Unionized workers feel increasingly emboldened to reject tentative deals as they struggle to join the ranks of those benefiting from the recent wave of wage hikes, experts say.
“It’s pretty clear to me that there is an increase in the number of workers rejecting the agreements recommended by their bargaining committees,” says Barry Eidlin, associate professor of sociology at McGill University.
It’s a sign that their expectations have increased considerably in recent years, he says, and a symptom of a more militant attitude on the part of unionized workers.
Over the weekend, workers at a Nestlé chocolate factory in Toronto went on strike after refusing a tentative agreement with the chocolatier.
The president of the Unifor local representing them, Eamonn Clarke, noted that it is more difficult these days to get workers to adopt an agreement in principle.
“We brought good contracts back to members, and they refused them or barely adopted them,” he says.
The cost of living has increased significantly, as have the expectations of workers, says Mr. Clarke.
During a typical contract negotiation, a union negotiating team meets with company representatives to reach an agreement. Once both parties agree to the terms, the union takes this tentative agreement back to its members, who must vote to accept it before it is finalized.
Several factors
Refusals were few in previous years, says Larry Savage, a professor in the social studies department at Brock University in Ontario.
“They just seem much more common these days, as workers struggle to get ahead amid the cost of living crisis,” he says, while stressing that the government does not have data on votes on agreements in principle.
Inflation is of course a major factor in this increased willingness to fight back, as Canadians grapple with double-digit inflation compared to a few years ago.
But there’s also the tightening labor market that’s giving workers more leverage, the pandemic that’s highlighting “dramatic inequalities” and a decades-long trend of employer dominance that has led to an erosion of wages and good jobs, analyzes Mr. Eidlin.
“These things have all contributed to an increase in union activism,” Savage admits. And I think you see this activism manifesting itself through strikes, but also through rejected tentative agreements. »
There is also what Mr. Eidlin calls the “demonstration effect.” Seeing other high-profile refusals and strikes come to fruition – like at Metro in Ontario, port workers in British Columbia, and public sector workers in Quebec last year – shows workers that saying “no” to a judged deal unsatisfactory is a realistic option, he argues.
“I think these things together have created the current situation and raised the expectations of workers, but also made them more willing to fight to meet those increased expectations,” says Eidlin.
Employers and unions surprised
In the past, if workers rejected a deal, it was usually because they opposed a bad deal, says Eidlin. However, today, workers reject agreements that are significantly better than previous ones, deeming them insufficient.
Employers don’t seem to really understand how high workers’ expectations are, Clarke says. They offer better deals than before and are surprised when those offers are still rejected.
“Some companies were significantly underpaying their employees, you know, and it’s time to catch up now,” says the union president.
But it’s not just about salaries, Mr Clarke says. Nestlé workers are fighting for better job security and fairer benefits, he emphasizes.
Another recent example is that of Airbus Canada workers in Mirabel, in the Laurentians, who rejected three offers before finally accepting an agreement.
Workers who reject what appears to be a good deal can surprise not only the employer, but also the union, Savage says.
He said an overwhelming vote to reject a deal can encourage a union to fight for more, while a narrower rejection can weaken its bargaining position.
“I think unions are strategically trying to manage ratification failures by turning them into opportunities to bring members together, mobilize them and increase pressure on the employer through a strike,” says Mr. Savage.
While there is no government data on votes on tentative agreements, available data points to an increased level of union activism in 2023, Eidlin says.
By 2023, the number of person days not worked – determined by the number of workers on strike as well as the duration of strikes – stood at more than 6.5 million. This is an increase from less than two million per year, and in some cases less than one million, in the nine years to 2023.