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The article reviews the book, "From Working Girl to Working Mother: The Female Labor Force in the United States, 1820-1980," by Lynn Y. Weiner.

The article reviews the book, "Current Issues In Labour Relations: An International Perspective," by Alan Gladstone, Russell D. Lansbury, Tiziano Treu, Jack Stieber, and Manfred Weiss.

The article reviews the book, "L'entreprise d'aujourd'hui," 2nd edition, by Louis E. Boone and David L. Kurtz.

The article reviews the book "American Rubber Workers and Organized Labor, 1900-1941," by Daniel Nelson.

Why was Winnipeg the scene of the longest and most complete general strike in North American history? Bercuson answers this question by examining the development of union labour and the impact of depression and war in the two decades preceding the strike. --Publisher's description

Discusses historical methods used in the study of Latin American labour history. Criticizes both liberal and Marxist interpretations for their Eurocentric class analysis as well as specialized "new" social histories that neglect the effects of imperialism and elite-centred power in underdeveloped societies. Argues for "big picture" comparative studies of Latin American labour as well as dependency analysis — described as Latin America's most important contribution to world social thought — to challenge these insidious forms of cultural imperialism.

The article reviews the book, "Resistance and Integration: Peronism and the Argentine Working Class, 1946-1976," by Daniel James.

This paper analyses Manitoba's experiment with final offer selection for the purpose of clarifying the roots of the conflict it has generated.

The short-lived experiment with final-offer selection (FOS) arbitration in Manitoba has evoked considerable conflict and controversy. Not only did business oppose FOS, but also the labor movement fought over and split on the issue. FOS was addressed to a real problem now facing organized labor, namely, the need to assist workers in the small, relatively weak bargaining units found in the fastest growing sectors of the economy in order to counter the changing structure of the labor force and the related decline in union membership. However, FOS addressed this problem by creating the risk that unions' willingness and capacity to strike would be eroded. In a comment, Grant argues that FOS has not been widely embraced by trade unions representing weaker bargaining units and that the researchers seem to take lightly the principle of free collective bargaining because, by submitting a dispute to a selector, the employer's right to engage in a work stoppage was unilaterally suspended.

The article reviews the book, "Le droit de refus: une révolution tranquille - étude de la mise en oeuvre d'un nouveau droit," by Marc Renaud , Gilles Trudeau, Chantal Saint-Jacques, and Louise Dubé.

Reviewed: Les Grèves au Canada: Causes et Conséquences. Lacroix, Robert.

The article reviews the book, "Santé et sécurité. Un bilan du régime québécois de santé et sécurité du travail, 1885-1985," by Alain Pontaut.

Le concept des coûts indirects des accidents du travail a de tout temps intéressé les intervenants en santé et sécurité au travail. Les auteurs tracent son évolution depuis la première étude d'Heinrich en 1931 jusqu'à ce jour. Ils constatent une très grande hétérogénéité dans les résultats obtenus par les études répertoriées. Ces écarts peuvent s'expliquer par des dissemblances au niveau des définitions, des méthodologies de recherche utilisées et des populations visées.

Although many US/Canadian differences in union recognition law have been adequately analyzed, some have been overlooked — particularly differences in the frequency with which labor boards on both sides of the border dismiss unfair labor practice (ULP) cases, and the speed and fairness with which they expedite their ULP litigation. This paper analyzes these differences in detail, referring for Canada to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. It shows why they are important, how they stem from national differences in governmental structure, how they interact with other aspects of union recognition policy, and how they affect outcomes in certification cases and ultimately union growth.

Reviewed: La Crise d'Octobre 1970 et le Mouvement Syndical Québécois. Cardin, Jean-François.

...This study describes and analyzes the extent to which work, as a philosophical concept and as an economic reality, influenced the lives of working-class children in late nineteenth-century urban Ontario. Chapter I examines the impact of industrialization and urbanization on the working-class family and describes how the concepts of work and social control intersected to feed the development of welfare programmes based on middle-class objectives. Chapter II examines the conditions and experiences of children in the paid labour force, focussing particularly on the family economy, labour legislation, and the response of reformers and trade unionists. In addition, chapter II discusses the link between a child's economic responsibilities and his or her opportunities for personal development and social mobility. Chapter III applies the themes of chapter II to youngsters who worked in the home and on the street. Chapter IV describes the work experiences of children who spent part of their early lives in orphanages or foster homes and analyzes the reform impulse behind this style of welfare. Chapter V applies the themes of chapter IV to youngsters committed to reformatories, refuges, and industrial schools. Chapter VI examines the treatment, work experiences, and social development of needy British children who filled the roles of agricultural labourers and domestic servants in Canadian homes and discusses the motivations behind this programme. Chapter VII examines the connection between youngsters' work responsibilities and school attendance and analyzes the education system's approach to the issue of children and work. Throughout the text, the thesis argues that child labour composed a critical element of a complex social culture, deeply rooted in a capitalist economy, that defined work in both a material and philosophical sense. At the material level, working children made essential contributions to families that could not survive in the city on parental wages alone. Simultaneously children provided cheap labour for self-serving employers in industrial, commercial, and domestic settings. At the philosophical level, most members of nineteenth-century society believed that hard, honest work held the key to life-long success and happiness. This view prevailed among middle-class reformers who additionally believed that child labour under proper supervision would preserve social order and avoid future welfare costs by creating a class of efficient and compliant workers. The failure of this culture of work to balance its social and economic motivations, however, led to suffering and exploitation for youngsters more often than it created personal opportunity and social harmony. As the poorest, most powerless, and least secure members of industrial society, children of the working class most visibly bore the scars inflicted by a social system designed to serve middle- and upper-class interests.

The article reviews the book, "American Labor and Postwar Italy, 1943-1953: A Study in Cold War Politics," by Ronald L. Filipelli.

The early 1930s witnessed the deterioration of truck relationships between fishermen and merchants in Battle Harbour, a Newfoundland fishing community located on the coast of Labrador. By taking advantage of changes in the fishery, more prosperous fishermen began to deal with other firms, undercutting Baine, Johnston's domination of Battle Harbour. As Baine, Johnston withdrew winter credit, poorer fishermen threatened the firm with direct, violent action which neither the merchant nor the state were able to deal with except by granting relief. Such actions by Battle Harbour fishermen indicate that they were able to step outside the supposed limits of the culture of their kin-based villages, and confront directly the exploitation of merchant capital in the cod fishery.

The article reviews the book "Seafaring Labour: The Merchant Marine of Atlantic Canada, 1820-1914," by Eric W. Sager.