emploi et permettant de reconfigurerplusieurs pratiques en gestion des ressources humaines, telles que lasélection, la formation ou la gestion des carrières. Dansles faits, bon nombre d’entreprises ont pris l’habituded’utiliser simultanément et encomplémentarité les deux approches dans une formehybride. Le recours aux dictionnaires permet de dégagerl’espace des possibles et d’identifier rapidement lescompétences les plus critiques dans un cadre participatifdestiné à faciliter l’appropriation de ladémarche. Le travail plus analytique sur certainescompétences, à l’aide des entrevues baséessur les comportements, facilitera la validation de certaines opinionsà priori. À travers ce parcours, les auteurs soulignentles enjeux qui accompagnent le passage d’une théorieà son application pratique. En conclusion, ils se demandent sile « pari » de McClelland a ététenu et soulèvent la question des prédicteurs àvenir, en signalant plus particulièrement le concept de talentqui tend actuellement à remplacer celui de compétence. // Title in English: The Dissemination of Competency-Based Management Tools in North America since David C. McClelland. Summary: This article focuses on the predictors of job performance used by organizations in managing their human resources. It begins, in particular, with an examination of the events following the 1973 publication of a seminal article by David McClelland in American Psychologist recommending that organizations test for competence rather than intelligence when selecting. The article follows the development of this new predictor up to the present day and explores how competency theory has translated into models that can be applied in the world of work. Based on an analysis of North American literature and firm-level case studies (N=150), the article shows how the theory, first applied through an “inductive” approach-based on a scientific method and in-depth analyses of a given job and the key competencies needed for effective job performance—gradually shifted to a “deductive” approach—based on the use of pre-formatted competency dictionaries, addressing practical concerns. While these two approaches are quite different, they share the same goal, namely, obtaining a list of key competencies (between 6 and 20) that reflect the requirements of the job as closely as possible and help to reshape human resource practices such as selection, training and career management. In practice, many firms began simultaneously using both approaches in a complementary fashion, thus implementing a hybrid approach. In this approach, the use of dictionaries provides a broad selection of possible choices which enable firms to quickly identify the most crucial competencies in a participatory atmosphere, thereby making it easier to appropriate the approach. If necessary, behavioral-event interviews can then be held to examine some competencies in a more analytical way in order to validate some choices or opinions put forward in the first step. Throughout the article, the authors highlight the challenges that have accompanied the transition from theory to practice. In conclusion, they raise questions about the predictors to come, in particular the concept of talent which is currently overtaking the concept of competency.

In the neoliberal era, where teachers’ unions have suffered from a public backlash and legislative moves that have restricted collective bargaining rights and labour protections for educators, individual educators are becoming more politically active outside their unions. Some teachers are using a “narrative of care” when engaging in political dissent and resistance to articulate the caring components of their work and push back against a public dialogue that has focused on poorly performing schools and the financial burden of public education to taxpayers. This study explores two Twitter campaigns – #EvaluateThat in the US and #ThisIsMyStrikePay in British Columbia – to analyze how narratives of care are articulated and how these articulations act as a form of political dissent and resistance. I argue, building on the work of Donna Baines, Stephen Ackroyd, and Paul Thompson, that educators’ participation in these Twitter campaigns represents a form of grassroots dissent, which allows them to articulate their multiple identities – as educators, workers engaged in caring labour, and unionists. Moreover, this informal form of resistance can generate a stronger sense of solidarity rooted in these identities, which can intersect with and encourage participation in formal labour resistance and political activism.

[This book] is a collection of original papers that presents a vision of an invigorated and vibrant labour movement, one that would actively seek the full participation of women and other traditionally excluded groups, and that would willingly incorporate a feminist agenda. This vision challenges union complicity in the gendered segmentation of the labour market; union support for traditionalist ideologies about women's work, breadwinners, and male-headed families; union resistance to broader-based bargaining; and the marginalization of women inside unions. All of the authors share a commitment to workplace militancy and a more democratic union movement, to women's resistance to the devaluation of their work, to their agency in the change-making process. The interconnected web of militancy, democracy, and feminism provides the grounds on which unions can address the challenges of equity and economic restructuring, and on which the re-visioning of the labour movement can take place. The first of the four sections includes case studies of union militancy that highlight the experiences of individual women in three areas of female-dominated work: nursing, banking, and retailing. The second and third sections focus on the two key arenas of struggle where unions and feminism meet: inside unions, where women activists and staff confront the sexism of unions, and in the labour market, where women challenge their employers and their own unions. The fourth section deconstructs the conceptual tools of the discipline of industrial relations and examines its contribution to the continued invisibility of gender. --Publisher's description. Contents: Foreword / Judy Darcy -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: The Feminist Challenge to the Unions / Linda Briskin and Patricia McDermott. Part 1. Women on Strike. The Eaton's Strike: We Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World! / Patricia McDermott -- Alberta Nurses and the 'Illegal' Strike of 1988 / Rebecca Coulter -- Reflections on Life Stories: Women's Bank Union Activism / Patricia Baker. Part 2. The Politics of Gender within the Union Movement. Union Women and Separate Organizing / Linda Briskin -- Trade Union Leadership: Sexism and Affirmative Action / Carl J. Cuneo -- Women Working for Unions: Female Staff and the Politics of Transformation / Jane Stinson and Penni Richmond -- Black Women Speak Out: Racism and Unions / Ronnie Leah -- Unionism and Feminism in the Canadian Auto Workers Union, 1961-1992 / Pamela Sugiman. Part 3. Unions and Women Workers. Patterns of Unionization / Julie White -- Collective Bargaining and Women's Workplace Concerns / Pradeep Kumar -- The Gendered Dimension of Labour Law: Why Women Need Inclusive Unionism and Broader-based Bargaining / Judy Fudge -- Can a Disappearing Pie be Shared Equally?: Unions, Women, and Wage 'Fairness' / Rosemary Warskett -- Unions and Women's Occupational Health in Québec / Karen Messing and Donna Mergler -- From the DEW Line: The Experience of Canadian Garment Workers / Armine Yalniziyan -- Professions, Unions, or What?: Learning from Nurses Pat Armstrong. Part 4. Studying Women and Unions. A View from Outside the Whale: The Treatment of Women and Unions in Industrial Relations / Anne Forrest.

Bill 6, the government of Alberta’s contentious farm workers’ safety legislation, sparked public debate as no other legislation has done in recent years. The Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act provides a right to work safely and a compensation system for those killed or injured at work, similar to other provinces. In nine essays, contributors to Farm Workers in Western Canada place this legislation in context. They look at the origins, work conditions, and precarious lives of farm workers in terms of larger historical forces such as colonialism, land rights, and racism. They also examine how the rights and privileges of farm workers, including seasonal and temporary foreign workers, conflict with those of their employers, and reveal the barriers many face by being excluded from most statutory employment laws, sometimes in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. -- Publisher's description. Contents: Capitalist farms, vulnerable workers / Bob Barneston -- The personal experiences of an Alberta farm worker and activist / Darlene A. Dunlop with Shirley A. McDonald -- Georgic themes and myths of entitlement in the life writing of prairie settlers / Shirley A. McDonald -- Cows, meat, people / Michael J. Broadway -- A temporary program for permanent gains? / Jill Bucklaschuk -- Working away / Zane Hamm -- Farming the Constitution / Jennifer Koshan, Gianna Argento, Delna Contractor, Brynna Hambly (Takasugi), Paul Kennett, C.F. Andrew Lau, J. Graham Martinelli, Robin C. McIntyre, Nelson Medeiros, Heidi Rolfe, and Kay Elizabeth Turner -- BC-Grown / Kerry Preibisch -- Labouring in the "four-season paradise" / Patricia Tomic and Ricardo Trumper.

The article reviews and comments on several books, including "Worth Striking For: Why Education Policy is Every Teacher’s Concern (Lessons from Chicago)," by Isabel Nuñez, Gregory Michie, and Pamela Konkol, "How to Jump-Start Your Union: Lessons from the Chicago Teachers," by Alexandra Bradbury, Mark Brenner, Jenny Brown, Jane Slaughter, and Samantha Winslow, and "Strike for America: Chicago Teachers Against Austerity" by Micah Uetricht.

In this essay, I focus on the first wave of [Ukrainian] immigrants who arrived from 1891 to the end of World War I and the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. My purpose is to understand the conditions that compelled these people to challenge exclusionary and exploitative practices, and expose the logic behind the dominant Canadian historical narrative that is so pregnant with the “pioneer myth." ...Four core contributions stem from my application of a situated critique: first, a rediscovery of the emancipatory praxis of Ukrainian Canadians from the era in question; second, a link between the particularities of their struggle to both coeval and current struggles; third, an analytical framework that exposes the reactionary tendencies in select writings about Ukrainian Canadians, and; fourth, an analytical framework that can be adapted to apply to the study of other groups and historical eras. --From author's introduction