Local Labour Councils in Québec: A Comparative Approach

• In Event: 299 - Section on Labor and Labor Movements. Challenges Facing Canadian Labour

Abstract

The crisis of the labour movement has mostly been analysed as a loss of bargaining power in the workplace, and as a weakening of the influence of organised labour toward governments. Local labour councils, that gather unions from the same city or region regardless of their trade or industry, are often absent from the Canadian literature.
This paper aims at filling this gap but looking at labour councils’ contribution to a revitalization of the labour movement. More specifically, it will investigate their ability to influence the political project of their peak organization, to build class solidarity and consciousness between and among their affiliates, and to initiate long-lasting alliances with other popular organizations.
In Québec, two union centres have local labour councils. They are the conseils régionaux at the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), and the conseils centraux at the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN). Considering the historical origins of the two federations (catholic unionism for the CSN, ‘international’ unionism for the FTQ), their local councils differ slightly in terms of mandate and functioning, and ought to be studied in a comparative approach. The paper will also look at three different regions (Metropolitan Montreal, Outaouais, and Abitibi-Témiscamingue) in order to control for variations in terms of industries and trades that are represented within the councils.

Authors

• Thomas Collombat, Université du Québec en Outaouais

• Sophie Potvin, Université du Québec en Outaouais