Essay On The Auto Industry

Unions were a major turning point in Canada’s labor industry since they were meant to put the power of government behind the rights of the workers for them to bargain collectively with their employees on matters like working conditions, wages, and working hours. Trade unions were supposed to protect workers against arbitrary decisions like sudden wage cuts, layoffs and firing. Trade unions were majorly meant to protect the interest of the workers. Employers, however, do not like trade unions. In an economy that has a lot of uncertainty, employers want to have the flexibility of cutting wages, hiring and firing and also adding extra hours to the workers when there is a need. However, there is a decline in labor unions due to the current employment shift. There was a shift in employment from industries that had high unionization rates like the manufacturing and construction industries to occupations with lower unionization rates like retail trade and professional services. Even though most of the things trade unions did like ensuring comfortable working conditions have been enshrined in the law, trade unions are still crucial in ensuring workers are safe in their workplace.

Lost hundreds of thousands of good manufacturing jobs. Those jobs went to States in the U.S. where unions are made weak by legislation, and to Mexico where unions are made weak by free trade zones where union rights are virtually nonexistent. Formerly Canadian products can now be made in low wage states, where unions are virtually banned, and there are no inconvenient social protections like occupational health and safety rules, or public health care, quality education, or decent social assistance rates; and then these products can be sold back into Canada without tariffs or any kind of barriers.

"As the 1970's came to a close Canada reached an all time low with only nineteen percent of Canadians being employed in the manufacturing sector" (http://www.Canadainternationalbureauofstatistics/dominion/quart/dev/icj.html October 23, 2001).

The unemployment rate for March 2016 is at 7.3% compared to 6.6% in 2014. With the rising unemployment rate, people looking for jobs will have a much more difficult time. People will be looking longer for jobs and will not be receiving a salary to pay for costs of living. Right now, each month the unemployment rate climbs by 0.4%. This results in a loss of 35,700 jobs per month. Chapter six of Dinner Party explains the inflation costs. We can relate this to the inflating cost of living and the rising unemployment rate. Canada needs to change quick, as 35,700 jobs lost each month is not good for people trying to support

In Wayne Roberts and John Bullen’s A Heritage of Hope and Struggle: Workers, Unions and Politics of Canada 1930-1982, Roberts and Bullen’s outline the struggles and hardships Canadians endure post WWII on their path to prosperity with their employers. The journey begins late 1940s; conflicts emerge regarding union security which results in strikes, the 1945 Ford Windsor strike occurs as the organization’s employees demand the stability of the union. In an attempt to resolve the issues, Justice Ivan Rand urges a formula to “check-off dues” from employee paycheques to invest in the union, regarding finances and its activities. The fifties include the creation of the Canadian Labor Congress 1956 and the New Democratic Party. The sixties introduce

Follow WW1 soldiers would return home to a lack of jobs, high prices on basic necessities, and low minimum wage. This struck a fire within the people which started the movement for modern labour, along with the birth of the union. With no sign of change within the horrendous conditions following the war,the people rose up in search of a resolution. One of the driving factors was the Winnipeg General Strike which brought over 30,000 workers to leave the workplace, leaving Winnipeg in a standstill, sending an abrupt wake up call to the government to take action. Following these events is what shaped Canada into the working environment that it is today, with unions being put into place and a higher workplace standard being set, this one event brings change to the social, political and economic stature of

Before the recession in 2007-2008 an economy based on neoliberalism and augmented by globalization, was heralded as the best economic model for Canada. The argument went that if Canada pursued a strong policy of free trade with countries, both through NAFTA and other agreements with countries and trading blocs, it would ensure economic prosperity for Canada. However the Great Recession has thrown this argument into question. Canada has still not recovered economically from the Great Recession, the majority of the jobs being the manufacturing sector, which prior to the recession was the mainstay of the Canadian economy. With the recession's aftermath came people beginning to question the economic line that both the Conservatives and Liberals used. Nevertheless the Liberals, by all appearances, are committed to the traditional, free trade narrative. It does not mean there has not been pushback over globalization and it is particularly felt among those who feel that they are not able to make ends meet in today's economy. This, in part was how Trump was elected and it remains to be seen whether this potential revolt about globalization will continue across the border into Canadian political

Canada a nation with some of the richest histories in the world, some more intriguing than others whether it be its contribution during the second world war, or more importantly its fight within its self in seeking for equality and justice for it people. Similar is the case for labor the fight and struggle that was encountered by thousands in the early years of 1800’s till present. There were plentiful struggles made including ending child labor, the workers compensation, fight for being unionized in order to survive the brutality of the capitalists. In this paper I will explore the history of the minimum wage globally and the acts used to enact it in Canada with relevance to current economic conditions. Minimum wage is defined as “the minimum

Contenta, S. (2010, August 4). Global Post. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from Canada Land of New Jobs?: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/canada/100726/jobs-unemployment-economy

The National Policy is arguably one of the most successful economic and political strategy created by Sir John A. Macdonald’s Conservative Party. This strategy galvanized the levying of higher tariffs on goods entering from foreign markets which protected central Canadian manufacturers from the intense American market. This policy also restored the confidence of Canadians in the development of local industries. The extra funds generated by this protectionist policy, therefore, aided the dream of constructing a transcontinental railway across Canada and helped Canadians to regain confidence in the economy after the devastating Depression in the 1870s and failed reciprocity agreements with the United States. While the National Policy did not directly benefit the all of the provinces, it helped Canada expand westward, created more local industries and ultimately fostered the growth of a stronger economy.

Consideration for economic context is essential for work and learning. Companies, such as public, not for profit, privately operated/owned etc., have the ability to move unaccounted for resources across borders, attain cheap labour by outsourcing and create off-shore accounts to avoid taxes all of which impact work and learning. The Canadian economy is one derived of many variables. Employers creating workplaces by outsourcing their labour, moving resources that are unaccounted for or by creating accounts to avoid taxes are in business to have the lowest expenses and the most profit. These employers are prepared to do what it takes at whatever cost. The community in which I live consisted of several factories. These factories operated for many years employing many people in this community. Over the last 15 years most of these factories shut down and relocated to various other countries, obtaining cheap labour and new ways of distribution, leaving

Canada’s economy was once solely reliant on the exportation of raw materials, such as furs and timber, to Great Britain and Western Europe. Aside from this exportation of raw materials, Canada was largely agricultural in nature. By the time of Confederation, fifty-percent of labour remained agriculturally based (Krahn, Lowe, Hughes, 2008). Changes occurred around 1900; the industrial era replaced the once mainly agricultural and small-scale local production of times past by way of new technologies in the form of electricity, steam powered engines, railways, water wheels, etc. These tools allowed for the re-organization of work from piecework and compensation, based on individual output, to one of large manufacturing plants, high-production, specialized workers, and hourly pay. This industrial era has now morphed into one of new technologies and new careers; careers based in services. The dominance of a service-based economy is prevalent as around 75% of all employment in Canada was in services circa 2005(HRSDC,

     Besides a relatively non-competitive business environment, Canada?s labour force also lacks the competitive mindset. Structural employment remains high, which is partly due to the existence of social assistance and unemployment insurance systems. Work incentives are low under the protection of the employment insurance program, which indirectly contributes in a higher than the desirable unemployment rate. Furthermore, unions and other similar groups do not promote many incentives for workers to stay competitive in the workplace by continuously learning and improving productivity. Countries that have been most successful in cutting unemployment are those that have improved

challenges, however, are the most difficult ones to face and overcome. Some environmental issues that

In 1913, Henry Ford revolutionized product manufacturing by introducing the first assembly line to the automotive industry. Ford’s hallmark of achievement proved to be a key competence for the motor company as the low cost of the Model T attracted a broader, new range of prospective car-owners. However, after many decades of success, customers have become harder to find. Due to relatively new threats to the industry, increasing numbers of cars and trucks are parked in dealer lots and showrooms creating an alarming trend of stagnation and profit erosion. Foreign-based automakers, such as Toyota and Honda, have expanded operations onto domestic shores and, in turn, have wrestled