TORONTO — If the current strike by thousands of public sector workers is successful, it could have a domino effect for unionized workers in other industries,…
Union militancy, which includes labour disputes, strike votes and strikes, has been more common amid persistently high inflation, said Savage. And it can be contagious, especially if a strike manages to deliver higher wages and better working conditions.He said the striking workers have been without a contract for around two years, meaning as inflation climbed they saw zero increases in their wages.
The two parties began negotiating in June 2021, and the union declared an impasse the following May. Mediated negotiations began in early April of this year.Article content Statistics Canada data shows that while there were fewer individual work stoppages in 2022 compared with 2021, the average length of those stoppages more than doubled.Article content
As inflation comes down, it will be easier for unions to match it with wage gains — but they have a lot of catching up to do if they want to actually make up for the purchasing power their workers have lost, said Savage.