Brock Labour Studies Professor Larry Savage co-wrote a piece recently published in The Conversation about potential repercussions of using back-to-work-legislation to end rotating strikes by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

The article was co-written with Charles Smith, Associate Professor of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan.

Savage and Smith write:

The Justin Trudeau government’s use of back-to-work legislation effectively put an end to the rotating strikes waged by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). But the legislation could haunt the governing Liberals in the months and years to come.

First, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, known as CUPW, has a history and culture of militancy, making it unlikely the union will simply roll over in the face of back-to-work legislation.

What’s more, the health and safety and wage disparity issues that precipitated the labour dispute are unlikely to be fully resolved in mediation.

Unions co-ordinated in an unprecedented manner to help defeat Stephen Harper’s Conservatives in 2015, and while the Liberals are not nearly as reviled in labour movement circles, their back-to-work law will almost certainly alienate labour activists.

Continue reading the full article here.