Topics a Union President Visited to Mobilize Members/Themes traites par un president de centrale syndicale afin de mobiliser ses membres/Temas abordados por un presidente sindical para movilizar a sus miembros

We explore how the British Columbia Teachers' Federation president used language to mobilize union members for collective action. We look at four appeals to action he sent during a recent labour conflict to understand how he constructed his calls to justify collective action and inspire agency. In particular, we survey the main topics, or commonplaces, he visited to develop his arguments, and discuss why he chose them and how he applied them to construct a reality conducive to collective action.