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The dynamics of union responses to migrant workers in Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Jason Foster

    (Athabasca University, Canada)

  • Alison Taylor

    (University of British Columbia, Canada)

  • Candy Khan

    (University of Alberta, Canada)

Abstract

This study examines how five unions in the Canadian province of Alberta responded to a sudden influx of temporary foreign workers (TFWs), as part of Canadian employers’ increased use of migrant workers in the mid-2000s. The authors find three types of response to the new TFW members: resistive, facilitative and active. Furthermore, these responses were dynamic and changing over time. The different responses are best explained not by the unions’ institutional context, but by internal factors shaping each union’s response. Drawing upon the concept of referential unionisms, the study explores how unions’ self-identity shapes their responses to new challenges such as the influx of migrant workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Foster & Alison Taylor & Candy Khan, 2015. "The dynamics of union responses to migrant workers in Canada," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 29(3), pages 409-426, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:29:y:2015:i:3:p:409-426
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