It was Samantha Henry鈥檚 first time on strike, and one that made headlines across the country.
鈥淪ome people thought the strike would only last a week, a couple of days. And we went into almost five weeks,鈥� said Henry, one of some 3,700 Metro employees in the Toronto area who walked off the job this summer.
In previous rounds of bargaining that didn't lead to strikes, Henry says public feedback over workers' demands was often negative.聽
鈥淚t was all like ... 鈥榃hat do you expect? She's a retail worker.鈥欌��
This summer felt different. People, including many regular Metro customers, joined workers on picket lines, promised to boycott Metro-owned stores, honked car horns as they drove past and brought gift cards, coffee and snacks.
鈥淚 think I ate more doughnuts and Timbits than I ever have in my entire life,鈥� joked Henry.聽
She thinks the pandemic helped open people鈥檚 eyes to how essential retail workers are, noting that many regular customers were irate when grocery stores took workers鈥� "hero pay" away. But that鈥檚 not the whole story. Inflation and rising interest rates have eaten into everyone鈥檚 bottom line, and Henry thinks customers are more aligned with the plight of lower-paid workers as a result.聽
鈥淚 think that the sympathy for striking workers is being driven by an affordability crisis that has hit all workers, regardless of union status,鈥� said Larry Savage, a professor in the labour studies department at Brock University.
According toanalytics firm Gallup, U.S. approval of unions is at its highest point in more than 50 years.聽
Union support is harder to measure in sa国际传媒 because it's not regularly tracked, but people on the front lines of strikes and those who study labouragree that public sympathy for strikes is stronger than usual here, too.聽
A recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute suggested that union support in sa国际传媒 is relatively high, though it's hard to contextualize the results without a previous record to compare with, said Adam King, an assistant professor in the labour studies department at the University of Manitoba.聽
But support for the high-profile Metro strike illustrated that union messaging is hitting home for many Canadians, he said: 鈥淭here's been a public spotlight on the profits of the grocery sector and the fact that food price inflation continues to outstrip overall inflation. So there's something really kind of visceral and personal about that.鈥�
Labour experts in sa国际传媒 usually have to rely on polls about individual labour disputes to gauge public sentiment, and these vary, said Savage.聽
Historically, unions had a negative public image in part because ofthe disruption strikes can cause, he said. One memorable example is the 2009 strike by City of Toronto workers that notably affected garbage collection.
Public support varies because it often hinges on the nature of the strike, said Savage. It鈥檚 easier for the average citizen to support a strike that doesn't directly affect them than one they can鈥檛 ignore 鈥� like if their flight to Hawaii is cancelled, or if the summer air is heavy with the smell of hot garbage.聽
But in more recent polls on individual disputes, Savage said he鈥檚 been surprised by the level of support.聽
For example, an Abacus poll on the dispute between the Ontario government and education workers last year showed more Ontarians blamed the government, not workers, for the dispute. Almost half said they would support other unions walking off the job in solidarity.聽
Months later, when 155,000 federal government workers under the Public Service Alliance of sa国际传媒 went on strike, an Angus Reid Institute poll showed strong support for almost every union demand, noted Savage.
鈥淵ou don't typically see that level of sympathy for public-sector workers,鈥� he said.聽
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said she's also noticed a shift at picket lines and rallies across the country.聽
鈥淭he level of public support and understanding of the need to strike ... is higher than it's been in many, many years,鈥� she said.聽
In the private sector, the general public has little sympathy for giant, profitable corporations, a feeling that鈥檚 been heightened in recent years and that Unifor exploited successfully against Metro, Savage said.聽
Support from both the national union and the broader community can help get a bargaining committee over the line, said Mario Moceri, a national service staff representative with Unifor who supported around 250 workers at the Windsor Salt Mine in a seven-month dispute this year, leading to a deal ratified in late August.聽
It also helps send a message to the employer amid negotiations, said Moceri: 鈥淚 think they knew we were in this for the long haul.鈥澛�
In some cases, public support is really important for successful bargaining, said King, while in other disputes it matters less.
"But what I think is really just encouraging over the last little while is that public support is on side, even in cases where it looks like it would be less consequential," he said.聽
Savage said public support can help keep spirits high on the picket line.
鈥淭here is nothing worse than a worker on a picket line who's being spat on and told that they're greedy, and to get back to work. That can have a very demoralizing effect on people."
Public support plays a heightened role in public-sector bargaining, because it's taxpayer money on the line, said Savage. Talks often come down to disagreements over things like classroom sizes and transit regularity.聽
鈥淭hat kind of public support is key in public-sector labour relations, because governments pay a political price for precipitating a strike and disrupting services that people rely on.鈥�
But the public鈥檚 heightened support of striking workers isn鈥檛 something unions can count on to last, said Savage.聽
鈥淭here is this real window of opportunity, and it鈥檚 not going to be there forever,鈥� he said.聽
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2023.
Companies in this story: (TSX:MRU)
Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press
