March 2, 2009
- Sefton Lecture: Inequality and the Economic Crisis
- Walter Gordon Massey Symposium: Rising Inequality in Canada
- Causes and Impacts of Work Stoppages
- U.S. Pro-Labour Measures Possible?
- Collective Bargaining Information and Analysis
- New Guide to the Canadian Human Rights Act
- Generational Differences in the Need for Meaningful Work
- Gender Bias in Talent Management Systems
- Public Sector Talent Management
- Public Pension Plans Critiqued
- AMAPCEO Responds to Expert Commission on Pensions
- Crash & Recovery
- How the Crash Will Reshape America
- OECD Tackles the Financial and Economic Crisis
- Book of the Week
Sefton Lecture: Inequality and the Economic Crisis
The 27th Annual Sefton Memorial Lecture presented by Woodsworth College & the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources is titled the Roots of Crisis: How Growing Inequality Sowed the Seeds for an Economic Meltdown. The speaker is Hugh Mackenzie, Principal, Hugh Mackenzie & Associates, Economic Consultants and former Research Director for the United Steelworkers of America and Co-Chair and Principal Analyst for the Ontario Alternative Budget of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
The evening will also include presentations of the Sefton Award for Contributions to Industrial Relations and the Morley Gunderson Prize. The Sefton Award Winner for 2009 is Leo Gerard, International President, United Steelworkers and the Morley Gunderson Prize winner is John Mastoras Partner, Lawyer, Ogilvy Renault LLP.
When & Where: March 12, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., University of Toronto Multi-Faith Centre, 569 Spadina Avenue (Entrance off Bancroft Avenue)
Conference Announcement, for March 12, 2009
Walter Gordon Massey Symposium: Rising Inequality in Canada
Massey College and The School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto, will present the2009 Walter Gordon Massey Symposium, Rising Inequality in Canada: A Problem for Public Policy? Panelists: John F. Helliwell, Arthur J.E. Child Foundation Fellow and Co-Director of the Program on Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research; Professor Emeritus of Economics, UBC; Roger Martin, Dean and Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto; Chair, Ontario Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress; Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
When & Where: Tuesday, 10 March 2009, at 7.30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. at the Isabel Bader Theatre, Victoria College 93 Charles Street West, Toronto.
Conference Announcement, for March 10, 2009
Causes and Impacts of Work Stoppages
The Government of Canada has released a study on the causes and impacts of work stoppages. The study conducted by Mr. Peter Annis examines the causes that influence the risk, frequency and duration of work stoppages in businesses and undertakings covered by Part I of the Canada Labour Code. The study reviews the current industrial relations situation in Canada and the likely developments in the foreseeable future, and identifies the sectors and regions at greatest risk of increased work stoppages.
U.S. Pro-Labour Measures Possible?
United States economists have written a letter to Congress in support of a Democratic bill, The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) that would allow employees to join unions by signing a card rather than using secret-ballot elections supervised by the National Labor Relations Board to determine union representation. Republicans have responded with the Secret Ballot Protection Act to preempt EFCA, which will be introduced later this year.
Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2009: Economists Debate Pro-Labor Measure March 1, 2009
Employee Free Choice Act: why workers need the freedom to form unions and bargain, AFL-CIO
Collective Bargaining Information and Analysis
For access to publications by the Labour Program, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada , visit the webpage:Collective Bargaining Information and Analysis which provides links to publications on wage adjustments ; list of current and upcoming key negotiations, and recently ratified settlements; the Negotech database with access to the full text of collective agreements and settlement summaries; calendar of collective agreement expiries and reopeners; information on negotiated benefits and working conditions; innovative workplace practices; database and listings on strikes and lockouts in Canada; Directory of Labour Organizations in Canada; union membership in Canada.
Labour Program, HRSDC: Collective Bargaining Information and Analysis
New Guide to the Canadian Human Rights Act
Canadian Human Rights Commission deals with allegations of discrimination against federally regulated employers, unions and service providers. The Commission cannot handle disputes involving provincial or territorial government departments, retail stores, schools, hospitals or transportation companies that are not interprovincial. Provincial or territorial human rights bodies deal with disputes involving these organizations.”
Guide, March 2009 edition (html)
Generational Differences in the Need for Meaningful Work
The Kelly Global Workforce Index is a survey revealing opinions about work and the workplace from a generational viewpoint. Results of the current findings are from across Kelly’s global operations in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific and will be published throughout 2009 in a series of six releases. The most recent release is titled, “Around the Globe the Desire for Meaningful Work Triumphs Over Pay, Promotion and Job Choices”.
Survey, February 25, 2009 (9 pages, PDF)
Globe and Mail, February 27, 2009: Meaning means more than money at work: poll
Gender Bias in Talent Management Systems
The most recent report from available from Catalyst is titled, Cascading Gender Biases, Compounding Effects: An Assessment of Talent Management Systems. The report shows that talent management policies continue to favour men in dominate executive positions. Research was based on 110 talent management systems representing 19 industries. The data demonstrated that the flow of information from senior leaders to individual contributors perpetuates gender gaps in senior leadership. To combat this issue, organizational approaches for identifying, developing, and leveraging top talent are provided.
Research Report, February 2009, (44 pages, PDF)
Public Sector Talent Management
The Conference Board of Canada’s e-proceedings titled 2009 Public Sector Human Resources: Talent, Leadership, and Performance are available. Speakers include Judith MacBride-King and Prem Benimadhu addressing talent management challenges that the public sector is currently facing.
e- Proceedings are available to the University of Toronto community by accessing or signing up for a Conference Board of Canada e-library account
Public Pension Plans Critiqued
Three recent article from the Financial Post look at the problems with public pension plans -- Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, OMERS, and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan are mentioned.
Financial Post, March 03, 2009: Pension funds are workers' best bet, by Keith Ambachtsheer
Financial Post, February 27, 2009: The model that's killing pension plans, by Terence Corcoran
AMAPCEO Responds to Expert Commission on Pensions
The Association of Management, Administrative, and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario has made its comments on the Expert Commission on Pensions available. The government requested “focused feedback from all interested Ontarians on “A Fine Balance,” the report of the Expert Commission on Pensions” upon its release in November 2008.
Comments, February 23, 2009 (9 pages, PDF)
AMAPCEO Responds to Expert Commission on Pensions webpage
Crash & Recovery
The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business online section titled Crash & Recovery: Your Guide to the Economic Crisis features a New York Times article by Paul Krugman titled “ Revenge of the Glut .“ The site also offers an Archive of articles on the economy.
Crash & Recovery: Your Guide to the Economic Crisis
How the Crash Will Reshape America
Richard Florida’s article titled, “How the Crash Will Reshape America” is the cover story in the current issue of the Atlantic Monthly, March 2009. He is the author of The Rise of the Creative Class and the director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
Atlantic Monthly, March 2009: How the Crash Will Reshape America, by Richard Florida
OECD Tackles the Financial and Economic Crisis
The OECD has a web page titled Tackling the Financial and Economic Crisis that provides comment and analysis for a strategic response to the crisis, along with links to useful statistics, key publications and relevant speeches and articles.
Tackling the Financial and Economic Crisis, March 3, 2009
Globe and Mail, March 3, 2009: EU hammers out bailout plans
Book of the Week
A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Studying Organizations, by Chris Grey. 2nd ed. London : Sage, 2009. 187 p. ISBN 978-1-84787-343-9 (pbk.)
'Indispensable and subversive' - Simon Caulkin, The Observer
This is the book which management students have been waiting for. Written in an accessible style, it enters into lively discussion of classical and contemporary ideas about organizations and their management. It shows that getting to grips with these ideas means asking fundamental questions about what it means to be human and about the nature of modern society.
Relevant across a range of management courses, this second edition offers students a lively, focused and challenging discussion of classical and current ideas about organizations and their management. Building on the hugely popular first edition, a new chapter explores the relationship between organization theory and behaviour as it exists today.
About the Author: Chris Grey shies away from the sterility of conventional textbooks, offering students an accessible and palatable overview of the field of organization studies that questions and challenges the traditional literature.
Back to top
This publication is protected by Canadian copyright laws and may not be copied, posted or forwarded electronically without permission.
Questions or Comments: contact us at cirhr.library@utoronto.ca.
Editor: Vicki Skelton
Designer: Nick Strupat
Copyright © 2008 Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.