Perry Work Report for the week of October 25, 2011

October 25, 2011

 

Greening Work in a Chilly Climate

“While climate change concerns Canadians intensely, its impact on present jobs and next generation's workers is largely ignored by public policy, business and labour. However, the European experience shows that reductions in the carbon footprint will not succeed unless environment and employment policies function together. 
What can we learn from the EU, the US and from around Canada? How can the work world take leadership in reducing GHGs? What role can labour play in shrinking Canada's carbon footprint?”

Speakers: 
Campbell-Research Director, United Steelworkers-Canada
Linda Clarke-Professor of European Industrial Relations, University of Westminster, U.K.
Marc Lee-Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives—British Columbia
Sarah White-Senior Associate, Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS). US.,

Date & Time: Thursday, November 17, 2011, 5:30 PM-8 PM. Reception to follow

Location: Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library,789 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario M4W 2GB (one block north off Bloor Street)

To learn more and to register: Work in a Warming World Presents: International Panel – Greening Work in a Chilly Climate: Canadian Challenges & International Perspectives, Nov 17th, 2011

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Conversations on Work & Labour: introducing a new website

Conversations on Work & Labour website offers a space for posting backgrounders on Conversationtopics, excerpts from the Conversations, and as a forum for these Conversations to continue after the panel discussion concludes. This website will also highlight other work and labour-related events taking place at Osgoode Hall Law School.

The first Conversation, “The Future of Public Sector Collective Bargaining” takes place Wednesday, October 26, 12:30-2:30 Room 2003, Osgoode Hall Law School, Kaneff Building -- all welcome!

Conversations on Work & Labour website

Background to the Conversation, October 24, 2011: Conversation on the Future of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

Links to Perry Work Report Highlights and CIRHR Library Tweets, are available on theConversations on Work & Labour website courtesy of the CIRHR Library and via RSS feeds.

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Air Canada Takes Issue with Hybrid Pension Plan

“Air Canada has backed away from launching a legal challenge over an arbitrator’s ruling on pensions for new employees.” After agreeing to arbitration last Friday, the CAW, representing Air Canada sales and service agents, was threatening job action after Air Canada said that it would be appealing arbitrator Kevin Burkett’s ruling in support of a hybrid pension defined benefit/defined contribution plan  for new hires.  In its defense Air Canada claimed it must control pension costs. CAW President, Ken Lewenza stated  that “for them to be undermining the arbitration process is so disrespectful. The lack of integrity hurts our relationship long term.”

Globe and Mail, October 25, 2011: Air Canada won’t appeal arbitrator’s pension ruling, by  Brent Jang

Globe and Mail, Oct. 23, 2011: “Union threatens job action over Air Canada Alegal move”, by Brent Jang “In its court filings, the airline alleged that the three-person arbitration board chaired by Mr. Burkett made mistakes by “relying on its own erroneous actuarial interpretations, assumptions.”

In the Matter of an Arbitration: “Between: Air Canada and CAW-Canada: In the matter of: Pension arrangements for new hires”, Kevin M. Burkett (62 pages, PDF))

CAW, Oct. 21, 2011: “Air Canada: Important Update”, Main News Room, AC Bargaining

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Where Have all the Public Servants Gone?

“A new report of the Public Service Commission found no growth in the number of federal employees last year and that 14.3 per cent fewer people were hired in 2010-11 than in the year before. The biggest decline was in the signing of full-time, permanent staff.”

Globe and Mail, Oct. 25, 2011:  Public-service hiring flatlines ahead of Ottawa’s belt-tightening by Gloria Galloway

Public Service Commission of Canada, October 25, 2011: 2010-2011 Annual Report

or  (194 pages, PDF)

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A New Way of Measuring Economic Health

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing’s (CIW)first report on Canada’s socio-economic health, How are Canadians Really doing? shows that despite sound economic growth in Canada, Canadians’ quality of life has been steadly deteriorating. Using over 64 indicators, the index looks at affordable housing, life expectancy, education, air quality, and income in order to provide policy-makers and Canadians a more “holistic and transparent way to measure societal progress”, says CIW’s Roy Romanow.

Canadian Index of Wellbeing, Oct. 2011: “How are Canadian Really doing? Highlights: Canadian Index of Wellbeing 1.0”, University of Waterloo (66 pages, PDF)

Globe and Mail, Oct. 21, 2011: “New index pinpoints inequalities in Canadians’ quality of life”, by Tavia Grant

CTV News. Oct. 20, 2011: “Index find inequalities in Canadians’ quality of life”, CTV News Video (approx. 2 min.)

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Pay Increases Projected for Canadian Workers

The Conference Board of Canada has published their annual report on compensation this month. According to the report, non-unionized workers should see an average salary increase of 3.1 per cent while unionized employees are projected to see a 2 per cent increase. The report notes that despite a “turbulent global economy, organizations remain guarded but optimistic.” While these wage increases are higher than other developed countries, notes a September Globe and Mail article, Canadian wages are “well behind” India, Russia, China and Brazil.

The Conference Board of Canada, October 2011: “Compensation Planning Outlook 2010, Report” (38 pages, PDF) (accessible to the University of Toronto community with a Conference Board of Canada e-Library account)

Globe and Mail, Oct. 25, 2011: “Canadian salaries seen rising, despite global economic woes”, by Tavia Grant

Globe and Mail, Sept. 6, 2011: “Big pay hikes just a memory for most workers”, by Tavia Grant

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Canadians Predict Working Longer

According to a recent poll commissioned by CIBC, the majority of Canadians plan on working after retirement. The poll shows that 69 per cent of Canadians plan on either starting their own business or working part-time. Being able to retire is on many Canadians’ minds; Canadian Pensions took a hit this year thanks to the ‘double-dip’ recession, reports RBC Dexia, an investor services company part-owned by RBC.

RBC Dexia, Oct. 21, 2011: “Canadian Pensions Take Hit in the Third Quarter”, RBC Dexia Survey (PDF, p. 2)

CIBC, Oct. 25, 2011: “CIBC Poll: Two-thirds of Canadians plan to continue working in retirement”

Globe and Mail, Oct. 21, 2011: “Markets slam Canadians pension plans: survey”, The Canadian Press

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Guide to Career Focused University Education: Canadian University Report 2012

“A careers-focused look at the links between undergraduate degrees and employment, arranged by seven fields of study: Engineering and Technology, Arts and Humanities, Education, Sciences and Math, Health and Medical Sciences, Fine and Performing Arts and Business and Commerce.

Globe and Mail, October 25, 2011: Canadian University Report 2012: the things we love about University (45 pages, PDF)

Compare schools side by side. Explore your options. View MySchools:  Our Campus Navigator is Canada’s most innovative online tool for searching, comparing and ranking schools. The tool gives you the ability to explore the rich array of qualifiers, opinion surveys and statistical data available on our Canadian undergraduate schools on your terms.

Globe and Mail, October 24, 2011: just click on the red links for the field of study: “this section draws from interviews with employers and recent graduates to guide you on how to turn your university degree into a career. We’ve also suggested some examples of niche programs to help you tailor your degree to suit the type of job you’re interested in.”

Globe and Mail, October 24, 2011: Scroll down in this G&M article and link to these stories:  

  • Freshman year is one big support group;
  • You’re spoiled for choice with Canadian universities;
  • The chance for undergrads to do research;
  • Profs who love to teach;
  • Technology has toppled the Ivory Tower;
  • A university education in Canada is a bargain;
  • Will an undergrad degree really help you get a better job?;
  • Why university shouldn't just be a ticket to a job;
  • How campuses are being made more livable

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Harper’s Unfair Market

A Globe and Mail article points to the Conservative government’s unequal treatment of Canadian farmers. While the government stresses the importance of the free market, letting wheat and barley farmers’ choose their buyer as a justification for dismantling the Wheat Board, they continue to support a system of government-directed supply management over Canada’s dairy and poultry industries.  

Globe and Mail, Oct. 24, 2011: “All farmers are equal – but some are more equal than others”, by Barrie McKenna

Globe and mail, Oct. 24, 2011: “NDP singles out seven Tory MPs in potential conflict over wheat board”, by Steven Chase
CAW President’s letter to Air Canada CEO, Calin Rovinescu,  Oct. 20, 2011

Canadian Wheat Board, Sept. 12, 2011: “Farmers vote to keep Canadian Wheat Board”, CWB Newsroom

Bill C-18: An Act to reorganize the Canadian Wheat Board, (Canadian Wheat Board amendments)

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Boards of Directors: Future Directions and a Question of Quotas

Deloitte’s Global Center for Corporate Governance sponsored a director survey, Director 360: Changing Roles, of 215 directors in 12 countries that looks at board effectiveness, functionality and the changing role of directors. The results of the research will assist directors, globally, in an environment of increased scrutiny, growing compliance demands, and a challenging economic environment.

A Globe and Mail article points to the need for quotas if there are to be more women in the boardrooms but adds that: “Telling a CEO [in Canada] to impose quotas is like telling them they have a sexually transmitted disease,”

Deloitte Touche, Global Center for Corporate Governance, October 18, 2011:  Director 360: Changing Roles (15 pages, PDF

Deloitte, January 2011; Women in the Board Room (24 pages, PDF)

Globe and Mail, October 21, 2011: Quotas would get more women into the board room, Leah Eichler

Canadian Board Diversity Council

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CBC’c Spark

This was a great show – you can listen to the hour long program or zero in on individual podcasts of interest. “There’s been a sharp decline in the number of young people going into the field of Computer Science lately. We try to find out why so-called digital natives lack interest in how our digital world works, and why learning to program should be basic literacy for us all.”

From Spark 159 – October 23 & 26, 2011: you can scroll down to:

The Kids Are Alright: We’re about to hear a story about young people and the lack of interest in computer science as a field of study. Spark contributor Corey Takahashi shows us all is not lost, at least when it comes to a group of teens in Silicon Valley. They’ve developed and launched several successful apps that help parents, students and administrators to communicate key school information via smart phones. (Runs 5:13)

Computer Class Canceled: There’s been a sharp decline in the number of young people studying Computer Science. Mark Allemang is a professor at Sault College in Sault Ste Marie Ontario who has seen this decline first hand, as more and more courses are canceled in community college. But why do so-called digital natives lack interest in pursuing careers in tech fields? David Ticoll is the executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s ICT Skills, and he thinks the key is in not limiting education in computers to a hard category of ‘computer science’, but in thinking of educating young people in hybrid skills. (Runs 10:00)

Program or be Programmed: Douglas Rushkoff’s book Program or be Programmed argues kids should learn to code, not for their careers, but so they can understand the bias of digital technology. In fact, Douglas thinks we all could benefit from a little programming knowledge because at this point it is basic literacy. (Runs 13:21)

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Margin Call: "Ruthlessness of Unfettered Capitalism in Action"

Ah, reality television at last!  “The perspective it takes is rather a close-up of the ruthlessness of unfettered capitalism in action. This may bethe first post-2008 feature film to dramatize the crisis itself, rather than using it as a backdrop for an outraged harangue against the banks. Don’t get me wrong, the banks need haranguing, but now that Occupy Wall Street’s on the job, maybe the movies can return to time-honored tasks involving character and story.”

Slate Magazine, October 21, 2011: Margin Call: A clever, well-acted drama about the 2008 financial crisis. By Dana Stevens

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Tremé

Tremé is an American television drama series created by David Simon (The Wire) and Eric Overmyer. It takes its name from Tremé, a neighborhood of New Orleans. The series begins three months after Hurricane Katrina where the residents of New Orleans, including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians, and other New Orleanians try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane.

Treme: HBO

Inside Treme: Blog:  links to the social justice issues behind Tremé: great analysis just keep clicking

American Quarterly Volume 61, Number 3, September 2009:  Beyond Disaster Exceptionalism: Social Movement Developments in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

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Menial No More

Menial No More: A Discussion Paper on Advancing our Workforce though Digital Skillsproduced by the OLC suggests that as a result of emerging technology, consumer expectations, and increased global competition, jobs perceived as ‘low-skilled’ or ‘entry level’ need new kinds of skills – and that Ontario’s economy may depend on our ability to train current and future workers in these types of positions.

Menial No More: A Discussion Paper on Advancing our Workforce though Digital Skills website

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Book of the Week

Corporate Psychopaths: Organisational Destroyers, by Clive R. Boddy. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. 195 p. ISBN 9780230284722 (hardcover)

Psychopaths are little understood outside of the criminal image. However, as the recent global financial crisis highlighted, the behavior of a small group of managers can potentially bring down the entire western system of business. This book investigates who they are, why they do what they do and what the consequences of their presence are .Although they comprise only a small percentage of employees and senior managers, corporate psychopaths have a massive and significantly negative influence on organizational outcomes. Psychopaths who work within organizations cause increased levels of bullying and conflict, rises in organizational withdrawal behaviour, rises in organizational constraints, lower job satisfaction and lower levels of corporate social responsibility. Organizations and societies that want to survive and prosper will have to weed out corporate psychopaths , or closely monitor their activities. Psychopaths are little understood outside of their criminal mani! festation. However, as the recent global financial crisis has highlighted, the conscience-free behaviour of a small group of corporate managers can, if left unchecked, potentially bring down the entire western system of business. This book investigates who these people are, why they do what they do and what the consequences of their presence are in organizations.

About the Author

CLIVE BODDY has been studying the effects of Corporate Psychopaths as experienced by hundreds of managers over the past five years. This has included collecting information on the perceived levels of incidence of experiencing Corporate Psychopaths, collecting reports of critical incidents involving potential Corporate Psychopaths and more recently, collecting data on the effects of Corporate Psychopaths on organisational outcomes.:

Visit the Recent Books at the CIRHR Library blog.

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Questions or comments: cirhr.library@utoronto.ca

Editor: Vicki Skelton
Designer: Nick Strupat

Copyright © 2010 Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.

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