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This article reviews the book, "Time Without Work," by Walli F. Leff and Marilyn G. Haft.

L'avènement de l'instruction obligatoire au Québec en 1943 s'inscrit dans un tissu de relations complexes, d'alliances, et de luttes très longues. Contrairement à ce que laisse croire l'histoire officielle, le mouvement ouvrier et le mouvement paysan ont joué un rôle actif dans cette longue «querelle.» Quoique prenant part dans cette lutte, ces mouvements ont aussi été très divisés. Alors que le Congrès des métiers et du travail du Canada (CMTC) appuie la fréquentation scolaire obligatoire, la Confédération des travailleurs catholiques du Canada (CTCC), et l'Union Catholique des cultivateurs (UCC) s'y opposent durement. L'influence que l'Église Catholique exerce sur la CTCC et l'UCC explique en partie le refus catégorique de ces deux organisations, mais sans plus. La composition des membres de chacune, les secteurs d'implantation de celles-ci, le type d'agriculture dominant au Québec et les coûts liés à l'éducation ont joué un rôle déterminant dans les positions des organisations étudiées.

This article reviews the book, "Shaky Palaces: Homeownership and Social Mobility in Boston's Suburbanization," by M. Edel, E. D. Sclar and D. Luria.

This article reviews the book, " Dictionnaire canadien des relations du travail," by Gérard Dion.

This article reviews the book, "Foucault, Marxism and History: Mode of Production versus Mode of Information," by Mark Poster.

Most recent studies of the relationship between technological change and mining labour in the western metal-mining regions of North America have concentrated on the impact of the mechanization of the industry that took place during the second half of the nineteenth century. The distinct impression is left that the increased use of machinery — especially the machine drill — was the chief factor in reducing the skill levels associated with mining as a craft tradition. Preoccupation with machinery has led to the assumption that by the beginning of the twentieth century the transformation to modern forms of mining was essentially complete and the traditional miner an anachronism. Mining as practiced prior to 1900 differed qualitatively and quantitatively from the subsequent period of "modern mining;" but the introduction of machinery per se was less important to the reorganization of the patterns of work in the mines than the redesigning of the engineering systems in which workers and machines were employed — a process which gained its full momentum in the decades after 1900. This transformation involved the gradual abandonment of low-volume, high-value, selective mining methods in favour of higher volume, non-selective methods which emphasised the quantity rather than the quality of the ore mined. The change redefined the nature of work in and around the mines, putting an end to a tradition of mining practice that was at least as old as the methods described in Agricola's De Re Metalica, something the initial mechanization of mining had never been intended to accomplish. Under selective mining practices, machinery was used to assist the skilled miner in his traditional task. Under non-selective or mass mining techniques, a new generation of engineers trained in the applied sciences redefined the miner's work as solutions were sought to the problems of an increasingly complex geology in a climate of rapid economic expansion, chronic over-production, generally declining metal prices, and ever increasing production costs. The efforts and successes of these engineers were amply demonstrated in the fields of mining, metallurgical, and human engineering. The impact of the change is evident in varying degrees throughout the metal-mining community; but by focusing on copper mining — the technological leader from 1900 to 1930 — the full impact of the industrial sciences on mine labour is evident.

This article reviews the book, "Technological Change : The Tripartite Response, 1982-85," by B.I.T.

This paper examines the factors considered in proving sexual harassment and in determining compensation and remedies

This article reviews the book, "Terveisiä Ruusa-tädiltä: Kanadan suomalaisten ensimmäinen sukupolvi," edited by Varpu Lindstrom-Best & Charles M. Sutyla.

This article reviews the book, "Late Marx and the Russian Road: Marx and 'The Peripheries of Capitalism'," edited by Teodor Shanin.

This article reviews the book, "La participation". Enciclopedia de Dirreccion y Administracion de la Empresa, Fasciculo 82," by Dimitri Weiss.

This article reviews the book, "Miners, Peasants and Entrepreneurs: Regional Development in the Central Highlands of Peru," by Norman Long and Bryan Roberts.

This article reviews the book, "What Do Unions Do?," by Richard B. Freeman and James L. Medoff.

Notes that the journal is celebrating its 10th anniversary and will be hosting two sessions at the annual meeting of the Canadian Historical Association in Winnipeg.

This article reviews the book, "Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave," by Ruth Schwartz Cowan.

A study examined the effect on grievance resolution of differences in supervisors' training and degree of experience. The study also looked at the variances in the grievance process interaction between supervisors and union representatives and other management. Eight workplace-level case studies were examined. A total of 181 first-line supervisors completed questionnaires. In addition, interviews were conducted with the industrial relations staff at each location. Results indicated that much of the variance in the rate of informal grievance resolution among first-line supervisors is traceable to differences in individual supervisors' experience and behavior in the grievance process. The most powerful influence on grievance resolution was the degree to which informal consultation occurred between supervisors and union representatives before the grievance transactions concluded.

The paper specifies an alternative model of union growth which builds on the strengths of the popular A/P andB/E models and incorporates several hypotheses relating aggregate union membership growth to changes in key business cycle variables, the legislative framework, and the inter-industry and male-female composition of the labour force.

This paper examines the hypothesis of a positive relationships between strikes and the level of negotiated wage agreements.

This article reviews the book, "The Rise of the French Communist Party, 1920-1947," by Edward Mortimer.

Declining real wages and pressure to increase productivity pushed Canadian postal workers to a national wildcat strike in 1965. After this achievement they began a series of day-to-day battles to extend their shopfloor power. Reacting to this, postal management embarked on a mechanization project to transform the labour process. New federal labour laws were enacted which stifled the expression of workers' power through their union. The national union officials proved unable to break out of these bureaucratic structures that cut them off from the rank and file. An abrupt national wildcat/sitdown strike in 1974 resulted in a change in the national union leadership. Solid victories were won dealing with the transition to new mechanized plants. However, management began a counterattack aimed a weakening worker solidarity by hiring non-union workers and refusal to honour the collective agreement. The stage is then set for a series of local wildcats in the late 1970s, the Toronto strike of December 1977, and the national strike in 1978. The postal workers' past and present is summed up with a view to future struggles.