Larry Savage, Professor of Labour Studies, and Simon Black, Assistant Professor of Labour Studies, had a piece recently published in The Conversation about the vulnerability of unions and the workers they represent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They write:

“The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout pose serious challenges for Canada’s workers. Naomi Klein’s 2007 bestseller, The Shock Doctrine, documented how political and economic elites have exploited crises to advance an agenda of privatization and austerity. 

In such moments, elites often take advantage of the public’s fear and uncertainty to push through changes that would normally be met with fierce opposition. With picket lines and large demonstrations out of the question in this time of social distancing and self-isolation, unions are especially vulnerable. 

 Some Canadian employers have already used this moment of crisis to turn the screws on union members.”

 Continue reading the full article here.