Search

Introduced by Don Wells, the article discusses the unionization and "strike" (in reality, a boycott) of teachers at the Canadian Labour Congress's Canadian Labour College in 1983. Examines the dichotomy of militant trade unionists who become labour bureaucrats, the clash between academics and the CLC, and the pivotal role of students (who were also trade unionists) that mobilized to join the teachers' side in the dispute. Media coverage and the reaction of unions are also discussed. Concludes that the right to organize was the central issue of the conflict, and that, going forward, the college will continue to embody the best and the worst features of Canadian trade unionism. The article was authored by the union's chief negotiator for its first collective agreement.

A Word to Say is a penetrating account of how inshore fishermen, most of them Acadian, came together to take control of their industry and their livelihood. Threatened with the loss of their way of life, they fought long and hard to be heard by governments and companies alike. In the process, they saw their union spread from the east coast of New Brunswick to the shores of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. As the only union in the country made up strictly of inshore fishermen, the MFU is unique. Although it has not altered the social fabric of the region, it has played a major role in the momentous changes in the fishery since the mid-1970s. In telling the story, Sue Calhoun gives fishermen more than a word to say. She offers clear insights into the lives of inshore fishermen, so often ignored and taken for granted. Her characters aren't rich. They aren't powerful. Many aren't educated. They are ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. --Publisher's description

The dual-career family, with its attendant pressures for dual commitment to the home and to the career, has become an increasingly important phenomenon in recent decades. A firm-level data set is used to examine the impact of family commitments as well as cognitive, behavioral, and organizational factors on the earnings of 519 married middle managers in a large Canadian corporation. Alongside a number of behavioral variables as well as the functional division of managerial labor in the company, division of labor in the employee's household has a significant impact on managerial earnings. The inclusion of a variable reflecting the household division of labor in the managerial earnings function helps to explain a substantial proportion of the earnings disadvantage of women in this company that might otherwise simply be attributed to gender.

The impact of the US judicial doctrines on recent Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms decisions relating to Canada's collective bargaining laws is analyzed. No clear pattern emerges concerning the impact of American jurisprudence on those Charter cases relating to labor law. What is very noticeable, however, is the tendency of the Canadian judiciary to consult US case law, even if it is ultimately rejected as a deciding factor in the particular decision to be rendered. Even in those cases in which US jurisprudence was seen to be particularly relevant, it was never to the exclusion of an assessment of the Canadian experience or without a recognition that the values, institutions, and constitutional arrangements of the 2 nations are different.

Documentaire sur Michel Chartrand (1916-2010) et cinquante ans de vie politique et d'action syndicale au Québec à travers lui. Ayant consacré sa vie à défendre les droits des travailleurs, ce passionné de justice sociale s'y révèle homme de cœur, complexe et généreux, amateur de poésie et de fine cuisine. --Description du site de l'ONF

Pays homage to the life and work of Eugene Forsey, who for many years was the research director of the Canadian Congress of Labour/Canadian Labour Congress and later was appointed a senator by prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. An influential advocate of the study of labour history, Forsey's book, "Trade Unions in Canada, 1812-1902," a standard reference work in the field, was the fruit of a CLC project of the 1960s, for which Canada Council funding was obtained to hire graduate students to assist with the research. Forsey also helped to obtain funding for the founding of the journal, Labour/Le Travail. A photo of Forsey is included.

The article reviews the book, "Language, Schooling and Cultural Conflict: The Origins of the French-Language Controversy in Ontario," by Chad Gaffield.

The article reviews the book, "Critical Years in Immigration: Canada and Australia Compared," by Freda Hawkins.

The article reviews the book, "C.B. Macpherson: Dilemmas of Liberalism and Socialism," by William Leiss.

The article reviews several books by Seymour Martin Lipset including "Continental Divide: The Values and Institutions of the United States and Canada," "North American Cultures: Values and Institutions in Canada and the United States," and "Unions in Transition: Entering the Second Century."

The article reviews the book, "'Radical Spirits': Spiritualism and Women's Rights in Nineteenth Century America," by Ann Braude.

The article reviews the book, "The Darkened Room: Women, Power and Spiritualism in Late Victorian England," by Alex Owen.

To an already tested empirical strike model, a microeconomic study adds variables that are related to foreign-owned firms in Canada. All the results point in the same direction: in Canada, it seems that foreign ownership has a negative influence on strike activity. This leads to the conclusion that, in accordance with the proposed theoretical approach, the positive impact on strike probability regarding problems of transmission and credibility of information brought about by the introduction of a third party (the head office) in the negotiations for a collective agreement was not tantamount. Attempts by multinational firms to develop negotiation "protocols" would appear to more than make up for problems in the quality and the credibility of information.

The article reviews the book, "Collective Bargaining And The Public Interest: A Welfare Economics Assessment," by David M. Winch.

The article reviews the book, "Technical Workers in an Advanced Society: The Work, Careers and Politics of French Engineers," by Rod Millar.

The article reviews the book, "Fast Forward and Out of Control: How Technology is Changing Your Life," by Heather Menzies.

Women's involvement in broadening the activities of the Canadian state during the first half of the 20th century is examined in this study of the career of Agnes Macphail as it related to her efforts on behalf of working women. Noting her evolution from agrarian radical to social democrat, it stresses that Macphail's feminism stemmed from her beliefs in human rights, especially the need for greater equality of condition. As the first woman member of Parliament and of the Ontario legislature during 1921-51, Macphail's thought and activities were directed toward representing women's concerns, particularly those labouring on farms and in factories and offices, but they involved crucial personal decisions about motherhood as opposed to pursuing a career, Macphail helped to create the first universal federal social assistance program, contributed to the founding of the CCF, promoted union activity, and championed the first pay-equity legislation in Canada. She believed that integrationist politics offered the best route to assert women's influence on government.

The article reviews the book, "Doing Comparable Worth: Gender, Class and Pay Equity," by Joan Acker.

The article reviews the book, "Les infirmières. De la vocation à la profession," by André Petitat.