Part-time, Low Paid, No Benefits, Expendable -- The Picture And Plight Of Young Workers & Precarious Employment: Focus Of York U. Conference

TORONTO, November 11, 1998 -- New research, a nascent Young Workers' Charter of Rights, and the expertise and experiences of seasoned academics, trade unionists, community activists and young people will be shared at York University this weekend during a sold-out conference, The Next Working Class: Young Workers and Precarious Employment, Sat. Nov. 14 - Sun. Nov. 15.

Presented by York University's Centre for Research on Work and Society, the conference will bring together young workers, aged 14 to 29, students, researchers, and labour and community leaders from across the country. Among them will be Ryan Krell, 25, who this summer led the first successful bid in North America to unionize a Squamish, B.C. McDonald's. Demanding better working conditions, Krell, organizing for the Canadian Autoworkers, brought international attention to the plight of young workers who are typically part-time, low waged, with no benefits or job security.

Joining Krell will be: Kashfia Iqbal, a youth representative with Culturelink, who will share her perspective on the vulnerability of new young working Canadians; Martin Lepage, 22, whose efforts to organize an International Brotherhood of Teamsters union at McDonald's in St. Hubert, Que. were thwarted when the franchisee opted to close down the outlet; and Sarah Inglis, 22, who failed to win in her bid to organize a union at a McDonald's Orangeville, Ont. workplace.

"The purpose of this conference is to spark a dialogue and identify points of solidarity between students, young workers and the trade labour movement," said Centre Director Carla Lipsig-MummÈ. "There is need for more knowledge about the deteriorating situation of the young, and need for more active engagement. Unions are crucial actors, but the role of universities is equally important. I'm hoping this conference is the first of several to address youth issues, and we at York intend to make it a priority for activist research," she said.

Conference highlights include:

the release of a new report by the Centre for Research on Work and Society entitled: Organizing and Union Membership: A Canadian Profile in 1997. The report, based on a special run of 1997 Statistics Canada figures, shows that young workers are worse off than expected. Among the findings: young workers represent 17 per cent of the work force, but less than six per cent of the union movement; and youth unemployment is more than 16 per cent, almost double the adult rate.

keynote address, Youth, Work and Unions: Hard Questions, by Canadian Labour Congress President Bob White. He'll examine such questions as: Does labour need to change to attract the next generation? Canadian Federation of Students National Deputy Chairperson Jennifer Story will respond.

the working beginnings of a Young Workers' Charter of Rights, intended to make unions and workplaces aware of young people's issues, to encourage young worker participation in trade unions, and to set public workplace standards

the release of a Guide for Young Workers to Ontario Workplace Legislation

a question-and-answer session on young workers' issues Saturday afternoon to put in the hot seat high-ranking labour and community leaders, including Ontario Public Service Employees Union President Leah Casselman, Canadian Autoworkers President Buzz Hargrove, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour President Barb Byers, Ontario Federation of Labour President Wayne Samuelson, and Ontario Coalition Against Poverty Organizer Sue Collins.

Plenary session addresses by Judith McCormack, Sack Goldblatt Mitchell ("National employment standards and Young Workers") and Simon Fraser U. Political Scientist Stephen McBride ("Young Workers and the Labour Market.")

Conference workshops will focus on issues ranging from health and safety to the need for young workers to know their rights to the student debt crisis to protection for part-time workers to innovative organizing strategies for students as workers. Max Haiven, 17, a grade-12 Saskatoon, Sask. high school student, will facilitate a workshop entitled Young Workers and Unions in Pop Culture.

"Young workers and students are the next working class," said Lipsig-MummÈ. "The line between young workers and students has blurred, and that blurring is menacing for the employment future of young people."

The conference runs Sat. Nov. 14, 1998, 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. and Sun. Nov. 15, 1998, 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School, Moot Court, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto.

Established by York University in 1990, the Centre for Research on Work and Society links academics, the labour movement and community activists in research, education and policy formulation on Canadian labour issues.

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For more information or a detailed schedule, please contact:

Carla Lipsig-MummÈ
Director, Centre for Research on Work and Society
York University
(416) 736-5612

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087

Ken Turriff
Media Relations Officer
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
YU/081/98