Search

The history of British Columbia is a history of class struggle. From the time of the fur trade to the present, working people and their battles to make a better world have transofrmed the politics, economics, laws, and workplaces of the province. This bibliography will make this history more accessible to trade unionists, students, and the general public. ...The bibliography was compiled by graduate students of Simon Fraser University's History Department: Dennis Pilon, Todd McCallum, Andy Parnaby, and David Sandquist. --Author's introduction

Reprint of an article first published in the Vancouver Sun, entitled "Productivity Latest Stick to Beat Workers." Discusses the debate that it generated.

Briefly describes the newly released documentary, "The Plywood Girls," which focuses on the hundreds of women who worked at the sawmill in Port Alberni, BC, during the Second World War.

Cette thèse porte sur la carrière du syndicaliste Gustave Francq (1871-1952). Grâce aux nombreux postes d'importance qu'il a occupés dans le mouvement syndical et à la visibilité qu'il a obtenue par la publication d'un journal hebdomadaire durant près de 30 ans, Francq est considéré comme une figure marquante du syndicalisme international au Québec dans la première moitié du )0(e siècle. Personnage polyvalent, il se distingue des autres syndicalistes de son époque, entre autres, par la multiplicité de ses champs d'intérêt: typographe et syndicaliste, il compte aussi à son actif une carrière d'homme d'affaires, de journaliste, de militant politique et de haut fonctionnaire au gouvernement du Québec. La thèse vise à rendre compte du personnage dans sa globalité et sa complexité, c'està-dire en examinant tant sa vie professionnelle que sa vie privée. Pour ce faire, nous abordons sa carrière sous trois angles: l'action syndicale, l'action politique et l'action sociale. Au Québec, il est certes l'un des plus importants défenseurs du syndicalisme de métiers et de la Fédération américaine du travail (FAT). Il prône l'organisation des travailleurs sur la base des syndicats de métiers, reconnaît la légitimité du système capitaliste, favorise les relations harmonieuses entre le Capital et le Travail et témoigne d'une grande confiance dans l'État comme arbitre des relations de travail. À cet égard, il se distancie des positions fondamentales du syndicalisme de métiers, telles que défendues par la FAT. Au début de sa carrière, Francq touche à l'action politique ouvrière. Défendant des positions travaillistes, il dirige le Parti ouvrier de Montréal de 1906 à 1916 et s'oppose systématiquement aux socialistes. Il remet cependant en question son engagement politique entre 1916 et 1921 avec la montée des socialistes au sein du Parti ouvrier et la multiplication des défaites des candidatures ouvrières. 11 se rapproche alors considérablement du Parti libéral avec lequel il a des affinités. Sur le plan social, il mène plusieurs combats depuis le début du siècle pour améliorer les conditions de vie de l'ensemble de la classe ouvrière. Ses principales revendications touchent la réforme du système scolaire québécois, la démocratisation de l'administration municipale montréalaise, la promotion des coopératives de consommation et de production et l'amélioration de la législation des accidents de travail. Au cours de sa carrière, Francq siège donc à diverses commissions gouvernementales comme la Commission fédérale d'appel du travail (1918), la Commission de la charte de la ville de Montréal (1920), la Commission des accidents de travail (1923) et la Commission du salaire minimum des femmes dont il occupe la présidence de 1925 à 1937. Intellectuel du mouvement ouvrier, Francq défend des positions libérales et travaillistes au début du siècle, pour évoluer progressivement vers une position de libéral réformiste au tournant des années 1920. Or si sa conception de l'action politique ouvrière se transforme rapidement au lendemain de la Première Guerre mondiale, il témoigne d'une grande fidélité idéologique tout au long de sa vie à l'égard du syndicalisme de métiers et de son rôle de réformateur social. Croyant à la nécessité et à la possibilité d'améliorer le système socio-économique et les institutions politiques, il est animé de préoccupations sociales majeures axées sur une meilleure répartition de la richesse et un engagement substantiel de l'État dans le champ des politiques sociales. Malgré leur importance numérique, peu d'historiens se sont penchés sur l'étude des syndicats internationaux au Québec, et ce, même si leurs effectifs dépassent largement ceux des syndicats catholiques depuis le début du siècle. S'inscrivant dans le renouvellement des études à caractère biographique, notre thèse vise donc à mettre de l'avant la carrière d'un des principaux dirigeants du syndicalisme international au Québec.

Prenant appui sur des données collectées auprès des travailleurs de l'usine de la GM à Boisbriand, cette étude cherche à mettre en évidence que leur évaluation du travail en équipe est intimement associée à la dynamique sociale qui prévaut au sein des équipes. Les résultats suggèrent que leur évaluation varie selon la capacité de coopération et d'action des travailleurs, laquelle est fortement liée aux modalités du marchandage de l'effort. Dans le cadre de ce marchandage continue sur les lieux de travail, le rôle joué par les chefs d'équipe apparaît comme un enjeu central. Il peut en effet constituer un catalyseur ou un frein à l'émergence de nouvelles capacités d'agir en commun au sein des équipes.

The article reviews the book, "Making Peace with the 60s," by David Burner.

The article reviews and comments on Kazuo Nimura's "The Ashio Riot of 1907: A Social History of Mining in Japan" (1997) and Yuko Ogasawara's "Office Ladies and Salaried Men: Power, Gender, and Work in Japanese Companies" (1998).

Race and Ethnic Relations in Canada was first published in 1990 by Oxford University Press as a collection of twelve original essays that provided a comprehensive overview of government policies and academic theories that affect the way race and ethnic relations are structured and interpreted in Canada. This second edition takes into account social changes and academic debates of the 1990s and updates materials and arguments in the original edition. The contributors, all leading Canadian sociologists and social scientists, discuss a wide range of topics, including theories of race and ethnicity, demographic trends, the 'vertical mosaic', immigration, multiculturalism, employment equity, policy on Native peoples, and language policy. The book is essential reading for understanding Canada's race and ethnic relations. --Publisher's description. Contents: Part 1: Introduction. Race and Ethnicity / Peter S. Li -- Demographic Overview of Ethnic Origin Groups in Canada / Madeline A. Kalbach, Warren E. Kalbach. Part 2: Race, Ethnicity, and the State. Immigration, Diversity, and Minority Communities / Morton Weinfeld and Lori A. Wilkinson -- State Policies and Practices as Racialized Discourse: Multiculturalism, the Charter, and Employment Equality / Frances Henry and Carol Tator -- Altered State: Federal Policy and Aboriginal Peoples / James Frideres -- The Multiculturalism Debate / Peter S. Li -- Language Policy in Canada / Wilfrid Denis. Part 3: Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity. Revisiting the Vertical Mosaic: Occupational Stratification Among Canadian Ethnic Groups / Hugh Lautard and Neil Guppy -- Studies of Ethnic Identity, Ethnic Relations, and Citizenship / K. Victor Ujimoto -- Intergroup Competition in the Symbolic Construction of Canadian Society / Raymond Breton -- The Political Economy of Race and Ethnicity / Vic Satzewich -- Feminist Intersectional Theorizing / Daiva K. Stasiulis.

Compilation of recent English/French publications on Canadian labour history that emphasize the period 1800-1975. Materials pertaining to the post-1975 period may also be included, although more selectively. [See the database, Canadian Labour History, 1976-2009, published at Memorial University of Newfoundland.]

Examines the strikes waves of pin-boys and golf caddies during the 1930s in Canada. Argues that two distinct typologies may be discerned between bowling alleys and golf courses in terms of workplaces/cultures and work patterns. Considers the roles of various actors including the state, the employer-side YMCA, and the communist Workers Unity League. Concludes by offering observations on the impact of subsequent technological change, mass culture and the commodification of leisure time, and how the strikes illustrate the historic connection between the social wage (relief) and the labour market in the service sector.

The article reviews the book, "Clearcutting the Pacific Rain Forest: Production, Science, and Regulation." by Richard A. Rajala.

This article investigates whether older workers affected by plant closures are more likely to be discouraged from participation in the labor force and to be bitter towards employers as well as whether they are less likely to report career growth in subsequent employment situations. The data indicated that older workers are less likely to report the career-growth effect. In addition, post-closure training activities reduced the likelihood of the discouraged-worker effect for the 45-55 age group. The respondents from the older age groups who undertook post-closure training activities were more likely to report the poisoning effect and less likely to report the career-growth effect. It is argued that the results relate to the definition of the age groups, the transferability of human capital, and the value of community support. The implication of the results for public and institutional policies are discussed.

Was the Westray mining disaster a tragic accident or a corporate crime gone unpunished? In this book authors from backgrounds as diverse as engineering to public relations are brought together to create a holistic picture of what happened at Westray. From an analysis of the geology of the underlying coal seam to an assessment of the difficulties of pinning legal responsibility on the company, the government or any of the managers, this book constitutes one of the few case studies of corporate crime in Canada. The contributors offer the reader challenging new ways to think about workplace disasters and occupational injuries. Each contributor brings their special expertise to bear in a way that makes complicated issues transparent to the most general reader. At the same time, footnotes and references guide the reader who desires more extensive information. -- Publisher's description

The article reviews the book, "Jack London: A Life," by Alex Kershaw.

The goal of this thesis is to question conventional definitions of work through the detailed study of a professional group---specifically rural clergy---whose work falls outside the parameters of accepted definitions of work. According to the feminist literature, work and non-work are differentiated typically by dichotomies which privilege a masculine model of work and devalue women's experience; thus, "real work" is defined as an activity which is paid rather than unpaid, public rather than private, instrumental and intellectual rather than emotional. Professional work definitions also obscure the way in which "work" relies on activities which are linked with the feminine in these dichotomies. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with rural clergy, I explore the extent to which women and men draw on these gendered dichotomies to define work. In some ways, the approach of clergy counters conventional work norms: for them, emotional labour is a priority, work is not limited to a specific time or place, and public and private lives frequently overlap. I demonstrate how clergy define their work in terms of obligation, context, visibility, and time. Furthermore, I also argue that clergy delineate work in terms which still reflect a masculinized work norm specific to their profession. This "clergy masculinized mode" professionalises emotional labour by separating it from the facilitating work of female volunteers; it assumes a worker free from domestic demands in order to fulfil professional obligations within a flexible time frame; and it overlooks how the overlap of the public and private spheres is sustained by the work of wives. Thus, delineating work is particularly problematic for female clergy because professional demands are confounded with demands for adjunct work typically performed by women. My findings (1) highlight alternative markers of work which are suggestive for feminist theory; 2) point to a gap in theorizing about the gendering of work when conventional dichotomies fail to reinforce each other (as in the case of public, yet unpaid, volunteer work); and 3) recognize the possibility that varying masculinities define work.

The article reviews and comments extensively on Elizabeth Jameson's 'All That Glitters: Class, Conflict, and Community in Cripple Creek' (1998) and Janet L. Finn's 'Tracing the Veins: Copper, Culture, and Community from Butte to Chuquicamata' (1998).

Cet article traite des transformations récentes des formes de qualification du travail. Il est le fruit d'une vaste enquête sur la dynamique des emplois dans le secteur manufacturier au Québec. Les auteurs analysent d'abord les modifications cruciales de la dynamique des entreprises. Ensuite, ils examinent les nouvelles qualifications exigées des travailleurs, à savoir les compétences nécessaires pour accomplir les tâches, ainsi que les principaux profils de qualification privilégiés par les employeurs en vue du recrutement. L'article met en relief l'émergence de trois modèles inédits de qualification, tous fondés sur la flexibilité, soit le modèle flexible de type professionnel-conceptuel, le modèle flexible de type taylorisé et le modèle flexible de type adroit-analytique.

Analyzing the experiences of 3 unionized manufacturing firms in North America, 2 relatively unexplored issues in previous literature are examined: 1. skill based pay in unionized organizations, and 2. the transition from job-based pay to skill-based pay. The 3 cases showed substantial variety, particularly in the areas of practical details of SBP and the work system in which SBP operates. The cases show that SBP can be successfully designed and implemented in older unionized workplaces with strong contract language. Specifically, it was found that SBP can be introduced even where numerous job classifications are retained and that seniority rights are not inconsistent with an effective SBP system.

The article reviews the book, "Eh, Paesan!: Being Italian in Toronto," by Nicholas DeMaria Harney.

The article reviews the book, "Playing Indian," by Philip J. Deloria.