Trade unions in Canada are losing their traditional support base, and membership numbers could sink to US levels unless unions recapture their power. Unions, Equity, and the Path to Renewal demonstrates that equity within unions is not simply one possible solution – it is the path to union renewal.

A distinguished group of union activists and equity scholars explore how traditional union cultures, practices, and structures have eroded solidarity and activism and created an equity deficit in Canadian unions. Informed by a feminist vision of unions as instruments of social justice, the authors discuss the types of changes needed to reposition organized labour as a central institution in workers’ lives.

This volume highlights the central role that equity issues should play in debates on union renewal. It is mandatory reading for anyone interested in the future of labour and unions in Canada and abroad.

Janice R. Foley's profile page

Patricia L. Baker's profile page

Janice R. Foley is a professor in the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Regina. Patricia L. Baker was an associate professor of anthropology at Mount St. Vincent University.

Contributors: Linda Briskin, Karen Brown, Miriam Edelson, Mary Margaret Fonow, Anne Forrest, Suzanne Franzway, Jan Kaine, Marie-Josée Legault, Anne McBride, Jane Parker, Barbara Pocock, Jeremy Waddington, Marie Clarke Walker, and Carol Wall

An important contribution to the union debate that highlights the work of women and equity advocates over the past several decades ... and provides possible solutions.

Canadian Dimension