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March 22, 2012
- Health & Safety Conference & Trade Show, Partners in Prevention 2012
- National Day of Mourning — April 28
- Income Inequality –Trends and International Comparisons
- Automotive Industry Bailout – Worth It, Or Not?
- Air Canada Labour Action Stopped
- March Madness Maddening for Many Employers
- The Conference Board Human Capital in Review
- Women Not Yet On Board
- ‘Churning’ Workers
- The Man-covery
- Higher Education – Does it Pay off?
- They Might Need to Diet, But British Police Do Not Deserve “Injustice in The Ways They Are Paid”
- Taking Their Careers to New Heights
- Book of the Week
Health & Safety Conference & Trade Show, Partners in Prevention 2012
May 1-2, 2012, International Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
The Partners in Prevention 2012 Health & Safety Conference & Trade Show is Canada’s largest health and safety event and the flagship of the Partners in Prevention Conference Series.
Partners in Prevention 2012 continues to build on the best-in-class standard for professional development set by its long-standing predecessor Health & Safety Canada IAPA Conference & Trade Show – the preeminent health and safety conference in Canada for over 90 years. It brings together 4,500+ health and safety professionals for networking, education and knowledge sharing. More Information
National Day of Mourning — April 28
Commemorating workers whose lives have been lost or injured in the workplace.
“In 2010, 1014* workplace deaths were recorded in Canada - an increase from 939 the previous year. This represents more than 2.78 deaths every single day. In the eighteen year period from 1993 to 2010, 16,143* people lost their lives due to work-related causes (an average of 897 deaths per year). The National Day of Mourning, held annually on April 28, was officially recognized by the federal government in 1991, eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress. The Day of Mourning has since spread to about 80 countries around the world and has been adopted by the AFL-CIO and the International Confederation of Free Trade.”
For further statistical information visitAWCBC National Work Injuries Statistics Program .
Income Inequality –Trends and International Comparisons
Almost three years into the recovery from the 2007-2009 recession, the unemployment rate in the U.S. remains over 8%. “The persistent difficulty of many of the workers who lost jobs to find reemployment has meant reduced incomes for them and their families. An historically slow rebound in the labor market appears to be partly responsible for some groups’ focus on the distribution of the benefits of economic growth and for some policymakers’ interest in redistributing income through the tax code, for example. Varying perceptions about a trade-off between economic growth and income equality appear to underlie longstanding congressional deliberations about such policy issues as the progressivity of income tax rates, the tax treatment of capital gains, and the adjustment of the federal minimum wage.”
Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists), March 7, 2012: “The U.S. Income Distribution and Mobility: Trends and International Comparisons”, Linda Levine, Specialist in Labor Economics. (PDF, 21 pages)
Link provided by IWS Documented News Service.
Automotive Industry Bailout – Worth It, Or Not?
A new Institute for Research on Public Policy study examines the economic rationale for industry subsidies and whether they are a cost-effective way to promote economic development in Canada’s auto sector. “In a commentary published alongside the study, Jim Stanford of the Canadian Auto Workers disagrees vigorously with the notion that wage concessions should be a precondition for auto subsidies, arguing that auto-sector wages in Canada are comparable to those in the US and other countries.”
IRRP, March 2012: “Bailouts and Subsidies: The Economics of Assisting the Automotive Sector in Canada”, by Leslie Shiell and Robin Somerville. (PDF, 48 pages)
IRRP, March 2012: “Wage-Cutting as Industrial Strategy: Rejoinder to Shiell and Somerville”, by Jim Stanford
(PDF, 12 pages)
Financial Post, March 21, 2012: “The auto union subsidy regime”, by Terence Corcoran
The Toronto Star, March 21, 2012: “Labour movement [including unionized auto workers] seems likely budget target”, by Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew
The Calgary Herald, February 19, 2012: “Milke: Public auto bailout cost $474,000 per GM employee”, by Mark Milke
Air Canada Labour Action Stopped
Two of Air Canada’s largest unions are launching constitutional challenges against federal back-to-work legislation that prevents a strike or lockout at the country’s largest airline, charging they are being forced to fly and accept a contract imposed by arbitration in contravention of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development had “advised the governing Conservatives in a secret report to use the powerful legal measure only sparingly after the airline's customer-service and sales staff walked out last June”, but the House of Commons passed a bill last week that prevents both a strike and a lockout at Air Canada. Prevention of labour action in the private sector has been imposed four times since the federal election last May, and is “unprecedented and not in the best interests of either workers or employers”, say labour relations experts
Toronto Star, March 21, 2012: “Air Canada pilots, machinists file suit to challenge back-to-work law”
The Globe and Mail, March 21, 2012: “Quebec threatens to sue Air Canada, Ottawa over Aveos layoffs”, by Rhéal Séguin And Brent Jang
The Globe and Mail, March 20, 2012: “Tories rejected advice to reserve back-to-work orders for ‘extreme’ cases”, by Steve Rennie
The Globe and Mail, March 19, 2012: “Squeezed by Air Canada, aircraft repair firm Aveos shuts down”, by Brent Jang
The Globe and Mail, March 18, 2012: “Air Canada seeks ruling on flurry of pilot sick calls”, by Brent Jang
Reuters News, March 14, 2012: “Ottawa labor clamp down may hurt workers, employers”, by Nicole Mordant
The Toronto Star, March 9, 2012: “Walkom: Ottawa abuses the law by forestalling Air Canada strike”, by Thomas Walkom
March Madness Maddening for Many Employers
In March 2008, 92% of the viewers who watched basketball games at NCAASports.com did so at work, according to Nielsen Online. This March it is estimated that 2.5 million workers will spend 90 minutes a day watching the games. To assist March Madness obsessed staff at work, CBS created aBoss Button. “With just a click, the screen would change into a business-appropriate Excel spread sheet. More recently, the Boss Button disguises the games as a formal-looking e-mail.” In an attempt to fight back, some workplaces bar access to streaming video and social media sites, and others "throttle" or slow down access to certain sites. Some employers, however, get into the spirit of the season and allow or even encourage workers’ March Madness activities.
Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, March 20, 2012: “IT pros battle to stay on top as workers jam networks to catch NCAA games”, by Deborah M. Todd
The Toronto Star, March 15, 2012: “March Madness costing employers millions in lost wages”, by Morgan Campbell
Washington Post, March 15, 2012: “Is March Madness in the office a time waster or morale booster?”, by Josh Howarth
Washington Post, March 15, 2012: “What work day? More than 1 million Washingtonians apt to tune into NCAA tourney”, by David Barie
YouTube, HowCast, March 14, 2011: How to Watch March Madness Basketball at Work. (3 minutes)
Christian Science Monitor, March 13, 2012: “NCAA Tournament 2012 means distracted workers. What's an employer to do? The first two days of NCAA Tournament 2012 mean productivity losses worth $175 million, by one estimate. Some employers grin and bear it, while others warn workers against watching on the sly”, by Ron Scherer
Challenger, Grey & Christmas, Inc., March 1, 2012: “Challenger March Madness Report: 2.5 million workers spending 90 minutes a day watching basketball; it must be March”
The Conference Board Human Capital in Review
“The Human Capital in Review series is designed for the busy human capital executive who values filtered and thoughtfully summarized highlights of significant ideas, topics, research, and trends in diversity and inclusion.” Features recent articles on:
- attracting, retaining, and advancing women – including on corporate boards;
- the business case as well as the return on investment of hiring employees with disabilities;
- measuring elements like employer efforts to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or assessing organizational commitment to D&I;
- the growing need to address religion in the workplace;
- the rising interest in the role of the father as caregiver; and
- the impact of humor, gender, and perceived leader effectiveness in China.
The Conference Board, Inc, March 2012: The Conference Board Human Capital in Review”, by Lindsay Collins, Toni Riccardi, Emily Huston. (Available to the University of Toronto community, via your Conference Board of Canada e-library account.)
Women Not Yet On Board
The 2011 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Board Directors reports that women's representation on FP500 boards has increased by only half a percentage point between 2009 and 2011 and now stands at 14.5%. Almost 40% of FP500 companies have no women on their boards, and more than 46% of FP500 public companies have no women directors. Internationally many countries are trying different initiative. Norway leads the way with legislation to eventually have women as 40 percent of board members, and France introduced legislation to force a 20 percent quota in three years and 40 percent in six. But, “at the current rate of change it will take until 2057 for there to be 30 percent representation of women on the boards of global large cap companies in emerging and developed markets”. Some research indicates that the presence of women in positions of authority may improve corporate performance, and Catalyst has called for an increase of women on corporate boards to 25% by 2017, but not all agree.
Catalyst, March 2012: “2011 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Board Directors”, by Liz Mulligan-Ferry, Morgan Friedrich, and Sabra Nathanson. (Full Report, PDF, 2 pages)
Deloitte Perspectives, March 21, 2012: “30 percent by 2057 – Can we get there quicker?” by Charles Heeter
Financial Post, March 20, 2012: “Get women on board the FP500”, by Deborah Gillis and Gordon Nixon
Financial Post, March 15, 2012: “Dismissive tone”, [discusses Corcoran column, below], by Pamela Jeffery, founder, Canadian Board Diversity Council, Toronto.
Financial Post, March 15, 2012: “Merit, not quotas”, [discusses Corcoran column, below], by Colleen Johnston, chief financial officer of TD Bank Group, and chair of the bank's Women in Leadership initiative
Financial Post, March 13, 2012: “Diversity at the top good for business”, by Dan Ovsey
Financial Post, Terence Corcoran, March 12, 2012: “Women are not miracle workers: Studies showing women on boards boost performance based on bad stats”, by Terence Corcoran
The Globe and Mail, March 9, 2012: “Breaking the boardroom gender barrier”, by Leah Eichler
The Globe and Mail, March 8, 2012: “Boardroom progress 'disappointing': The number of female directors has barely budged in two years, highlighting the challenges faced by Corporate Canada - and the hurdles faced by women”, by Janet Mcfarland
‘Churning’ Workers
“Quitting, hiring and firing are all part of churn -- job turnover that, unlike layoffs or expansions, doesn't change the long-term size of a company”, and is a major factor in the job market's daily turnover. A recent study found that “during the 2007-2009 recession, 80 percent of the reduction in hiring was associated with lower levels of churn, rather than with a decline in job creation.”
National Bureau Of Economic Research (NBER), March 2012: “Hiring, Churn and the Business Cycle”, by Edward P. Lazear, James R. Spletzer (PDF, 12 pages)
The Economist, February 11, 2012: “Go for the churn: The number of job-to-job moves by American workers tells a bleak story”
American Public Media, Marketplace, February 8, 2012: “Low job ‘churn’ hurting economic recovery”, by Joel Patterson
The Man-covery
“Men experienced greater setbacks in the recession, losing twice as many jobs as women from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2009. In the recovery, however, men have gained four times as many jobs as women. “ “Men gained jobs on net every month but one since March 2010, while women continued to lose jobs month after month through September 2010. It wasn’t until December 2011 that women had on net gained jobs during the recovery. In general, however, women have added jobs month after month at a slower pace than men.”
Pew Research Center, March 21, 2012: “Employment Gains by Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Nativity: The Demographics of the Jobs Recovery”, by Rakesh Kochhar. Overvew. (Complete Report, PDF, 41 pages)
Center for American Progress, March 9, 2012: “The ‘Man-covery’: Women Gaining Jobs in Recovery at a Slower Pace than Men”, By Heather Boushey
Higher Education – Does it Pay off?
In an earlier report,Changing Returns to Education, the Martin Prosperity Institute (MPI), at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, reported that average income differed with various levels of education attained. The MPI has recently released another report which takes a closer look at wage increases at different educational attainment levels.
Martin Prosperity Institute, February 29, 2012: “Education (Still) Pays, but by How Much?”, Kevin Stolarick (PDF, 3 pages)
Martin Prosperity Institute, September 7, 2011: The Value of Education, Part 1: Changing Returns to Education (PDF, 2 pages)
United States Census Bureau, February 2012: “What It’s Worth: Field of Training and Economic Status in 2009”, by Stephanie Ewer (PDF, 16 pages)
Statistics Canada, January 6, 2011: “Expectations and Labour Market Outcomes of Doctoral Graduates from Canadian Universities”, by Louise Desjardins and Darren King
The Short- and Long-Term Career Effects of Graduating in a Recession: Hysteresis and Heterogeneity in the Market for College Graduates analyzes the sources behind long-term earnings effects of students who graduate in a recession, and finds that they start working for lower paying employers, but partly recover through a gradual process of job mobility towards better firms. Better educated graduates "suffer less from entry in a recession because they switch to better firms quickly, while lower skilled graduates can be permanently affected by cyclical downgrading."
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, January 2012: “The Short- and Long-Term Career Effects of Graduating in a Recession: Hysteresis and Heterogeneity in the Market for College Graduates”, by Philip Oreopoulos , University of Toronto, Till von Wachter, Columbia University, and Andrew Heisz, Statistics Canada. (PDF, 52 pages)
They Might Need to Diet, But British Police Do Not Deserve “Injustice in The Ways They Are Paid”
British police officers may soon face annual fitness evaluations, one of the recommendations in a report following an extensive, independent review of police pay and conditions. The review included “an open and transparent consultation exercise with police officers, staff and a wide range of representative bodies including the police federation, police superintendents’ association, association of chief police officers, association of police authorities and unison.” The report suggests “an accelerated promotion and direct entry program under which the brightest and the best can enter into the police service and make inspector within three years,” and states the current “system of police pay continues on the assumption that all police officers are the same, do work of equal importance and face the same demands. It rewards years in the job, not what is done and how well. That is a source of great division and resentment among police officers.”
Tom Winsor, Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for the Home Department by Command of Her Majesty,March 15, 2012: Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Renumeration and Conditions, Part 2.
(Full Report, PDF, 318 pages). Fact Sheets also available.
Tom Winsor, Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for the Home Department by Command of Her Majesty, March 8, 2011: Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Renumeration and Conditions, Part 1.
(Full Report, PDF, 326 pages)
The Telegraph, March 16, 2012: “Unfit police will face pay cut under plans to rid service of fat officers: All police officers should be made to take an annual fitness test, with a pay cut for those who repeatedly fail, a review said today”
BBC News, January 9, 2012: “Police pay reforms in England and Wales approved”
The Times, March 11, 2011: "Police pay must be swept towards the front line: Forty per cent of officers now work 9 to 5 [in offices]. Those who take most risks deserve most reward”, by Tom Winsor. (PDF, 4 pages)
BBC News, March 22, 2012: “Police to be balloted on right to strike: The federation said the ballot would take place as soon as possible.”
Taking Their Careers to New Heights
“Economists are convinced that height confers a natural advantage in the workplace, but some of the tallest New Yorkers still turn to each other to get a leg up in their careers.”
Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2012: “At Tall Club, Members' Careers Get an Extra Lift”, by Jo Piazza
Book of the Week
Moving Towards Decent Work for Domestic Workers: an Overview of the ILO's Work, by Asha D'Souza. Geneva :International Labour Organization, 2010. 94 p. ISBN 9789221220503
The first section of this paper highlights the contribution of domestic workers to the care economy. The second draws on recent studies conducted by the ILO and various international human rights organizations to present the problems that domestic workers are confronted with. The response of the ILO and its constituents to the problem, normative, academic and practical, is then described. The following section presents the demands of domestic worker organizations and gives examples of policies and programmes at national level that promote their rights. Possible ways forward towards making decent work a reality for domestic workers are then explored.
Download the working paper here. (PDF, 108 pages)
Asha D'Souza is a consultant in gender, development, and labour rights.
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