Perry Work Report, June 19, 2013
- Unifor Constitution Now Available
- Supreme Court Protects Workers' Privacy Rights
- PEI to Push CPP Reform Forward
- The Training Wheels Are Off: A Closer Look at the Canada Job Grant
- The Use of Force in Jails
- In the Ivory Tower, Men Only
- Are MOOCs Good for Students?
- The End of the 'Golden Age' for University Graduates
- From Factory Floor to Store: The Journey of Jeans
- Life on Edge as New Divide Ignored
- How Rock 'N' Roll Can Explain the U.S. Economy
- A Broken Bargain: Discrimination, Fewer Benefits and More Taxes for LGBT Workers
- International Migration Policies 2013
- Economists Look at Global Poverty
- Book of the Week
Unifor Constitution Now Available
The Constitution that will be presented to CAW and CEP members at the founding convention of Unifor (taking place August 30 - September 1 in Toronto) is now available.
Unifor, June 17, 2013: “Unifor Constitution” (77 pages, PDF)
CEP Merger Agreement (8 pages, PDF)
CAW Merger Agreement (8 pages, PDF)
Supreme Court Protects Workers' Privacy Rights
“[Friday’s] Supreme Court decision on mandatory random alcohol testing is a victory in the battle to protect workers’ privacy rights, says Dave Coles, President of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.”
“‘Random alcohol testing is a humiliating invasion of an individual’s privacy that has no proven impact on workplace safety,’ says Coles...”
“‘The Supreme Court’s decision makes it clear that employers can’t simply impose random alcohol testing on their workforce, they need to negotiate this question,’ said Coles.”
Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, June 14, 2013: “Supreme Court protects workers’ privacy rights”
Supreme Court of Canada, June 14, 2013: “Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 v. Irving Pulp & Paper, Ltd.” (75 pages, PDF)
Read the history of this case’s proceedings here.
CBC News, June 14, 2013: “Workplace random alcohol tests rejected by top court” [includes video]
PEI to Push CPP Reform Forward
“Prince Edward Island is putting together a new proposal to enhance the Canada Pension Plan in the hope of getting Ottawa and the provinces on board.”
“Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is soon expected to call a meeting of his federal and territorial counterparts, who will gather for the first time since they agreed on a “way forward” on CPP reform six months ago at Meech Lake.”
The Globe and Mail, June 17, 2013: “PEI to push CPP reform forward,” by Bill Curry
The Globe and Mail, June 13, 2013: “Any day now, we’ll get to pension reform,” by Konrad Yakabuski
The Globe and Mail, December 17, 2012: “Finance ministers put CPP reform back on the agenda,” by Bill Curry
The Training Wheels Are Off: A Closer Look at the Canada Job Grant
“The 2013 Budget announced the creation of a new program called the Canada Job Grant, slated to begin in April 2014. According to the federal government, the new program is meant to address a ‘skills mismatch’ in Canada where some workers go without jobs and some jobs go without workers because the available workers do not have the necessary skills to fill the available jobs.”
Mowat Centre, June 17, 2013: “The Training Wheels Are Off: A Closer Look at the Canada Job Grant,” by Michael Mendelson and Noah Zon
The Toronto Star, June 17, 2013: “Canada Job Grant deeply flawed, report says,” by Dana Flavelle
National Post, June 17, 2013: “Advertised jobs program does not yet exist,” by Andrew Coyne
The Use of Force in Jails
“In The Code, his latest report, Mr. Marin details disturbing stories of some correctional staff who committed ‘brazen acts of violence’ against inmates, attempted to destroy and falsify evidence, and intimidated colleagues who tried to report the perpetrators. He makes 45 recommendations to the government to end this ‘dysfunctional culture’ and ensure such incidents are properly investigated and disciplined. The Ministry has pledged to implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations.”
Ontario Ombudsman, June 11, 2013: Use of force in jails: An Investigation into the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services’ response to allegations of excessive use of force against inmates.
In the Ivory Tower, Men Only
“Our Berkeley research team has spent more than a decade studying why so many women begin the climb but do not make it to the top of the Ivory Tower: the tenured faculty, full professors, deans, and presidents. The answer turns out to be what you’d expect: Babies matter. Women pay a 'baby penalty' over the course of a career in academia -- from the tentative graduate school years through the pressure cooker of tenure, the long midcareer march, and finally retirement. But babies matter in different ways at different times...”
“The most important finding [from Mary Ann Mason’s book, Do Babies Matter? Gender and Family in the Ivory Tower] is that family formation negatively affects women’s, but not men’s, academic careers.”
Slate, June 17, 2013: “In the Ivory Tower, Men Only,” by Mary Ann Mason
Anne Fausto-Sterling, Nancy Duke Lewis Professor of Biology and Gender Studies at Brown University, desrcibes her expereinces with sexism in academia.
Boston Review, June 10, 2013: “My Life Confronting Sexism in Academia,” by Anne Fausto-Sterling
Are MOOCs Good for Students?
Thomas Leddy, Professor of Philosophy at San Jose University, writes: “our concern is not so much with a particular course, with curricular decisions in our university, or even with the future of philosophy as a discipline (although all of these things are deeply important), but with the future of higher education itself, and hence, frankly, with the future of our culture. The key problem is not even MOOCs [massive open online courses] so much as it is with the reduction of knowledge to that which can be tested by a multiple-choice exam or similar methods. It is the 'massive' aspect of MOOCs that raises the deepest problems. MOOCs pose a great threat to the most important value of higher education: 'literacy.' By 'literacy' I mean, very broadly, the ability to read, think about, and intelligently respond (both orally and in writing) to the literature of any field of study. Thus, implementation of MOOCs for university credit is bad because it is bad for our students.”
Boston Review, June 14, 2013: “Are MOOCs Good for Students?,” by Thomas Leddy
This article is “the fourth of a four-part series on education reform, online technology, and the future of learning.” Read the resthere.
Minding the Campus, June 13, 2013: “Forget MOOCs -- Let’s Use MOOA,” by Benjamin Ginsberg
The End of the 'Golden Age' for University Graduates
“Some 500,000 students have just graduated from Canada’s post-secondary education system, and the great majority will be hoping to find a decent job and to embark upon a meaningful career.”
“Unfortunately, the employment prospects for many graduates are pretty dismal, for reasons that deserve serious reflection...”
“As University of Massachusetts economist Nancy Folbre recently wrote in the New York Times, we no longer live in ‘the Golden Age of Human Capital.’ The supply of postsecondary graduates now greatly exceeds employer demand for their education and skills across a wide range of occupations.”
The Globe and Mail, June 14, 2013: “The end of the ‘Golden Age’ for university graduates,” by Andrew Jackson
Canadian Employment Quality Index, June 10, 2013: “Job Quality -- Not What It Used To Be,” by Benjamin Tal (4 pages, PDF)
Statistics Canada, March 2013: “The Evolution of Canadian Wages over the Last Three Decades,” by Rene Morissette, Garnett Picot and Yuqian Lu (54 pages, PDF)
International Labour Organization, 2013: “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2013: A Generation at Risk” (116 pages, PDF)
From Factory Floor to Store: The Journey of Jeans
“How far does a typical pair of jeans travel before it ends up in your closet -- and at what cost? Reuters tracks the garment supply chain, from factories in Bangladesh to retailers near you.”
The Globe and Mail, June 17, 2013: “From factory floor to store: the journey of jeans” [video]
For more on the current state of the Bangladesh garment industry check out these recent stories:
CBC News, June 17, 2013: “Susan Ormiston: Dying for cheap clothes, lessons of the Bangladesh disaster,” by Susan Ormiston
CBC’s The National, June 17, 2013: “The Cost of Cheap,” a documentary by Susan Ormiston [video]
CBC News, June 17, 2013: “Dying for cheap clothes” [video]
The Globe and Mail, June 14, 2013: “Bangladeshi garment factories to undergo sophisticated testing in upcoming months,” by Ravi Nessman
Life on Edge as New Divide Ignored
“The Fair Work Commission’s recent wage review may have struck an increased pay deal for low-paid workers but its decision overlooks the growth of a worrying new divide in the Australian workforce."
"With the rise and rise of the insecure worker, the issue has become less about adequate safety nets and more about the power relationship between employee and employer, the way that shapes the work contract, and the increase in a ‘disposable worker’ syndrome."
"But while an ACTU campaign is trying to draw attention to insecure work growth, the development of a ‘core’ and ‘periphery’ workforce has largely been ignored.”
The Conversation, June 17, 2013: “Life on edge as new divide ignored,” by Brian Howe
Fair Work Commission, June 2013: “Annual Wage Review 2012-13"
How Rock 'N' Roll Can Explain the U.S. Economy
“Krueger titled his speech ‘Land of Hope and Dreams,’ in honor of his fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen.”
“Springsteen boasted the second-highest-grossing concert tour last year -- right behind Madonna -- with 72 shows that together raked in more than $199 million. That makes The Boss a fitting emblem of our modern ‘superstar economy.’ In music, as in so many industries, Krueger says, the lion’s share of the money now goes to a relative handful of top performers.”
NPR, June 15, 2013: How Rock ‘N’ Roll Can Explain The U.S. Economy by Scott Horsley.
“'The music industry is a microcosm of what is happening in the U.S. economy at large,' Alan Krueger, on of President Obama’s top economic advisers, said yesterday. 'We are increasingly becoming a ‘winner-take-all economy'...' Krueger, who once wrote a paper called Rockonomics, was speaking at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. He used the occasion to talk about how top earners are taking a bigger share of the pie in both the live-music business and in the economy at large -- and for many of the same reasons.”
NPR, June 13, 2013: Pop Stars and the Rise of Inequality in America, in 2 Graphs
A Broken Bargain: Discrimination, Fewer Benefits and More Taxes for LGBT Workers
“The basic American bargain is that people who work hard and meet their responsibilities should be able to get ahead. This basic bargain is not just an idea -- it is embedded in laws that promote equal access to jobs and that protect workers from unfair practices.”
“For workers who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), this bargain is broken. Instead of having a fair chance to get ahead, LGBT workers and their families often are held back by bias, fewer workplace benefits, and higher taxes.”
Centre for American Progress, June 10, 2013: A Broken Bargain: Discrimination, Fewer Benefits and More Taxes for LGBT Workers
A Broken Bargain: Discrimination, Fewer Benefits and More Taxes for LGBT Workers (125 pages, PDF)
Employment Non-Discrimination Law in the United States
A 2012 ruling by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission extends Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination to prohibit discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people. For additional information, contact the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality, or the Equality Federation.
An interactive map, available on the Movement Advancement Project website, allows users to view sub-state non-discrimination policies.
In Canada Bill C-279: An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code (gender identity) was passed by the House of Commons on March 21, 2013 and is now in its third reading in the Senate.
International Migration Policies 2013
“International Migration Policies 2013 wall chart provides up-to-date and objective information on Government views and policies on immigration and emigration for all 193 Member States and three non-Member States of the United Nations. On immigration, it includes information on policies on major types of migration and migrant integration. On emigration, it includes information on policies to encourage the return of citizens and policies on diaspora matters. The wall chart also includes information on estimates of international migrant stock, female share of international migrants, net migration rate, and remittances.”
United Nations, June 14, 2013: International Migration Policies 2013 website
International Migration Policies 2013 wall chart (2 pages, 12MB, PDF)
Economists Look at Global Poverty
“In the past decade, development economics has grown to extraordinary prominence, not just in academia but also in the public arena. This new development economics has moved in two strikingly different directions. The first focuses on micro-level policy interventions. It uses the tools of field experiments and randomized controlled trials (RCT) to evaluate focused strategies for alleviating persistent poverty. The second trend focuses on macro institutions: the structures of democracy, autocracy, centralized and diffused power, and legal protections of property and contracts that organize politics and markets. Drawing ideas from the burgeoning field of institutional economics, this second stream of work has addressed grand, old historical questions such as why some countries have succeeded in the march to prosperity while others have languished.”
“In the past two years, some of the brightest minds of the new development economics have published books exploring these two trends. A critical appreciation of these works may give us some insight into the high points and pitfalls of the emerging micro and macro approaches.”
Boston Review, May 20, 2013: “Little, Big: Two Ideas about Fighting Global Poverty,” by Pranab Bardhan
Rethinking the way we fight poverty:
“Unfortunately, there is no evidence to give the kind of answers that will tell us who is right. This book will not tell you whether aid is good or bad, but it will say whether particular instances of aid did some good or not.”
Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty website
Book of the Week
Human Development and Capabilities: Re-imagining the University of the Twenty-first Century, edited by Alejandra Boni and Melanie Walker. New York, NY : Routledge, 2013. 236 p. ISBN 9780415536325 (hardcover)
Human Development and Capabilities imaginatively applies a theoretical framework to universities as institutions and social practices from human development and the capability approach, attempting to show how universities might advance equalities rather than necessarily widen them, and how they can contribute to a sustainable and democratic society. Picking through the capability approach for human development, in relation to Universities, this book highlights and explores three main ideas:
- Theoretical insights to advance thinking about human development and higher education
- Policy implications for the responsibilities and potential contributions of universities in a period of significant global change
- Operationalising a New Imaginary
This fresh take on the work and purpose of the University is essential reading for anyone interested in university education, capability approach and human development; particularly postgraduates, University policy makers, researchers and academics in the field of higher education.
About the Authors:
Alejandra Boni is an Associate Professor at the Universidad Politènica de Valencia, Spain, and member of the Development, Cooperation and Ethics Study Group. Melanie Walker is Senior Research Professor at the University of the Free State, South Africa, and South African Research Chair in human development and higher education.
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