Perry Work Report: work&labour news&research, October 16, 2015

October 16, 2015

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Ontario's Gender Pay Gap Consultations

“It wasn’t a bonus or a clerical error. Her employer, McMaster University, gave its entire female faculty a raise in base pay after a study uncovered a salary gap between male and female faculty members. These discrepancies remained even after accounting for differences in rank, department and experience.”

“McMaster’s candid approach remains rare among Canadian employers, even as the gender pay gap persists in the workplace. After decades of narrowing differences in pay and labour-force participation rates, momentum has stalled, with some measures deteriorating in recent years. Canadian women still take home on average 73 cents for every dollar men earn, even as educational attainment has surpassed their male counterparts. The gap remains when controlled for measures such as occupations and hourly wages.”

“The gender wage gap ‘isn’t a women’s issue or a men’s issue. It’s a workplace and societal issue,’ said Mary Turan, senior consultant at Gallagher McDowall Associates, a compensation consulting firm. Employers ‘need to view it as an opportunity.’”

The Globe and Mail, October 9, 2015: “Canada’s stalled progress on gender pay gap: Women have ‘hit a brick wall,” by Tavia Grant

Get Involved

“Ontario is seeking public input to develop a strategy which will help close the wage gap between men and women.”

“This fall, the Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee will host consultations sessions with diverse groups across the province to:”

  • Examine how the roles of women are affected by the gender wage gap
  • Understand how the gender wage gap affects women in the workforce
  • Assess ways to deal with the conditions and the systemic barriers that contribute to the wage gap
  • Understand and address other factors that compound the wage gap

Ontario Government, October 8, 2015: Government of Ontario Seeking Public Input on Closing the Gender Wage Gap 

The Toronto Star, October 9, 2015: “Ontario government vows action on gender wage gap,” by Richard J. Brennan 

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, October 9, 2015: “Ontario gender pay gap consultations: a welcome development,” by Mary Cornish

Meanwhile, in Hollywood

“I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It’s just heard. Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale, and Bradley Cooper all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves. If anything, I’m sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share.“

Lenny, October 13, 2015: “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?” by Jennifer Lawrence

The Globe and Mail, October 14, 2015: “Jennifer Lawrence says she’s finished being ‘adorable’ on Hollywood pay gap”

Famous Quotes the Way a Woman Would Have to Say Them

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
“Woman in a Meeting: ‘I have to say -- I’m sorry -- I have to say this. I don’t think we should be as scared of non-fear things as maybe we are? If that makes sense? Sorry, I feel like I’m rambling.’”

“Let my people go.”
“Woman in a Meeting: ‘Pharaoh, listen, I totally hear where you’re coming from on this. I totally do. And I don’t want to butt in if you’ve come to a decision here, but, just, I have to say, would you consider that an argument for maybe releasing these people could conceivably have merit? Or is that already off the table?’”

The Washington Post, October 13, 2015: “Famous quotes, the way a woman would have to say them during a meeting,” by Alexandra Petri 

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Parity, or How to Increase the Global Annual GDP

“Gender inequality is not only a pressing moral and social issue but also a critical economic challenge. If women -- who account for half the world’s working-age population -- do not achieve their full economic potential, the global economy will suffer.”

“Six types of intervention are necessary to bridge the gender gap: financial incentives and support; technology and infrastructure; the creation of economic opportunity; capability building; advocacy and shaping attitudes; and laws, policies, and regulations. We identify some 75 potential interventions that could be evaluated and tailored to suit the social and economic context of each impact zone and country. Tackling gender inequality will require change within businesses as well as new coalitions. The private sector will need to play a more active role in concert with governments and nongovernmental organizations, and companies could benefit both directly and indirectly by taking action.”

McKinsey Global Institute, September 2015: “How advancing women’s equality can add $12 trillion to global growth”  

The Globe and Mail, October 9, 2015: “Lessons Canada can learn from Australia's efforts to reduce gender pay gap” (video 2:17 min)

Australia Workplace Gender Agency [website]

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What Really Keeps Women Out of Tech?

“For the past six years, Sapna Cheryan, a psychology professor at the University of Washington, has been studying why girls in high school are significantly less likely than boys to sign up for a class in computer science, take the Advanced Placement exam in that subject, or express interest in computer science as a career, and why female college students are four times less likely than men to major in computer science or engineering, even though they test extremely well in math.”

“The researchers ... found that cultural stereotypes about computer scientists strongly influenced young women’s desire to take classes in the field.”

“Superficial stereotypes might seem laughably outdated. And yet, studies show that the public’s image of a scientist hasn’t changed since the 1950s. The percentage of women studying computer science actually has fallen since the 1980s. Dr. Cheryan theorizes that this decline might be partly attributable to the rise of pop-culture portrayals of scientists as white or Asian male geeks in movies and TV shows like ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory.’”

“To make computer science more attractive to women, we might help young women change how they think about themselves and what’s expected of them. But we might also diversify the images of scientists they see in the media, along with the decor in the classrooms and offices in which they might want to study or work.”

Eileen Pollack is the author of The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science Is Still a Boys’ Club.

The New York Times, October 10, 2015: “What Really Keeps Women Out of Tech,” by Eileen Pollackoct

“You Must Be Super Smart!”

“In her TIME piece, [University of Toronto engineering professor Jennifer Drake] explains why hearing ‘You must be super smart’ from a female peer as an undergraduate stressed her out so much:”

“First was the surprised, skeptical tone of the other student’s voice that conveyed it was surprising and unusual (or, to put it more crudely, freakish) that I was in engineering. Second was the attitude that since I was in engineering, this could be explained only if there was something exceptional or outstanding (or, once again, freakish) about me.”

“Being taught that they don’t belong in STEM professions or academic programs can make women anxious in those settings, Drake argues, suggesting this as a potential reason why women experience more anxiety than men during medical school as well as more depression while working in science and tech.”

“The insulting things people say to women in STEM convey that women don’t belong in these professions or at best are exceptions for working in them.”

Bustle, October 6, 2015: “9 Things Not To Say To Women In STEM, Because ‘You Must Be Super Smart!’ Does More Harm Than You Think,” by Suzannah Weiss

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Has Blue Jays Fever Spread to Your Workplace?

The Blue Jays have made the post-season for the first time in 22 years.

“Morning and early afternoon games mean some workers will be tempted to play hookey, turning their Blue Jays fever into -- cough, cough -- playoff faux-flu, phoning in sick to be able to stay home and watch the game.”

“But University of Toronto professor Alan Saks says enlightened bosses and managers would be smart to use the day games as an exercise in workplace team building, by allowing employees to watch while on the job.”

“It’s not easy for organizations to come up with initiatives and programs that are going to get employees excited, full of energy and bring positive emotions into the work place.... I think this is a great opportunity for employers to embrace something that’s very positive ... bring it into the workplace and let workers share it..... Why not do that? You’re showing that you’re a caring and supportive employer who is responsive to employees.”

“If the Blue Jays make it to the World Series they could play up to 19 games across three series, so Saks advises employers to consider what their strategy might be if the team advances. ‘What happens if they get to the World Series, a game six or game seven? The whole country will shut down.’”

CBC News, October 8, 2015: “Blue Jays Fever: Should the boss let you watch the games at work?”

CBC News, October 11, 2015: “Blue Jays fever takes toll at some Nova Scotia workplaces”

The Toronto Star, October 9, 2015: “10 ways to be a fake Jays fan, without getting caught,” by Katrina Clarke

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Pensioners Fear For Future as U.S. Steel Cuts Benefits

"A bankruptcy court judge has approved a transition plan that will sever U.S. Steel Canada from its U.S. parent and has allowed the company to suspend health-care benefits for tens of thousands of retirees."

"In a brief decision on Friday, Justice Herman Wilton-Siegal endorsed a plan for U.S. Steel Canada to form its own company to manage its Canadian assets. He also endorsed its request to suspend health-care benefits to 20,000 pensioners, and to allow a reprieve on paying property taxes."

CBC News, October 9, 2015: “Judge approves U.S. Steel transition plan, suspends retiree benefits,” by Samantha Craggs

"The judge whose decisions have created a newly independent U.S. Steel Canada is urging the company, the union and other key stakeholders to work together for the company’s survival." 

CBC News, October 14, 2015:  “Everyone needs to work together for U.S. Steel Canada to survive,” by Samantha Craggs

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Employers' Toolkit: Making Ontario Workplaces Accessible to People With Disabilities

“The Conference Board of Canada has partnered with the Ontario government’s Enabling Change Program to develop resources to help employers tap into a vibrant and underutilized labour pool -- people with disabilities. This toolkit provides practical advice to employers of all sizes about simple changes they can implement to make their workplaces more inclusive for people with disabilities and suggestions on complying with the Employment Standard as set out under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It includes resources such as checklists, tips and techniques, links to other resources, case studies (business profiles), and guidelines for small businesses to help employers implement accessible employment strategies and practices.“

Conference Board of Canada, October 2, 2015: "Employers’ Toolkit: Making Ontario Workplaces Accessible to People With Disabilities, 2nd Edition" (196 pages, PDF)

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Ontario Launches Online Education Portal

On October 8, 2015 “the province launched a new online education portal that will give Ontario postsecondary students access to thousands of accredited online college and university courses.”

“The new web portal, which will give students greater flexibility to complete their courses, houses more than 13,000 online courses and includes:

  • A searchable catalogue of courses offered online
  • Access to 277 new and redesigned courses with transferable credits between participating institutions
  • Features that easily and immediately identify credit transfer information
  • Support and resources for faculty on how to design and deliver online courses
  • Academic and technical support resources for all users.”

Ontario Government, October 8, 2015: “Ontario Launches Online Education Portal College and University Students Can Access More Than 13,000 Online Courses”

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2015 Better World MBA Results

“While there are many business rankings that focus on how they can help graduates make more money, The Better World MBA Ranking aims to identify which MBAs best prepare graduates to change the world for the better and succeed in this shifting business climate. As the march to a more inclusive, socially, and ecologically just form of capitalism gathers steam, it is our hope that these new graduates will not only produce the highest returns for society and the planet, but they will also be handsomely rewarded by the market for doing so.”

“Several notable regional trends did emerge when examining the Top 40 Better World MBA programs. Fifty-five per cent of the schools were from North America, including an impressive nine schools from Canada. European schools made up 33 per cent of the remainder, followed by a handful of schools from Asia, Africa and Australia.”

Corporate Knights, October 8, 2015: “North American business schools lead on sustainability teaching”

Corporate Knights, October 8, 2015: “2015 Better World MBA results”

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Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age

“Yet we all do it: Slipping a phone onto the table, we put the people in front of us on pause to disappear into the vast else wheres of our screens. Whether we’re texting with others who are not present, scanning irrelevant Internet minutiae or enjoying the neurochemical hit of a Facebook like, many of us now routinely interrupt face time with loved ones to scratch the itch of online distraction. American adults check their phones every 6.5 minutes, or approximately 150 times a day. Collectively in Canada, we send 224 million text messages a day while actual phone calls decline.”

“These are the troubling dynamics mined by Sherry Turkle in her pivotal new book Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. In it, the renowned media scholar from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology pleads with us to do tech better. To investigate the sentiment ‘I’d rather text than talk,’ Turkle spent five years interviewing families, students, academics and employers about the ways we speak -- and don’t speak -- to each other today. What’s become abundantly clear to her is that our love affair with screen time is getting us into serious interpersonal trouble.”

The Globe and Mail, October 8, 2015: “Why it’s time to put your smartphone down. Seriously,” by Zosia Bielski

“To further portray how significant this physical disconnect has become, photographer Eric Pickersgill has released a series of photos from everyday life with one minor adjustment: all electronic devices have been removed.”

“The project, which he has titled Removed, was inspired and initiated by an observation he made one morning while sitting in a local cafe:”

“Family sitting next to me at Illium cafe in Troy, NY is so disconnected from one another. Not much talking. Father and two daughters have their own phones out. Mom doesn’t have one or chooses to leave it put away. She stares out the window, sad and alone in the company of her closest family. Dad looks up every so often to announce some obscure piece of info he found online. Twice he goes on about a large fish that was caught. No one replies. I am saddened by the use of technology for interaction in exchange for not interacting. This has never happened before and I doubt we have scratched the surface of the social impact of this new experience. Mom has her phone out now.”

View the full project here [Eric Pickersgill’s website]

Collective Evolution, October 11, 2015: “Photographer Removes Phones From His Images To Show How Addicted We’ve Become,” by Mark DeNicola

The Return of the Guilds

“One afternoon in May, Chris Chavez, Jerone Hsu, and Dan Taeyoung splayed themselves out along a suspended I-beam and stray ladder on the roof of a pair of conjoined buildings on the Hell’s Kitchen end of Fifty-fourth Street, talking about their co-working collective, Prime Produce, and the history of the world.”

“It was now time, he [Chavez] and his colleagues believed, to restore a pre-industrial template to prominence. They’d decided to reinvent Prime Produce, a small non-profit that Hsu had founded some years earlier, by modelling it after a medieval guild.”

“Prime Produce isn’t alone in looking to old-fashioned guilds as a means of social innovation. Some unions already hearken to them, at least by name, notably in the film industry. The New York Times Magazine recently suggested, too, that Hollywood’s guild-like set-workers’ unions, whose members often bounce from production to production, may represent ‘the future of work.’ Jay Z’s Tidal streaming platform sold itself to consumers as a kind of guild for musicians, and a band of Silicon Valley business writers has organized itself into the Silicon Guild to help amplify each member’s network and steer the conversation about technology.”

“Chavez told me that co-ownership can be a way to opt out, at least in part, of the pressures of the broader economy -- to reclaim the former meanings of words, even, from before they were conscripted to capitalism. ‘The word ‘company’ doesn’t need to exist in a market logic,’ he said. It used to be, simply, what happens when people come together.”

“Adding to the stew of ambition and anachronism, Chavez referred to the old guilds as ‘catalysts’ for a better kind of technological progress. ‘They blocked innovation that dehumanized work,’ he said.’Guilds were always responsible to people first.’”

The New Yorker, October 13, 2015: “The New Guilded Age,” by Nathan Schneider

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Demand Prison-Free Products as Adamantly as Cage-Free Eggs

“Whole Foods came under fire for using prison workers in their supply chain. But the government has most to answer for when it comes to such practices.”

“The model of prison labor highlighted in the Whole Foods story involves a government-owned, corrections-operated organization partnering with for profit businesses in the production of a product or service. Corporations and industries involved in this kind of supply chain are many, and include the automotive industry, garments and as this story demonstrates, grocery products -- even those of the ‘artisanal’ variety.”

“However, the far more common versions of prison labor come in the form of in-house manufacturing, where the products or materials manufactured by incarcerated workers are sold to other government entities (such as schools, government offices, the military) or ‘big house’ work, where prisoners are put to work in jobs that support the upkeep of the prison, such as running the kitchens, doing building maintenance or janitorial work.”

“Consider that, in the United States this labor can legally be completely involuntary and uncompensated. Refusal to work can and does come with harsh punishment. And wages, if paid at all, are far below minimum wage for the same jobs held by workers on the outside.”

The Guardian, October 7, 2015: “We should demand prison-free products as adamantly as cage-free eggs,“ by Whitney Benns

$1,500 to $2,500 a Year

“'This is a model example of a prison-work program,' Scaggs says. 'By purchasing goat’s milk from the facility [that uses prison labor], we’re supporting ... rehabilitative incarceration.' He says prisoners are taught teamwork and getting job training.”

“Scaggs says the inmates make about $1,500 to $2,500 a year, but he isn’t sure what the hourly rate of pay is.”

NPR, September 30, 2015: “Whole Foods Says It Will Stop Selling Foods Made With Prison Labor,” by Allison Aubrey

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The Minimum Wage: How Much Is Too Much?

Economist Alan Krueger explains what he thinks is “too much” when it comes to the minimum wage.

“... [R]esearch that I and others have conducted convinced me that if the minimum wage is set at a moderate level it does not necessarily reduce employment. While some employers cut jobs in response to a minimum-wage increase, others find that a higher wage floor enables them to fill their vacancies and reduce turnover, which raises employment, even though it eats into their profits. The net effect of all this, as has been found in most studies of the minimum wage over the last quarter-century, is that when it is set at a moderate level, the minimum wage has little or no effect on employment."

“Although available research cannot precisely answer these questions, I am confident that a federal minimum wage that rises to around $12 an hour over the next five years or so would not have a meaningful negative effect on United States employment.”

“But $15 an hour is beyond international experience, and could well be counterproductive. Although some high-wage cities and states could probably absorb a $15-an-hour minimum wage with little or no job loss, it is far from clear that the same could be said for every state, city and town in the United States.”

“Although the plight of low-wage workers is a national tragedy, the push for a nationwide $15 minimum wage strikes me as a risk not worth taking, especially because other tools, such as the earned-income tax credit, can be used in combination with a higher minimum wage to improve the livelihoods of low-wage workers.”

The New York Times, October 9, 2015: “The Minimum Wage: How Much Is Too Much?,” by Alan Krueger

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Global Employment Trends for Youth 2015

“The Global Employment Trends for Youth 2015 provides an update on key youth labour market indicators and trends, focusing both on the continuing labour market instability and on structural issues in youth labour markets. The report offers valuable lessons learned on “what works” for youth employment and on emerging practices in policy responses. Ideally, these will shape future investments in youth employment, as countries continue to prioritize youth in their national policy agendas.”

International Labour Organization, October 8, 2015: “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2015: Scaling up investments in decent jobs for youth“ (110 pages, PDF)

Worst Places in the World to be a Young Person Looking For Work

“Young people around the world have struggled to find work since the financial crisis hit. This year, job prospects aren’t any rosier, announced the International Labour Organization on Oct. 8.”

“On a regional level, the data is both encouraging and troubling. On one hand, it indicates that young people in developed countries are leaving the workforce to further their educations, and that unemployment in the euro zone is easing. But it’s also a sign that the job market is worsening for youths in emerging economies.”

“Youth joblessness rates in the Middle East and North Africa are 'alarmingly' high, according to the report. Across these regions, more than one in four active young people are unable to find work.”

Quartz, October 9, 2015: ‘The worst places in the world to be a young person looking for work,” by Ashley Rodriguez

Investing in Skills and in Quality Job Creation

“Rapid changes in technology, in patterns of work and employment relationship, as well as new forms of start-ups, require constant adjustment to new labour market conditions and addressing skills mismatches.”

“Providing youth the best opportunity to transition to a decent job calls for investing in education and training of the highest possible quality, providing youth with skills that match labour market demands, giving them access to social protection and basic services regardless of their contract type, as well as levelling the playing field so that all aspiring youth can attain productive employment regardless of their gender, income level or socio-economic background."

International Labour Organization, October 8, 2015: “Youth employment crisis easing but far from over”

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1% of Population, 50% of World's Wealth

“Global inequality is growing, with half the world’s wealth now in the hands of just 1% of the population, according to a new report.”

“The middle classes have been squeezed at the expense of the very rich, according to research by Credit Suisse, which also finds that for the first time, there are more individuals in the middle classes in China -- 109 million -- than the 92 million in the US.”

“Tidjane Thiam, the chief executive of Credit Suisse, said: ‘Middle class wealth has grown at a slower pace than wealth at the top end. This has reversed the pre-crisis trend which saw the share of middle-class wealth remaining fairly stable over time.’”

The Guardian, October 13, 2015: “Half of world’s wealth now in hands of 1% of population -- report,” by Jill Treanor

Despite vast wealth inequality and a slight decrease in total global wealth, the “underlying wealth trends ... generally remain positive, according to the Credit Suisse Research Institute’s annual ‘Global Wealth Report.’ The rise in household wealth was particularly strong in the US and China between mid-2014 to mid-2015. ‘Wealth is (nevertheless) still predominantly concentrated in Europe and the United States. However, the growth of wealth in emerging markets has been most impressive, including a fivefold rise in China since the beginning of the century,’ said Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam. China now accounts for a fifth of the world population, while holding nearly 10 percent of the global wealth. The Chinese middle class is now, for the first time, the world’s largest.

Credit Suisse, October 13, 2015: "Global Wealth in 2015: Underlying Trends Remain Positive,” by Richard Kersley and Markus Stierli

2015 Global Wealth Report website and link to download the full report (64 pages, PDF)

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Book of the Week

Work in a Warming World, edited by Carla Lipsig-Mumme and Stephen McBride. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press; Kingston: School of Policy Studies, Queen's University, 2015. 244 p. ISBN 9781553394327 (pbk.)

From the publisher: "Global warming is perhaps the greatest challenge facing the twenty-first century. Environmental polices on the one hand, and economic and labour market polices on the other, often exist in separate silos creating a dilemma that Work in a Warming World confronts. The world of work - goods, services, and resources - produces most of the greenhouse gases created by human activity. In engaging essays, contributors demonstrate how the world of work and the labour movement need to become involved in the struggle to slow global warming, and the ways in which environmental and economic policies need to be linked dynamically in order to effect positive change. Addressing the dichotomy of competing public policies in a Canadian context, Work in a Warming World presents ways of creating an effective response to global warming and key building blocks toward a national climate strategy."

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