Perry Work Report for the week of May 09, 2013

Perry Work Report, May 9, 2013

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National Household Survey: A National Disgrace?

Rafael Gomez, a professor at the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto, stated that a response rate of 68% for the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) (versus the predicted 94% for a traditional census) means vital data about certain groups is being underreported.

CTV News, May 8, 2013: "Loss of long-form census leads to spotty demographic data: experts"

Further, employment equity will take a hit from this dodgy national data, argues Frances Woolley, and Munir Sheikh explains that Canada has now lost its census anchor.

The Globe and Mail, May 9, 2013: "How employment equity will take a hit from dodgy national data," by Frances Woolley

The Globe and Mail, May 9, 2013: Infograph: "Canadian population by ethnic origin"

The Globe and Mail, May 9, 2013: "Canada has lost its census anchor," by Munir Sheikh

What can be taken away from the release of the first results of the NHS is that Canada is a rapidly changing nation in areas of religion and immigration.

The Globe and Mail, May 8, 2013: "Three things you should take away from National Household Survey," by Stuart A. Thompson

Philip Cross tries to look on the bright side by pointing out that there is no shortage of data in our world, most of it much timelier than the census. Most of the National Accounts (like GDP) are based on tax records, which provide a rich source of data on the economy.

The Globe and Mail, May 8, 2013: "Let's move beyond census debates. The world is rich with data," by Philip Cross

Even prior to the release of the first results of the NHS experts were debating how much the NHS statistics will really count.

The Globe and Mail, May 6, 2013: "Experts debate how much National Household Survey statistics count," by Steven Chase and Tavia Grant

The effect of the new questionable data on immigration was also a hotly debated topic. "A change to the collection of national data on immigration will seriously hinder future policies and programs for newcomers across the GTA, warn settlement workers, academics and immigration activists."

Metro News, May 6, 2013: “Critics fear replacement for long-form census will hurt immigrants"

The Globe and Mail, May 5, 2013: "Statscan survey to show extent of information lost with long-form census," by Jennifer Ditchburn

The Globe and Mail, September 24, 2012: "Census replacement sees low response rates in 12 per cent of communities," by Heather Scoffield

For more information on the NHS and a list of result publication dates see the following link.

Statistics Canada: "Key facts for the National Household Survey"

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George Smith: Harper's War Against Workers and Richard Chaykowski on the Importance of Industrial Relations

"In his Saturday National Post column, Conrad Black declared public-sector unions to be a blight upon society. He has given voice to what Prime Minister Stephen Harper was thinking when the federal government launched its recent offensive against trade unions (and Crown Corporations) through proposed amendments to the Financial Administration Act.

Some Canadians may agree with Mr. Black; others may not. But surely that should be the basis for a healthy, democratic debate--not the heavy-handed intervention proposed by the Conservatives.

Both Mr. Black and Prime Minister Harper are betting that “hard-working, tax-paying Canadians” (as this constituency invariably is described) will not rouse themselves to oppose the government’s offensive against unions and Crown corps.

But Canadians should care. And here’s why..." [National Post]

National Post, May 7, 2013: “George Smith: Harper’s war against workers,” by George Smith

National Post, May 5, 2013: Conrad Black: Public-sector unions are a blight on our society

 

Richard Chaykowski, professor and Master of Industrial Relations program director, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ont.:

Industrial relations vitally important

Re: The Union Blight, Conrad Black, May 4.

Conrad Black’s characterization of the study of labour relations as “ludicrous” and “anachronistic” is as perplexing as it is disturbing. People who are employed over most of their adult lifetime spend a large proportion of their lives in the workplace and their well-being, the efficiency of firms, and the productive capacity of the country all depend very much upon having equitable and efficient employee-employer relations.

As W.A. Mackintosh, the noted former principal of Queen’s noted in 1938: “no excuse is needed for making industrial relations a subject of university study and investigation... In no field do the significant problems of social control arise more sharply and in more complex form than here. Whether one assesses it by the intellectual effort required, or by the worthwhileness of results achieved, university work in this field is amply justified.”

That is why the study of industrial relations continues to figure so prominently at major universities in Canada and the United States.

The laws of our society support the rights of Canadians to freely contract in matters of employment; likewise, the freedom to collectively contract with employers. If there are legitimate concerns about the policies governing labour relations, in the public or private sectors, let us identify the problems, analyze the current policies and options, and then have a serious policy debate. It is the privilege and important responsibility of universities to support an informed industrial relations policy-making process.

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Top 10 Reasons it's Time to Expand the Canada Pension Plan

Read the opinion editorial written by Mark Janson, pension activist and researcher with CUPE national, and MIRHR graduate from the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto

"This June, Finance Ministers from across Canada will meet to decide whether or not to expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). An overwhelming majority of the Canadian public support CPP expansion, as does an ever-growing body of seniors groups, pension experts, academics and even financial industry leaders.

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) plan would gradually phase-in a doubling of CPP benefits, which currently provide retirees with a maximum of about $1,000 per month (though the average retiree receives just over $500 per month). The CLC plan would see these amounts double.

CPP expansion is an efficient, well supported, affordable and much-needed way to ensure that all workers can retire with dignity and security. Here are ten reasons why expanding the CPP is the best way to ensure retirement security for all Canadians.”

rabble.ca, May 3, 2013: "Top 10 reasons it’s time to expand the Canada Pension Plan," by Mark Janson

"Janson outlines the coverage of the different parts of the Canadian pension system. Easy to see why the labour movement is calling for an expansion of Canadian Pension Plan and against the increase in age of qualification for the GIS."

CUPE: Pension Network, May 7, 2013: Mark Janson

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Armine Yalnizy on Apprenticeship

Matt Galloway spoke about skilled trades, with Armine Yalnizyan, the CBC’s business commentator on Tuesdays and Thursdays; a senior economist at the CCPA; and winner of the Morley Gunderson Prize, University of Toronto, 2003.

CBC Metro Morning, May 2, 2013: Apprenticeship: Matt Galloway spoke about skilled trades, with Armine Yalnizyan.

C.D. Howe Institute, May 2, 2013: "Access Denied: the Effect of Apprenticeship Restrictions in Skilled Trades," by Robbie Brydon and Benjamin Dachis

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RCMP Disciplinary Reports on Some Very Bad Behaviour

"RCMP officers have faced disciplinary action for acts of bad behaviour ranging from driving a cruiser drunk, to surfing porn on the office computer, to carelessly firing a gun.

According to the latest annual report on bad behaviour in the RCMP ranks, an Alberta sergeant was also disciplined for deliberately deleting portions of a document that led to a stay of proceedings in a "major criminal case."

In all, there were 51 cases adjudicated in the 2011-2012 period in which Mounties were reprimanded, docked pay or demoted for code of conduct violations under the RCMP Act.

Alexander said Bill C-42, which is now in the Senate, will help tighten up disciplinary regime by giving the commissioner new powers and more disciplinary authority to units across the country.

But NDP MP Nikki Ashton slammed C-42 for failing to specifically mention sexual harassment, and said the bill won’t fix the problems of "pretty disturbing" wrongdoing in the RCMP ranks." [CBC]

CBC News, May 2, 2013: "RCMP report details 51 cases of disciplinary action Officers reprimanded for incidents of harassment, drunkeness and destruction of documents," By Kathleen Harris

RCMP, April 10, 2013: Management of the RCMP Disciplinary Process: Annual Reports website

RCMP, April 10, 2013: 2011-2012: Annual Report - Management of the RCMP Disciplinary Regim

Openparliament, Bill-C42: the links provided by openparliament not only give access to the bills themselves but bring together the parliamentary debates on the each bill highlighting each MP’s contribution--government has never been so accessible!

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Canada's Shift to a Nation of Temporary Workers

"The number of temporary workers in Canada hit a record two million last year, according to Statistics Canada. That amounts to 13.6 per cent of the work force compared with 11.3 per cent in 1997. And since the recession, temporary work has grown at more than triple the pace than permanent employment--up 14.2 per cent for temp work between 2009 and 2012, versus 3.8 per cent for permanent workers.

"A detailed breakdown shows most of the growth in temp work in the past decade and a half has been among young people.

"What many employers would call flexible work, others would call precarious. A joint study by McMaster University and the United Way in February found four in 10 people in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton region are in some degree of precarious work--and that this type of employment has risen by nearly 50 per cent in the past two decades. It also found that people in insecure work tend to earn 46-per-cent less than those in secure positions, and rarely get benefits."

The Globe and Mail, May 5, 2013: "Canada’s shift to a nation of temporary workers,” by Tavia Grant

United Way and McMaster University, February 9, 2013: "It’s More Than Poverty: Employment Precarity and Household Well-Being” (120 pages, PDF) [click here to read the summary, (28 pages, PDF)]

Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey: Table 282-0080 - Labour force survey estimates (LFS), employees by job permanency, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), sex and age group

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Is Foreign Labour Distorting the Market?

"A new report suggests Canada’s increasingly controversial temporary foreign worker program “could be distorting” the natural supply and demand of the country’s labour market.

"The University of Calgary study suggests Canada isn’t facing a wide-scale labour shortage but rather is experiencing a "serious mismatch" between the skills of its labour force and the demands of the labour market.

"Kevin McQuillan, lead author, said improving the balance in the labour marketplace does not require an increase in the labour supply.

"Indeed, the TFWP (temporary foreign worker program) is sometimes being used to fill jobs with foreign workers in regions that already suffer from relatively high unemployment rates," wrote McQuillan. "Temporary foreign workers could be distorting the labour market forces that would bring together more Canadian workers and jobs."

Huffington Post, May 7, 2013: "Temporary Foreign Worker Program May Be Distorting Labour Market Needs: Study," by Diana Mehta

University of Calgary, May 7, 2013: "All the Workers We Need: Debunking Canada’s Labour Shortage Fallacy," by Kevin McQuillan (30 pages, PDF)

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Workers Claim Race Bias as Farms Rely on Immigrants

"As Congress weighs immigration legislation expected to expand the guest worker program, another group is increasingly crying foul--Americans, mostly black, who live near the farms and say they want the field work but cannot get it because it is going to Mexicans. They contend that they are illegally discouraged from applying for work and treated shabbily by farmers who prefer the foreigners for their malleability.

"They like the Mexicans because they are scared and will do anything they tell them to," said Sherry Tomason, who worked for seven years in the fields here, then quit. Last month she and other local residents filed a federal lawsuit against a large grower of onions, Stanley Farms, alleging that it mistreated them and paid them less than it paid the Mexicans."

New York Times, May 6, 2013: Workers Claim Race Bias as Farms Rely on Immigrants

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Jobs that Nobody Will Pay Americans to Do or Jobs Americans Won't Do?

"Steven Camarota and Karen Zeigler have a useful report for the restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies debunking the notion that there are such things as jobs Americans won’t do, arguing that only six out of 472 government-specified occupations are actually majority-immigrant. What’s more, they tell us that 51 percent of maids and housekeepers are native-born, as are fully 58 percent of taxi drivers and chauffeurs." [Slate]

Slate, May 3, 2013: "The Jobs Nobody Will Pay Americans to Do," by Matthew Yglesias

"This analysis tests the often-made argument that immigrants do only jobs Americans don’t want. If the argument is correct, there should be occupations comprised entirely or almost entirely of immigrants (legal and illegal). But Census Bureau data collected from 2009 to 2011, which allows for detailed analysis of all 472 separate occupations, shows that there were only a handful of majority-immigrant occupations. Thus, there really are no jobs that Americans won’t do. Further, we estimated the share of occupations that are comprised of illegal immigrants, and found that there are no occupations in which the majority of workers are illegally in the country."

Centre for Immigration Studies, May 5, 2013: Are There Really Jobs Americans Won’t Do? A detailed look at immigrant and native employment across occupations, by Steven A. Camarota, Karen Zeigler May 2013 (22 pages, PDF)

Centre for Immigration Studies: low immigration, pro immigrant, May 2013: Are There Really Jobs Americans Won't Do?

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The Cost of Boomerang Kids

"Along with reduced pensions, low returns on their savings and high debt, Canada’s boomer generation is facing an additional burden as they ease into their retirement years--their "boomerang kids."

"A report from TD Canada Trust suggests boomers are taking on more of the responsibility for their adult children struggling to attain financial self-sufficiency in the post-recession years of high youth unemployment and low wage gains.

"The report, based on an online survey by Environics Research, shows a majority of boomers have stepped up to help support their adult children, and that as many as one-in-five say they would be prepared to put their own financial security at risk to help out." [The Globe and Mail]

The Globe and Mail, May 7, 2013: "Boomers taking on added financial burden by helping boomerang kids, poll finds"

TD Canada Trust, May 7, 2013: News Release: "Boomers risk straining finances to support boomerang kids: TD poll"

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The Great Divide: No Rich Child Left Behind

The New York Times Series: THE GREAT DIVIDE

The Great Divide is a series on inequality--the haves, the have-nots and everyone in between--in the United States and around the world, and its implications for economics, politics, society and culture. The series moderator is Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate in economics, a Columbia professor and a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and chief economist for the World Bank.

"In this context of widespread networking, the idea that there is a job “market” based solely on skills, qualifications and merit is false. Whenever possible, Americans seeking jobs try to avoid market competition: they look for unequal rather than equal opportunity. In fact, the last thing job seekers want to face is equal opportunity; they want an advantage. They want to find ways to cut in line and get ahead."

The New York Times, May 5, 2013: How Social Networks Drive Black Unemployment

"One way to see this is to look at the scores of rich and poor students on standardized math and reading tests over the last 50 years. When I did this using information from a dozen large national studies conducted between 1960 and 2010, I found that the rich-poor gap in test scores is about 40 percent larger now than it was 30 years ago."

The New York Times, April 27, 2013: "No Rich Child Left Behind", by Sean Reardon

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Quality Employment for Women in the Green Economy

"This report provides the first-ever estimates of women’s employment in the green economy, state-by-state, by industry, and by occupation. The analysis draws on the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey; the Brookings-Battelle Clean Economy database; and the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Green Goods and Ser- vices survey.

The report examines women’s share of employment in the occupations predicted to see the highest growth in the green economy and includes two alternative state-by-state estimates for growth in green jobs. Focusing on investments in green buildings and retrofits, the report includes a state-by-state analysis of employment in key construction occupations by age, race, ethnicity, and gender.

This report was funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Sustainable Employment in a Green US Economy (SEGUE) Program. It is the first of a series of publications investigating strategies for improving women’s access to quality employment in the green economy; future reports will address good practices in workforce development for women in the green economy."

Institute for Women’s Policy Research, April, 2013: "Quality Employment for Women in the Green Economy: Industry, Occupation, and State-by-State Job Estimates," by Ariane Hegewisch, Jeff Hayes, Ph.D., Anlan Zhang, and Tonia Bui

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Undercover at the Tar Sands

"There’s something in the air in Fort McMurray, Alberta--and it’s not just fumes from the massive oil sands processing plants north of town. Spend enough time here, and you’ll pick up the pungent scents of machismo and money."

RollingStone, April 26, 2013: "Undercover at the Tar Sands: A first-hand report from an anonymous worker on Canada's controversial oil pipelines."

The oilsands underlie approximately 140,000 square kilometres of the boreal forest in northern Alberta and are the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. While oilsands production has expanded rapidly in the last decade, government policies and regulations have failed to keep up, creating serious challenges in managing the environmental, social and economic impacts.

Our goal is to advance responsible oilsands development, which we define as:

  • capping the impacts of oilsands development within the limits of what science shows the ecosystem can support;
  • shrinking the environmental footprint of oilsands development for every barrel produced; and
  • ensuring a meaningful portion of the benefits of oilsands development are used to support Canada's transition to a clean energy future.

Pembina Institute, April 29, 2013: Solving the Puzzle Progress Update 2013

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Can Global Brands Create Just Supply Chains?

"When Jia Jingchuan, a 27-year-old electronics worker in Suzhou, China, sought compensation for the chemical poisoning he suffered at work, he appealed neither to his employer nor to his government. Instead, he addressed the global brand that purchased the product he was working on. "We hope Apple will heed to its corporate social responsibility."

"But have these private efforts improved labor standards? Not by much. Despite many good faith efforts over the past fifteen years, private regulation has had limited impact. Child labor, hazardous working conditions, excessive hours, and poor wages continue to plague many workplaces in the developing world, creating scandal and embarrassment for the global companies that source from these factories and farms."

Boston Review, May 2013: "Can Global Brands Create Just Supply Chains?" by Richard M. Locke

With responses from Isaac Shapiro, Tim Bartley, Jodi L. Short and Michael W. Toffel, Gary Gereffi, Hannah Jones, Pamela Passman, Drusilla Brown, Aseem Prakash, and Layna Mosley. Richard M. Locke replies.

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Book of the Week

 

The Accordion Family: Boomerang Kids, Anxious Parents, and the Private Toll of Global Competition, by Katherine S. Newman. Beacon Press, 2012. 320 p. ISBN 978-0807007433.

There’s no question that globalization has drastically changed the cultural landscape across the world. The cost of living is rising, and high unemployment rates have created an untenable economic climate that has severely compromised the path to adulthood for young people in their twenties and thirties. Acclaimed sociologist Katherine Newman explores the trend toward a rising number of "accordion families" composed of adult children who will be living off their parents’ retirement savings with little means of their own when the older generation is gone. Drawing from over three hundred interviews, Newman concludes that nations with weak welfare states have the highest frequency of accordion families.

About the Author:

Katherine S. Newman is the James Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University. The author of ten books on middle-class economic instability, urban poverty, and the sociology of inequality, Newman has taught at the University of California-Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton.

Visit the Recent Books at the CIRHR Library blog.

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