Analysis on increasing life expectancy and public pension benefits.

Analysis on increasing life expectancy and public pension benefits.

The financing of the Quebec Pension Plan.

New rules for the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans.

Changes in life expectancy and the way we manage our pension programs.

The issue of French at work.

Quebec's Strategy for Entrepreneurship.

Unionization and collective bargaining in the public sector are relatively recent phenomena, essentially dating back to the second half of the 20th century. In Canada, only 12% of public-sector employees were unionized in 1960, compared to 70% today. In the United States, during the same period, the public-sector unionization rate went from 11% to 36%. In Quebec, the right to collective bargaining was granted to public-sector employees in 1944 (the right to strike came later, in 1964) and to civil servants in 1965. Among U.S. states, it is Wisconsin that was the first to grant collective bargaining rights to certain public-sector employees in 1959. Today, some thirty U.S. states allow collective bargaining with public-sector unions.

Union organizations are private organizations, but their financing relies on an indirect power to tax known as the Rand formula. They also enjoy various tax breaks, like a tax credit for union dues, a tax exemption for strike pay as well as tax credits for contributions to labour-sponsored funds. Despite these quasi-public financing prerogatives, Quebec union organizations generally do not exhibit financial transparency and have very few obligations in this regard.

The special privileges enjoyed by unions.