Union Officers Teleworking: Insights from Quebec (Canada)

Speaker

prof. Lorenzo Frangi, University of Toronto

Chair

prof. Andrea Signoretti, Università di Trento

The seminar will take place in a hybrid format via Zoom - Access code: 632701

Abstract:

 Union officers - professionals of labour movement, backbone and neuro system of unionism - have been leveraging since the beginning of industrialization in-person, face-to-face, emotionally-laden relationships with members to swiftly respond to their needs, guide them through bargaining and legal procedures, and knit the fabric of the mobilizable “collective worker”. Pandemics abruptly severed those in-person relationships and officers resorted to teleworking as an emergency measure to fulfill their tasks. While health measures were relieved, teleworking arrangements for most Canadian union officers became instead a structural aspect of their daily work.
Drawing upon the synergy between union officers and teleworking debates, through a mix-method (interviews and survey) inquiry among a sample of Quebec officers from different unions, we explore the different nature of union officers’ teleworking arrangements, challenges and opportunities, together with variation in officers’ job satisfaction, organizational identification with the union they work for, and perceived organizational effectiveness.
Preliminary insights suggest that besides individual inclinations and specific officer tasks, teleworking is associated with higher job satisfaction, organizational identification, organizational effectiveness in servicing but present challenges for mobilizing. Implications for union officer and teleworking debate, together with union policies, are discussed.

Short bio 

Lorenzo Frangi is Professor of Employment Relations in the Department of Organization and Human Resources at the School of Management, Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG UQAM) and at the Centre of Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto. Drawing on innovative analytical perspectives, his research examines the evolution, renewal, and impact of trade unions from a comparative perspective across workplaces, sectors, and countries. He has served for several years as an executive officer of the Canadian Industrial Relations Association, chaired the ILERA Americas 2020 Conference, and led the Best PhD Dissertation Award Committee of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA). Professor Frangi has authored more than 40 publications in four languages, including chapters in major handbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles (such as the British Journal of Industrial Relations, ILR Review, Work, Employment and Society), as well as reports for employment relations practitioners. Over the past decade, he has presented his research more than 100 times to academic and practitioner audiences. His background as a union officer, combined with his international experience and strong commitment to social justice, has strongly influenced his research agenda. He has received several distinctions for excellence in both teaching and research. In 2019, he received the Toronto Leaders Circle Award for his contribution to the field. In 2021, he was recognized by the International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) as the world's second-best young researcher.