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Union Involvement in Workplace Change: A Comparative Study of Local Unions in Canada and Mexico

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  • Christian Lévesque
  • Gregor Murray

Abstract

This paper examines the sources of local union power to cope with workplace change. Are workplace unions active participants, merely passengers, outright opponents, or entirely excluded from the change process? Drawing on 18 case studies and a survey conducted in the auto and metalworking industries in Mexico and Canada, the results suggest that greater internal solidarity, stronger articulation with other levels of union and community activity and the pursuit of an autonomous agenda all provide the basis for enhanced local union bargaining power in the context of globalization. This general conclusion applies to Canadian as well as Mexican local unions and suggests analytical paths for understanding the construction and renewal of union power.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Lévesque & Gregor Murray, 2005. "Union Involvement in Workplace Change: A Comparative Study of Local Unions in Canada and Mexico," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 43(3), pages 489-514, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:43:y:2005:i:3:p:489-514
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8543.2005.00366.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kumar, P., 1995. "Unions and Workplace in Canada," Papers 5, Queen's at Kingston - Sch. of Indus. Relat. HRM Project Series.
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul Blyton & Jean Jenkins, 2013. "Mobilizing Protest: Insights from Two Factory Closures," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 733-753, December.
    2. Grégory Jemine, 2023. "It takes two to tango: Reconceptualizing union power and union effectiveness in a relational perspective," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 445-470, November.
    3. Vincent Pasquier & Alex J Wood, 2018. "The power of social media as a labour campaigning tool: lessons from OUR Walmart and the Fight for 15," Post-Print hal-01903758, HAL.
    4. Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald, 2020. "Unions, Tripartite Competition and Innovation," IZA Discussion Papers 13015, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Hector Elias Gutierrez Rufrancos, 2012. "The Mexican Wage Curve 2000-2003: A Quantile Analysis," Working Paper Series 3412, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    6. Mélanie Laroche & Frédéric Lauzon Duguay & Patrice Jalette, 2019. "When Collective Bargaining Leads to Inequality: Determinants of Two-Tier Provisions in Canadian Collective Agreements," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(4), pages 871-896, August.
    7. Doellgast, Virginia & Bellego, Maxime & Pannini, Elisa, 2020. "After the social crisis: the transformation of employment relations at France Télécom," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 103663, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Valeria Pulignano & Paul Stewart, 2012. "The management of change. Local union responses to company-level restructuring in France and Ireland – a study between and within countries," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 18(4), pages 411-427, November.
    9. Benassi, Chiara & Dorigatti, Lisa & Pannini, Elisa, 2018. "Explaining divergent bargaining outcomes for agency workers: the role of labour divides and labour market reforms," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 89371, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Valentina Paolucci & Paul Marginson, 2020. "Collective bargaining towards mutual flexibility and security goals in large internationalised companies—why do institutions (still) matter?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 329-350, July.
    11. Melanie Simms, 2015. "Accounting for Greenfield Union Organizing Outcomes," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 53(3), pages 397-422, September.
    12. Patrice Jalette & Robert Hebdon, 2012. "Unions and Privatization: Opening the “Black Boxâ€," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 65(1), pages 17-35, January.
    13. Charles Umney & Genevieve Coderre-LaPalme, 2017. "Blocked and New Frontiers for Trade Unions: Contesting ‘the Meaning of Work’ in the Creative and Caring Sectors," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 55(4), pages 859-878, December.
    14. Alex Bryson & Erling Barth & Harald Dale-Olsen, 2013. "The Effects of Organizational Change on Worker Well-Being and the Moderating Role of Trade Unions," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(4), pages 989-1011, July.
    15. Wen Wang & Jason Heyes & Roger Seifert, 2023. "Trade union influence on innovation in the British private sector: Direct and indirect paths," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 44(2), pages 604-627, May.
    16. Aruna Ranganathan, 2021. "Identification and Worker Responses to Workplace Change: Evidence from Four Cases in India," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 74(3), pages 663-688, May.

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