Articles
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Urgent Notice: A Farewell and Request for Support, from the Board of Our Times
The Closing of Our Times Magazine
It is with heavy hearts that we share some difficult news with you, our valued subscribers who have been an integral part of the Our Times family. We are announcing the impending closure of Our Times. Over the years, we have worked hard to bring you thought-provoking stories and analysis of labour and social-justice issues. Your support has been invaluable to this mission. Keep reading…
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Dear Friends and Supporters of Our Times
Our Times is on hiatus. We look forward to being in contact with you soon, when we’ll be reaching out to our subscribers, writers, advertisers and other supporters. Keep reading…
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A Lifetime of Good Troublemaking
A Tribute to Our Trade Union Sister Carol Wall
Carol Wall was a fierce feminist, trade unionist, anti-racist and social justice activist who spent her entire life making good trouble. Keep reading…
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Driving Community Connection
Transit operators are asked to do a job, and they do it. Tight run times with minimal layovers unnecessarily turn up the pressure. Long days due to split shifts significantly erode one’s work-life balance. Playing with proper sleep time is a straight-up affront to safety. These conditions are not immutable. Keep reading…
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The House is Gone
Words and Photographs by Gayle Hurmuses
When the General Motors plant in Scarborough, Ontario, closed 30 years ago, in 1993, Gayle Hurmuses’s exhibition remained as a tribute to her co-workers and friends — her extended family, as she called them. These are her words. Keep reading…
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Lean Deindustrialization
Fighting the Good Fight in Ontario’s Auto Sector
Dimitry Anastakis writes that Ontario’s automotive industry has been “buffeted by offshore competition, automation, and ‘lean production.’” For many workers, like those who experienced the closure of the Scarborough GM plant in 1993, deindustrialization has been a stark reality for decades. Keep reading…
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Reclaiming Land After the Uranium Boom Goes Bust
“The Cold War uranium boom meant the establishment of 12 mines in my homeland, leading to environmental devastation,” writes historian and member of Serpent River First Nation, Lianne C. Leddy. Community members are still dealing with the effects of the former uranium processing plant, even though it was closed in the 1960s. Keep reading…
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The Labour Movement Origins of “Just Transition”
“Contrary to popular belief, the concept of just transition did not emerge in response to the climate crisis,” writes sociologist Alice Mah, as she outlines the roots of worker protections, environmental regulations, and bans on the use of toxic chemicals, which lie with “unionized workers demanding just transitions not only to protect their livelihoods and communities, but also to protect their lives and health.” Keep reading…
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Nurturing nostalgia for an age that has not yet come into being
Our Members Be Unlimited, Reviewed
Our Members Be Unlimited, by Melbourne-based cartoonist Sam Wallman, is an engaging visual exploration of the history of unions and why they matter, says Ryan Hayes in this review. Keep reading…
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Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living
“We want to call attention to the specific injustice faced by agricultural workers,” write workers, activists and allies in this collective commentary marking April 28, the National Day of Mourning. “These workers face dangerous working conditions on a daily basis.” Keep reading…
