Managerial opposition to union certification in Quebec and Ontario

Using data collected from a survey of union organizers, this paper is the f irst to examine employer behaviour during certification campaigns in Canada . It investigates the extent and impact of opposition practices used by Que bec and Ontario employers during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The author s find that the prevalence of opposition tactics is not pronounced in eithe r Quebec or Ontario. Nevertheless, these tactics are effective in reducing the level of union support in certification campaigns, if not the probabili ty of certification. Most tactics examined appear to decrease the proportio n of employees supporting the union, while captive audience speeches have a consistent negative and significant effect on certification probability.