The logic of labor quiescence

In 1993, the government of Alberta embarked on an ambitious plan to eliminate the provincial debt by 2010 and balance the budget within four years without raising taxes. The major vehicles to the plan’s achievement were unprecedented budget cuts and pub-lic sector restructuring. Initially, public sector union leaders were defiant, promising an allout struggle to thwart policies that jeopardized the unions’ vested interests in job security and organizational survival. More than five years later, unions have failed to influence in any significant way policy development and implementation. I explore why public sector unions did not mount any collective action to influence the political discourse in Alberta between 1993 and 1998. I am indebted to Nicole Lyotier and Nancy Cranston for their excellent research assistance, Helen Lam for comments on an earlier version of the paper, and all the interviewees for their time and willingness to share valuable information. Financial support for this study was provided by a Nova Fellowship, Faculty of Business, University of Alberta.