Unifor-McMaster Labour Studies Certificate
Fall 2025 courses have now concluded.
Winter 2026 courses coming soon!
Unifor-McMaster Labour Studies Certificate courses are designed specifically for Unifor members. Created by labour experts, certificate courses combine theoretical knowledge with practical information to help members develop critical thinking skills through a learning process built on a commitment to participants that focuses on a respect for prior experience, skill and activism. This certificate is only offered on a part time basis and individuals can enroll at any point in the year.
Education plays an important role in building a knowledgeable membership and in strengthening workplace leadership. Whether your goal is career advancement, you’re working towards a degree or are interested in self-development, the Unifor-McMaster Labour Studies certificate will help you succeed in today’s complex world of work.
The certificate is designed to be completed at your own pace. Courses are now all being offered online so that you can participate from the comfort of your home.
Program Information
Students are required to complete 36 units in order to be eligible to graduate. Unit values range from 1 to 4 units depending on the class. Courses are delivered through online learning and video conferencing. Students are required to take 24 units of courses from the following list:
- History of the Canadian Auto Workers Union (4 units).
- Current Challenges to the Labour Movement (4 units).
- Introduction to Workplace Issues (4 units).
- Globalization and Democracy (4 units).
- Making Work: Factors Shaping Today’s Workplace (4 units).
- Wal-Mart: Driving a New Brand of Capitalism (4 units).
- Government, Labour Regulation and the Workplace (4 units).
- Solutions to Global Warming (4 units).
- Labour and Media (4 units).
- Labour in Film (4 units).
- Labour in Documentary Film (4 units).
- Film and Ideology (4 units).
- Photo Essay Project: Social Justice through Photographs (4 units).
- Labour History as Told Through Music (4 units).
- Art, Labour Activism and Change (4 units).
- Working Class Life (4 units).
- Who are the 1% (4 units).
- Food, the Environment and Workers Power (4 units).
- Understanding Mexico: The Struggle for Social Change (4 units).
- Unions and Society (4 units).
- US Foreign Policy in Latin America (4 units).
- Living Wage and Universal Basic Income (4 units).
- The Co-op Movement (4 units).
Unifor members employed at Ford, GM, and Chrysler can continue to enroll in courses at no direct cost. Inform your area Unifor-McMaster Coordinator that you are interested in enrolling in a course, and complete the registration form.
If you have completed your Paid Education Leave (PEL) – 4 Week Basic Training Program you’re eligible to receive extra credit towards the completion of the Unifor-McMaster Certificate. Please send us a copy of your Basic Training PEL Certificate along with your name and student number. Upon receipt of your documentation, 8 additional units will be added to your student record.
For more information, contact us at:
Mehrdokht O’Brien
Email: lbstcert@mcmaster.ca
Contact your UNIFOR local for funding information.
Our Fall 2025 course offerings
Elbows up–gloves off: Defending Canada’s Sovereignty from US aggression
What are the Trump administrations threats to economically destroy Canada, and absorb it into the US all about? How can we fight back and defend our sovereignty from this existential threat?
**Registration for this course opens Aug 18, closes Sept 5
4 sessions; Thursdays, Sept 11, 18, Oct 9, 16
What’s happening with Auto Tariffs
Angelo Dicaro, Unifor’s Director of Research, returns to discuss what is happening with the US ‘tariffs’ on Canadian auto; how the industry is being affected; and prospects for the Canadian auto industry’s future.
**Registration for this course opens Sept 1, closes Sept 19
1 session; Sept 25
Working Class Hero: The legacy of Buzz Hargrove
Basil ‘Buzz’ Hargrove started on the line in Windsor, and worked his way up to president of the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW). He passed away in 2025. What was his story and what can we learn from his life and leadership?
**Registration for this course opens Sept 29, closes Oct 17
1 session; Oct 23
Movie and Discussion Night: Working in Auto Part 2
We will watch the historic documentary ‘Loose Bolts’ describing work on the line in the controversial Lordstown, Ohio GM plant in the 70’s. Workers traded high wages for a rigid, de-humanizing system of quality control, boredom, anger, and turnover. Great way for newer hires and seasoned workers to compare our workplaces today.
**Registration for this course opens Oct 20, closes Nov 7
1 session; Nov 13
The Occupational Health and Safety System at 50: Profits over Safety?
Workers fought long and hard to win an OHS system, and have made many important gains from it, especially since the 70’s. However, do employers, and the system still put corporate profits over our health and safety?
** Registration for this course opens Oct 27, closes Nov 14
2 sessions; Nov 20 and 27
Resources
Contact Us
Labour Studies Certificate Program Administrators
Email: lbstcert@mcmaster.ca
Office Location
School of Labour Studies
Kenneth Taylor Hall, 171
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
L8S 4M4
Office Hours
Our office follows a hybrid model, with staff available either in person or remotely during regular office hours.
Monday to Friday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM