It’s been a big year for unions in Canada. The pandemic ushered in a rise in class consciousness as workers further realized the raw deal they were getting. It also brought about an affordability crisis which labor leveraged to insist on wage increases to keep up with rising costs — despite elite efforts to discourage inflation-driven boosts in earnings. The deployment of artificial intelligence and automation — and concerns about future uses of the technologies — heightened the anxieties of working people and, consequently, shaped contract demands designed to protect jobs as best as possible in a precarious labor market.

The list of successful labor actions in Canada in 2023 is long — and the outcomes are remarkable. As Rosa Saba details for the Canadian Press, by the end of September there had been nearly 150 work stoppages across the country. While this number means the stoppages were actually fewer than in previous years, the outcomes of the strikes have been more significant, resulting in more extensive and better deals and an increase in the average rate of wage settlement.