Read through this package and complete the multiple choice
questions, the matching terms and the crossword puzzles.
Labour Unions in Canada
1. Introduction
Labour Unions in Canada, organizations that
represent Canadian workers in their negotiations
with employers. Labour unions engage in
collective bargaining with employers to
determine issues such as wages, the terms and
conditions of work, and worker security. Unions
also engage in political activities on behalf of
workers and have historically had ties to political
parties, such as the New Democratic Party
(NDP). At the beginning of the 21st century
nearly 4.2 million workers in Canada belonged to
a union, or about one quarter of the country’s
workforce.
2. Types of Unions
Unionized workers in Canada include industrial and office workers and
public employees in government administration, school systems, and
hospitals. They also include engineers, professors, nurses, teachers, and
other professional employees. Employees are less likely to be unionized in
private service-sector firms such as retail stores, restaurants, banks, and
insurance companies, because employers in those areas have
aggressively opposed unions.
Unions have traditionally been divided into craft unions and industrial
unions. Craft unions, which were the earliest form of union, are formed by
skilled workers in a trade such as printing or carpentry, but they typically
exclude unskilled workers. Industrial unions, by contrast, include all
workers, skilled as well as unskilled, in a single industry such as
automobile or steel manufacturing.
In the late 20th century other types of unions arose in Canada. Publicsector unions emerged in the 1960s after the government passed laws
allowing government workers to organize (to form groups to protect their
rights and interests) and bargain collectively. In the 1980s and 1990s
general unions, which represent workers from widely varying industries or
occupations, became more common as unions broadened their
membership to include people working in jobs outside the union’s original
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industry. For example, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) expanded to
represent workers in the fishing and airline industries, among other areas.
In the private service sector, the CAW organized employees at the first
unionized McDonald's restaurant in North America.
3. The Role of Unions
Unions help workers negotiate the terms and conditions of their work with
their employers. Before unions existed, workers often labored for low
wages and long hours in unsafe or unhealthy workplaces. They could be
fired without cause at the whim of an employer and thus had no job
security. In unionized jobs, employees work under conditions negotiated
through the process of collective bargaining, in which the union negotiates
with the employers on behalf of the employees. The collective agreements
they negotiate include clauses that outline job classifications, rates of pay,
workday length, overtime rates, workers’ health and safety measures, and
work distribution. Such agreements also include grievance and arbitration
procedures that are designed to settle conflicts that arise during the term
of a contract.
Unions also negotiate with employers to determine the level of union
security (the extent to which workers are required to join or fund the union
once it is established). Types of union security arrangements include the
closed-shop agreement, in which union membership is a condition of
employment in a workplace i.e. you MUST join, and the union-shop
agreement, in which a person does not have to be a union member to be
hired but must join the union after becoming employed. A third form is
known as the Rand Formula, named after Canadian Supreme Court
justice Ivan Rand, who created it when he arbitrated a strike against the
Ford Motor Company in Windsor, Ontario, in 1945. The Rand Formula
does not require all workers to join the union, but it requires them to pay
union dues because they receive the benefit of the union’s collective
bargaining. The formula also allows the employer to automatically deduct
union dues from workers’ paychecks.
Collective agreements last for a set period of time, after which they are
renegotiated. If the employers and unions cannot reach a collective
agreement, either party can apply pressure to the other through a work
stoppage. A work stoppage by workers is called a strike, while a stoppage
created by an employer is known as a lockout. Lockouts are less common
than strikes. Often just the threat of a work stoppage is enough to push
the two sides to an agreement. However, before a legal work stoppage
can occur in Canada, the parties must apply for conciliation. Under
conciliation, a government-appointed mediator tries to help the two sides
reach an agreement. If they do not, a cooling-off period of about ten days
follows, in which employees remain at work and the parties may continue
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to negotiate. Only after the cooling-off period ends can the employers or
employees begin a legal work stoppage.
In around 90 percent of negotiations, the parties reach collective
agreements without a work stoppage. Most workers in Canada have the
right to strike, except firefighters, police, some hospital workers, and
others who perform essential services. Those employees normally have
another recourse to settle disputes such as binding arbitration. In binding
arbitration, an outside arbitrator hears the arguments of the parties
involved and issues a decision that the parties must accept.
Unions in Canada have also taken an active role in politics. Much of this
political work is done by central labor bodies, organizations formed by
groups of unions to represent the general concerns of unions and workers.
Central labor bodies, the most prominent of which is the Canadian Labour
Congress (CLC), lobby for legislation that is in the interest of their
members and other workers. They have supported legislation setting
workers' compensation and minimum standards for working conditions.
Unions have also pushed for social welfare measures, including universal
medical coverage, unemployment insurance, and health and safety
legislation. In addition, unions have supported broader community issues,
including human rights, pay equity for women, and environmental
standards.
4. Union organization
Labor organizations exist on a variety of levels, from local workplaces to
international organizations.
At the local level, workers in a particular workplace can join a local union.
Before a union can represent a group of employees at a workplace, it
must apply to the provincial labor board, a government agency, to be
certified as the bargaining representative. To determine whether the union
should be certified, the labor board
either counts union membership cards
or holds a representation vote to
determine if the union has the support
of the majority of workers at the
workplace. If a majority supports the
union, the board determines the
appropriate bargaining unit (the group
of workers that is represented in a
specific collective agreement) at the
workplace and certifies the union.
Once certified, a local union seeks to negotiate a collective agreement
with the employer to determine the terms and conditions of employment.
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Unions are democratic organizations. Unionized workers elect their local
officials in secret ballot elections.
Workers in local unions elect local executives to supervise the work of the
union. They also elect officials known as shop stewards to handle
grievances that arise on the job. Before collective bargaining begins,
workers elect a bargaining committee. The bargaining committee
determines the workers’ demands and strategy in negotiations with the
employer.
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Matching
Match the following terms with the matching definition
1. Strike
a)
2. Negotiating
b)
3. Injunction
4. Collective Agreement
5. Shop Steward
c)
d)
6. Fringe Benefits
e)
7. Closed Shop
f)
8. Arbitration or Mediation
g)
9. Checkoff
h)
10. Certification
i)
11. Picketing
12. Grievance
j)
13. Seniority
k)
14. Illegal or Wildcat Strike
l)
m)
15. Work-to-rule
16. Lockout
n)
17. Collective Bargaining
o)
18. C.O.L.A
p)
q)
r)
A cost of living adjustment clause is
known as
The closure of a place of work by an
employer in order to pressure
employees to agree to the terms of
employment is a
A strike that takes place while a
contract is still in effect is called an
A legal step used by an employer to
end a strike or other actions of
employees is an
The person in charge of a local union
is called a
Dental plans, pension plans, and sick
leave plans are
A method of settling a dispute
between an employer and employees
by bringing in third party is called
A refusal to work because a
satisfactory contract can not be
negotiated is a
Workers on a strike spend several
hours each week in front of their place
of work doing this
An employer and employees who are
trying to come to an agreement are
A place of work where a person must
belong to the union is a
A method of collecting union dues
The legal procedures that a group
must follow in order to become a union
are known as
The agreement between an employer
and a union that involves issues such
as wages, working conditions, and
fringe benefits is
A unionized employee has the right to
file a _________ if some part of his or
her contract is not followed
An advantage attained by length of
continuous employed is called
A method of determining issues such
as wages and hours through direct
negotiations between the union and
the employer is called
A work slowdown or a refusal to
perform some duties not in the
employee’s job description is known
as
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Have Some Fun and Complete these Multiple choice questions on Unions…….
1. Arbitration:
a) A march during Canada labour Day
b) A method of settling disputes
c) A new method of modern dance
2. Blue collar workers:
d) Factory employees who make shirts with blue collars
e) People who only wear blue collars
f) Production and Maintenance workers
3. Closed Shop:
g) A place where only union members are hired
h) A store that closes during specific hours
i) The old Sunday shopping law
4. Collective Bargaining:
j) A bunch of people looking for a bargain
k) A method of determining wages and other employment conditions
through direct negotiations between the union and employer
l) Making a bargain to collect a person’s rent
5. C.O.L.A:
m) A dark, sweet beverage
n) Cost of living Allowance
o) Pay increases based on the Consumer Price index
p) A & C
q) B & C
6. Fringe Benefits:
r) A benefit concert by a group named FRINGE
s) A wage benefit package given only to employees who wears
clothing with some fringes on it
t) Non-wage benefits such as paid vacations, pensions, and life
insurance
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7. Grievance:
u) Complaint against management by union or union members
regarding a breach of the collective agreement
v) What you go through upon the death of someone close to you
w) Someone who complains a lot
8. Injunction:
x) A court order restraining an employer or union from engaging in
certain acts
y) A needle you get before starting certain jobs
z) A place of employment at a railway junction
9. Labour Relations Board:
aa) A wooden board used in hard labour
bb) A Federal or Provincial board established to administer labour law
cc) A group of people who work hard at their relationships
10. Local:
dd) The basic unit of union organization
ee) Here, not there
ff) An establishment that is close by
11. Lockout:
gg) When you leave your keys at home
hh)When you accidentally lock your keys in your car
ii) When you’ve had an argument with someone and they lock you out
of the house
jj) A phase in a labour dispute where management doesn’t allow it’s
employees to work
12. Moonlighting:
kk) A former hit television show starring Bruce Willis
ll) What you do when you want a romantic evening
mm) A situation in which an individual holds more than one paid job at
the same time.
13. Picketing:
nn) Union members publicize the existence of a labour dispute
oo) A type of white fencing usually found around country homes
pp) Fancy guitar playing
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14. Seniority:
qq) The age when you start to receive a pension
rr) When people begin to think that they are too old
ss) The term used to designate an employee’s status, usually based on
length of service
15. Shift:
tt) The daily working period for a group of employee’s
uu) A type of straight dress
vv) To move around on the job
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