Chapter 16
Wednesday, March 16, 2016 7:23 PM
Canada's Labour Laws
Purpose
- To provide a common set of rules for fair negotiations
- To protect the public interest by preventing the impact of labour disputes
from inconveniencing the public
General Characteristics of Canada's Labour Laws
- Procedures for certification of a union
- A collective agreement must be in force for a minimum of a year
- Procedures must be followed by one or both parties before a strike/lock-
out
- Prohibition of lock-out/strike during a contract
- The disputes over matters arising from interpretation of the collective
agreement must be settles by final and binding arbitration
- Establishment of a labour relations board
- Prohibition of certain unfair practices on the part of labour and
management
Types of Unions
- Geographic Scope
○ International
○ National
○ Local
- Type of Worker
○ Craft Unions
§ Skilled workers
§ Trades
§ Teachers
○ Industrial Union
§ Any other employee that isn't covered by a craft union
- Labour Congress Affiliation
○ CLC
○ CSN
○ AFL-CIO
, § Trades
§ Teachers
○ Industrial Union
§ Any other employee that isn't covered by a craft union
- Labour Congress Affiliation
○ CLC
○ CSN
○ AFL-CIO
L02 : Labor Relations Process
1. Desire for Collective Representation
a. Dissonance-based reasons
i. When expectations of work and experience of work are in conflict
b. Utility-based reasons
i. Attributed to a rational calculation of costs and benefits of being
unionized vs. non-unionized
c. Political/Ideological reasons
d. Age, gender, education levels and other demographic factors are highly
correlated with the desire to join a union
e. Most important factor is the employees belief that they are without
ability to change the factors causing dissatisfaction, except with collective
action
2. Union Organization Campaign
1. Employee/Union Contract
i. Can be initiated by an employee or union organizer
ii. Usually begun by an employee
iii. Discuss the advantages of unionization
2. Initial Organizational Meeting
i. The union organizer schedules an initial meeting with all individuals
interested in unionization
ii. The goal is to seek employees who are willing to help the organizer
direct the campaign
3. Formation of an in-house organizing committee
4. The organizing campaign
i. Members of the in-house committee contact employees, present
the case for unionization and encourage as many employees as
possible to sign the authorization card
5. The outcome
i. Must be certified by the Labour Relations Board
- Signs of Organizing Activity
§ Disappearance of employee lists or directories
§ Questions about their opinions of unions
§ Sudden popularity of certain employees
§ Appearance of strangers in the parking lot
- Employer Response to Activity
§ Obtain as much information as possible
Wednesday, March 16, 2016 7:23 PM
Canada's Labour Laws
Purpose
- To provide a common set of rules for fair negotiations
- To protect the public interest by preventing the impact of labour disputes
from inconveniencing the public
General Characteristics of Canada's Labour Laws
- Procedures for certification of a union
- A collective agreement must be in force for a minimum of a year
- Procedures must be followed by one or both parties before a strike/lock-
out
- Prohibition of lock-out/strike during a contract
- The disputes over matters arising from interpretation of the collective
agreement must be settles by final and binding arbitration
- Establishment of a labour relations board
- Prohibition of certain unfair practices on the part of labour and
management
Types of Unions
- Geographic Scope
○ International
○ National
○ Local
- Type of Worker
○ Craft Unions
§ Skilled workers
§ Trades
§ Teachers
○ Industrial Union
§ Any other employee that isn't covered by a craft union
- Labour Congress Affiliation
○ CLC
○ CSN
○ AFL-CIO
, § Trades
§ Teachers
○ Industrial Union
§ Any other employee that isn't covered by a craft union
- Labour Congress Affiliation
○ CLC
○ CSN
○ AFL-CIO
L02 : Labor Relations Process
1. Desire for Collective Representation
a. Dissonance-based reasons
i. When expectations of work and experience of work are in conflict
b. Utility-based reasons
i. Attributed to a rational calculation of costs and benefits of being
unionized vs. non-unionized
c. Political/Ideological reasons
d. Age, gender, education levels and other demographic factors are highly
correlated with the desire to join a union
e. Most important factor is the employees belief that they are without
ability to change the factors causing dissatisfaction, except with collective
action
2. Union Organization Campaign
1. Employee/Union Contract
i. Can be initiated by an employee or union organizer
ii. Usually begun by an employee
iii. Discuss the advantages of unionization
2. Initial Organizational Meeting
i. The union organizer schedules an initial meeting with all individuals
interested in unionization
ii. The goal is to seek employees who are willing to help the organizer
direct the campaign
3. Formation of an in-house organizing committee
4. The organizing campaign
i. Members of the in-house committee contact employees, present
the case for unionization and encourage as many employees as
possible to sign the authorization card
5. The outcome
i. Must be certified by the Labour Relations Board
- Signs of Organizing Activity
§ Disappearance of employee lists or directories
§ Questions about their opinions of unions
§ Sudden popularity of certain employees
§ Appearance of strangers in the parking lot
- Employer Response to Activity
§ Obtain as much information as possible
