THE POLITICS OF DIFFERENCE AND INCLUSIVENESS WITHIN THE CANADIAN LABOR-MOVEMENT

Times have changed for Canadian unions in a number of important ways. Economic restructuring has wrought fundamental transformations in work places, labour processes and hence in unions themselves. The union mov ement is now largely made up of Canadian unions rather than American/i nternational unions. The feminization of the labour market over the la st 20 years has also changed the membership of unions and their organi zations. Yet there are important ways in which the union movement as a whole has not responded to these challenges. The problems derive in p art from the fragmented structure of the Canadian labour movement. Yet the strategies adopted by liberal and union feminists, with their emp hasis on legislative solutions, have also contributed to the marginali zation of women from the unions' main business, collective bargaining.