Union Myths, Enigmas, and Other Tales: Five Challenges for Union Renewal

Abstract

Few can be against union renewal, especially in the context of a conference on this subject. The reality of renewal on the ground, however, is very complex. The labour movement in particular is built on many myths, enigmas, and half-truths. There’s a need to confront them. Such is the modest objective of this contribution. I seek to do so by outlining five paradoxes that currently confront unions in Canada: union growth and density, and the sense of crisis (or lack thereof ) on the part of labour leaders and activists; the precise nature of the socalled union advantage; the multiple meanings of social unionism; the nature of the gender, generation, and colour gaps, and, finally, the implications of union chauvinism for renewal.

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