No jobs on a dead planet : labour's perceptions of relationship building between British Columbia's labour and environmental movements

Abstract

This thesis explores, from a labour perspective, the relationships between labour and environmental activists: relationships that were created following decades of conflict and resolution of environmental issues. Flowing from the question `What can be learned from labour leaders' experiences of building relationships with environmental activists?' I utilized the stories of those who were actively involved during and after the `war in the woods' period. This case study used an institutional ethnographic approach to determine how and why the conflict occurred. I argue that while the personal qualities of leadership are essential, they are not sufficient for relationship building. Labour leaders also need to prepare the ground inside individual unions to facilitate authentic external relationships that can turn into lasting political change. The final discussion turns to exploring unions as systems, leadership in unions, and reflecting on how labour leaders ready their unions to work effectively with coalition partners.