Worker movement as a union issue: An examination of collective bargaining agreements in the construction sector in Alberta, Canada

The fluctuating expansion of oil sands development in northern Alberta, Canada has led to employers hiring a large number of mobile work-ers. The working conditions for some of these mobile workers are modulated in part by unions through their role in negotiating collective bargaining agree-ments. Using a social reproductive framework, this study has two main findings: through collective agreements mobile workers are treated as a distinct category of worker, and there is a simultaneous expansion of workplace rules and regula-tions alongside a divide of the workplace from the home. The resulting expan-sion of the union regulated space in contrast to the divide of workplace from the home challenges union revitalization efforts, while also reaffirming traditional gendered experiences of mobility.