Legislative Support for Multi-Employer Bargaining: The Canadian Experience

Abstract

This study appraises the laws adopted in the 1970s by most provinces in Canada for the purpose of promoting stronger employer associations and broader bargaining structures in the construction industry. The author finds that employer associations in construction are now more cohesive and less vulnerable to union whipsaw and leapfrog tactics, and the frequency of construction strikes has declined. On the other hand, other measures of strike activity, such as total days lost, increased following the legislative changes, and construction wages continued to rise as rapidly as in the late 1960s.