The policies and practices of Canadian labor unions in the area of workplace literacy were examined through a comprehensive literature review and site visits to an unspecified number of labor-initiated workplace literacy programs representing different geographic areas, industries and types of occupations, levels of participation of equity groups, and funding and structural arrangements. The study documented that, although labor has clearly developed some workplace literacy initiatives in recent years, their gains have varied based on geographical area of Canada, industrial sector, and firm size. Although Canadian unions were showing increased concern for the provision and delivery of workplace literacy programs, labor's approaches toward workplace literacy remained sporadic and piecemeal. Many of the union-initiated workplace literacy programs involved partnerships with community colleges; public school boards; and various community, private, and nonprofit literacy organizations. Most programs were based on a worker-centered pedagogical orientation whose central premise involves acknowledging and building on workers' own experiences and skills. They tended to rely on conventional literacy and numeracy texts; however, several larger programs also used extracts from books examining labor education and literacy issues. Adequate and sustained funding remained a problem for many programs. A strong union presence proved critical to program governance. (17 references) (MN)