Union Learning Canadian Labour Education in the Twentieth Century is a historical account of union education from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, written by Jeffery Taylor, a Labour Studies instructor at Athabasca University. From the onset, Taylor (2001) lays out what he plans to discuss in his book and proclaims what I believe is his thesis statement: “This volume seeks to uncover the heritage of Canadian labour education, to provide interested readers with a basic narrative of the subject and to offer an interpretation of its development” (p. 2). I feel that Taylor successfully accomplishes what he set out to do in a well-researched manner and well-structured style.
Taylor (2001) opens with an in-depth introductory chapter where he outlines the framework for the book’s content and clearly defines union education, labour studies and workers education as well as informal, non-formal and formal forms of adult education for the reader (p. 2). Taylor also includes a list of abbreviations for terms used throughout the book. At the start of each chapter following the introduction, Taylor provides a context component outlining not only references to the historical setting but also the political, social and economic issues pertinent to the timeframe. Supplementary to the core content, Taylor provides excerpts, commentary and visuals, adding interest for the reader. Taylor ends each chapter with a notes section, providing sources for the information he discusses. Taylor sets the stage for the reader, describing how, historically, labour education in Canada involved skills passed informally from worker to worker in a way similar to the much earlier artisan guilds. He describes how as the union movement grew, labour education encompassed much more than skills training in the workplace.
Chapter two traces the increase of union activity and the further development of labour education in the decade after the First World War. The Worker’s Educational Association (WEA), established in 1918, organized a wide variety of adult and worker education courses (evening classes, university extension programs, radio and film presentations and full credit university programs). The aim was “ensuring as much as possible that workers had the critical skills and the knowledge to participate fully in society as citizens, trade unionists and workers” (Taylor, 2001, p. 56). In its attempts to represent all workers, the WEA faced difficulties with underlying differences amongst individual unions. Throughout the chapter, Taylor emphasizes the tension and mistrust on the part of many unionists in non-unionist courses and interprets this mistrust in reference to the social and political climate of the times.
At the start of chapter three, Taylor (2001) describes the period from 1947 to 1955 as “transitional in the history of Canadian labour education” (p. 61). Canadian society was changing, and with an improving economy and evolving political beliefs, unions were viewed more favourably than in the past. The union movement grew in response such factors as increasing numbers in the workplace, government legislation concerning bargaining rights for unions, and the growth of alternate institutions of adult continuing education. Taylor’s discussion continues making connections between societal issues and changes in labour education. The WEA faded in importance in labour education and the internal union education as well as governmental and institutional offerings such as the National Film Board, the CBC broadcasting and continuing education ventures in community colleges and some universities increased. Taylor (2001) points out that “governmental incursions into adult education reflected both an increased awareness of its potential for shaping citizens and an apprehensiveness on the part of some conservative elements that the field was dominated by leftists” (p. 63). Internal union opportunities grew in importance and labour education committees became a part of larger union structures. Internal course offerings increased in both standards and scope as unions “inevitably provided more of their member services internally and took on more responsibilities” (Taylor, 2001, p. 91). Taylor consistently interprets these developments in labour education in terms of the historical heritage that led up to them.
Taylor (2001) refers to the period from 1956-1972 as a consolidation period where “union educators built on the foundation laid in the 1940s and early 1950s, broadening and stabilizing internal educational capacity” (p. 97). Union membership was widespread and an accepted positive force in improving conditions in the Canadian workplace. Trade unions and affiliations, government employee unions, professional unions, private and public service unions all recognized the necessity of effective union education programs. Taylor (2001) notes: “By the 1960s, labour education was seen by its practitioners as a mature, stable and legitimate part of trade union and adult education practice” (p. 119). Taylor connects many of the internal educational programs to adult education trends of the times such as home study and distance education learning using PI (programmed instruction) as the mode of delivery. Weekend educational institutes, short week-long courses, staff conferences and union leadership seminars were subsequently developed to provide more active participation. Course offerings often reflected concern with wider societal issues such as feminism, women’s challenges in the workplace and the increasing attention to environmental awareness in Canada. Alongside the union-based labour education opportunities, external labour education continued to be offered in extension departments of universities, continuing education initiatives and cooperative offerings with other institutions. “By the early 1960s, however, Canadian union educators were preoccupied with building their own institution of higher learning” (Taylor, 2001, p. 133) and a cooperative effort between union educators and university representatives resulted founding of The Labour College of Canada. University level courses related to labour issues became accessible for union members. Taylor (2001) states: “By the early 1970s the Canadian labour movement had a mature education system that did a reasonably adequate job of training leaders and activists to take their place in an industrial relations system and a capitalist economy that most labour leaders accepted” (p. 144).
In the remaining chapters, Taylor continues his investigation of the progress of labour education in Canada, consistently interpreting this evolution as a response to previous events and to current issues in Canadian society. In the period from 1973 to 1985, the Canadian economy worsened facing such problems as inflation, unemployment, rising prices and lower wages. Union bargaining for pay raises and improvements in working conditions became more difficult as union-employer relations became much less cooperative than in past decades. Increasing diversity within the union membership also needed to be addressed. The need for changes in union-based labour education became a priority for union and members alike. Funded in part by government grants, the Labour Education and Studies Centre (LESC) with both national and regional centres provided learning materials and courses addressing a variety of areas including traditional leadership programs as offered in previous union courses as well as emerging issues such as health and safety, cultural diversity, women in the workplace, political education and adapting to technological changes. The Labour College of Canada continued to provide higher education opportunities for union members. External post-secondary institutions, encouraged by increasing government funding, expanded labour studies offerings. Taylor (2001) notes that: “Union educators, however, were apprehensive about these new overtures” (p.182). The old mistrust between union educators and traditional academics was still present, reinforcing Taylor’s theme of the present reflecting the past and guiding the future.
With increasing economic and governmental challenges in the latter part of the century, the Canadian union movement became more vocal in pursuing their interests, protecting their members rights in the workplace and improving the lives of union workers. Taylor (2001) titles this period “Rebuilding a Movement” (p. 201). Calls for union solidarity and active participation in support of all unionized workers grew in importance. Government policies appeared to favour employers and non-unionized private sector enterprises. Union educators became increasingly aware that they needed to take charge of the development and delivery of union-driven labour education programs applicable to the concerns of an increasingly diverse union membership. Such issues as dealing with workplace harassment, improving communication skills and effective activist training, adapting to new technology, workplace training for young workers and retraining of displaced members are examples. The Labour College of Canada was reorganized to reflect more closely the broader directions being taken by internal labour educators. With government funding for adult education being shared by private and public institutions, expansion of college and university programs slowed down for a time “but some new ones were born and there were renewed attempts to work more closely with the labour movement” (Taylor, 2001, p. 225). For example, in cooperation with the Labour College of Canada, Athabasca University delivered distance education programs in labour studies to union as well as non-union members. By the end of the century, many more cooperative opportunities were formed. Taylor (2001) makes the point that “there were a number of local, regional and national arrangements among labour educators inside and outside unions suggesting that a new era of cooperation might be possible” (p. 244-245). Taylor consistently supports his view that learning from the past is a solid base to progress in the future.
Through an organized and well-structured approach and a thorough analysis of the historical evolution of Canadian labour education, Taylor (2001) successfully delivers what he sets out to provide for readers, which is to “uncover the heritage of Canadian labour education” and “to provide interested readers with a basic narrative of the subject” (p. 2). Taylor (2001) “offer[s] an interpretation of its development” (p. 2) by stating how he feels individuals can learn from the past: “union educators and leaders have seventy-years of experience to guide them. There is no reason why the members they serve cannot expect the best possible opportunities for union learning” (p. 250). I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to better understand the inter-relationships amongst changes in Canadian society, consolidation and growth of unions and the corresponding development of opportunities for effective labour education.
Works Cited:
Taylor, J. (2001). Union Learning Canadian Labour Education in the Twentieth Century. Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc.
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