Organizing Local Messengers: Working Conditions and Barriers to Unionization

As a result of concerns around declining memberships and the growth of precarious employment in recent years, unions have sought to expand their jurisdictions and organize groups of workers who have typically resisted collective bargaining. Research on union renewal has examined working conditions a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of sociology 2014-06, Vol.39 (3), p.331-356, Article 331-356
Main Authors: Pupo, Norene, Noack, Andrea M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Bicycles
Business structures
Canada
Collective bargaining
Employment
Forecasts and trends
Government regulation
Industrial unions
Insurance expenses
Labor markets
Labor unionization
Labor unions
Labour unions
Laws, regulations and rules
Market trend/market analysis
Membership
Organizing
Social aspects
Toronto, Ontario
Union organizing
Unionization
Unions
Work Environment
Work Groups
Working conditions
Working Hours
Workplaces
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Summary:As a result of concerns around declining memberships and the growth of precarious employment in recent years, unions have sought to expand their jurisdictions and organize groups of workers who have typically resisted collective bargaining. Research on union renewal has examined working conditions and workplace structures that may give rise to successful organizing campaigns. In this paper we examine working conditions amongst non-unionized same-day messengers working in Toronto, Canada. The research team conducted 143 semi-structured interviews with bikers, drivers and walkers who work primarily for local courier companies. We find that although same-day couriers are typically treated as ‘independent contractors', they are dependent on brokers, and precariously employed, with unpredictable income and hours of work. Though this group would benefit substantially from unionization, especially organized on a sector-wide basis, their attitudes and culture combined with the structure of the local industry create substantial impediments to organizing.
ISSN:0318-6431
1710-1123
1710-1123
DOI:10.29173/cjs18509