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"Our unions cannot get us started to work; they are geared to help only the employed worker, and they can do no more for the unemployed than they can for the dead - send condolences." Faced with this brutal fact by a notice of lay-off, Tom Boyle decided to spend his enforced leisure in trying to discover "what labor should do to stop this sort of thing." Needless to say, this one question opened up whole areas of other questions - the actual purpose and value of unions, the efficacy of strikes, where union funds go, how wage rates are set and how wages are spent, the relation of union to management (and its trained bargainers) - and now, five years and many lay-offs later, he sums up his findings in this thoughtful, lively book, Justice Through Power. Since unions have no economic power to provide work, Canadian labor must acquire political power if it is to control its own well-being, he concludes, after a careful and entertaining investigation of Canada's present-day society and such fascinating questions as whether or not there are recognizable classes in this country and, if so, which class really sways the Government. Boyle believes that the workers exert no actual political power to-day, although their potential power is obvious; and "the proposed party sits comfortably within our constitution." He conducts his examination with originality and a keen insight born of practical experience, bringing to this study of present-day Canada attributes all too rarely found in writers in this field - warmth of understanding and a refreshing sense of humour. --Publisher's description

OCLC: 1081123618