Labour Studies Journal review of Rethinking the Politics of Labour in Canada

The editors of this Labour in Canada book series describe it as offering “a unique Canadian perspective to parallel international debates on work and labour in the United States, Great Britain and Western Europe.” From an American’s perspective, the issues discussed in these essays are not necessarily parallel. Rather, the workplace issues experienced by the two countries are like those of binary planets that rotate around a common center of gravity while also turning on their own axes and revolving around the sun in orbits that are also affected by all the other planets within the solar system.

In other words, the essays show Canadian labor issues affecting and being affected not only by Canada’s neighbor to the south but also by its membership in the British Commonwealth and the actions of unions that represent members on each side of the border. As a result, over time, Canada and the United States may visit the same territory, but important details will differ.

The issues and events analyzed in Rethinking the Politics of Labour in Canada provide a fair and thoughtful discussion of historical, political, and sociological issues that non-Canadian readers will certainly have had experience with. The essays include developing cultures of solidarity; the operation and effects of business unionism versus social unionism; the value of union engagement in electoral politics (particularly in relationship with the NDP); coping with neoliberalism; historical contexts of current struggles; equity issues that affect participation and power of groups such as women, first nations people, the poor, migrant workers, and immigrants; work and environmental issues; and coalitions and partnerships as vehicles to promote workers’ rights and just work. The thoughtful contributions of the authors provide an analytical mix of substance and process that fills in the details of a wide range of struggles to achieve fair working conditions.

The concluding essay, “Labour, Courts and the Erosion of Workers’ Rights in Canada,” provides an eye-opening summary of processes that have led to diminished workplace rights. Workers in Canada, other Commonwealth countries, and the United States have all experienced the effects of neoliberal policies that have diminished the rights of union members while also making the organizing of other groups of workers difficult. One forceful argument advanced over many decades by Canadian scholar Roy Adams is that labor rights are human rights. There has been some interest in that concept within and outside Canada, but it has never achieved a comprehensive and inclusive analysis.

What this collection of essays demonstrates is that Canada is not necessarily a kinder version of the United States and that the struggles of both countries are shared territory. This is a valuable book for anyone interested in workplace issues. There is much to be learned from each of these essays in terms of political issues and the processes of responding effectively to these issues. For those who want to learn more, the book’s citation references provide a very useful resource.

— Ellen Dannin, State College, PA

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