Teacher Unions in the Public Sphere: The Battle Over Public Opinion

• In Event: 35.078 - MTCC Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: 35.078-7 - Unions as Sites of Teacher Leadership and Organizing

Abstract

This paper explores how teacher unions in British Columbia and Ontario attempted to influence public opinion during periods of conflict. A comparative case analysis was conducted based on eight interviews with members of the British Columbia Teachers Federation, six interviews with members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, as well documents from each union. Both unions utilized traditional strategies such as strikes, protests, and advertising in legacy media outlets. Social media offered new opportunities for the unions to engage with members and the public. Both unions launched ultimately successful court challenges. However, while similar in nature, the impact that these efforts had on influencing public opinion and producing change varied substantially, primarily for historical and political reasons.

Author

• Sachin Maharaj, University of Toronto