...Union Density: Canada vs. USA Union density refers to the amount of paid employees that are union members. Historically, union density has increased between 1930 and 1950 from 14 percent to 30 percent. At that time union growth in Canada was extremely behind United States. This was caused by the legislation that was going on with workers and their rights to form and join unions. However it wasn't until the mid 1950s that Canadian union organizations caught up to the US. Despite this growth, the union density was yet on the verge of steady decline in both countries. The slow growth stage of union membership in the labor force was harshly upturned in Canada but remained the same in the US. As a result, for the past 30 years, a huge gap formed in the importance of unions and collective bargaining in the two countries, Riddell & Freeman (1993). The union density in the US had declined considerably in the past three decades. Although the two countries share many similarities between economies and industrial relations it’s likely to question why declines occurred in the unions of the United States but not in Canada. The reason why union density declined in the US was because of the structural changes of the economy and the labor force. Majority of the employment changes that took place in the past 30 years was that they moved away from manufacturing, focused more towards services, preferred white collar rather than blue collar, shifted from full time male workers to female...
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...significant positive impact in Canada is the entrenchment of Charter of Rights and Freedom in the Constitution as improves the society. The Charter protects a wide variety of individual rights. Every individual has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law. People will not be discriminated based on their races, national or ethnic origins, colours, religion, sexs, ages or mental or physical disabilities. It helped shaped a equal and free Canada as all individuals are being treated equally and have equal opportunity. The Charter of Rights and Freedom also guarantees collective rights. Collective rights are held by a group. The Charter guaranteed the rights of English- or French-speaking populations to be educated in their own language where numbers warrant. The Charter also guaranteed Aboriginal people both Aboriginal and treaty rights. It improves the society by helping to protect language and cultural identities of these people....
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...Chapter 16: Labour Relations Labour union: an officially recognized association of employees practicing a similar trade or employed in the same company or industry who have joined together to present a united front and collective voice in dealing with management. -the purpose of unionization are to influence HR policies and practices that affect bargaining unit members such as pay and benefits. Labour- management relations: the ongoing interactions between labour unions and management in organizations -managerial discretion and flexibility in dealing with employees and in implementing and administering HR policies/procedures are reduced. Collective agreement (union contract): a formal agreement between an employer and the union representing a group of its employees regarding terms and conditions of employment. Collective bargaining: negotiations between a union and an employer to arrive at a mutually acceptable collective agreement -an organization’s labour relations strategy, one component of its HR strategy, is its overall plan for dealing with unions, which sets the tone for its union-management relationships. -union acceptance strategy- view the union as the legitimate representative of the employees. -union avoidance strategy- prefer to operate in a non unionized environment. (Walmart) -to avoid unions, companies can either adopt a: -union substitution approach- become so responsive to employees’ needs that there is no incentive for them to unionize ...
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...affects the workplace. This includes processes and rules related to collective bargaining. The government provides a fair and balanced framework of labor relations and dispute settlement. With policy development and analysis of trends and issues of labor relations, the government provides facilitation and education, dispute resolution services and information for collective bargaining. The Canadian Labour Congress is releasing this study to show just how much better the union advantage truly is – both nationally and in 30 communities across the country. This study shows that in Canada on an average, unionized workers get almost $5 more an hour than non-union workers. A union is a group of workers who come together for making collective decisions about their work and working conditions. There is a democratic union in which the members elect the leaders through voting process. With the help of collective bargaining, these leaders negotiate with the employer in terms of wages, safety, working conditions, hours, and other benefits, on behalf of the members. The rights of unionized workers may vary extensively depending on the country, region and industry. Also rules, regulations and laws can also be amazingly complex. These rights are constantly evolving, and state governments adopt national laws to defend or diminish the rights of unionized workers. A non-unionized workplace is a workplace where there is no collective agreement of workers in leading the conditions of their employment...
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...Chapter One Canadian Constitution * THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENT IN CANADA!!!!!!!!!!! * Has the roles of ALL levels of the government and describes how they work together * Governor General * Executive * Legislative * Judicial * Also has things like ooooh, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms British Monarch * The governor general is the Queen’s representative here in Canada * They are the formal head of state * So no real power… * Considered part of the executive and legislative branch The Executive Branch * Prime Minister and the Cabinet are part of the executive * To become PM, you have to lead a political party and win the most seats in the HofC * The cabinet is chosen by the PM and they come from his political party * Makes most laws and goes through the process to enact them * Basically runs the government through the days * Cabinet ministers are given portfolios that they are responsible for * They research issues and help to propose laws from their portfolio * Ex. Agriculture, justice, foreign affairs are types of portfolios * Each cabinet runs their own affairs which is the day to day activity of the government. * Each cabinet minister has their own staff to help them Political Parties * Whoever has the most seats leads the government * Candidates run for election, party with most votes form government * Are considered organizations...
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...manages understand how unions operate • supervisors need to familiarize themselves with labour laws and the collective agreement in their company Laws Governing Labour Relations • laws seek to create an environment in which both unions and employers can exercise respective rights • laws reflect government policy- whether at federal or provincial levels Common Features Of Labour Legislations • right of people to join unions • right of unions to be granted authority to represent employees • requirement that employers recognize a certified union as the rightful bargaining agent • requirement that unions and employers bargain in good faith • identification of unfair labour practices • right of unions to strike and right of employers to lock-out workers Administration Of Legislation • Canada Industrial Relations Board administers and enforces Canada Labour Code • each province has a labour relations board that administers and enforces provincial legislation • Quebec has a labour court and commissioners Duties Of Labour Relations Board • develop administrative regulations that describe how people unionize • hear complaints related to unfair labour practices • determine if bargaining is done in good faith • remedy violations of legislation Labour Relations Process 1 Workers desire collective 2 Unions begin organizing 3 Collective negotiations 4 Contract is administered Management Labour (unions) objectives and goals affect daily...
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...chapter 1 Craig’s industrial relations system model - we see that the industrial relations actors take elements from the external environment and convert these inputs into outputs through a series of conversion mechanism. These outputs then flow back into the environment through a feedback loop * feedback loop- the mechanism by which outputs of the industrial relations system flow back to the external environment INPUTS PROCESSES OUTPUTS System Approach Model (Craig) Different from Dunlop by external environment into outputs, conversions mechanism, outputs through feedback loop 1- External Inputs (legal, environment, political) 2- Actors 3- Internal Inputs (goals, strategy) 4-Conversion Mechanism (collective bargaining) 5- Outputs (rights, hours, wages, strikes) 6- Feedback Loop System Approach Model (Dunlop) 1) Actors – govn agencies / hierarchy of mgrs / hierarchy of employees (financial environment influences all 3 actors) 2) Ideology – ideas/beliefs by Actors helps bind system together 3) Context – actors influence by environment factors / market constraints (wages/production) /workplace 4) Web Rules – procedure (making rules) / substantive (employment rules) / distributive Critism – lacks ability to predict outcomes / underestimates power / descriptive in nature CHAPTER 2 Industrial disputes investigation act , 1907 Created by Wiliam King The act is a cornerstone of Canadian law, marks an ongoing trend in Canadian legislation, namely the need for third-party...
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...Comparative Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management A Comparative Analysis of Employment Law and Labour Market Trends in Sweden and Canada 1.0 Introduction Employment law and labour market data form the basis for policy, procedure, and organizational structure. Federal and provincial legislatures create such policies and their influence trickle down to have a dramatic impact on human resource management. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the most relevant Canadian and Swedish employment standards legislation and labour market data and in so doing, compare and contrast legislation in order to objectively examine the two countries. Canada and Sweden can be compared and contrasted in significant ways. Specifically, a review of labour law and labour market trends, including labour force demographics, minimum wage standards, parental leave, vacation time and hours of work is worthy of consideration as to determine the implication on human resource management. 2.0 Sweden and Canada Labour Program Expenditure Defined It is important to first establish background information of each country. Sweden’s labour standards and policies fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Employment. The responsibilities are considered to be part of the welfare system which includes unemployment benefits, activation benefits, employment services, employment programs, and job development opportunities (Smucker, Axel Van, Michael & Anthony, 1998). Sweden, historically...
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...INTRODUCTION According to Erskine May, "Parliamentary privilege is the sum of the peculiar rights enjoyed by each House collectively... and by members of each House individually, without which they could not discharge their functions, and which exceed those possessed by other bodies or individuals. Thus, privilege, though part of the law of the land, is to certain extent an exemption from the general law. Certain rights and immunities such as freedom from arrest or freedom of speech belong primarily to individual members of each House and exist because the House cannot perform its functions without unimpeded use of the services of its members. Other such rights and immunities such as the power to punish for contempt and the power to regulate its own constitution belong primarily to each House as a collective body, for the protection of its members and the vindication of its own authority and dignity. Fundamentally, however, it is only as a means to the effective discharge of the collective functions of the House that the individual privileges are enjoyed by members. "When any of these rights and immunities is disregarded or attacked, the offence is called a breach of privilege and is punishable under the law of Parliament. Each House also claims the right to punish as contempt actions which, while not breaches of any specific privilege, obstruct or impede it in the performance of its functions, or are offences against its authority or dignity, such as disobedience to its legitimate...
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...with business. Employment became centralized around assembly lines and factory work initializing the biggest change the economy had seen and capitalists were at large with their ability to mass-produce. Post industrialism and globalism silenced the roar, leading us where we are today, with a heavily populated and unskilled service industry. This leaves society wondering, “what is the future of work”? In this written essay, we will explore the future of work by focusing on the current situations and what possibilities might transpire. The following topics will be covered: • The real reasons for precarious work popularity and it’s outcome on the labor force • The impact of unions and what their disappearance would bring • Post industrial Canada and the effects of international business on industries • Environmental threats on the primary industry • The future of technology on work As we’ve seen with pervious trends, the future of work is heavily reliant on the current situation. In today’s economy most workers are faced with inequality and job insecurity resulting in unemployment, precarious work, or furthermore dangerous jobs. The human capital theory suggests that an equal opportunity is available for everyone but only those individuals with the higher skill sets will end up in virtuous work opportunities (Krahn et al. 2011, p. 108). Canada’s education system is non-discriminating and it allows an equal opportunity for all citizens, which proves that the problem lies within...
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...Chapter 5 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: LEVELS AND COVERAGE* A. INTRODUCTION AND MAIN FINDINGS Industrial relations systems, operating at national, sectoral and local levels, play an important role in determining economic and labour market performance. They constitute a “web of rules” relating economic agents who, while pursuing their self-interests, generally find it beneficial to reach a degree of consent and some form of (more or less conflictual) co-operation. In providing procedures for consensus-building and conflict resolution, these arrangcments are shaped by specific national legislation and labour market conditions, and by each country’s prevailing attitudes towards work, conflict and co-operation. There are many ways to analyse systems of labour relations in OECD countries. For example, Chapter 4 of the 1991 Employment Outlook examined trade union density (the proportion of workers who are union members), and noted widely differing rates of unionisation across countries, ranging from around 10 per cent in France to over 80 per cent in Sweden. Union density is just one indicator of the character of a country’s industrial relations system. The extent to which employees are covered by collectivc agrccments concluded at various levels - national, regional, sectoral or company - is another important feature of the system by which wages and other employment conditions are set. In many countriec, workers who are not union members are in fact - through extension and enlargement...
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...Question 1 Canada, we know was not built by the politicians, soldiers and businessmen who populate our history books. Our country was built on the toil and sweat of people who cleared forests, tilled fields, built canals, railways and cities and labored in our factories and resource industries. In December 1863, several Hamilton unions formed the Canadian Labour Union, a central Trades Union or Trades Assembly; a body made up of delegates from local unions, which lasted until at least 1875. In 1871, five craft unions formed the Toronto Trades Assembly (1871-78), the Ottawa Trades Council (1872-76) and the St. Catherines Trades Assembly (1875). Some of the early unions were independent local unions that were made up of skilled craft workers such as printers and shoemakers. The main concerns of these unions were to protect their craft status from unskilled workers and to provide assistance to people who were sick or unemployed. These unions and the labour congress they belonged to did not support the organization of unskilled workers. In 1883, another start was made and three years later this organization became the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada (TLC). The TLC was one of the forerunners of the present Canadian Labour Congress, now the major national labour organization in Canada. With the adoption of the National Policy (1879) and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1881-85), Canadian industry began to revive and grow and the unions revived and grew with...
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...unitarism, radicalism, or pluralism. Unitarism is perceived as an integrated and harmonious system where the management, staff and all the members of the organization share the same objectives, interests, purposes and are viewed as one happy family. This single entity with a single authority has a loyalty structure which is considered paternalistic approaches were trade unions are deemed unnecessary and conflict is perceived as disruptive. Here management rights to manage are seen as legitimate and rational; and any opposition to management right to manage is seen as irrational. How long would the step ford wives syndrome last before it begins to crumble and fall apart? On the other hand radicalism objects to the capitalistic source of power where the ownership and control extends beyond the corporate limits and into the labour market itself. This allows for certain fundamental rights as in the right to associate where the workers possibly can form trade unions and assert a degree of power through the process of collective bargaining; having compared to the unionism capitalistic system that has no intention to take over management. They learned to bargain within an institutional...
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...transforming the economy through a new work ethic that places a high priority on interesting work, flexible forms of organization, and dynamic places in which to live and work” (Krahn, Hughes & Lowe, 2012, p. 27). As we venture into a post-industrialized era, this paper will examine the future prospects of work in Canada and the role that technology will play. Advancements in technology and innovation in a post-industrialized society are changing the way work is done. Some believe that technological advances will have a severe negative impact on the Canadian workforce. Betcherman and Lowe (1997) examine this view and conclude that there are three reasons that support this pessimistic outlook: 1) “mental” and “manual” labour are at risk due to “smart” technologies (p. 11); 2) when the agrarian system was replaced with industrialism, there were emerging sectors like manufacturing and services absorbed displaced workers, however, there does not seem to be an emerging sector (Betcherman & Lowe, 1997); and 3) “globalization is extending the power of capital beyond the reach of any counterbalancing “social” forces, including government regulation and collective bargaining (Betcherman & Lowe, 1997, p. 11). This industrial restructuring sees new ways of running the industry through the use of these developments, which in turn, creates a more competitive market (Cooperman...
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...Question 1: What major events in Canada’s labour relations history got Phil to the point in which he could lawfully organize a union, have it certified, and negotiate a collective agreement with the company? Major events in Canada’s Labour Relations History includes: I. Nine Hour Movement: In 1872, this legislation gave Canadian workers the right to organize a union legally as a result of a strike by Toronto printers. It was an effort by workers to organize and lobby to have the standard work day reduced from 12 hours to 9 hours. Ironically, however, the legislation did not address the hours of work. This movement also resulted in the forming of the first Federation of Trade Unions Canadian Labour Union. II. Winnipeg General Strike of 1919: This allowed workers to get limited collective bargaining. By 1883 the Trades and Labour Congress (TLC) formed to lobby for reforms to labour legislation to benefit all workers, with an alternative being developed in 1927 known as the All Canadian Congress of Labour. III. Wagner Act: In 1935, this American Act gave workers the rights to “organize, collectively bargain and strike” (Module 2). Canadian provinces followed soon after by adopting similar wording in their labour codes. Question 2: What strategies can Phil use to increase his chances of success in organizing a union within this company? Phil can do the following: I. Arrange an organizing committee: With “a group of employees who work on the campaign to sign up union...
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