Conclusion
Looking to the future of Canadian public sector labor relations, the glass is half full. Despite regular intervals when government fiscal and economic policy “trump” public sector bargaining rights through legislation, public sector unions and collective bargaining will survive. Public sector compensation and job security will likely continue to be at least comparable to the unionized private sector, and public sector union density should remain stable, at or near its currently high levels.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, Roy J. “Public Employment Relations: Canadian Developments in Perspective.” In Gene Swim-mer, ed. Public Sector Labour Relations in an Era of Restraint and Restructuring. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 212–27.
Adell, Bernard, Michel Grant, and Allen Ponak. Strikes in Essential Services. Kingston, Ont.: IRC Press, 2002.
Armstrong, Jane.“Canada Is 30 Million, but Will That Last.” Globe and Mail, March 13, 2002.
Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and Canadian Police Association. Strategic Human Resources Analysis of Public Policing in Canada, 2001, unpublished report, 150 pages.
Crawley, Ron. Senior Research Officer, Canadian Union of Public Employees, interview, April 16, 2002.
Currie, Janet and Sheena McConnell. “Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector: The Effect of Legal Struc-ture on Dispute Costs and Wages.” American Economic Review 81 (September 1991): 693–718.
Fryer, John L. “Provincial Public Sector Labour Relations.” In Gene Swimmer and Mark Thompson, eds. Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Canada. Kingston, Ont.: IRC Press, 1995, pp. 341–67.
Gottlieb-Taras, Daphne and Allen Ponak. “Mandatory Agency Shop Laws As an Explanation of Canada-U.S. Union Density Divergence.” Journal of Labor Research 22 (Summer 2001): 541–68.
Gunderson, Morley, Douglas Hyatt, and Craig Riddell.“Pay Differences between the Government and Pri-vate Sectors: Labour Force Survey and Census Estimates.” CPRN Discussion Paper, No. WI0, Feb-ruary 2000, 61 pages.
Hébert, Gérard. “Public Sector Bargaining in Quebec: The Rise and Fall of Centralization.” In Gene Swim-mer and Mark Thompson, eds. Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Canada. Kingston, Ont.: IRC Press, 1995, pp. 201–35.
Human Resources Development Canada. Workplace Gazette 4 (Fall 2001).
Jackson, Rick. “Police and Firefighter Relations in Canada.” In Gene Swimmer and Mark Thompson, eds. Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Canada. Kingston, Ont.: IRC Press, 1995, pp. 313–40.
Lancaster's Collective Agreement Reporter. “Taking the Pulse of the Nation: Canadian Nurses and the Provinces Face Off.” 25 (July/August 2001): 1–5.
Lancaster's Labour Arbitration News. “Government Can't Appoint Retired Judges As Labour Arbitrators, Says Ontario Court of Appeal.” 36 (November/December 2000): 244–46.
Lewington, Jennifer.“Urban Centres Blossom.” Globe and Mail, March 13, 2002.
Lunman, Kim.“B. C. Bills Enrage Public Employees.” Globe and Mail, January 26, 2002.
Mickelburgh, Rod.“Walkouts Spread in B.C.'s Labour Uprising.” Globe and Mail, January 29, 2002.
Mahoney, Jill.“Alberta Tables Teacher Labour Bill.” Globe and Mail, March 12, 2002.
Ponak, Allen and Mark Thompson.“Public Sector Collective Bargaining.” In Morley Gunderson, Allen Ponak, and Daphne Gottlieb-Taras, eds. Union-Management Relations in Canada. Toronto, Ont.: Addi-son, Wesley, Longman, 1995, pp. 414–46.
Rose, Joseph B. “The Complaining Game: How Effective Is Compulsory Arbitration?” Journal of Collec-tive Negotiations in the Public Sector 23 (1994): 187–202.
—. “The Ghost of Interest Arbitration.” Canadian Labour and Employment Law Journal 8 (2000): 253–89.
—. “The Assault on School Teacher Bargaining in Ontario.” Relations Industrielles 57 (Winter 2002): 100–28.
Statistics Canada, web address: www.statcan.ca/english/concepts/methodology/calura.htm, 2002.
Swimmer, Gene. “Public Sector Labour Relations in an Era of Restraint and Restructuring: An Overview.” In Gene Swimmer, ed. Public Sector Labour Relations in an Era of Restraint and Restructuring. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 1–35.
— and Sandra Bach.“Restructuring Federal Public Sector Human Resources.” In Gene Swimmer, ed. Public Sector Labour Relations in an Era of Restraint and Restructuring. Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 178–211.
Swimmer, Gene and Mark Thompson. “Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector: An Introduction.” In Gene Swimmer and Mark Thompson, eds. Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Canada. Kingston, Ont.: IRC Press, 1995, pp. 1–19.
Thompson, Mark. “The Industrial Relations Effects of Privatization: Evidence from Canada.” In Gene Swim-mer and Mark Thompson, eds. Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Canada. Kingston, Ont.: IRC Press, 1995, pp. 164–79.
— and Gene Swimmer. “The Future of Public Sector Industrial Relations.” In Gene Swimmer and Mark Thompson, eds. Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Canada. Kingston, Ont.: IRC Press, 1995, pp. 432–46.
Workforce Information Directorate, Human Resources and Development Canada, special statistical run, March 12,2002.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Swimmer, G., Bartkiw, T. The future of public sector collective bargaining in Canada. J Labor Res 24, 579–595 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-003-1015-0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-003-1015-0