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Several environmental factors have been proposed to account for union decline in the US, some of which apply to Canada as well. An attempt is made to: 1. link a new union paradigm with a new union strategy by suggesting that unions should engage in strategic planning, 2. present union resources as important constructs in predicting a union's likelihood to engage in strategic planning, 3. propose relevant research hypotheses for analyzing the union resource-strategic planning relationship, and 4. ground the research hypotheses by offering an illustrative example focusing on the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Local 7800. Union leaders must begin to act as strategic planners outside the structure of corporate management if they are to move from a new paradigm to a new action orientation. As illustrated by the case of CWA Local 7800, the presence of certain elements seems necessary in order for strategic planning to occur.