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5 Canadian Lab. & Emp. L.J. 243 (1997)
Sectoral Certification: A Case Study of British Columbia

handle is hein.journals/canlemj5 and id is 243 raw text is: Sectoral Certification: A Case Study of British Columbia Diane MacDonald1 This article considers the argument that broader based, multi-employer bargain- ing might assist collective bargaining among people of colour, women, and persons with disabilities, who are employed in disproportionate numbers in low-paying orpre- carious employment and in smaller workplaces. The author analyses the unsuccessful 1992 proposal for sectoral certification in British Columbia in light of these goals. Her article traces the historical transition from craft unionism to a worksite model or orga- nizing. She notes that the worksite model favours those employees who are attached to one employer and who work in larger organizations. As the number ofprecariously-em- ployed individuals grows, the rate of unionization in the private sector has declined. The author details the barriers presently in place to organizing such workers, and argues that sectoral bargaining would overcome many of these obstacles. She explains why the proposal was defeated and outlines strategies that should be adopted to support its revival. 1 LL.B., Dalhousie Law School; Ph.D. candidate, Law, Policy and Society program, Northeastern University; labour lawyer, Victory Square Law Office, Vancouver, B.C. This paper was made possible by a grant from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, Washington, D.C., and a scholarship from the Law Foundation of British Columbia. My thanks to John Baigent, Kevin Banks, Elaine Bernard, Laura Frader, Karl Klare, Patrick Macklem, Leo McGrady, Chris Tennant and Mark Virgin for their helpful comments on earlier drafts. Errors are mine alone.