How Union Organisers Experience Constraints in the Canadian Labour Movement

Wednesday, Februrary 25th | 1 PM | AQ 5067

Abstract:
At a time of turmoil for organised labour in Canada with the use of Section 107 of the Canadian Labour Code to break key strikes by successive Liberal governments, the subject of union renewal is pressing. This project contributes to the literature on union renewal by drawing on and centring union organisers’ experiences of the challenges they face on the frontlines of the labour movement. First, I conceptualise a continuum of aims expressed by union organisers in their work in their unions. Then, I explore various common internal and external barriers to effective union organising as experienced by frontline activists. Finally, I build connections between the challenges faced by union activists, using Gramsci’s theory of hegemony to analyse ways in which unions have been integrated into a system of rule that suppresses working class power

Examining Committee:
Chair: Dr. Amanda Watson, Assistant Professor, Sociology & Anthropology, SFU
Supervisor:  Dr. Pamela Stern, Professor, Sociology & Anthropology, SFU
Committee Member: Dr. Enda Brophy, Associate Professor, School of Communication, SFU
Examiner:  Dr. Mark Leier, Professor, Department of History, SFU

This event will be hosted in person at AQ 5067.