Perry Work Report: work&labour news&research, May 22, 2015

May 22, 2015

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The Precarity Penalty

“Precarious employment is becoming more prevalent in Canada’s largest city, a shift that is putting financial strain and emotional stress on households."

"Forty-four per cent of adults in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area work in jobs that have some degree of insecurity, a study released Thursday says. That share, which includes people working through temp agencies, freelancers and contract workers, is greater than the last time the survey was conducted in 2011, when it was 41 per cent.”

The Globe and Mail, May 21 2015: “Precarious employment still rising in Toronto and Hamilton,” by Tavia Grant

“United Way Toronto and McMaster University’s report, The Precarity Penalty, looks at the impact of rising precarious, or insecure, employment in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. Precarious employment penalizes people across all income levels through jobs that offer lower wages, limited benefits and high levels of instability making it difficult to move onto better opportunities. The research also shows that the uncertainty of precarious jobs affects the health and well-being of individuals and families. The report concludes with tangible solutions that focus on modernizing policy and programs for today’s labour market. These include working together with our partners -- government, private sector, labour and community groups -- to enhance social and community supports, ensure that jobs are a pathway to income and employment security and build a dynamic labour market that responds to the needs of workers in precarious jobs.”

United Way Toronto and McMaster University, May 21, 2015: “The Precarity Penalty: The impact of employment precarity on individuals, households and communities -- and what to do about it”

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Gender Identity & the Workplace

“Alberta employers should keep in mind two things pertaining to gender identity and gender expression. First, both of these are implicitly protected under the [Alberta Human Rights Act] under the enumerated ground of ‘gender’. Second, many other provinces such as Ontario already explicitly protect gender expression and gender identity in their human rights legislation. As a result, there is already readily available information on the topic for Alberta employers.”

“In particular, last year the Ontario Human Rights Commission published a comprehensive policy entitled Policy on preventing discrimination because of Gender Identity and Gender Expression. According to the Ontario Commission, one of the purposes of the policy is ‘to help employers recognize and meet their legal obligations under the Code not to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and gender expression’.”

McCarthy Tetrault LLP, April 25, 2015: “Look to Ontario for guidance on gender identity and gender expression discrimination,” by Benjamin T. Aberant

Ontario Human Rights Commission, April 2015: “Policy on preventing discrimination because of Gender Identity and Gender Expression” (62 pages, PDF)

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Chasing the Chain: Canada's Pursuit of Global Value Chains

“Canadian businesses are more engaged with overseas markets and less dependent on the United States than is commonly believed, says a new study from the IRPP.”

“While conventional wisdom holds that only a modest share of Canada’s international commerce occurs outside the US, this view often relies on customs-based export data, which do not capture Canada’s broader participation in global supply chains, argue Export Development Canada researchers Daniel Koldyk, Lewis Quinn and Todd Evans.”

“In an advance chapter from the volume Redesigning Canadian Trade Policies for New Global Realities (forthcoming), the authors provide a fuller picture of Canada’s economic links with the world. ‘When we incorporate the latest data from Canada’s value-added exports, outward investment and foreign affiliate sales, it becomes clear that Canadian companies are diversifying away from the US market,’ they say. ‘Our foreign affiliate sales in overseas markets exceed those in the United States. A big reason for this is that Canada’s foreign affiliate sales of services have now surpassed sales of goods.’”

“The authors find that companies are adopting a more diversified business model -- they call it ‘integrative trade’ -- which is leading to increased engagement with overseas value chains. Although Canadian companies continue to serve the US market a variety of channels, the dynamics are changing in non-US markets.”

Institute on Research for Public Policy, May 20, 2015: “Chasing the Chain: Canada’s Pursuit of Global Value Chains,” by Daniel Koldyk, Lewis M. Quinn, and Todd Evans

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Child Care: An Economic Problem, Not Just a Personal One

“‘You look so... well rested.’ a woman recently told a friend of mine, upon learning that she had a four-month old. ‘It was like I didn’t have the right to look well rested -- I wasn’t being appropriately sacrificial,’ my friend told me. Such is the expectation of parenting’s onerousness: Anyone who seems relatively put together must be some kind of freak.”

“The concept of the American family unit still centers around the notion that child care is supposed to be borne on the backs of each parent, who’s expected to make the necessary sacrifices to provide care. But finding child care for working families isn’t just a personal dilemma; it’s also a policy problem, and an economic one. If parents are seen as the first and -- in many cases -- the only line of defense when it comes to taking care of children, how are they supposed to get down to work?"

“But even in liberal circles, child care has yet to reach an elevated status in policy debates ... [because] it goes significantly farther than paid leave in challenging our conception of the government’s role in family life. Paid leave is easier to accept politically, as it essentially affirms the notion that mothers (and, increasingly, fathers) should be at home with their newborns, nurturing them in the early weeks of their lives. Subsidized child care, on the other hand, enables precisely the opposite: It pays Someone Else to take care of the kid so the parent can be back on the job. ‘For some in our society, there’s profound discomfort with role of government in supporting the care of children, and it gets worse the younger the child is.’ said Gina Adams of the Urban Institute. ‘When they think ‘baby,’ they think ‘in the arms of a mom,’ not in the crib in a center.’"

New Republic, May 14, 2015: “Child Care Isn’t Just a Personal Problem. It’s an Economic One, Too.,” by Suzy Khimm

Urban Institute, May 2015: “Bridging the Gap: Exploring the Intersection of Workforce Development and Child Care," by Gina Adams, Shayne Spaulding, and Caroline Heller [download the PDF (56 pages)]

Make It Work campaign [website]

Meanwhile, in Nova Scotia the push for a public child care system is going strong.

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, April 28, 2015: “A New Economy Needs Child Care,” by Tammy Findlay and Stella Lord

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, May 14, 2015: “From Patchwork Quilt to Sturdy Foundation: CCPA-NS Submission to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s Regulated Child Care Review,” by Tammy Findlay and Christine Saulnier

Unifor, May 2015: “A Public Child Care System: Good for Parents, Children, Workers & the Economy: Unifor Submission to the Nova Scotia Child Care Review” (9 pages, PDF)

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So, You Want to Be a Journalist ... Try Understanding Academic Analytical Tools First

“Journalists constantly face the challenge of explaining why things happened: What were the factors in an election victory? What are the reasons behind housing segregation in a city? What is the explanation for a low-performing school? In daily journalism, we are often content to quote relevant sources or officials, and let them do the ‘explaining.’”

“But great journalism can do much more than that, particularly if more rigorous thinking and methods are applied. Though journalists need not understand all of the analytical tools of academics, they can benefit from understanding how critical thinking operates in the research world -- and using it to their advantage.”

“This overview of academic and critical reasoning comes courtesy of Stephen Van Evera, the Ford International Professor in the MIT Political Science Department. Much of the material in expanded form can be found in his short, useful book Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science. We are grateful to him for allowing us to post an edited version of a memo that was the basis for his work:

I. What is a theory?
II. What is a specific explanation?
III. What is a good theory?
IV. How can theories be made?
V. How can theories be tested?
VI. Strong vs. weak tests; predictions and tests
VIII. How can specific events be explained?

Harvard Kennedy School, Shorenstein Center, Journalist’s Resource, March 6, 2015: “Guide to critical thinking, research, data and theory: Overview for journalists,” by John Wihbey          

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Brutally Honest Job Titles

HR Director = Executive In Charge Of Putatively Being On Your Side
Social Media Strategist = Person with the Twitter Password
Recruiter = Professional LinkedIn Browser
Events Co-ordinator = Lead Facilitator of Alcohol Related Terminations
Customer Services Rep =  Chief Transferer of Your Call to Someone Else

For many more of these (with pictures):

someecards.com, May 15, 2015: “20 Brutally Accurate Job Titles“

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Is Hollywood Finally Sick of Sexism?

“Women working in Hollywood are fed up with the sexism of their industry and are taking action.”

“The latest news is from the American Civil Liberties Union: This week, its branch in Southern California announced that it has asked one state and two federal agencies to investigate discrimination against female directors. Still, such investigations seem unlikely to produce change by themselves.”

“What will produce change, however, is a sense that these practices are no longer socially tolerated. That message is being sent loud and clear as the women of Hollywood seem increasingly confident about speaking out. The best recent example is a notorious skit from comic Amy Schumer, who seems to be mounting an all-out assault on sexism in the acting profession these days.”

“The skit’s immediate target is Hollywood’s ageism in casting women, but that is simply a manifestation of its sexism: Actresses are first and foremost judged by their looks and the sexual attractiveness of youth is the most important criterion for landing a lead role.”

The Globe and Mail, May 15, 2015: “Kate Taylor: Is Hollywood finally sick of sexism?,” by Kate Taylor

Actresses aren’t the only working females who are subject to certain expectations.

“[W]omen are still trying to explain themselves for being single, but the cultural balance has tipped toward empowerment in that status. Author Kate Bolick’s widely discussed new memoir, Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own, epitomizes the shift. In a book-length adaptation of a 2011 essay in The Atlantic, Bolick asks, How do you create a life as a single woman within a culture and economy that still, despite facing the lowest marriage rate in history, presumes the inevitability of marriage? Her answer: Embrace being a spinster.”

But if only it were that easy.

“Second-wave feminism relied on the notion that empowerment came from transitioning from homemaking to the work place. Women of color and low-income women have always worked -- whether they were married or not, it was a financial necessity -- but today, work outside the home is the norm for women of all demographic backgrounds. All of that work is not leading to prosperity, however, especially for single moms and women of color. 

“The ‘single and loving it’ narrative also creates an additional source of pressure for women of all incomes to prove they are doing just fine -- lest they be evidence of feminism’s failures .... And frankly, it gets just as exhausting to placate a social necessity to be happy as a single woman as it does to meet the marriage standard.”

“We can’t relieve the social and economic pressure on single women by just identifying as and relishing in being a spinster. We need to shift some of our social institutions and policies to support us, including access to affordable childcare, pay equity or paid family leave."

The Nation, May 13, 2015: “All the Single Ladies Aren’t So Privileged,” by Samhita Mukhopadhyay

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Work = Life

“‘There’s more to life than work,’ snaps Stan Rizzo, midway through the Mad Men series finale.”

“Six simple words. One simple cliche. And Mad Men’s biggest lie ever. It’s also the key to understanding the finale’s gloriously off-kilter coda. When he said that as he stormed out of Peggy Olson’s office, Stan clearly wasn’t thinking straight. He had endured one too many insults -- ‘Spoken like a failure’ -- at the hand of the co-worker he couldn’t get out of his mind. He was firing back the only way he knew how. But this is television, and that angry banter proved to be a catalyst for something bigger. All the shitty things that Peggy said to Stan would lead inevitably to ‘I think I’m in love with you, too.’”

“How else could things end in a universe in which work and life were so inextricably intertwined? Indeed, that’s the message behind the closing montage of Mad Men’s final episode. Work = Life."

Forbes, May 19, 2015: “Mad Men’ Finale Recap: I’d Like To Teach The World To Work In Perfect Harmony,” by Allen St. John

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From Protest to Policy: Evidence-Based Solutions For Baltimore and Other US Cities

“Events in Baltimore earlier this month reflect the stubborn persistence of inequalities and barriers to mobility facing people of color in America today.”

”Now the protesters have returned to their homes and their jobs, and the news cameras are gone. But through their actions, people in the streets of Baltimore issued a challenge: a call for real solutions to problems facing poor, mostly minority communities in Baltimore and in other cities.”

“Throughout [the week of May 18-22], Urban Institute scholars will respond to that call with a series of Urban Wire blog posts offering concrete solutions and strategies. Each post will focus on a specific challenge facing communities of color in urban America today, offering evidence-based ideas about how this challenge can be effectively tackled. We’ll draw upon our research and upon promising practices in other cities around the country.”

Urban Institute, May 18, 2015: “From protest to policy: evidence-based solutions for Baltimore and other US cities,” by Margery Austin Turner

Creating Employment Opportunities For Low-Income African American Men

“Systemic change will require companies to review policies that disproportionately exclude people who could otherwise perform the job. Models for how to do this exist and can be adapted for companies in different industries. Regulatory changes would help facilitate these modifications. The National Employment Law Project has developed guidelines to help companies review their hiring policies with regard to applicants with criminal records. And the Federal Interagency Reentry Council has compiled information for employers and applicants about how to reduce barriers to employment for people with criminal records.”

“In some cases, finding steady work will require more training and better connections to prospective employers. Quite a bit of evidence supports the success of job training programs and workforce intermediaries in establishing strong links to work for their program participants. These programs range from career-exposure programs for disconnected youth to more formal training, such as apprenticeships. While some of these programs exist in Baltimore and other large cities, they are currently not large enough to meet the needs of the community.”

Urban Institute, May 20, 2015: “Creating employment opportunities for low-income African American men,” by Margaret Simms

More posts in the series:

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transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, May 2015 Issue

From the editorial: “The purpose of this special issue is to analyse critically transnational labour action in times of crisis. Although more and more social struggles have a clear European dimension, most post-crisis labour protests still have taken place in a national framework. Some observers even note a growing North--South split in European trade union strategies. There have, however, also been some countervailing cases of labour’s transnational responses to the crisis, especially if one also includes more informal forms of collective action by workers as understood in a broad sense. This suggests that the ‘renationalization’ of the European trade unions is not a foregone conclusion. The studies included in this special issue therefore not only identify obstacles to transnational collective action but also assess the conditions under which they can be overcome.”

Articles include:

  • “European collective action in times of crisis,” by Sabina Stan, Idar Helle, and Roland Erne (full-text PDF, 9 pages)
  • “The trade union response to the European economic governance regime. Transnational mobilization and wage coordination,” by Anne Dufresne (full-text PDF, 16 pages)
  • “Acting in different worlds. Challenges to transnational trade union cooperation in the eurozone crisis,” by Steffen Lehndorff (full-text PDF, 14 pages)
  • “Where is the European general strike? Understanding the challenges of trans-European trade union action against austerity,” by Heiner Dribbusch (full-text PDF, 15 pages)
  • “Explaining ‘varieties of solidarity’: labour mobility and trade unions in an enlarged Europe,” by Jane Hardy (full-text PDF, 14 pages)
  • “EU posted work and transnational action in the German meat industry,” by Ines Wagner (full-text PDF, 13 pages)
  • “Workers’ transnational networks in times of austerity: Italy and Greece,” by Markos Vogiatzoglou (full-text PDF, 14 pages)
  • “A new proletariat in the making? Reflections on the 14 November 2012 strike and the movements of 1968 and 1995,” by Idar Helle (full-text PDF, 14 pages)

transfer, European Review of Labour and Research, May 2015 issue [Sage website]

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The 'Hypocrisy World Cup'

“Campaigners say Qatar’s strict kafala labour laws make it a ‘slave state’ -- and estimate that more than 3,000 workers will be killed on construction projects connected to the 2022 World Cup.”

“They want FIFA sponsors including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Adidas to press for change. The call -- from trade unions and campaigners for change at FIFA -- came as football’s governing body said it would investigate the arrest and detention of a BBC film crew invited to Doha to visit World Cup projects. They were held while attempting to film in labour camps."

“At a press conference in London, the New FIFA Now campaign released footage it said was filmed inside a labour camp in Doha. The film shows dirty cooking conditions, cramped bedrooms and overflowing toilets.”

“Qatar has faced persistent criticism over the conditions provided for migrant workers employed on scores of major infrastructure projects in the Emirate.”

Sky News, May 18, 2015: “World Cup Sponsors Urged To Act On ‘Slavery'“

New FIFA Now, May 18, 2015: “The 'Hypocrisy World Cup'“

The Guardian, May 20, 2015: “How many slave deaths for the Qatar World Cup can Fifa put up with?,” by Marina Hyde

The Guardian’s series on ‘Modern-day slavery in focus + Qatar’

New FIFA Now campaign [website]

But it’s all for a good cause, right? Check out the cool things Qatar’s slaves will build for the World Cup!

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The Ever-Widening Rich-Poor Gap

“In [the OCED’s] 34 member states, the richest 10% of the population earn 9.6 times the income of the poorest 10%. The OECD warns that such inequality is a threat to economic growth. The report says this is partly because there is a wider gap in education in the most unequal countries, which leads to a less effective workforce.”

“One of the factors that the OECD blames for growing inequality is the growth in what it calls non-standard work, which includes temporary contracts and self-employment. The OECD says that since the mid-1990s more than half of all job creation in its member states has been in non-standard work. It says that households dependent on such work have higher poverty rates than other households and that this has led to greater inequality. It also says that tax and benefit systems have become less effective at redistributing income.”

“On the other hand it says that one of the factors limiting the growth in inequality has been the increasing number of women working.”

BBC News, May 21, 2015: “Gap between rich and poor ‘keeps growing’,” by Anthony Reuben

OECD, May 21, 2015: “In It Together: Why Less Inequality Benefits All” [click to download the full report (pages, 336 PDF)]

The International Trade Union Confederation released a report on May 20, 2015 which addresses the role that collective bargaining plays in reducing the problem of income inequality.

“Equitable societies with large middle classes are not the natural outcome of market forces. Equity, rather, is created by society, by the institutions -- the laws, policies and practices -- that govern the society, its economy and, in particular, its labour market. Building just societies means designing institutions that support the creation of quality jobs with decent wages and working conditions, as well as enacting policies to support those who cannot work or who are unable to find work."

ITUC, May 20, 2015: “The role of collective bargaining as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce income inequality” (16 pages, PDF)

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Book of the Week

Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own, by Kate Bolick. New York, NY: Crown, 2015. 336 p. ISBN 9780385347136 (hardback) [available at the CIRHR Library]

From the publisher: "‘Whom to marry, and when will it happen -- these two questions define every woman’s existence.’ So begins Spinster, a revelatory and slyly erudite look at the pleasures and possibilities of remaining single. Using her own experiences as a starting point, journalist and cultural critic Kate Bolick invites us into her carefully considered, passionately lived life, weaving together the past and present to examine why she -- along with over 100 million American women, whose ranks keep growing -- remains unmarried. Intellectually substantial and deeply personal, Spinster is both an unreservedly inquisitive memoir and a broader cultural exploration that asks us to acknowledge the opportunities within ourselves to live authentically. Bolick offers us a way back into our own lives -- a chance to see those splendid years when we were young and unencumbered, or middle-aged and finally left to our own devices, for what they really are: unbounded and our own to savor.”

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