Value: 25% of your final grade
You are a shop steward in your union. At your last union meeting, you suggested that your local organize a rally on May Day, the day celebrated by workers around the world to show their strength, dignity and determination. [In Canada and the US, May Day is less well known, because unions adopted Labour Day as an alternative to May Day, with its more radical image.[1]] Your coworkers aren’t opposed to a May Day rally but don’t know much about it, so they suggest that you take on the task of organizing it and delivering a speech. You sit down, read Canadian Labour in Crisis, by David Camfield, and write a speech, about 2500 words long, that you submit as your first assignment for Labour Studies 413.
This is a speech, which means that you do not need to make references to particular pages or chapters of the book, though you can do so if you wish. You can also draw on other sources if you want to, and you should bring in your own experiences with unions or other social movements, if you have any. Asking around among friends and family can also help to give your speech a lively and engaging tone. Three questions you should address in any case are given below.
- What is the state of organized labour in Canada today?
- What problems does it face?
- Is it necessary to develop a more combative workers’ movement? If so, how can this be accomplished?