Jacobin Radio Jacobin Radio: The Air Canada Strike w/ Barry Eidlin
Aug 26, 2025
Labor sociologist Barry Eidlin sheds light on the recent Air Canada strike, where 10,000 flight attendants defied a back-to-work order and negotiated a successful settlement. He discusses the implications of government intervention in labor rights and contrasts Canadian and U.S. labor laws. Eidlin highlights the historical struggles of workers, the importance of collective action, and the evolving expectations of labor movements. The conversation also emphasizes the critical role unions play in advocating for fair working conditions and compensation.
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How Section 107 Works
- Section 107 lets the labour minister refer a dispute to the Canada Industrial Relations Board for investigation and binding arbitration.
- That referral forces workers back to work while arbitration proceeds, under a novel recent interpretation.
A Bureaucratic End-Run Around Parliament
- The novel use of Section 107 is a bureaucratic end-run that avoids parliamentary back-to-work legislation and the Notwithstanding Clause.
- It creates deference to the labour minister and short-circuits full legislative debate over strikes.
Strike Rights As Collective Bargaining Fulcrum
- The constitutional right to strike became legally protected after the 2015 Saskatchewan Federation of Labour case.
- Undermining strike power skews bargaining leverage toward employers and weakens collective bargaining.
