The third Workers’ Justice cohort will meet every Thursday from September 24 to November 12, 2026. Over eight weeks, workers and community members will come together to share their experiences, learn about workplace rights, and explore how collective action can create change in workplaces and communities.

The course is grounded in participants’ own knowledge and experiences. Sessions will combine practical information, group discussion, participatory activities, and collective problem-solving. Together, participants will examine why workplace injustices happen, who is most affected, and how workers can respond individually and collectively.

This cohort is offered in partnership with the Global Labour Research Centre (GLRC) at 91ÑÇÉ«, and the .

Who Is the Course For?

The course is open to workers and community members in Jane-Finch, Rexdale, and Northwest Toronto. It may be especially useful for:

• Racialized workers
• Non-unionized workers
• Newcomers
• Youth and first-time workers
• Workers in precarious employment
• People who want to learn more about workplace rights and collective action

No previous knowledge of labour rights or organizing is required.

What Will We Explore?

Over eight sessions, participants will explore:

• Workers’ rights and what makes a good job
• Unsafe work and why some workers face greater risks
• Wage theft and how workers can respond
• Employer power and barriers to workplace justice
• How class, race, and gender shape experiences at work
• Worker organizing and collective action
• Building solidarity across workplaces and communities
• Creating more just workplaces and communities

Eight Weeks of Learning and Action

Week 1: Situating Ourselves

September 24

What makes a good job, and why are good jobs difficult for so many workers to find?

Week 2: The Big Picture

October 1

How have global and historical processes shaped the injustices workers face today?

Week 3: Confronting Unsafe Work

October 8

Why is unsafe work so common? Which workers face the greatest risks, and why does the law often fail to protect them?

Week 4: Confronting Wage Theft

October 15

What is wage theft, and how can workers challenge it?

Week 5: Confronting Employer Roadblocks

October 22

Why do employers and employer associations hold so much power? What tools do they use to maintain that power?

Week 6: Bringing It All Together

October 29

How can workers use what they’ve learned to fight for good jobs and challenge injustice at work?

Week 7: Workers’ Power in Our Workplaces

November 5

What strategies can workers use to organize and build collective power over the long term?

Week 8: Expanding Our Visions of Justice and Solidarity

November 12

How can workplace struggles connect with wider movements for justice and community change?

Course Information

• Dates: September 24 to November 12, 2026
• Time: Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Format: Eight in-person sessions
• Location: Jane and Finch Mall
• Cost: Free
• Supports provided: Dinner, TTC tickets, and childcare
• Certificate: Participants who attend at least six of the eight sessions will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Global Labour Research Centre at 91ÑÇÉ«
• Graduation and certificate celebration: November 19, 2026
• Questions: contact
  • GLRC: glrc@yorku.ca
  • : cd@janefinchcentre.org
  • : janefincheducationaction@gmail.com

Register for Cohort 3

Register

The post Fall 2026: Cohort 3 appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

The course was grounded in participants’ own knowledge and experiences. Sessions combined practical information, group discussion, participatory activities, and collective problem-solving. Together, participants examined why workplace injustices happen, who is most affected, and how workers can respond individually and collectively.

Learning from Experience

The course began with the knowledge participants already held about work, their communities, and the challenges workers face. Each session connected personal experiences to wider questions about unsafe working conditions, wage theft, employer power, labour law, and collective action.

Participants learned through group discussions, collaborative activities, and shared problem-solving. The course created a welcoming space where workers could learn from one another and strengthen their ability to advocate for themselves and others.

Eight Weeks of Learning and Action

Week 1: Situating Ourselves

What makes a good job, and why are good jobs difficult for so many workers to find?

Week 2: The Big Picture

How have global and historical processes shaped the injustices workers face today?

Week 3: Confronting Unsafe Work

Why is unsafe work so common? Which workers face the greatest risks, and why does the law often fail to protect them?

Week 4: Confronting Wage Theft

How do employers withhold wages from workers, and what can workers do to challenge wage theft?

Week 5: Confronting Employer Roadblocks

Why do employers and employer associations hold so much power? What tools do they use to maintain their position?

Week 6: Bringing It All Together

How can workers use what they’ve learned to fight for good jobs and challenge injustice at work?

Week 7: Workers’ Power in Our Workplaces

What strategies can workers use to build collective struggles over the long term?

Week 8: Expanding Our Visions of Justice and Solidarity

How can workplace struggles connect with wider movements for justice and community change?

Building Connections Across Communities

The final session brought participants together to reflect on what they had learned and consider how workplace struggles connect to wider community issues. Through a collaborative mapping activity, participants identified places, relationships, and experiences across Toronto, creating a shared picture of the communities involved in the course.

The activity reflected one of the course’s central ideas: workers don’t experience workplace injustice in isolation. Their experiences are connected to where they live, the services they access, their immigration status, their families, and the wider conditions shaping their communities.

In the Community

The Toronto Caribbean Newspaper published a feature about the first cohort and its contribution to worker education and community organizing in Northwest Toronto.

Read the Community Feature

Participants and facilitators mark the completion of the first Workers’ Justice Course on November 6, 2025.

The post Fall 2025: Cohort 1 appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

The second Workers’ Justice cohort met every Thursday from April 23 to June 11, 2026. Over eight weeks, workers and community members came together to share their experiences, learn about workplace rights, and explore how collective action can create change in workplaces and communities.

The course was grounded in participants’ own knowledge and experiences. Sessions combined practical information, group discussion, participatory activities, and collective problem-solving. Together, participants examined why workplace injustices happen, who is most affected, and how workers can respond individually and collectively.

Eight Weeks of Learning and Action

The course explored eight connected themes:

1. Situating Ourselves
   What makes a good job, and why are good jobs difficult to find?
2. The Big Picture: How Did We Get Here?
   How have historical and global processes shaped the injustices workers experience today?
3. Confronting Unsafe Work
   Why is unsafe work so common, which workers face the greatest risks, and why do existing protections often fall short?
4. Confronting Wage Theft
   How does wage theft happen, and what can workers do to challenge it?
5. Confronting Employer Roadblocks
   How do employers maintain power, and what tools and institutions support their position?
6. Bringing It All Together
   How can workers use what they have learned to fight for good jobs and workplace justice?
7. Workers’ Power in Our Workplaces
   What strategies can workers use to build collective power over the long term?
8. Expanding Our Visions of Justice and Solidarity
   How can workplace struggles connect with wider movements for justice and community change?

Learning Together

The Workers’ Justice Course is not based on one-way instruction. Participants contribute their own knowledge, questions, and workplace experiences throughout the course. Activities encourage participants to identify shared concerns, examine who holds decision-making power, and develop goals, strategies, and tactics for action.

This approach recognizes that workers are not simply recipients of information. They already hold important knowledge about their workplaces, communities, and the barriers they face. The course creates a space where this knowledge can be shared, strengthened, and connected to collective action.

Participant Voices

Participants reflect on what they learned, the relationships they built, and how the course changed their understanding of workplace rights and collective action.

Building Community and Collective Power

Across eight sessions, participants developed practical knowledge while building relationships, confidence, and solidarity. The course created space for workers to recognize shared experiences and imagine responses that extend beyond individual workplaces.

See the Spring 2026 course participants with GLRC Director Adrian Smith and GLRC Coordinator Roxana Escobar at the certificate ceremony.

The post Spring 2026: Cohort 2 appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

The group will meet in person for two hours during the first week of each month, from October to March. Throughout the program, participants will present and discuss works in progress, including dissertation chapters, dissertation proposals, conference papers, journal articles, or other research outputs. The goal is to foster a collaborative space where members can strengthen their work while contributing to the development of others.

We are looking for participants who are willing to commit to the collective for the duration of the program. A small honorarium will be provided in recognition of participants' time and engagement.

Program at a glance

• Open to 91ÑÇÉ« PhD students and postdoctoral fellows
• 6 participants will be selected
• Focus on labour and livelihoods, broadly construed
• In-person meetings (2 hours) during the first week of each month
• °¿³¦³Ù´Ç²ú±ð°ù–M²¹°ù³¦³ó

How to apply

Please email Roxana, GLRC Coordinator, at glrc@yorku.ca as soon as possible but no later than September 11th with:

Your availability to participate in the monthly meetings.

A brief statement (maximum 500 words) describing the work you would like to present and how it connects to your current research.

The post Graduate Student Community on Global Labour appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

For a list of our Associates and access to our Associate registration forms, please visit the pages below.

Faculty Associates

91ÑÇÉ« and External

Student and Post-Doctoral Associates

91ÑÇÉ« and External

Community Associates

Community Organizations, Independent Researchers, and Others

Scholars in Residence and Visiting Associates

The post Our Community appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

The post GLRC @ George Brown Labour Fair appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

This workshop will engage with themes surrounding migrant lives and livelihoods in communities throughout Canada. Through a focus on greater Toronto, it aims to explore the social relations of migrant and diasporic communities.

Workshop leads

Suzanne Narain is a highly experienced community organizer, including with Jane and
Finch Action Against Poverty, who has completed a PhD at OISE, University of
Toronto, and is a facilitator for Workers’ Justice, a community-based course on
rights and action run by Jane Finch Education and Action Group and 91ÑÇÉ«
University’s Global Labour Research Centre.

Nira Elgueta Faundez is a master’s student in Environment Studies at 91ÑÇÉ«,
researching how precarious and non-status Latin American migrant women in
Toronto mobilize traditional knowledge, solidarity practices, and the principles of
Buen Vivir to build community, exercise self-agency, and negotiate belonging in a
city that structurally excludes them. As a feminist researcher with over a decade of
advocacy and research on gender-based violence and legal status precarity, Nira is
guided by a deep commitment to equity, inclusion and collective well-being.

For more information about the session HERE

The post Mapping migrant lives, livelihoods and justice (June 18th, 1:30-3:00pm) appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

The post GLRC Newsletter Submission appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

Workshop leads

Vinnie Collins is PhD Candidate in the Department of Politics at 91ÑÇÉ« and a
Founding Member of the Trade Unions and Labour Environmentalism (TULE)
Network.

Isaac Thornley is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Human Geography and
the Institute for Environment, Conservation and Sustainability at University of
Toronto Scarborough. He is a Founding Member of the Trade Unions and
Labour Environmentalism (TULE) Network.

Christian Pépin is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Industrial Relations School at the
Université de Montréal. He is a Member of the Trade Unions and Labour
Environmentalism (TULE) Network.

Stephanie Eccles is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Criminology at
Toronto Metropolitan University. She is a Member of the Trade Unions and
Labour Environmentalism (TULE) Network

More information about the session HERE

The post Labour environmentalism in Canada and beyond: Building power at a challenging climate-class conjuncture appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.

The post Registration Form appeared first on Global Labour Research Centre.