SOCY 122 Chapter : Collective Action and Unionization

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Social Sci, Edu and Soc Work - Sociology
• Course: SOCY 122
• Professor: Rob Beamish

Document Summary

Provincial and federal legislation which establishes minimum standards: better working conditions, receive minimum hourly wages, establishes overtime compensation, ensures paid vacation, acceptable layoff procedures. Workers wanted better benefits: formation of informal associations, creation of certified collective bargaining units, union. Before the war period: opposition against unionization. Did not favors workers organizing themselves into collective bargaining units. Post war period: rise of unionization of industrial workers, also a large increase in low wage, part time, private sector jobs. Shift in gender representation was due to declining percentage of male workers who are unionized: reflected upon job loss in male dominated, blue collar jobs. Due to technology, globalization, and free trade agreements. Women tend to work in more highly unionized public sectors. Reason for employers to discourage unions is that collective action produces better compensation: higher wages for women in unions, more likely to have pension plans, medical plans.