Perry Work Report for the week of February 08, 2010

February 8, 2010

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$1 million SSHRC grant for employment and climate change project

Project Title: “Work in a warming world: adapting Canadian employment and work to the challenges of climate change”

Carla Lipsig-Mummé, professor of work and labour studies in York's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and research fellow in York’s Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability, has received $1 million over six years from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The award will fund an international project to study the challenge climate change presents to Canadian employment and workplaces. Lipsig-Mummé will examine seven Canadian employment sectors to seek policy, training, employment and workplace solutions to effectively assist Canada’s transition to a low-emission economy.

Lipsig-Mummé’s research team includes nationally- and internationally-based climate scientists, senior labour market actors and academics from a wide range of disciplines. A total of 23 researchers, 20 partners, and 10 universities in three countries will participate, including York Professors David Doorey, Dawn Bazely, Irene Henriques, Jan Kainer, John-Justin McMurtry, Stepan Wood and Steven Tufts.

Participants from the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto include co applicant,Professor Laurel Sefton MacDowell; current MIRHR Student Conrad Page who was chief research assistant in preparing the $1mill CURA grant including an extensive bibliography; and acting as information specialist is CIRHR Library retiredHead of Information Services, Elizabeth Perry.  As well we are lucky to have Professor Carla Lipsig-Mummé teachingLabour and Globalization at the CIRHR when she is available.

For a complete list of co applicants, collaborators and partners see: SSHRC: Winning Research…scroll down to page 16

YFile, February 5, 2010:  Prof receives $1 million from SSHRC for climate change project

 

Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains

Join Sarosh Kuruvilla, Professor of Industrial Relations, Asian Studies and Public Affairs, Cornell University ILR School for anILR Online Webcast on March 9th at 12 noon to 1 pm.
Taking a global value chain perspective, this webcast will cover the typical processes used by firms to uphold core labor standards throughout their supply chains, and the typical problems they face in doing so. A case will be analyzed followed by a discussion of emerging “best practices”. If you miss this date the Webcast will be posted a few days later and available at any time for viewing.

Register for: ILR Online Webcast, March 9, 2010: Labor Standards in Global Supply Chains

NIKE by Sarosh Kuruvilla ©2007 (6 pages, PDF)

Kuruvilla, S., & Verma, A. (2006). International labor standards, soft regulation, and national government roles. Retrieved from Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations site: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/articles/37/

 

The Cost of Conscience: The Hidden Challenges of Dissent in the Workplace

This event will be webcast live at www.soros.org/webcast.  You can view this webcast on February 11, 2010 at 5:30 pm. and anytime after as the programs are posted on this site.  Location: Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C. . Speakers: Matthew Alexander, Richard Cizik, Elizabeth MacKenzie Biedell, Morton H. Halperin, Scott Horton.

Open Society Institute announcement for February 11, 2010: The Cost of Conscience: The Hidden Challenges of Dissent in the Workplace

 

LabourStart Conference

Trade union activists from around the world will gather at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on July 9th – 11th, 2010, at the first open LabourStart conference. Already, 650 people from 70 different countries have pre-registered to attend. A rough draft of the agenda is available along with a comments and suggestions form.

Click here to pre-register (this does not commit you to attend, but does give LabourStart a sense of how many people might be there and is essential for conference planning

 

Review of Workplace Safety System in Ontario

Ontario will appoint Tony Dean as chair of an Expert Advisory Panel to conduct a comprehensive review of the province's occupational health and safety prevention and enforcement system. He will lead a panel, comprised of safety experts from labour groups, employers and academic institutions to recommend options for structural, operational and policy improvements. The panel will research best-in-class approaches to improving workplace safety in national and international jurisdictions and will look at a range of issues including workplace safety practices and entry-level safety training, the impact of the underground economy on health and safety practices and how existing legislation serves worker safety

Part of the review will be supported by the Institute for Work & Health, a globally renowned and independent research centre for occupational health and safety. The Expert Advisory Panel will report back to the Minister of Labour in Fall 2010.

Ontario Newsroom, January 27, 2010: Review of Workplace Safety System in Ontario

 

On the Waterfront: complaint brought to the Canadian Human Rights Commission

The BC Maritime Employers Association has filed a harassment complaint against the International Longshore and Warehouse Union concerning the harassment of women dock workers. A report by Vince Ready, an experienced and highly regarded mediator/arbitrator who was commissioned by the ILWU Local 500, was released to the union in the summer of 2009.  According to the Vancouver Sun the report found some very troubling levels of sexual harassment on the docks.

Globe and Mail, February 5, 2010: 'Ugly girl' system in operation at B.C. docks:  Employers' group files complaint detailing ‘significant and sustained' sexual harassment

Vancouver Sun, July 22, 2009: Women face systemic discrimination on Vancouver's waterfront

Vancouver Sun, November   22, 2009: Changing workplace culture on the waterfront stalled by lack of women workers By Kim Pemberton

ILWU Canada Waterfront News, October 2009 – see page 14 for the ILWU Canada Harassment Policy Flow Chart

 

Merger & Acquisitions Pulse survey

According to a new Towers Watson pulse survey, organizations going through an M&A have a greater chance of meeting the goals for their deal if they keep workforce issues top of mind, and address those issues thoughtfully and consistently throughout the entire transition process.The survey, which drew on the perspectives of more than 400 senior HR and business executives from 25 countries, compared the practices of companies that consider their recent M&A transactions to have met the primary objective for the transaction to those that felt their deal was less successful.

Towers Watson Pulse Survey, February 2010: Positioning for M&A Success: Putting People into the Equation (download this 10 page, PDF report by clicking on the title under Download this report)

 

How to get a Job

Molly Wendell, a job search pro and blogger, talks about how to get a job – turn off the computer and go out and talk to people!  Sounds like good advice.

MetroNews.ca, February 8, 2010: Talking the talk is the key to a successful job hunt

Molly’s Blog: A fresh approach to job search and networking…with practical tips you can actually use!

 

Labour Force Statistics

Employment increased by 43,000 in January, all in part time, pushing the unemployment rate down 0.1 percentage points to 8.3%. January marks the fourth employment gain in six months. Despite the recent increases, employment still remains 280,000 below the level of October 2008. Employment gains in January were driven by women aged 25 to 54 and youths. This was the first notable increase for youths since the start of the employment downturn in the fall of 2008.  

According to Doug Hyatt, economics professor at Rotman School of Management, the jobless rate is likely to remain high this year because cautious employers offer overtime rather than hiring and many of the unemployed who gave up will resume their job search.

Statistics Canada, February 5, 2010: Labour Force, January 2010 (6 pages, PDF)   

Statistics Canada, February 5, 2010: Labour Force Information, January 2010 (57 pages, PDF)

Toronto Star, February 8, 2010: Rising employment number masks devastated job market; Analysts hail recovery but deeper probing reveals more precarious situation for workers by Ken Lewenza

Globe and Mail, February 5, 2010: Tepid growth, scarce optimism: Why the jobs picture remains cloudy by Tavia Grant

Globe and Mail, February 5, 2010: Canada churns out 43,000 jobs Economy creates a slew of part-time positions, sending the jobless rate down a notch to 8.3%   by Tavia Grant

Canadian Press, February 5, 2010: Key elements of jobs data A look at unemployment by province and cities

 

Guide to the Labour Force Survey

The annual Guide to the Labour Force Survey has been released by Statistics Canada.  Included in the guide is everything you need to know about this survey:  1.Background and objectives; 2.Determining labour force status; 3.Dictionary of concepts and definitions; 4.Survey methodology; 5.Data collection 6.Data processing; 7.Data quality

Guide to the Labour Force Survey, 2010 (html) OR (70 pages, PDF)

 

2009 Diversity in Governance Awards

At an awards ceremony on February 4, 2010, DiverseCity onboard, part of Maytree, recognized United Way Toronto and Women’s College Hospital for embracing diversity in board governance and making it a priority to seek out board members from diverse backgrounds.

Diversity story of United Way Toronto

Diversity story of Women’s College Hospital.

 

Final Report of Task Force on Anti-Racism at Ryerson

In its response to recommendations made by the Task Force on Anti-racism, Ryerson University has stated that it will be creating a senior position to lead equity initiatives, that data collection pertaining to diversity in human resources will be undertaken, that equity resources will be developed, and training in diversity initiatives begun.

Final Report of the Task Force on Anti-Racism at Ryerson, January 2010 (110 pages, PDF)

Ryerson University Task Force on Anti-Racism website 

Ryerson University’s Response to the Report of the Taskforce on Anti-Racism at Ryerson University, February 8, 2010 (2 pages, PDF).

Toronto Star, February 8, 2010: Ryerson told to crack down on racist 'chill'

Toronto Star, February 9, 2010: Ryerson takes aim against racism; Downtown university will strive to become 'a model for diversity' using task force's report

Globe and Mail, February 9, 2010: Racism at Ryerson? Look carefully or you'll miss it; Anti-racism task force condemns as naive those who don't believe discrimination exists on diverse downtown campus By Marcus Gee

 

Book of the Week

Multiculturalism and Social Cohesion: Potentials and Challenges of Diversity, by Jeffrey G. Reitz ... [et al.]; with the collaboration of Mai B. Phan and Rupa Banerjee. Dordrecht : Springer, 2009. 194 p. ISBN 978-1-4020-9957-1

Also available as an e-book on UTLibraries (if off-campus for UofT community only) athttp://simplelink.library.utoronto.ca/url.cfm/85707.

Does multiculturalism 'work'? Does multiculturalism policy create social cohesion, or undermine it? Multiculturalism was introduced in Canada in the 1970s and widely adopted internationally, but more recently has been hotly debated, amid new concerns about social, cultural, and political impacts of immigration. Advocates praise multiculturalism for its emphasis on special recognition for cultural minorities as facilitating their social integration, while opponents charge that multiculturalism threatens social cohesion by encouraging social isolation.

Multiculturalism is thus rooted in a theory of human behaviour, and this book examines the empirical validity of some of its basic propositions, focusing on Canada as the country for which the most enthusiastic claims for multiculturalism have been made. The analysis draws on the massive national Ethnic Diversity Survey of over 41,000 Canadians in 2002, the most extensive survey yet conducted on this question.

The analysis provides a new and more nuanced understanding of the complex relation between multiculturalism and social cohesion, challenging uncritically optimistic or pessimistic views. Ethnic community ties facilitate some aspects of social integration, while discouraging others. For racial minorities, relations within and outside minority communities are greatly complicated by more frequent experiences of discrimination and inequality, slowing processes of social integration. Implications for multicultural policies emphasize that race relations present important challenges across Quebec and the rest of Canada, including for the new religious minorities, and that ethnic community development requires more explicit supportfor social integration.

About the Author: Jeffrey G. Reitz, Program Director, Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies at the University of Toronto

 

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Editor: Vicki Skelton
Designer: Nick Strupat

Copyright © 2008 Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.

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