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Migrant workers and fissured workforces: CS Wind and the dilemmas of organizing intra-company transfers in Canada

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  • Eric Tucker

Abstract

Canadian temporary foreign worker programs have been proliferating in recent years. While much attention has deservedly focused on programs that target so-called low-skilled workers, such as seasonal agricultural workers and live-in caregivers, other programs have been expanding, and have recently been reorganized into the International Mobility Program (IMP). Streams within the IMP are quite diverse and there are few legal limits on their growth. One of these, intra-company transfers (ICTs), is not new, but it now extends beyond professional and managerial workers to more permeable and expansive categories. As a result, unions increasingly face the prospect of organizing workplaces where ICTs and other migrant workers are employed alongside permanent employees, raising difficult legal issues and strategic dilemmas. This article presents a detailed case study of one union’s response to this situation.

Suggested Citation

  • Eric Tucker, 2020. "Migrant workers and fissured workforces: CS Wind and the dilemmas of organizing intra-company transfers in Canada," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 41(2), pages 372-396, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:41:y:2020:i:2:p:372-396
    DOI: 10.1177/0143831X17707822
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dominique Gross, 2014. "Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada: Are They Really Filling Labour Shortages?," C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, C.D. Howe Institute, issue 407, April.
    2. Lisa Berntsen & Nathan Lillie, 2016. "Hyper-mobile migrant workers and Dutch trade union representation strategies at the Eemshaven construction sites," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 37(1), pages 171-187, February.
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