Do you want respect and fairness at work?
If you want better pay, dignity and respect in your workplace, then join a union.
Whether you work in a small or a large workplace, public sector or private sector you have the right to join a union.
Phone 604-430-1421 or email organize@bcfed.ca
A Voice at Work
With a union at your workplace you have a say in what happens at your workplace. Without a union – management calls all the shots and the people who actually do the work are often excluded from discussions where they have valuable input. Instead of dealing with arbitrary decisions from management – you have a voice.
Respect
Respect is about being paid a fair wage and being valued at work. Respect is not being bullied or harassed at work. It means management having realistic expectations and consulting on important workplace decisions. With a union – management and workers are equal before the labour board.
Fairness Rather than Favouritism
When you join a union you will negotiate a set of rules that guarantee respect and fairness for everyone – not just management's favourites. Pay increases, benefits and workplace conditions are guaranteed in a contract that cannot be changed without agreement from you and your co-workers.
Workplace Training
Most unions in BC have training programs for members so you can expand your skills. Often unions offer workplace training on your rights at work, occupational health and safety, dealing with difficult situations and public speaking.
Job Security
With a union you can speak out about problems at the job without fear of being disciplined or losing your job. With a union, contract workers can only be fired when there is just cause – not just because a supervisor doesn’t like you.
A Better Workplace Environment
By yourself you don’t have much power – but when you work together with your co-workers, you can get more done. With a union you have a chance to have a say in your conditions of work. You get a say about fairness, job security and respect. All too often, workplaces without a union have to deal with unfair treatment, inconsistent rules or favouritism.
Having a union at work means you can make your job better rather than looking for another job.
Phone 604-430-1421 or email organize@bcfed.ca
Why do many workers choose to join a union?
It is your right in British Columbia to join a union. Here's what the law says about your right to join a union:
BC Labour Relations Code (Provincial)
Rights of employers and employees
4. (1) Every employee is free to be a member of a trade union and to participate in its lawful activities.
6. (3) An employer or a person acting on behalf of an employer shall not
(a) discharge, suspend, transfer, lay off or otherwise discipline an employee, refuse to employ or continue to employ a person or discriminate against a person in regard to employment or a condition of employment because the person
(i) is or proposes to become or seeks to induce another person to become a member or officer of a trade union or
(ii) participates in the promotion, formation or administration of a trade union.
Part I Canada Labour Code - (Federal)
Basic Freedoms
(i) Every employee is free to join the trade union of his/her choice and to participate in its lawful activities.
Prohibitions Relating to Employers
(i) No employer or person acting on behalf of an employer shall:
(a) refuse to employ or to continue to employ or suspend, transfer, lay off or otherwise discriminate against any person with respect to employment, pay or any other term or condition of employment or intimidate, threaten or otherwise discipline any person because the person...
(i) is or proposes to become, or seek to induce any other person to become, a member, officer or representative of a trade union or participate in the promotion, formation or administration of a trade union.
How to organize your workplace
The basics of aren't hard. (There are some formal legal steps to follow, but a union organizer will help you with them.)
1. Talk with the union you’d like to join.
Contact us, and we'll put you in touch with a union that's a good fit for you. Then you can talk to them about how they can help you improve your workplace. The union will connect you with a union organizer, a person who will guide you through the process of talking to your co-workers and signing up members.
All communications with a union organizer are kept confidential. This means that any conversations you have are private, and won’t be shared with your employer.
2. Ask your coworkers to sign membership cards.
Your union organizer will help you to share union membership cards with the people who work with you. When a worker fills out and signs a membership card, they’re saying they support the idea of joining together in a union. This is confidential and management will not be able to see which employees have signed membership cards.
3. Apply for certification.
Once you have signed up enough employees, the union, as your bargaining agent, will apply to the BC Labour Relations Board (an independent administrative tribunal that governs labour issues) to have your union certified. Certification means the union now officially represents the workers in your workplace.
What happens next depends on how many of your coworkers have signed cards:
Single-step certification: If 55% of the employees in your workplace sign membership cards, the new union will be automatically certified.
Two-step certification: Didn’t quite get 55%? Don’t worry. If 45 to 55% of the employees in your workplace sign membership cards, you can still get your union. But all employees in the workplace will have to vote first. The Labour Relations Board will organize and carry out this confidential vote. If a majority votes in support of the union, your new union will be created.
4. Celebrate!
Congratulations on joining the hundreds of thousands of BC workers like you who are proud union members! And don’t stop now. Talk to your union organizer about how you can get more involved in the union, and keep working to make your workplace better.
5. Next step: a collective agreement
After your union is created, members of the union will meet to decide on the contract they would like to see in their workplace. From there, negotiations will take place until both sides, workers and management, agree on the terms. The document created through this process is your collective agreement, and both workers and management will agree to work under its terms.
What if you’re in a federally-regulated workplace?
Some workplaces aren’t covered by BC labour laws — for example, the federal public service, Crown corporations and federally-regulated industries like aviation and marine shipping. (See a full list here.) If you work in that kind of workplace, then you have to sign up at least 40% of your coworkers to apply for certification. Your application will be filed with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board.
If you can show that more than half of your coworkers want the union, the board will automatically certify your union.
If at least 35% of your coworkers (but less than half) have signed cards, the board will order a vote of all the employees. If a majority of the votes are in favour of having a union, the board will certify your union.
Phone 604-430-1421 or email organize@bcfed.ca