Equity, Diversity, and Canadian Labour »

David Rayside is a professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto.

Gerald Hunt is an associate professor and Chair of the Department of Human Resources Management and Organizational Behaviour in the School of Business at Ryerson University.

David Rayside is a professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto.

The Canadian labour movement has undergone several fundamental changes in response to demands for greater inclusion and representation by women, visible and sexual minorities, and people with disabilities. Equity, Diversity, and Canadian Labour explores the specific challenges put to outmoded conceptions of labour, charting the effort made towards establishing a more inclusive vision of labour in Canada. The study concludes that the Canadian labour movement has seen a fair amount of progress in this regard, though it still faces persistent impediments to equity and suffers from an uneven responsiveness within and across diversity issues.

This collection of original essays brings together contributors from a variety of backgrounds - women's studies, political science, sociology, industrial relations, and the labour movement itself. They provide detailed analyses of significant changes in union policies, practices, and cultures as viewed through different disciplinary lenses. With reference to gender, race, disability, and sexuality, the volume assesses the status of labour diversity in Canada and suggests what still needs to be done to advance the equity project.

An engaging look at the labour movement in Canada and elsewhere, Equity, Diversity, and Canadian Labour will appeal to students, practitioners, and anyone interested in equity issues and minority rights.

Preface     vii
Union Abbreviations
Introduction   Gerald Hunt     3
Looking Back: A Brief History of Everything   Julie White     25
Bargaining against the Past: Fair Pay, Union Practice, and the Gender Pay Gap   Anne Forrest     49
Union Response to Pay Equity: A Cautionary Tale   Judy Haiven     75
Labour's Collective Bargaining Record on Women's and Family Issues   Karen Bentham     101
We Are Family: Labour Responds to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Workers   Gerald Hunt   Jonathan Eaton     130
Broadening the Labour Movement's Disability Agenda   David Rayside   Fraser Valentine     156
Racism and the Labour Movement   Tania Das Gupta     181
Equity, Diversity, and Canadian Labour: A Comparative Perspective   David Rayside     208
Afterword   Linda Briskin     244
References     257
Contributors     283