Canadian Labour in Crisis

Reinventing the Workers’ Movement

David Camfield

Does Canada have a working-class movement? Though many of us think of ourselves as middle class, most of us are, in fact, working class: we work for a wage. And though many of us are members of unions — the most significant organizations of the working-class movement in Canada — most people do not understand themselves to be part of this movement. Canadian Labour in Crisis asks why this is so. Through an analysis of the contemporary Canadian working-class movement and its historical development, David Camfield offers an explanation for its current state and argues that reform within the movement is not enough. From the structure of organizations to their activities and even the guiding ideology, Camfield contends that the movement needs a radical reinvention — and offers us a new way forward in reaching this goal.

Contents

 Introduction • Part One: The Working-Class Movement Today • Unions and the Workplace • Union Activity Beyond the Contract • Inside the Unions: Organizational Life • Other Working-Class Movement Organizations • Assessing the Contemporary Working-Class Movement • The Roots of Today’s Problems • Part Two: Looking Forward • Why Reinvent the Movement? • How to Reinvent the Movement? • Readings and Resources • Concepts • References • Index

About the Author

David Camfield is an associate professor in labour studies at the University of Manitoba.