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IDRL 215: Introduction to Labour Relations (Rev. C2) Report a Broken Link

IDRL 215: Introduction to Labour Relations is an introduction to the economic, legal, political, and social aspects of union-management relations and serves as a foundation for other IDRL courses. This course examines the economic, legal, political, and social aspects of union-management relations. Specifically, it examines union organization and structure, labour legislation, negotiating, and administering collective agreements and looks at contemporary issues in labour relations. It does so within the context of exploring the nature of employment and the key theoretical perspectives that inform the study of labour relations.

UNIT 1: Foundations

Godard, J. (2017). The role of the state. In Industrial relations: The economy and society (5th ed.) (pp. 219–246). Captus Press.
Godard, J. (2017). Foundations: Concepts, issues, and debates. In Industrial relations: The economy and society (5th ed.) (pp. 1–20). Captus Press.

UNIT 2: Trade Unions

Ross, S., & Savage, L. (2021, August 4). The advantages of unionization are obvious, so why don’t more workers join unions? The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-advantages-of-unionization-are-obvious-so-why-dont-more-workers-join-unions-164475
Trades Union Congress (TUC). (2016, February 5). What have the trade unions done for us? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrjySOFLXgg
Novan Ng. (March 3, 2012). The power of union is strength—Crabs vs ants vs penguins advertisement [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jop2I5u2F3U
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). (2022). Union steward handbook. CLC. https://canadianlabour.ca/who-we-are/labour-education/union-stewards-handbook
Ross, S. (2021). Business unionism and social unionism in theory and practice. In S. Ross & L. Savage (Eds.), Rethinking the politics of labour in Canada (2nd ed.) (pp. 29–46). Fernwood.

UNIT 3: Labour Relations Process

LastWeekTonight. (2021, November 15). Union busting: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk8dUXRpoy8

CONTENT WARNING: This video is a segment from the late-night news-comedy show Last Week Tonight. The content, while well-researched and factually accurate, is presented in an entertaining and humorous fashion. Consequently, it uses language that some may consider crude or offensive. If a you do not wish to see such content, you may skip this video as the content in the other assigned materials will cover the same subject matter.
LaborLab [Jimmy Day]. (2023, October 26). Anatomy of a captive audience meeting [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdNNAjWJB84
Alan Smith. (2013, December 14). Target stores propaganda anti-union nonsense [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ZSNDsz5vg
Lafer, G., & Loustaunau, L. (2020, July 23). Fear at work. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/fear-at-work-how-employers-scare-workers-out-of-unionizing
Gunnarsson, S., (dir.) & Collison, R. (writer). (1985). Final offer [Film]. National Film Board of Canada.
Rose, J. B. (2016). Constraints on public sector bargaining in Canada. Journal of Industrial Relations, 58(1), 93–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022185615598189

UNIT 4: Labour Relations in the 21st Century

Jackson, A., & Thomas, M. P. (2017). Chapter 11: Globalization and work in Canada. In Work and labour in Canada: Critical issues (3rd ed.) (pp. 249–271). Canadian Scholars Press.

Select or scroll to Chapter 11.
Ross, S., & Savage, L. (2023) The future of unions: Decline or renewal? In Building a better world: An introduction to the labour movement in Canada (4th ed.) (pp. 210–242). Fernwood.

Assignments

Employee Relations Words of Wisdom. (2020, February 6). PSLabor Talk: Part 1_ What unionization means to you [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P31UuHxfvc
Canadian HR Reporter. (2014, June 10). Best practices for dealing with unions [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnRhcLS_L6s
Stanford, J. (2023, October 4). Short film explores benefits of workers’ collective voice for workplaces and the economy. Centre for Future Work. https://centreforfuturework.ca/2023/10/04/short-film-explores-benefits-of-workers-collective-voice-for-workplaces-and-the-economy
The Gravel Institute. (2021, January 22). Richard Wolff: How you are being exploited [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mI_RMQEulw

Videos

Course Introduction Video

Unit 1 Video

Unit 2 Video

Unit 3 Video

Unit 4 Video