|
|
One of our 2022 Top Trends is “LABOR UNION COMEBACK,” and it is coming to a country near you. On 2 December, The New York Times reported that Canada Goose, the manufacturer of luxury apparel based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that makes parkas that can cost over $1,000, had workers at three of its plants vote to unionize.
The Times reports, Workers United, an affiliate of Service Employees International Union, and which represents Canada Goose workers at other facilities, will be representing about 1,200 workers in Winnipeg.
The company has long prided itself on its commitment to environmental and labor standards, but had appeared resistant to efforts to unionize its workers in Winnipeg. However, the company remained neutral during the election, which resulted in 86 percent of the vote favoring unionization.
TREND FORECAST: We maintain our forecast that with a severe shortage of workers despite a strong demand for them, and many workers feeling disheartened and underappreciated, labor unions, long in decline, will make a comeback; see “POLITICO JOURNALISTS FORM UNION. A TREND OF THE TIMES” (2 Nov 2021), “DEERE EMPLOYEES GO ON STRIKE: MORE STRIKES TO COME” (19 Oct 2021), and “SPOTLIGHT: WORKERS ON DEMAND” (26 Oct 2021).
And, as unions continue to gain strength, and the stronger they grow, the greater the demands they will make; if those demands are not met, union workers will stage “actions” like slowdowns and/or strikes.