The GLRC was launched in 2013 following two decades of research activities pursued through the now defunct Centre for Research on Work and Society (CRWS). The CRWS was a network of researchers "drawn from the Canadian labour movement, academia, community groups, and the international labour research community." The CRWS addressed "the many issues facing labour that arise from the ... volatile political transformation of the Canadian world of work." Situated within a "climate of rapid restructuring taking place within work and civil society", the CRWS strived to foster "a culture of union-university-community research partnerships." Carla Lipsig-Mummé, a professor of Work and Labour Studies at York University, served as the its founding director.
Among its many accomplishments, the CRWS engaged in the following:
- publication, from 2002-2014, of the work and labour studies scholarly journal Just Labour: A Canadian Journal of Work and Society; and,
- administration of Restructuring Work and Labour in the New Economy (RWL-INE), a three-year, $900,000 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada research initiative. Led by CRWS Director Norene Pupo (Principal Investigator), the RWL-INE project convened at least 18 academics from some 10 universities and 11 trade union partners to survey and report on labour market and work life restructuring in Canada from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s.
GLRC Charter
During its first charter, the GLRC was co-directed by Professors Stephanie Ross (Associate Professor, McMaster University, formerly Work & Labour Studies, York University) and Mark Thomas (Professor, Sociology) from 2013-16, and directed by Mark Thomas from 2016-18. In the period of its second charter, the GLRC was under the direction of Mark Thomas from May–June 2018, Kelly Pike (Associate Professor, Human Resource Management) from July 2018–April 2019, and Luann Good Gingrich (Professor, Social Work) from May 2019–April 2023.
In 2024, the GLRC entered its third charter period (2024-2029) directed by Adrian Smith (Associate Professor, Law) with the initial support of Hajer Mirwali (until October 2023) followed by Carmen Ponce. Carlo Fanelli, Associate Professor of Work and Labour Studies, will serve as Interim Director of the GLRC from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.