Perry Work Report for the week of June 28, 2012

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June 28, 2012

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See You In September!

The Perry Work Report will be taking a summer break after this issue, but will return in September. Vicki Skelton will also return to the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources in September, and will resume her role as editor for this publication. I've very much enjoyed the opportunity to be the editor of the Perry Work Report for the past six months - thank you all for reading!

We wish you all a safe and wonderful summer.

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BC Teachers – Finally Voting on a Contract

“With British Columbia teachers voting on a new contract, parents and students might be hoping to put labour strife behind them when classes begin next fall. But even if teachers ratify the new agreement, a bigger battle between the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation and the provincial government rages on, with the union on Wednesday saying it has filed a court challenge against Bill 22, education legislation passed in March. As well, the proposed contract announced late Tuesday would be in effect only until June, 2013”.

Vancouver Sun, June 28, 2012: “Christy Clark cheers 'unlikely' deal with B.C. teachers: B.C. Teachers Federation head Susan Lambert is recommending teachers vote to ratify the deal”, By Camille Bains

Nanaimo Daily News, June 28, 2012: “Teachers see main demands denied in contract: No improvements to class size, composition”, by Robert Barron

Canadian Labour-reporter.com, June 27, 2012: “B.C. teachers, government reach tentative agreement:
Teachers adhere to net-zero mandate, government drops concession demands”

The Globe and Mail, June 27, 2012:  “B.C. Teachers’ union court action stokes labour war”, by Wendy Stueck

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The Tipping Point

“A posh Marriott beach resort in Muskoka is threatening to fire spa staff who won’t fork over almost half their tips to the hotel — just as Premier Dalton McGuinty seeks a ban on “tipping out” to the boss. The ultimatum, detailed in a letter obtained by the Star, will see spa customers at the Rosseau Muskoka near Port Carling charged a higher 20 per cent gratuity on their manicures, body wraps, massages and other treatments with 50 per cent of the tip going to staff who perform the hands-on services”. 

The Toronto Star, June 27, 2012: “Hand over your tips or else, posh Muskoka hotel warns staff”, by Rob Ferguson

The Toronto Star, June 13, 2012: “Dalton McGuinty touts NDP bill on tipping”, by Rob Ferguson

The Toronto Star, June 16, 2012: “Laws aren’t needed to control tips”. Letter to the editor.

The Toronto Star, June 14, 2012: “Hey Dalton McGuinty, here’s a tip on how the restaurant industry really works”, by Corey Mintz

CBC News, June 12, 2012: “Ontario NDP wants restaurant owners to keep hands off tips: Private member's bill would prohibit restaurant owners from taking a percentage of gratuities

The Globe And Mail, June 13, 2012: “Should restaurants be barred from taking a share of a server’s tip?”, by Wendy Leung

And in New York...

Wall Street Journal, March 8, 2012: [Chef Mario] Batali Settles Wage Lawsuit for $5 Million

New York Post, September 26, 2011: “Money-grub 'tip' suits driving eateries out of business”, by Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein

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Court Of Appeal For Ontario Rules On Overtime Class Action Trilogy

“The Ontario Court of Appeal has issued a trilogy of decisions that clarify when employees can launch class action lawsuits to sue federally regulated employers for allegedly denying them overtime. Ontario’s highest court on Tuesday gave a green light to overtime class actions in two separate cases involving employees of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and the Bank of Nova Scotia, but denied certification in a third case involving employees of Canadian National Railway Co. The two bank decisions affect more than 30,000 employees and put hundreds of millions of dollars on the line”.

Financial Post, June 26, 2012: “Ontario Court of Appeal allows bank overtime class actions”, by Drew Hasselback 

The Globe and Mail, June 26, 2012: “Court ruling on unpaid overtime not expected to spark deluge of cases”, by Jeff Gray

Court Of Appeal For Ontario, June 26, 2012: CITATION: Fresco v. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, 2012 ONCA 444. (PDF version, 51 pages)

Court Of Appeal For Ontario, June 26, 2012: Citation: Fulawka V. Bank Of Nova Scotia, 2012 Onca 443. (PDF version, 78 pages)

Court Of Appeal For Ontario, June 26, 2012: Citation:  McCracken v. Canadian National Railway Company, 2012 ONCA 445 (PDF version, 70 pages)

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More Stats Canada Cuts

“Statistics Canada has announced a long list of cuts to its programs and services — including some being eliminated and others reduced — due to federal budget cuts that are forcing the agency to slice $33.9 million from its budget by 2014-15. The cuts will affect data collection and reporting on sectors across the Canadian economy, including health care, agriculture, education, automobiles, culture, natural resource development, airlines, trucking, pipelines and many others”.

Canada.com, June 28, 2012: “Statistics Canada identifies long list of programs and services affected by budget cuts”

Economics for public policy, June 18, 2012: “Statistics Canada cuts long data short: another longitudinal survey is cancelled”, by Miles Corak

Statistics Canada, June 18, 2012: Note to Readers. “This is the last release of longitudinal data from the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics. Effective with next year's release of 2011 data, only cross-sectional estimates will be available”.

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The Latest Buzz About ‘Queen Bees’

“An analysis conducted by Catalyst, a not-for-profit group supporting women in business, found that 65 per cent of women who received career development support were now mentoring new talent, compared with 56 per cent of men. Of those women, 73 per cent focused their energies on women, compared with only 30 per cent of men who developed female talent”.

“This report dispels the misconception that women’s career advancement lags behind men’s because they don’t pay it forward to other women. It shows that women are in fact actively helping each other succeed,” said Ilene H. Lang, President & CEO of Catalyst. “The notion that women executives are Queen Bees who are unwilling to support other women needs to be put to rest.”

Catalyst, June 12, 2012: “Paying It Forward Pays Back for Business Leaders: Developing Others Pays Off in Career Growth – And Reveals No Queen Bees Here, Catalyst Study Finds”

Catalyst, June 2012: “High Potentials in the Pipeline: Leaders Pay it Forward”, by Sarah Dinolfo, Christine 
(PDF, 20 pages)

The Globe and Mail, June 15, 2012: “The real buzz about the ‘Queen Bee’ syndrome”, by Leah Eichler

The Daily Mail, June 13, 2012: “Does Queen Bee syndrome really exist? New study says women DO help each other advance in the workplace”, By Olivia Fleming

BusinessWeek, June 13, 2012: “Queen Bees, Mentors, and the Female Boss Problem”, by Diane Brady

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Job Satisfaction - Levels are Lower, But Linked to Employees Well-Being

Respondents to the 2011 version of The Conference Board Job Satisfaction Survey indicated higher levels of job satisfaction for the first time since the recession began in 2008. However, while the 47.2 percent satisfaction level recorded in 2011 is a positive sign, it is far below the 61.1 percent satisfaction rate recorded in 1987—the first year the survey was conducted—which remains the high-water mark.
In addition to offering a historical comparison between 2011 responses and those in 2010 and 1987, Job Satisfaction: 2012 Edition examines the survey data in terms of demographics (age, income, and region). The report also provides an overview of respondents’ satisfaction levels for various aspects of their jobs.

The Conference Board, June 2012: “Job Satisfaction, 2012 Edition”, report by Rebecca L. Ray, Thomas Rizzacasa. (PDF, 20 pages). (Available to the University of Toronto community, via your Conference Board of Canada e-library account)

“Today, we have a new body of science that shows just how many other factors are also important for well-being. That is why the OECD has for several years been attempting to redefine progress, and why in July 2011, the UN General Assembly advocated more priority for policies that promote happiness. To increase well-being, new priorities are needed for governments and communities, as well as families and business. We should all care about well-being because it helps produce other good things that we care about – happier workers generate better performance for companies; happier people have more successful families and create more harmonious communities. In this report, we look in turn at well-being in three key areas of our life that affect each one of us: work, family and community”.

World Economic Forum, 2012: Well-being and Global Success: A report prepared by the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Health & Well-being (PDF, 20 pages).

PR Newswire, June 27, 2012: “Employees' Personal Lives Are Critical To Business Success: 89 Percent of Employees with High Levels of Well-Being Report High Job Satisfaction”

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Two New Stats Canada Studies Look at Wealth and Employment Turnover

"The net worth accumulated by Canadians as they reached their late 30s to early 50s varied little from one generation to another. However, the process by which individuals built their wealth differed between generations. This was because recent generations accumulated higher levels of both assets and debt than earlier ones. This study uses survey data covering the assets and debts of Canadians to follow the accumulation of wealth by several generations as they progress through the life cycle. The term 'wealth' refers to net worth, or net assets, expressed in 2010 constant dollars"

Statistics Canada, June 22, 2012: Study: The evolution of wealth over the life cycle, 1977 to 2005

"The relative contribution of firms of different sizes to net employment growth varied substantially from year to year in the early post-2000 period. This was mostly because of volatility in the net employment growth among Canada's largest firms. This study examined employment dynamics in the business sector between 2001 and 2009, a period that includes an expansionary phase (2001 to 2008) and a recession (2008 to 2009).Statistics Canada, June 27, 2012: “Study: Measures of employment turnover post 2000, 2001 to 2009”

Statistics Canada, June 27, 2012: Study: Measures of employment turnover post 2000, 2001 to 2009

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An Increase In US Manufacturing, But No Corresponding Increase in Jobs

“U.S. manufacturing output has risen significantly over the past two years as the economy has recovered from recession. This upswing in manufacturing activity, however, has resulted in negligible employment growth. Although a variety of forces seem likely to support further growth in domestic manufacturing output over the next few years, including higher labor costs in the emerging economies of Asia, higher international freight transportation costs, and increased concern about disruptions to transoceanic supply chains, evidence suggests that such a resurgence would lead to relatively small job gains within the manufacturing sector.

Congressional Research Service, June 20, 2012: “Job Creation in the Manufacturing Revival”, by Marc Levinson, Section Research Manager (PDF, 17 pages)

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Paycheck Fairness Act in the U.S. Shelved …. For Now

“Republicans have successfully shoved the Paycheck Fairness Act back into the closet, but it will eventually pop out again, possibly taking some hinges with it.[…] The Paycheck Fairness Act would have required employers to give a “business” reason for paying men and women different wages for equal work. It would also have prohibited retaliation against employees who revealed wage information”.

New York Times, June 25, 2012: “Paycheck Fairness and Market Failure”, by Nancy Folbre

AlterNet.org, June 9, 2012: “War On Women Extends to Their Paychecks: Senate Republicans Refuse to Pass Paycheck Fairness Act: The Paycheck Fairness Act would give women a shot at making the same as men for the same work--but the Senate GOP wouldn't even allow a vote on it”.

The Baltimore Sun, June 6, 2012: “Paycheck Fairness Act: Good politics, good policy: Our view: Republicans can't hide from Senate's failure to address paycheck fairness law and efforts to protect working women from discrimination”

U.S. News & World Report, May 4, 2012: “Paycheck Fairness Act Is Based on a Misapplied Statistic”, by Diana Furchtgott-Roth , Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research

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Wanted: Immigrant Job Creators

“Across the advanced industrialized world, even governments that are skeptical about the benefits of immigration tend to open their doors to the so-called "best and the brightest" — exceptionally skilled immigrants who bring new knowledge and innovations. For both economic and political reasons, the higher the skill level of prospective immigrants, the fewer restrictions governments tend to impose to entry. Immigrant entrepreneurs are among the most desirable of these highly skilled newcomers —especially immigrants behind high-tech and high-growth startups that policymakers find particularly appealing. Most governments want to boost entrepreneurship, but reliable and feasible policies to do so have proved elusive. In recent years, however, policymakers have often turned to immigration as a small but direct channel to facilitate startups by increasing the supply of willing and able entrepreneurs”.

Migration Policy Institute, June 2012: Visas for Entrepreneurs: How Countries are Seeking Out Immigrant Job Creators

Office of Advocacy, the United States Small Business Administration, May 2012: “Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners, and their Access to Financial Capital”, by Robert W. Fairlie, Ph.D., Economic Consulting (PDF, 51 pages)

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Wanted: Crocodile Response Agents

“Conservation officials are looking to hire crocodile response agents to help capture and relocate problematic reptiles in the Florida Keys. No experience? No problem”.

QMI Agency, June 14, 2012: “Florida hiring crocodile capturers”

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Book of the Week

Mlitant Minority: British Columbia Workers and the Rise of a New Left, 1948-1972, Benjamin Isitt. Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 2011. 458 p. ISBN 9781442611054 (pbk.)

Militant Minority tells the compelling story of British Columbia workers who sustained a left tradition during the bleakest days of the Cold War. Through their continuing activism on issues from the politics of timber licenses to global questions of war and peace, these workers bridged the transition from an Old to a New Left.

In the late 1950s, half of B.C.'s workers belonged to unions, but the promise of postwar collective bargaining spawned disillusionment tied to inflation and automation. A new working class that was educated, white collar, and increasingly rebellious shifted the locus of activism from the Communist Party and Co-operative Commonwealth Federation to the newly formed New Democratic Party, which was elected in 1972. Grounded in archival research and oral history, Militant Minority provides a valuable case study of one of the most organized and independent working classes in North America, during a period of ideological tension and unprecedented material advance.

About the author

Benjamin Isitt is British Columbia-based historian specializing in social movements in twentieth-century Canada and the world.

Visit the Recent Books at the CIRHR Library blog.

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Questions or comments: cirhr.library@utoronto.ca

Editor: Claire Wollen
Designer: Nick Strupat

Copyright © 2012 Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.

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