York University’s Global Labour Research Centre (GLRC) will kick off its annual speaker series with a panel discussion on the low-wage economy.
The Global Labour Speaker Series kicks off with a panel discussion on the low-wage economy
“The Living Wage Movement: Responding to the Low-Wage Economy” will explore how the spread of low-wage work and the challenges faced in expanding the scope of unionization have revived the notion of the living wage.
The event takes place on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 11:30am to 2pm in the Harry Crowe Room at Atkinson College.
The living wage movement in North America has successfully pressed both local and state governments, as well as some employers, to set wages at a standard that ensures a decent standard of living. This vibrant movement has galvanized workers in some of the most vulnerable and poorly paid sectors of the economy. The GLRC’s opening session in its 2015-16 speaker series assembles a panel of leading researchers focused on the living wage movement in Ontario.
Panellists:
- Bryan Evans is an associate professor in the Department of Politics & Public Administration at Ryerson University, a member of the Yeates School of Graduate Studies and principal investigator of a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant (“Policy engagement at multiple levels of governance: a case study of the living wage and minimum wage policy”).
- David Gouter is an assistant professor in the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University. He is leading a research project on the living wage in Hamilton, Ont. As part of the project, he has been conducting qualitative interviews with employers in that city who have been certified as Living Wage Employers, and with their employees, about how the workplace, workers’ family life and the broader community have been affected by the living wage.
- Stephen McBride is a professor and Canadian Research Chair in Public Policy & Globalization in the Department of Political Science at McMaster University. A prolific scholar, his research deals with issues of comparative public policy, globalization and political economy.
- Patricia McDermott is a professor in the Socio-legal Studies and Gender Studies programs at York University. With Meg Luxton, she is currently heading up a research project exploring how young adults manage on the minimum wage in the fast food, retail and daycare sectors.
- John Shields is a professor in the Department of Politics & Public Administration and co-director of the Master of Arts in Public Policy & Administration at Ryerson University. His research interests include Canadian political economy, labour market policy, immigrant economic integration, the welfare state, public sector restructuring, globalization and the political economy of the nonprofit sector.
- Kaylie Tiessen is an economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Ontario. Her recent work has focused on provincial budget analysis, poverty reduction and research support for a five-year economic development plan for First Nations communities. She has been part of the 25 in 5 Network for Poverty Reduction and has contributed to a provincial blog focused on public policy analysis.
Tiessen, along with GLRC co-directors Stephanie Ross and Mark Thomas, are also collaborators with Evans on the SSHRC-funded grant.
The Global Labour Speaker Series at York University is a collaboration of the Global Labour Research Centre, the Work & Labour Studies program, the Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Econom, and the Canada Research Chair in the Political Economy of Gender & Work.
This event is co-sponsored by York University’s Departments of Social Science, Sociology, Geography and Political Science; the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies; the Office of the Dean, LA&PS; the Office of the Dean, Osgoode Hall Law School; the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost; and the Department of Equity Studies.
Upcoming events in the series include:
• Thursday, Oct. 8: “Book launch for Building a Better World, 3rd Edition”
Speakers: Stephanie Ross, York University; Larry Savage, Brock University
Time: 11:30am to 1:30pm
Location: TBA
• Thursday, Oct. 29: “Academics and Workers’ Movements”
Speakers: Alan Sears, Ryerson University; Deena Ladd, Workers Action Centre;
Janet Dassinger, Canadian Union of Public Employees; Sean Smith, Unifor
Time: 1:30 to 3:30pm
Location: 626 Kaneff Tower
• Thursday, Nov. 19: “Labour and the Media”
Speakers: Sara Mojtehedzadeh, Toronto Star; Nora Loreto, Canadian Association of
Labour Media; Nadine Tkatchevskaia, Canadian Association of Labour Media; David
Bush, Rank&File
Time: 11:30 to 1:30pm
Location: Ross S701
For more information about the Global Labour Research Centre, visit yorku.ca/glrc.