Economics for stewards in the Workplace
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this workshop participants will:
· Have an enhanced understanding of economics
· Know how the current economic and political agenda is impacting workplaces, families, and communities
· Be able to view the current economic and political agenda with a critical lens
· Be equipped to counter commonly held myths about our economy
· Be able to approach workplace problems in a way that takes into account the broader economic and political context.
Room set-up:
· Small round tables and chairs, leaving adequate space at, and between tables, for wheelchair users (if applicable).
· Plenty of wall space.
· An open space, in which participants can move freely
In Advance:
· Prepare flipcharts
· Post the learning objectives, workshop outline, and Joan Robinson quote.
· Select “harmful messages” for the “Countering Economic Myths” activity.
· Spend some time getting acquainted with the subject matter and looking into current economic and political issues impacting members in your region. Included in the participant materials, is a list of progressive economics websites/resources that can aid you in your preparation.
Time: 3 hours, including a 15-minute break
Acknowledgments:
With thanks to CUPE for use of their video and discussion guide: “Popular economics: a fair economy is a strong economy:”
Tools/Prepared flipcharts:
· Markers; pens; tape; paper
· For the CUPE video: Laptop; portable speakers; projector; internet access (if you cannot get internet access for your workshop, look into transferring the video onto a DVD).
· Prepare a flipchart with the following quote:
“The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists.” (Joan Robinson, British economist, 1960)
· Prepared flipchart listing the workshop learning objectives
Copy the workshop outline onto a flipchart:
· Introduction – what is economics?
· Our current economic situation
· Impact of the current economic and political agenda on our lives
· Stewarding in this economic and political climate
· Countering economic myths
· Addressing workplace problems in the current economic and political climate
Prepare a flipchart containing the discussion questions for the CUPE video – “Popular economics: a fair economy is a strong economy:”
· What stood out for you from the video?
· Who is benefiting from the economy as it is?
· Who is being left behind?
Create a flipchart that looks like this: (for impact activity)
The impact of the current economic and political agenda on…
Your workplace/ Your family Your You as
Union Community Stewards
· Prepare a flipchart with the following question (for the “Stewarding in these tough times” activity)
o What is the approach to stewarding that’s needed in this economic and political climate?
Select 2 or 3 of the following “harmful messages” for the “Countering Economic Myths” activity and record them on slips of paper. Feel free to add in your own, especially if there is a particularly “harmful message” you encounter in your region:
· Paying union dues should be optional. Why should people be forced to join the union if they don’t want to? It should be an individual choice.
· Unions should stay out of politics and stick to the important issues like bargaining and grievances.
· There is no class system in this country. Anyone can get ahead if they just work hard enough.
· Certain workers should not be allowed to strike because it negatively impacts the public or the economy, e.g. Canada Post workers, Border Services, etc.
· Strong unions come at the price of lost jobs and lost economic growth. We need to lower wages in order to stay competitive.
· Cuts to public service jobs are necessary. We can’t afford to keep paying unionized public sector workers their huge salaries and pensions, if we are to pay off the deficit.
Participant handouts:
· Popular Economics: a fair economy is a strong economy – video discussion guide (Print off copies from the CUPE economics page: http://cupe.ca/popular-economics-fair-economy-strong-economy Click on the link to the discussion guide).
· Addressing workplace problems in the current economic and political climate: worksheet
· A list of progressive economics and social justice web sites
Important Notes for Facilitators:
When it comes to highly polarized subjects like politics and economics, be aware that participants will represent a range of experiences and political viewpoints. Some participants will be more directly affected by neoliberal policies, such as government cuts/austerity, than others.
It’s possible that a participant might express an opinion that runs counter to the PSAC’s position and/or that supports a right-wing stance. You don’t have to agree with the participant but try to turn the situation into a positive learning opportunity. You could put it out to the other participants and ask them what they think. Encouraging healthy debate can help clarify misconceptions, build knowledge and encourage a democratic classroom atmosphere.
1. Introduction: What is Economics? (30 minutes)
Welcome participants to the workshop.
Briefly introduce yourselves.
Say that we are going to open the workshop with a quote.
Read the Joan Robinson quote from the prepared flipchart:
“The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists.”
Ask participants to take a moment to reflect on the quote.
Then have participants introduce themselves one at a time by saying their name, where work, and what the quote sparked or brought up for them. Ask them to keep their answers brief.
Quick word association: Say: because this is a workshop on economics, let’s focus on that word for a minute.
Ask participants to blurt out the first word that comes to their mind when they hear the term “economics”. Ask them not to think about it or analyze it first. Record the responses on a flipchart.
Briefly comment on relevant patterns you notice (if any come up). E.g. some may associate the term with technical jargon like “GDP” whereas others may associate the word with worker or social issues like income inequality or privatization.
Stand up/sit down activity: Say that we are going to look more closely at our relationship with economics.
Explain that you are about to read a series of statements.
Participants will stand up if the statement is true for them. If the statement is not true for them, they will remain seated.
(Note to facilitators: Adapt the activity as needed to ensure accessibility for all participants e.g. if standing up is a barrier for some, have participants raise and lower their hands instead)
After each statement is read, give participants a few seconds to notice who is sitting and standing. Then ask those who are standing to sit down again before reading the next statement.
Say:
· Stand up if you would say the economy is working for you.
· Stand up if you feel comfortable talking about economics.
· Stand up if you’ve noticed your energy bill going up in price.
· Stand up if you or someone you know experienced increasing household debt in the past few years.
· Stand up if you know people who’ve graduated from university in the past few years and can’t find gainful employment.
· Stand up if you know someone who can only find temporary or contract jobs.
· Stand up if you know someone who has experienced loss of employment or benefits in the last while.
· Stand up if your workplace pension is under attack.
· Stand up if you are concerned about having enough money for retirement.
· Stand up if your workplace has been reduced or restructured.
· Stand up if you know someone whose been directly affected by an office closure.
· Stand up if you know someone who can’t find affordable child care.
· Stand up if you know someone who has had to take on more caregiving responsibilities due to social program cuts.
· Stand up if you know someone who has experienced economic inequality because of:
o Their gender.
o Their Aboriginal ancestry.
o Their racial or cultural background.
o Their dis(ability)
o Their family status? (Being in a caregiver/child relationship)
o Their immigration status
o Their sexual orientation
o Their social class.
Ask for a show of hands: How many of you would normally associate these kinds of issues with economics?
Points to cover:
· Economics is often made out to be mysterious and complicated.
· A typical economist on the news would have us believe that economics is all about stock market tables and GDP statistics.
· The confusing terms, graphs and numbers they use leave most people feeling unqualified to talk “economics”.
· But in fact, all of the statements we just read, relate to economics.
· Economics is simply about how we work; what we produce; how we distribute and use what we produce; who does what; how labour is paid for, and how we distribute wealth.
· You don’t need to be an economist to know a lot about economics.
· You already have valuable economic knowledge – knowledge that tends to get ignored by the “experts”.
· And also, be aware of whose interests those “experts” represent. Most professional economists outside of academia work for organizations with a vested interest in the status quo – banks, corporations, brokerages, governments, etc.
· As union representatives, we need to be able to engage in discussions and debate about the economy because politicians, banks, and corporations are constantly making decisions that impact our economic security.
· So never trust an economist with your job. Learn about economics yourself. And make up your own mind about what might protect your job – and what might destroy it.
Briefly review the workshop objectives and outline.
2. Our Current Economic Situation (40 minutes)
Step 1 – Video and small group work (15 minutes)
Say: Now that we know we’re all qualified to be talking about economics, it’s time to discuss our current economic situation.
We’re going to kick off the discussion with a short video that CUPE prepared.
Show the CUPE video: “Popular economics: a fair economy is a strong economy” http://cupe.ca/popular-economics-fair-economy-strong-economy (Facilitators note: there are several short videos on this page – choose the “all in one” video)
Explain that we are going to process this video in pairs, so everyone can find themselves a partner (one group of 3 is fine).
Once everyone has paired up, review the discussion questions on the prepared flipchart:
· What stood out for you from the video?
· Who is benefiting from the economy as it is?
· Who is being left behind?
Let pairs know that they have 10 minutes to discuss the 3 questions.
After 10 minutes, regroup.
Step 2 – Report back and debrief (10 minutes)
Invite participants to share highlights/insights from their conversations. Collect responses in a popcorn style (rather than having a full go-around with everyone reporting back).
Then brainstorm around the following question, flipcharting the responses: drawing from the video as well as your own experience, what is going on right now politically and economically speaking?
Possible responses:
o Austerity measures
o Increasing globalization
o Labour market restructuring
o Outsourcing of jobs and work
o Sneaky trade deals that put corporations before people
o Lots of union busting in both the private and public sectors
o Increased tax incentives for large corporations
o Cutbacks in public services
o Increased Contracting out and privatization
o Increase in precarious work.
Summarize what’s on the flipchart, noting that there have been some very harmful political and economic changes happening lately.
Step 3 – Deepening the analysis (15 minutes)
Lead a short discussion about what’s behind the changes, by asking questions like: What’s driving these economic and political changes that we’re seeing? What’s propping them up?
Points to cover: (if not raised by participants)
· The changes we are seeing are reflective of a particular economic and political agenda.
· And political agendas are heavily influenced ideology, although they can also be influenced by things like political survival mode – e.g. “who can I sell out to stay in power?” (If needed, clarify the word ideology: The body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group.)
· Since the 70’s, the dominant ideology has been neoliberalism.
· Neoliberalism is the link between political beliefs and current political decisions getting made about the economy.
· This is important to understand because the current agenda has more to do with ideology than it does political parties. (E.g. the Liberals and Conservatives tend to operate from the same ideology when it comes to the economy. Case in point, both parties have contributed to social and economic inequality with austerity measures and cuts.)
Say: We need to be able to look at this agenda with a critical eye, but it can be hard to decipher exactly what’s going on when the economic news we hear is mostly from the perspective and interests of banks and corporations.
That’s why videos like the one we watched are so important – they provide factual information from a worker perspective.
Distribute the CUPE “video discussion guide.” Don’t review the handout in detail but explain that the video and discussion guide can be a means for participants to initiate a conversation about economics with other members and co-workers in their workplace.
3. The impact of the changing economy
(25 minutes)
Small group work:
Say: So we have some sense of what’s going on right now but let’s talk about how it’s personally affecting you in your own existence.
Divide participants into four or five groups (depending on class size)
Referring to the prepared flipchart, ask participants to spend a few minutes in their small group, discussing how the current economic and political agenda is impacting……