Jason Foster

Athabasca University HRLR professor. Director of @ParklandInst. Book reader and occasional book writer. More well known as @ABbeerguy

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

New book alert! My new book is now out. It examines the insidious rise of precarious work in Canada. Ask for it at a book store near you.

And if you are in Edmonton you are invited to the official book launch. Thursday June 8 at 5:30 at Irrational Brewing (10643-124 Street).

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

New book release!!

Today we launched the CIRA 60th anniversary book, a project started when I was president. Very proud to have co-edited this creative collection of reflections on the discipline of industrial/labour relations.

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

New book alert!! My new textbook with Fiona McQuarrie is officially out. Entirely updated and with new material. If you are a labour relations/labour studies prof consider assigning it in your course.

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

Attended the launch of a new documentary about undocumented kids being denied the right to go to school. Proud to be a part of the campaign with Alberta Workers Association for Research and Education and ⁦@MigranteAlberta⁩

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

Join us for the release of @ParklandInst latest research report looking at how unions improve wages, increase equality and create job security for Albertans.

[Parkland Institute @ParklandInst]

What happens when workers have leverage in the labour market? Parkland's latest research traces how collective bargaining in Alberta reshapes wages, reduces gaps, and expands access to benefits. Join our webinar to learn what the data shows.
https://t.co/XHTIUpGvfB

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

Today on my CBC Radioactive beer column we talked beer advent calendars; what options are out there and how to organize your own. And we opened the first day’s beer - a couple days early - from the hand curated one from ⁦@SherbrookeLiq⁩ . ⁦@JessicaNgCBC⁩

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

A bit late getting to this but I was on @TheCurrentCBC last week to talk about the teachers’ strike. Worth a listen still.

https://t.co/kmDMR4XtJJ

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

I was invited onto to @CANADALAND to talk teachers and govt interference in bargaining in Canada. Thanks for having me!

You can listen to it here:

https://t.co/RtwwQ7jeKL

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

I had a good interview today with @politicalham about what could happen when the government passes Back-to-Work legislation on the teachers next week.

[Markham Hislop @politicalham]

What if Alberta Teachers Defy Back-to-Work Legislation?

Prof Jason Foster, @AthabascaU, explains in clear, easy to understand language.

Next week could be an epic showdown between @ABDanielleSmith and @albertateachers.
@ABworkprof #ABleg
https://t.co/ArCPbm43D3

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

@why_knot1 @ryanjespersen If I am incorrect I am happy to be corrected but I don’t recall any in recent memory and it has never been in the collective agreement.

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

I was on Real Talk with @ryanjespersen today to talk about the teachers’ strike. Here are some highlights.

[Ryan Jespersen @ryanjespersen]

The Alberta teachers' strike has been brewing for decades.

@AthabascaU's Dr. Jason Foster (@ABworkprof) lays out the similarities between the strikes in 2002 and 2025...

📺 FULL: https://t.co/bFoRqcFL5u

🎧 FULL: https://t.co/8EdZ061Rrb #abed #abpoli #ableg #RealTalkRJ

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

I had a good conversation with the Tyee for their story examining the parties' strategies in the ongoing teachers' strike.

[Parkland Institute @ParklandInst]

Teachers and the government may be back at the bargaining table — but the two sides are still far apart. “The Alberta government has yet to figure out that teachers are quite serious about their priorities,” says Parkland’s Jason Foster.
https://t.co/kWFOyOIFBX

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

@why_knot1 @ryanjespersen There were never class size caps. And there has never been collective agreement language about class size. The ministry did keep statistics until the UCP, which ended that practice.

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

A note to young and emerging labour scholars. Say yes to media requests. I have done 22 interviews in the last two weeks on various labour issues. Yes it gets in the way of the rest of our work but it matters. We need knowledgeable, pro-worker voices talking about labour issues.

[Parkland Institute @ParklandInst]

The UCP’s announcement of a new ad campaign smearing Alberta teachers will only push them closer to strike action: “The government is less interested in figuring out a deal and more concerned about political optics,” says Parkland director Jason Foster.
https://t.co/8AG9ZfBAVM

[Parkland Institute @ParklandInst]

The last time teachers went on strike in Alberta was over 20 years ago. Why are we so close to one now? “This seems to be bubbling up from the members themselves. They're angry and want to see change,” says Parkland’s director.
https://t.co/BFhBOsmW0s

[Parkland Institute @ParklandInst]

“In the last decade, inflation’s gone up by 25% — but workers’ wages sure haven’t. What we’re seeing now is workers pushing back across industries, across the country.” Listen to this interview with Parkland’s director, Jason Foster.
https://t.co/8U5ujwKKpZ

[Parkland Institute @ParklandInst]

School library book crackdowns, anti-LGBTQ+ policies, and calls for privatization: all under the banner of “parental rights.” Find out what’s behind this political strategy trying to reshape Alberta’s schools. Join our free webinar — tomorrow!
https://t.co/B1uRsZr454

[Parkland Institute @ParklandInst]

The UCP says it can’t afford fair wages for teachers. Parkland’s director Jason Foster points out: “Just in the last budget, the government implemented a gigantic tax cut. So they’re making choices that mean whether they have or don’t have money.”
https://t.co/uJaIgmHs4E

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

Was just interviewed on 880 CHED about the looming teachers' lockout/strike. Government ramped up the rhetoric today trying to deflect from their unwillingness to invest appropriately in education.

Listen in if you want:
https://t.co/fqGDogTp3e

[Jason Foster @ABworkprof]

I had a great conversation with @CABalkaran on his Open Minds podcast about the growth of the TFWP. The episode is out now.

[Parkland Institute @ParklandInst]

Temporary Foreign Worker program: When your right to stay in Canada depends on your employer, “it becomes much more difficult for you to stand up to mistreatment or abuse in the workplace.” One-hour interview with Jason Foster.
https://t.co/U3di8R5n1D