The goal of this article is to compare the situations of various plants in which there were relocation threats, some of which materialized and some of which did not. It is based on data collected through a survey of local unions in the manufacturing sector in the province of Quebec in Canada. The results show that certain structural characteristics of the plant, such as producing standardized products and being downwardly integrated into the value chain, were associated with a greater probability of a relocation threat. Furthermore, union concessions were linked with a decrease in the likelihood of an actual relocation. There was a significant association between actual relocation and concessions on employment levels but not between relocation and concessions on wages and benefits. In these relocation decisions, there were clearly two logics at work: managerial capacity to relocate and industrial relations dynamics.
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