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The countersummit of the Americas, held in Quebec City in April 2001 under the auspices of the Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA) and in opposition to the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), promised to be a prelude to a new phase in how trade unions handle the issue of globalization. There was hope that trade unions would truly take charge of this issue. In terms of political organization, logistics, and the number ofactive participants, Quebec trade union organizations dominated the event....This article addresses two central questions. First, does the mobilization of Quebec trade unions against neoliberal globalization represent a break, both quantitative and qualitative, in their approach to international trade union relations? Second, what does the Quebec example tell us about the sociohistorical dynamics of international trade union relations in the Americas, and even beyond? We have attempted to investigate thoroughly how relations between trade unions have been conducted internationally before and after April 2001. For the most part, this study was undertaken at the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003, with some updates made in 2004. --From introduction

The article reviews the book, "La méthode des cas. Recueil de cas en gestion des ressources humaines et en relations du travail," by Roch Laflamme.

The article reviews the book, "Modernisation de l’État et gestion des ressources humaines," edited by Louise Lemire, Denis Proulx and Luc Cooremans.

Les militants du GST étaient surtout présents dans les secteurs de l' éducation, de la santé et des services publics, beaucoup moins dans le secteur privé. Le GST comptait également un bon nombre de militants jeunes qui intervenaient principalement dans les organisations étudiantes. Dans le mouvement ouvrier, les militants du GST sont intervenus dans les syndicats locaux, les fédérations et les instances, centrales et régionales, des centrales syndicales, principalement à la CSN et à la CEQ. Ils ont influencé l'orientation et participé à la direction d'importantes batailles, dont celles du transport en commun à Montréal (grèves des employés d'entretien de la Commission de transport de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal1 ), des fronts communs des secteurs publics et parapublics, du secteur universitaire (grève professorale de quatre mois à l'UQAM en 1976-1977), des enseignants de l'Alliance des professeurs de Montréal et de la CEQ et du secteur de l'édition (grève de 21 mois des employées du CEC contre les géants Hachette et Power Corporation en 1977-1978). --Introduction

Le Groupe socialiste des travailleurs (GST) a été fondé en septembre 1974 à l'initiative d'un noyau de militants, le Groupe trotskyste du Québec (GTQ), qui intervenait depuis la fin des années 1960 dans les organisations syndicales, dans les Comités d'action politique qui ont été à l'origine du Front d'action politique des salariés de Montréal (FRAP) et dans le FRAP lui-même, de sa fondation en 1970 à sa dissolution en 1973. Ses militants sont intervenus en 1973-1974 dans le cadre d'une initiative du Comité régional intersyndical de Montréal (CRIM), le Regroupement Action-Montréal (RAM), dont l'objectif de départ était de prolonger, avec l'appui des trois centrales (CSN, FTQ et CEQ), l'expérience d'action politique municipale du FRAP à Montréal qui avait reçu l'appui de la seule CSN, puis au sein du Regroupement des militants syndicaux (RMS) qu'ils ont contribué à mettre sur pied en mai 1974 après l'échec du RAM.... --Introduction

The article reviews the book, "Unwilling Mothers, Unwanted Babies: Infanticide in Canada," by Kirsten Johnson Kramar.

The article reviews the book, "Slumming: Sexual and Social Politics in Victorian London," by Seth Koven.

The article reviews the book, "Restructuring Strategy: New Networks and Industry Challenges," edited by Karel O. Cool, James E. Henderson and Rene Abate.

The article reviews the book "Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of the American Years, 1890-1919," Volume 1 and 2, edited by Falk Candace.

An essay is presented on work environment tolerance. It offers a history of employment and examines the possible role of employers in the proliferation of work culture. The author relates his first experience with unionized environment and discusses conversations he has had with several employees on the subject of labor union.

Editorial introduction to the theme of the issue. Includes bibliography.

This article elaborates the concept of knowledge activism as a way of understanding effective health and safety representation within the current Ontario legal regime of internal responsibility. Based on interviews with unionized health and safety representatives in the auto industry, we suggest that knowledge activism is a form of political activism by worker health and safety representatives that is organized around the strategic collection and tactical use of technical, scientific and legal knowledge. We argue that knowledge activism is more effective with reference to larger scale changes in work processes, workplace organization and technologies, and with reference to occupational health issues. Knowledge activism is conceptualized as an effective adaptation to a legislative regime which involves worker representatives in decisions without providing substantive power or proactive enforcement support.

The article reviews the book, "Pension Law," by Ari N. Kaplan.

The article reviews the book, "Pension Power: Unions, Pension Funds and Social Investment in Canada," by Isla Carmichael.

The article reviews the book, "Pro-Family Politics and Fringe Parties in Canada," by Chris MacKenzie.

The article reviews the book, "American Multinationals in Europe: Managing Employment Relations across National Borders," edited by Phil Almond and Anthony Ferner.

This study examines 54 cases of restructuring public services in towns and counties in upstate New York. The 54 cases include 39 cases of privatization in the form of contracting out, nine cases of contracting back in, and six cases of contracting out services to another government. Local government privatization was found to have some harmful effects on workers. Few local employers had adjustment policies to protect affected employees and disproportionate negative impacts were found on women and minorities. Privatization was also found to have significant de-unionizing effects. On the other hand, it had no clear impact on wages and benefits. The role of unions in the restructuring process is more complex than was previously thought. Unions were the catalyst for opposition actions but only in cases involving for-profit restructuring. In the nine cases that involved contracting work back into the public sector, unions supported restructuring changes, and in the six cases of contracting out to another government, union opposition was not significant.

The article reviews the book, "Protecting Aboriginal Children," by Christopher Walmsley.

The article reviews the book, "Making Steel: Sparrows Point and the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might," by Mark Reutter.

The article discusses the experience of the Global Labour University project. Summarizing major challenges labour is facing in adapting to the structural changes of globalisation, the paper puts the idea of a Global Labour University in the broader context of labour's needs to respond to a dominantly pro-business, pro-market globalisation discourse. The second part of the article introduces and critically discusses the Global Labour University project as an initiative to contribute to the need for global research, teaching and networking for a fairer globalisation.