Unions face serious problems in the twenty-first century, including a major participatory and democratic deficit. How should we address these problems in order to “renew” unions? This book, written from a feminist viewpoint argues that we must take advantage of changing labour force demographics and the diversification of membership by focusing on improving equity. Contributors feature many feminist, union, and equity scholars, including several black female trade unionists who provide a focus on race–one dimension that is rarely adequately addressed. What results is an important contribution to the union debate that highlights the work of women and equity advocates over the past several decades, examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities of, and threats to unions, and provides possible solutions.

This article appeared in the November/December 2010 issue of Canadian Dimension (The New Feminism).