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Union Involvement in Workplace Change: A Comparative Study of Local Unions in Canada and Mexico
Author(s) -
Lévesque Christian,
Murray Gregor
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
british journal of industrial relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.665
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-8543
pISSN - 0007-1080
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8543.2005.00366.x
Subject(s) - solidarity , articulation (sociology) , context (archaeology) , power (physics) , political science , globalization , collective bargaining , trade union , political economy , economic system , economic geography , sociology , economics , labour economics , geography , law , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , politics
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.