When it comes time to write, try to think, at minimum, of summarizing in a sentence or two the core argument of each essay, and then try to develop a proposition (or thesis, if you prefer) that respon

HASAN 4

Canadian unions and their fight for the marginalized

Lamia Hasan

Gerald Hunt and Jonathan Eaton, “We Are Family: Labour Responds to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,

and Transgender Workers,” in Gerald Hunt and David M. Rayside, eds., Equity,

Diversity, and Canadian Labour (Toronto: UTP, 2007), 129-55.

Suzanne Mills and Tyler McCreary, “Social Unionism, Partnership and Conflict: Union

Engagement with Aboriginal Peoples in Canada,” in Stephanie Ross and Larry Savage,

Eds., Rethinking the Politics of Labour in Canada (Halifax and Winnipeg, Fernwood,

2012), 116-131.

The article “We are a family We Are Family: Labor Responds to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Workers.” Hunt and Eaton argue how unions have succeeded in assisting the marginalized individuals, including the GLBT, to fight for their rights. Hunt and Eaton state that unions such as CAW and CUPE continued to show their broad-based support in regard to GLB issues. The organizations utilize the services to equity officers to focus on matters relating to GLB. Some of these unions have even gone further and negotiated for collective bargaining agreements that are accompanied by pension benefits for same-sex workers. Such unions include those that represent automobiles workers who work at various automobile factories, including General Motors and Chrysler. Also, transgender activists have advocated for better recognition of transgender people within organized labor. This is because some of these transgender individuals are mistreated by their employers and their colleagues.

Hunt and Eaton explain a scenario where a transgender employee was terminated from the workplace as a result of using female washrooms. The said employee filed a human rights violation complaint against her employer and was, in the end, awarded $1,000 to cover for lost wages and another $5,000 to cater to compensation as a result of injury to her feelings and dignity. Not all unions have done enough to ensure that GLBT members receive the same benefits as other members. For instance, Hunt and Eaton state that unions that represent workers in male-dominated trades have done little to welcome GLB members. The early unions were mainly concerned with fighting for the rights of gay men and lesbians. The unions’ response to discrimination against gender identity came later and has not yet gained meaningful success, according to Hunt and Eaton.

In Mills and Tyler McCreary's article, “Social unionism, partnership and conflict: union engagement with Aboriginal peoples in Canada.” they argue on how unions in Canada have largely failed in their pursuit of the protection of Aboriginal peoples’ rights. The unions were unable to integrate a reconciliation agenda because they mainly focused on individual rights which proved to be incompatible with a call to recognize the group rights and autonomy of the Aboriginal peoples. Mills and McCreary state that most of these unions prioritize on issues relating to non-Aboriginal members. Additionally, the central culture and historical distinctiveness of the Aboriginal peoples do not fit well with the union frames that emphasized the commonality of diverse employees in the fight against capital. Mills and McCreary also state that tensions continue to exist between Aboriginal individuals and the unions since some of these unions are against the economic prosperity of the Aboriginal peoples.

In comparison, Hunt and Eaton describes how unions have succeeded in fighting for their rights of the marginalized while Mills and McCreary define how unions have succeeded in fighting for the rights of the Aboriginal peoples as they largely failed in doing so. According to Hunt and Eaton, unions succeed in fighting for the rights or the marginalized groups as they find it to be the right course worth undertaking. They are mainly unable to succeed in fighting for the rights of indigenous people as a result of the unique culture that these people possess. Additionally, some of these unions are politically inclined and do less to advocate for the rights of the indigenous people. The indigenous people also have their unions which complicate matters as they adopt unfavorable anti-union positions. In the case of Aboriginal governments, they adopted anti-union policies that prioritized capitalist and economic development.

These two pieces have demonstrated how Canadian unions have succeeded in assisting the gender minorities in fighting for their rights, but have failed in addressing indigenous issues, particularly those affecting the Aboriginal peoples. Unions find it hard to work with indigenous individuals as a result of cultural differences. All in all, most of these Canadian unions have done incredible work in supporting marginalized groups.