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Politics of Sustainable Development

Citizens, Unions and the Corporations

Laurie E. Adkin

Using documentary evidence, interviews and surveys, Laurie Adkin examines the potential of new social movements and the labour movement to pose radical challenges to the model of development in the West. Although there are considerable obstacles on both sides, the author believes that the potential exists for a convergence between a radicalized `social unionism' and the popular democratic discourse of political ecology.

"The most difficult, yet most needed, of research projects is one that moves from the theoretical to the "real" in all its detail, complexity, and contradictions. This book takes on that challenge, contributing to a rethink of both the theoretical and practical. It is especially important in recognizing the constraints on action yet showing that activists' conceptions of unionism, union culture, and ideas do matter. It will, no doubt, be of great relevance to both academics and CAW activists struggling with the politics and tensions of more successfully addressing the issue of the environment."Sam Gindin, Director of Research, Canadian Auto Workers, author of The Canadian Auto Workers: The Birth and Transformation of a Union

"This is a well-researched and politically astute study which illuminates the challenges faced by activists and movements that strive to break through the enclosures of conventional politics. In a sober yet hopeful voice, Adkin records the struggles of trade unionists and citizens groups to find common ground around a democratic-ecological project that might well fuel a resurgent counter-hegemony in Canada and elsewhere."William K. Carroll, University of Victoria, author of Corporate Power and Canadian Capitalism, and editor of Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology

"A rare example, nowadays, of meticulous scholarship in the service of political engagement, and a key text for all those who are seriously concerned with the real possibilities—and the real obstacles—to the emergence of a new progressive politics based on the new social movements and the labour movement. The book makes the abstractions of social science come alive in its account of the real, stressful efforts of ordinary people to understand and overcome what industry is doing to their health and their jobs. It also breaks new ground in showing how crucial ideological 'discourses' are in building the necessary alliances to do this."Colin Leys, Queen's University, co-editor Socialist Register

Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I: Social Movements and Social Change
Chapter 1: Issues in social movement theory: The new social movements; The "old" social movement: labour
Part II: Defining the Stakes of Environmental Politics: Citizen, Union, and Corporate Actors
Chapter 2: Environmental Crisis: the context for citizen mobilization in the 1980s: Introduction; Private sector and citizens' mobilization; Labour response
Chapter 3: The Ontario "Spills Bill"
Chapter 4: The Canadian Environmental Protection Act: Introduction; Private Sector response to the draft CEPA; Citizen and environmentalist response to CEPA; Labour response to CEPA; The five-year point review of CEPA
Chapter 5 The Ontario Municipal-Industrial Strategy for Abatement: Introduction; Management Responses to MISA; Citizens' and Environmental Groups' Responses; The St. Clair River International Citizens' Network; Labour Response to MISA
Chapter 6: The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Review: Introduction; The Great Lakes United Citizens' Hearings; Environmental and health priorities versus profit; Democratization of decision-making; The demand for a "people's" state; Resources are social property; Labour Participation in the GLWQA Review
Chapter 7: Brush-fires of Democratization: The Remedial Action Plans: Introduction; Formation of the RAP teams and public advisory committees: War of Position; Overview of Selected RAP Experiences; Guerrilla citizens in the 1990s
Part III: Corporate Unionism and Social Movements: the Energy and Chemical Workers Union
Chapter 8: The Political Economy and Culture of a Union: The Energy and Chemical Workers: Union in the 1980s; Introduction; The ECWU: Origins, Structure and Membership; Recession and Restructuring in the Petrochemical Industry; An era of crisis; Restructuring trends; Corporate and union strategies in the Canadian energy sector; Corporate strategy; The ECWU's role in petrochemical sector restructuring: energy policy; The 1983-1984 Petrochemical Industry Task Force; Post-1984 ECWU energy policy; Conclusions
Chapter 9: Collective Bargaining and Union-Employers Relations: National Bargaining Programs, 1981-1988; Reduction of work time; Occupational health and safety; Gender equality; Continuing Dialogue; Conclusions
Chapter 10: Chemical Workers and Toxic Pollution issues: Introduction; Development of the Chemical Valley and the Petrochemical Workforce; 950s-1960s: Air and Water Pollution in the Chemical Valley; The Mercury Story; The Lead Issue; The Campaign to Ban Leaded Gasoline; Canada Metals and Toronto Refiners and Smelters: two cases of industrial lead emissions; The Junction Triangle
Chapter 11: Toxic Chemical Pollution of the Chemical Valley in the 1980s: Introduction; The St. Clair River Blob; The Citizens and the Union; The Company Campaign; The downstream communities; Sarnia: "I'm a blob-maker."; Union Response To The Blob; "We know better"; Guilt/Complicity; "You called the wrong pipefitter"; Apathy; Union hierarchy; Job insecurity
part IV. Social Unionism and Social Movements: the Canadian Autoworkers Union
Chapter 12: The CAW Environmental Policy: Introduction; The CAW Environmental Policy; Formation of the Local Environment Committees: Policy and Structure; Offical and Activist Views; Views from the Rank and File; Conclusions
Chapter 13: Two Strategies of Social Unionism: Implementation of the Environmental Policy: Top and Base; Environmental Committee Priorities; The Ford Foundry Case; Rank and File Awareness of Environmental Issues and Union Activities; Social Unionism/Social Democracy; Objectives of the Local Executives; Objectives of the Rank and File Activists; Rank and File Views of the Environment-Jobs Trade-off; Conclusions
Chapter 14: CAW-Environmental Movement Convergence: CAW and ECWU Strategies Compared; CAW Environmental Policy in the 1990s; Overview; National Union Direction; Implementation of the Environmental Policy: Top and Base; Collective bargaining for environmental gains; The union environmental committees and coalition-building; From Social Unionism to Movement Unionism; The Union Steps in; The Green Work Alliance; Conclusions
Conclusions
Appendices
Bibliography
Index

About the author

Laurie E. Adkin holds a PhD from Queen's University in Political Studies and currently teaches Comparative Politics at the University of Alberta. She has published articles on new social movements, the Canadian labour and environmental movements, and on Latin America.

ECOLOGY

ECONOMICS

250 pages Photographs, maps, tables.

Paperback ISBN: 1-55164-080-5 $23.99
Hardcover ISBN: 1-55164-081-3 $52.99