Collective bargaining and strike innovations in Canada’s university sector

Abstract

While academic staff associations have historically operated within a service-model framework characterized by professionalism and relative insularity, many have begun experimenting with strategies and tactics associated with the organizing model of unionism. This article analyzes how workplace mapping, structure tests, transparent and member-driven bargaining, and supermajority strike mandates are reshaping collective bargaining practices in the sector. Drawing on recent cases from universities across the country, the article shows how these innovations, loosely inspired by the work and methods of Jane McAlevey, can strengthen member engagement, enhance strike readiness, and increase academic staff association leverage in negotiations. The article argues that embracing the organizing model is a strategic imperative for academic staff associations seeking not only to defend working conditions and collegial governance, but also to build durable collective power capable of achieving transformative gains for academic staff and the broader university community.