A Fine Balance: Canadian Unions Confront Globalization - By John Peters

goals of free trade, tax reduction, busi- The objective is to increase the power of ness deregulation, and privatization corporations and markets at the expense have led to the restructuring of states of trade unions and national politics.11 across the world and fostered a much And to accomplish this, the long-term stronger anti-union political climate. [...] What this has typically meant is the Finally, the restructuring and priva- downloading and the restructuring of tization of public sector employment has public services, with the goals of cuts eroded the public sector workforce and in funding, as well as the delegation of union membership. [...] • The fall-off of unions in Canada has opened the door to the expansion of low-wage, flexible employment, and it has also opened the way to increased inequality and poverty, and the growing segmentation of “good” and ”bad” jobs in the labour force. [...] ices had the fastest and largest job Personal services, as well as priva- growth of any sector in the 1990s.64 tized health and nursing services, have Early retirement, plant closings, and led the expansion, with the changes in industry declines account for much of hospital restructuring and the expansion the loss of unionized workers in goods- of high-end consumption creating the producing indust. [...] In addition, the decen- organizing structures and tralization of union locals often fosters practices, such as coordinating suspicion and inter-union competition that does not deal with the problems of committees and the oversee- cost, lack of staff and resources, and lack ing of provincial campaigns of information on employers and sec- and organizing drives.