Popular experiments with independent unions have drawn attention to forms of organization that are no longer fit for purpose. By understanding the primary drivers of independent unionism, students of industrial relations, labour law, and trade unionism can adapt to shifting expectations among workers, employers, and governments.
This talk will describe the dynamics that have conditioned independent unionism over the preceding decade and explain the connection between market forces re-shaping the demand for unionism with the changing nature of its supply.
This talk will also examine how large trade union organizations of long standing have positioned themselves in the changing marketplace of unionism, and considers how these positioning may evolve in the coming decade in light of current industrial and economic forecasts for the decade ahead.
Maxim Baru is an organizing and mobilization professional. Previously at the helm of Efling Union’s Organizing Division in Iceland, over the past decade Maxim has worked with trade union organizations readapting to changing conditions such as the Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux as well as independent upstart union movements such the Syndicat général in Montreal and the Industrial Workers of the World in the United States