IDRL 215 EXAM PREP LATEST
What factors finally led to the passing of PC 1003 in 1944? -
ANSWERS-Government attempted to limit the power of unions at the
beginning of WWII, but workers refused
because they wanted better wages and the unions to be recognized so
they went on strikes such as the
Kirkland Lake gold miner in 1941 which persuaded the government to
change its policies toward unions.
Finally, the legislation had to be reworked to give unions more
recognition and establish them as a real
industry so legally workplaces now had to negotiate with unions instead
of ignoring them before.
Why did the 1950's and 1960's witness significant union growth, and
what changed in the 1970's and 1980's to bring that growth to an end? -
ANSWERS-The war had just ended, and the economy was back on the
rise, unemployment had disappeared, and the
economy started to thrive again. As well as many issues pertaining to the
development and growth of
unions had stopped because federal and provincial labour legislation
allowed unions to develop without
any issues. In the 70's and 80's this growth started to halt because of
other markets in the world becoming
END OF
PAGE
1
, IDRL 215 EXAM PREP LATEST
more dominant and overshadowing the north American market as well
as unemployment drastically
increasing and inflation within the economy.
How are unions today different than their pre-WWII ancestors? In what
ways are they the same? - ANSWERS-Unions today are more free
ranging and have more power and assist more people than they did
before the
second world war as well as that unions today are assisted by the
government and allow for better human
rights services and overall strengthen society more now. The similarities
between unions now and then
would be that there are still many employers and organizations that are
against unions and wish for them
to not be a part of their business as they feel they are intruding and have
the possibilities of ruining their
organization, as well as the lack of people in unions back in the days
unions supported workers but only a
fraction of all Canadians were supported and still to this day less than a
third of all Canadians are
unionized so even though they have grown they still haven't reached the
mass group of people in the
END OF
PAGE
2
, IDRL 215 EXAM PREP LATEST
workforce.
What are the key characteristics of business unionism and social
unionism? - ANSWERS-Business unionism (sometimes called "bread-
and-butter unionism") is of the narrow, workplace-focused kind, where
the union sees its job as negotiating the best deal possible for its
members.
On the other hand, social unionism adopts a broader perspective, arguing
that unions must fight on behalf of all workers for social and political
change.
The difference between the two can be simply but elegantly described as
"the defence of the worker as wage earner as opposed to the worker as a
citizen"
Why is classifying unions as businesses or social unions more difficult
than theory suggests? - ANSWERS-Unions possess a unique and
contradictory place under capitalism. They are organizations whose
purpose is to advance workers' interests through resisting employer
control. In doing so they must challenge the legitimacy of employer
power. However, they also are embedded within capitalist relations,
meaning they must also work within existing structures, such as
collective bargaining, to achieve tangible outcomes for their members.
END OF
PAGE
3
What factors finally led to the passing of PC 1003 in 1944? -
ANSWERS-Government attempted to limit the power of unions at the
beginning of WWII, but workers refused
because they wanted better wages and the unions to be recognized so
they went on strikes such as the
Kirkland Lake gold miner in 1941 which persuaded the government to
change its policies toward unions.
Finally, the legislation had to be reworked to give unions more
recognition and establish them as a real
industry so legally workplaces now had to negotiate with unions instead
of ignoring them before.
Why did the 1950's and 1960's witness significant union growth, and
what changed in the 1970's and 1980's to bring that growth to an end? -
ANSWERS-The war had just ended, and the economy was back on the
rise, unemployment had disappeared, and the
economy started to thrive again. As well as many issues pertaining to the
development and growth of
unions had stopped because federal and provincial labour legislation
allowed unions to develop without
any issues. In the 70's and 80's this growth started to halt because of
other markets in the world becoming
END OF
PAGE
1
, IDRL 215 EXAM PREP LATEST
more dominant and overshadowing the north American market as well
as unemployment drastically
increasing and inflation within the economy.
How are unions today different than their pre-WWII ancestors? In what
ways are they the same? - ANSWERS-Unions today are more free
ranging and have more power and assist more people than they did
before the
second world war as well as that unions today are assisted by the
government and allow for better human
rights services and overall strengthen society more now. The similarities
between unions now and then
would be that there are still many employers and organizations that are
against unions and wish for them
to not be a part of their business as they feel they are intruding and have
the possibilities of ruining their
organization, as well as the lack of people in unions back in the days
unions supported workers but only a
fraction of all Canadians were supported and still to this day less than a
third of all Canadians are
unionized so even though they have grown they still haven't reached the
mass group of people in the
END OF
PAGE
2
, IDRL 215 EXAM PREP LATEST
workforce.
What are the key characteristics of business unionism and social
unionism? - ANSWERS-Business unionism (sometimes called "bread-
and-butter unionism") is of the narrow, workplace-focused kind, where
the union sees its job as negotiating the best deal possible for its
members.
On the other hand, social unionism adopts a broader perspective, arguing
that unions must fight on behalf of all workers for social and political
change.
The difference between the two can be simply but elegantly described as
"the defence of the worker as wage earner as opposed to the worker as a
citizen"
Why is classifying unions as businesses or social unions more difficult
than theory suggests? - ANSWERS-Unions possess a unique and
contradictory place under capitalism. They are organizations whose
purpose is to advance workers' interests through resisting employer
control. In doing so they must challenge the legitimacy of employer
power. However, they also are embedded within capitalist relations,
meaning they must also work within existing structures, such as
collective bargaining, to achieve tangible outcomes for their members.
END OF
PAGE
3
