We study the effects of the unionization of faculty at Canadian universities from 1970-2022 using an event-study design. Using administrative data which covers the full universe of faculty salaries, we find strong evidence that unionization leads to both average salary gains and compression of the distribution of salaries. Our estimates indicate…

Amid the global neoliberal assault on public education, teachers and their unions are called upon to resist detrimental educational reforms. Employing photo-elicitation focus groups, this paper explored ten Saskatchewan teacher activists' perceptions of their political resistance to neoliberalism both within their union and beyond. Utilizing a…

Using post-structural theories, this paper explores the public discourses of several Canadian teacher unions and grassroots teacher activist groups around the issue of school reopening plans in Canada amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper aims to highlight the ways in which these two forces of teacher activism can influence and impress upon each…

The question this article attempts to answer is, how can teacher unions take advantage of the opportunities afforded by their organizational structures while minimizing the factors that have stood in the way of educational and societal change? Drawing from examples of teacher unions' strategies from studies of several organizations outside of the…

This article explores the relationship between unionization and academic freedom protections for sessional faculty in Ontario universities. Specifically, we compare university policies and contract provisions with a view to determining whether unionized sessionals hired on a per-course basis have stronger academic freedom protections than their…

With prevailing global neoliberal ideology, teachers and teacher unions must respond to market-driven governmental policies intended to undermine public education. In Saskatchewan, Canada, teacher activists feel compelled to both counter neoliberal discourses and proactively advocate for equitable, high-quality public education. To explore acts of…

Labour strife in the education sector in Ontario has repeatedly highlighted the precariousness of certain types of teaching and learning that are delivered under the catch-all designation extracurricular. This paper reviews education legislation in Ontario over the past 40 years that has impacted teachers' right to strike; examines how teacher…

This paper explores how advocates in Ontario have resisted neoliberal restructuring in education since the 2018 general election, which marked an intensification of market-oriented reforms. Shaped by the insights of 23 participants, this paper shows how resistance has been accessed through multiple entry points and has been spatially…

British Columbia's (BC) public education system has a critical teacher shortage. While initial recruitment is an important part of a workforce strategy, it is essential to ensure teachers have the working conditions, resources and support they need for a successful start and lasting career in public education. The first five years after initial…

Racialized individuals are generally more likely than their non-racialized and non-Indigenous counterparts to pursue a university-level education. Despite this, their labour market outcomes are often less favourable. Using data from the integrated file of the Postsecondary Student Information System, the 2016 Census and the T1 Family File, this…

This paper presents case studies of teacher union-government relationships in three Canadian provinces -- British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta -- where teacher organizations have undertaken divergent strategic positions relative to educational reform. It identifies critical factors that may lead teacher unions to challenge government reforms,…

As life course research has long recognized, work and careers are what Pearlin (1988; p.259) describes as "durable arrangements" that serve to "organize experience over time." However, understanding (a) the specific impacts of the alienations and contradictions of work and society under capitalism as well as (b) the analytic…

Counselling Faculty and other post-secondary mental health professionals face challenges and issues at work that often differ from those of other faculty and academic staff. In the face of increasing demands for mental health services on post-secondary campuses, as well as the cross-sector impact of COVID-19 on working conditions, the 2021 CAUT…

Among the inequities that have been exposed and amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, access to affordable and healthy food is increasingly a crisis for many students and their families. To explore food security from the perspective of teachers, the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) held a virtual Think Tank in Fall 2020. As a social…

This article looks at fifty years' worth (1970-2020) of public K-12 education expenditure data from the Canadian province of British Columbia. It asks if spending has increased or decreased in this period and examines the causes and correlates of spending changes. Previous research has tended to assume that spending has decreased during this…