Abstract
This article examines the conceptual impact of equal pay legislation on Canadian trade unionism. Ambiguous, largely voluntary, legislation poses major challenges to unions negotiating wage parity for their members. Furthermore, the movement finds itself caught between conflicting responsibilities as champion of the underpaid and protector of traditional interests. The authors examine this challenge within the context of the historic development, and fundamental principles of trade unionism. They conclude that many of the conflicts discussed arise directly from established union practices and must, therefore, be resolved by the movement and other affected parties together.
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Norman A. Solomon is Assistant Professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Business Administration, Windsor, Ontario. He was David Dubinsky Fellow at the University of Wisconsin in 1978. His most important publications are: ‘Collective Bargaining Among Nurses: Canada, U.S.A., and U.K.’ (co-author), and ‘Collective Bargaining Among Nonprofessional and Allied Professional Employees in the Health Sector’ (co-author), which both appeared in: A. Sethi and S. Dimmock (eds.), Industrial Relations and Health Services (Croom Helm, London, 1982).
Rebecca A. Grant is MBA Student at McGill University, Faculty of Management. She was Greville-Smith Research Fellow at McGill University.
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Solomon, N.A., Grant, R.A. Canadian trade unionism and wage parity for women: Putting the principle into practice. J Bus Ethics 2, 213–219 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382904
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382904