News

The role and direction of the Union in the workplace is to advance the cause of its membership. This is done by working to ensure workers are treated fairly and that they are appropriately compensated for their work.

This is achieved by several means:

• Collective bargaining is probably the most recognized. This is the formal process where changes to the Collective Agreement (CA) are negotiated. The Collective Agreement sets out responsibilities both parties and the compensation paid for the work performed by the membership. Any changes to the CA must be ratified by the membership at special meetings.
• Grievances are the formal process to resolve violations of the working relationship. They are also generally misunderstood as to their purpose. In the early days of the labour movement a violation of the CA could result in a work stoppage until the issue was resolved. The grievance procedure was developed to resolve disputes without resorting to such extreme action. Over the years, grievances have become a gauge to the working relationship between the company and its workforce; several grievances equal a bad relationship. While this may be true, it may simply be caused by the lack of a more informal mechanism to resolve complaints. A better gauge of the relationship is how grievances are handled and resolved. A workplace that recognizes issues and resolves them to the satisfaction of the parties in a timely manner may, in fact, have a healthier relationship regardless of the number of issues.
• Promoting an open dialogue between the Union and Management where issues can be raised discussed and usually resolved without resorting to the more formal grievance procedure.
• Involvement of the Union in the development of programs is a preferred means of the Union to help fulfill our role. Participation from the beginning permits the union to help shape programs that respect our constituents concerns while helping the company succeed.
• Being active and encouraging the membership to be active in the community and to work to preserve and enhance our social values.