York University’s Global Labour Research Centre (GLRC) will host the second instalment of this year’s annual speaker series with a book launch and discussion on Building a Better World: An Introduction to the Canadian Labour Movement, 3rd Edition.
The event takes place Thursday, Oct. 8, from 10 to 11:30am in the Sociology Common Room, 2101 Vari Hall. It features guest speakers Stephanie Ross (professor, York University) and Larry Savage (professor, Brock University).
Last year, Fernwood Publishing asked Ross and Savage to take over primary authorship of the book, which is a staple in introductory labour studies courses across Canada.
This newest edition has been significantly restructured and features plenty of new content.
Ross and Savage said they were honoured to be asked by Fernwood Publishing to spearhead a third edition. Addressing the teaching needs of a new generation of labour studies students, researchers and union and worker activists was an exciting challenge, they said.
The book underscores the importance of unions in building a more egalitarian and democratic society. Building a Better World offers a comprehensive introductory overview of Canada’s labour movement, including chapters on labour history, unions and politics, collective bargaining and workplace representation, and labour movement renewal.
Ross, the co-director of the Global Labour Research Centre at York University, and Savage, director of the Centre for Labour Studies at Brock University, have collaborated twice before as co-editors of two well-received and widely read books also published by Fernwood Publishing: Rethinking the Politics of Labour in Canada (2012), and Public Sector Unions in the Age of Austerity (2013).
The Global Labour Speaker Series at York University is a collaboration of the Global Labour Research Centre, the Work & Labour Studies program, the Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Economy, and the Canada Research Chair in the Political Economy of Gender & Work.
This event is co-sponsored by York University’s Departments of Social Science, Sociology, Geography, Political Science and Equity Studies; the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies; the Office of the Dean, LA&PS; Osgoode Hall Law School; and the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost.
To view the event’s Facebook page, visit facebook.com/events/771796566265023/.
For more information about Building a Better World and Fernwood Publishing, visit fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/building-a-better-world.
Upcoming events in the series include:
- Thursday, Oct. 29: “Academics and Workers’ Movements”
Speakers: Alan Sears, Ryerson University; Deena Ladd, Workers Action Centre;
Janet Dassinger, Canadian Union of Public Employees; Sean Smith, Unifor
Time: 1:30 to 3:30pm
Location: 626 Kaneff Tower
- Thursday, Nov. 19: “Labour and the Media”
Speakers: Sara Mojtehedzadeh, Toronto Star; Nora Loreto, Canadian Association of Labour Media; Nadine Tkatchevskaia, Canadian Association of Labour Media; David Bush, Rank&File
Time: 11:30am to 1:30pm
Location: S701 Ross Building
For more information about the Global Labour Research Centre, visit yorku.ca/glrc.