Talking Ourselves to Death? The Prospects for Social Dialogue in North America—Lessons from Alberta

Europe’s model of tripartite “social dialogue” has long been elusive in North America, yet unions continue to look at the model as a possible path toward greater policy influence. Is social dialogue possible in a North American context? Is it in the interests of the North American labor movement? This article examines two cases studies from the Canadian province of Alberta that reveal that a complex decision matrix faces unions considering participation in social dialogue. The necessary structural prerequisites for labor-friendly policy outcomes continue to be absent in North America, but the process may hold some promise in limiting employer initiative, at least in narrow policy fields. Unions also need to consider possible consequences for their capacity to organize and mobilize.