Unions on the Upsurge? Taking Stock of the Labour Movement in the post-COVID era

Unions seem to be having a moment of renewed power and influence. In North America, workers are making organizing breakthroughs at Starbucks, Amazon, and other companies previously thought impossible to unionize. There is a wave of global labour unrest, whether in education, healthcare, the civil service, shipping and transportation, factories in China, and even amongst Hollywood writers and actors. How do we understand this renewed groundswell of workers exerting their economic and political power? In this talk, Dr. Ross will examine the labour movement’s upsurge in Canada and around the world. She will explore the drivers of this upsurge, including the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, the post-pandemic changes to labour markets and workers’ attitudes, and the long-term effects of policies that have fostered extreme economic inequality. She will also explore the ongoing challenges facing labour movements as they seek to improve workers’ lives in a time of political polarization and environmental crisis.