About the Centre

In BC post-secondary institutions the subjects of work, working people, and trade unions are notable more by their absence than by their presence in courses of study. The history of workers and trade unions, let alone their contemporary concerns, are hardly ever addressed. The Centre is embarking on the creation of a degree program over several years at SFU in labour studies that will serve the trade unions, their membership, and the interests of working people in general, and that is open to all. 

This new undergraduate degree program will build on existing strengths in the university, progressively adding courses, instructors, and related activities as funding permits, with the purpose of providing students with post-secondary skills and knowledge related to work in general and trade unions. The program could also serve as a place for students and trade unionists to learn new skills, and study and debate the current economic, political, and social trends as they relate to the working world. The program and Centre, moreover, will provide a venue for students, academics, and trade unionists to pursue research in issues of common interest, and offer a formal institutional setting where the university can interact with trade union representatives and members, and the broader community. 

The Morgan Legacy and Labour Studies at SFU

"Lefty's Legacy, Margaret's Hope" by Ron Verzuh in aq the Magazine of Simon Fraser University, November 2011

"SFU alumna Margaret Morgan (MA'76) and her husband, left-wing radical Richard Ernest "Lefty" Morgan, were life-long learners, educators, and activists, so it seems appropriate that SFU's research centre for labour studies should be named the Morgan Centre for Labour Studies..." read more