Resources > Books, Videos & Resources by Subject > Work Issues
Work Issues Book, Video & Resource List
Whenever possible the descriptions of the following resources have been taken directly from their source. This list is by no means exhaustive. Suggestions for additions are encouraged and can be emailed to the Social Justice and Peace Studies Website Administrator at sjpsweb@uwo.ca
BOOKS:
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. New York:
Metropolitan, 2001.
Notes: Millions of Americans work full time, year round, for poverty-level wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that a job -- any job -- can be the ticket to a better life. But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 an hour? Available at Weldon.
Klein, Naomi. No logo: Taking aim at the brand bullies. New York: Picador, 2000.
Notes: A good deal of this book deals with issues of work. Chapter nine “The Discarded Factory” deals with work and exploited labour; chapter ten, “Threats and Temps” describes the inequality of work using McDonalds and Starbucks as examples of places with unethical labour practices. Available at Kings or Weldon Libraries.
Louie, Miriam Ching Yoon. Sweatshop Warriors: Immigrant women workers take on the
global factory. Cambridge: South End, 2001.
Notes: This is a collection of inspiring stories about women in the garment industry who challenge their unjust employers. It is a story of strength, courage and love. Available at Weldon.
Ross, Andrew. No Sweat: Free Trade and the rights of garment. New York: Verso, 1997.
Notes: This book outlines a number of injustices related to work. How Nike's celebrity spokesmen Michael Jordan earned more for endorsing Nike running shoes that then company's 200,000-strong Asian workforce get between them in a year. How Disney boss Michael Eisner's annual pay and stock options, worth $200 million, are partly paid for out of profits from the sale of Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre Dame T-shirts made by Haitian teenagers who work for less than $10 per week and are force-fed contraceptive pills. No Sweat tells the story of the chasm between the glamour of the catwalk and the squalor of the sweatshop. Available at Kings and Weldon.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
Notes: The section of this book entitled “The Most Dangerous Job,” is an excellent resource when researching work issues. In this section, Schlosser describes the horrendous working conditions of industrial butchery.
VIDEOS:
The Big One. Dir. Michael Moore. Prod. Kathleen Glynn. Miramax, 1997.
Notes: At a time when corporations are posting record profits, why are so many Americans still in danger of losing their jobs? In this video production Michael Moore seeks to challenge Fortune 500 companies to reconsider their downsizing decisions. Available at most video stores.
Roger and Me. Dir. Michael Moore. Warner Bros, 1989.
Notes: Roger and Me is a feature-length documentary film by Michael Moore, chronicling the efforts of the world's largest corporation, General Motors, as it turns its hometown of Flint, Michigan, into a ghost town. Available at most video stores.
Chore wars. Dir. Kathy Garneau and Lauren Davis. Moving Images, 1995.
Notes: You thought the battle of the sexes was over in the 60s? Guess again. The struggle over who does the housework goes on in bathrooms and kitchens everywhere. Walk onto the battlefields of several Canadian families as this hilarious documentary goes beneath the surface grime to reveal why families take serious the skirmishes over who cleans what. Available at Weldon, 48 min.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. New York:
Metropolitan, 2001.
Notes: Millions of Americans work full time, year round, for poverty-level wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that a job -- any job -- can be the ticket to a better life. But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 an hour? Available at Weldon.
Klein, Naomi. No logo: Taking aim at the brand bullies. New York: Picador, 2000.
Notes: A good deal of this book deals with issues of work. Chapter nine “The Discarded Factory” deals with work and exploited labour; chapter ten, “Threats and Temps” describes the inequality of work using McDonalds and Starbucks as examples of places with unethical labour practices. Available at Kings or Weldon Libraries.
Louie, Miriam Ching Yoon. Sweatshop Warriors: Immigrant women workers take on the
global factory. Cambridge: South End, 2001.
Notes: This is a collection of inspiring stories about women in the garment industry who challenge their unjust employers. It is a story of strength, courage and love. Available at Weldon.
Ross, Andrew. No Sweat: Free Trade and the rights of garment. New York: Verso, 1997.
Notes: This book outlines a number of injustices related to work. How Nike's celebrity spokesmen Michael Jordan earned more for endorsing Nike running shoes that then company's 200,000-strong Asian workforce get between them in a year. How Disney boss Michael Eisner's annual pay and stock options, worth $200 million, are partly paid for out of profits from the sale of Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre Dame T-shirts made by Haitian teenagers who work for less than $10 per week and are force-fed contraceptive pills. No Sweat tells the story of the chasm between the glamour of the catwalk and the squalor of the sweatshop. Available at Kings and Weldon.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
Notes: The section of this book entitled “The Most Dangerous Job,” is an excellent resource when researching work issues. In this section, Schlosser describes the horrendous working conditions of industrial butchery.
VIDEOS:
The Big One. Dir. Michael Moore. Prod. Kathleen Glynn. Miramax, 1997.
Notes: At a time when corporations are posting record profits, why are so many Americans still in danger of losing their jobs? In this video production Michael Moore seeks to challenge Fortune 500 companies to reconsider their downsizing decisions. Available at most video stores.
Roger and Me. Dir. Michael Moore. Warner Bros, 1989.
Notes: Roger and Me is a feature-length documentary film by Michael Moore, chronicling the efforts of the world's largest corporation, General Motors, as it turns its hometown of Flint, Michigan, into a ghost town. Available at most video stores.
Chore wars. Dir. Kathy Garneau and Lauren Davis. Moving Images, 1995.
Notes: You thought the battle of the sexes was over in the 60s? Guess again. The struggle over who does the housework goes on in bathrooms and kitchens everywhere. Walk onto the battlefields of several Canadian families as this hilarious documentary goes beneath the surface grime to reveal why families take serious the skirmishes over who cleans what. Available at Weldon, 48 min.
WEBSITES - Labour Rights:
Campaign for Labour Rights: It is the mission of the Campaign for Labor Rights (CLR) to mobilize grassroots support throughout the United States to promote economic and social justice by campaigning to end labor rights violations around the world. CLR educates about, and advocates against, the underlying causes of the global sweatshop. Its campaign strategies are designed in collaboration with workers struggling to gain the right to organize, the right to earn a living wage in a clean, safe work environment, and the right to bargain collectively with their bosses. Through these campaigns CLR's goal is to empower workers. http://campaignforlaborrights.org/
Canadian Auto Workers: The CAW is always engaged in campaigns and issues aimed at improving the lives of workers nationally and around the world. Through our members and our departments, the CAW has on-going involvement in, and commitment to, many workplace, economic and social justice issues. www.caw.ca
Canadian Union of Public Employees: We work together on shared concerns such as decent wages, safe working conditions, and justice in the workplace, society and in our union. CUPE’s policies and practices must reflect our commitment to equality. Members, staff and elected officers must be mindful that all sisters and brothers deserve dignity, equality and respect. The ‘campaigns’ link may be of particular interest. www.cupe.ca
Maquila Solidarity Network: A Canadian network promoting solidarity with groups in Mexico, Central America, and Asia organizing in Maquiladora factories and export processing zones to improve conditions and win a living wage. In a global economy it is essential that groups in the North and South work together for employment with dignity, fair wages and working conditions, and healthy workplaces and communities. www.maquilasolidarity.org
Transfair Canada: This web site allows you to locate places in Canada that sell fair trade goods with the simple click of a button. www.transfair.ca
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